On the latest edition of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Candice Michelle reflected on the scary fall that led to her broken collarbone during a match against Beth Phoenix on WWE Raw in 2007. She also revealed how John Cena and Randy Orton have shaped her view of the industry.
Michelle echoed Cena’s words on the brutal honesty of the business and admitted her instinct was always to rush back to the ring instead of focusing on healing. That perspective changed when she later viewed how Orton would use injuries as a time to recharge his batteries while out of action.
“[Cena] said the business goes on with or without you and I remember, going through that injury, and when wrestlers get injured, and when I was injured, I was doing everything to get back as fast as I could,” she said. “And actually, I learned after the fact, a little too late. I think Randy Orton has mastered that, because he went through a lot of injuries, but when he went on injury, and I don’t know this, it’s just how I see him, it’s like, he’s gonna go take his break, he’s gonna go heal up until he’s fully healed, have some time with his family, and come back when he’s ready.”
Michelle was asked about her Women’s Championship match against Beth Phoenix on an October 2007 edition of Raw. An accident led to the bout being cut short when Michelle took a fall from the top rope.
“Well, we were overseas, and we were putting together this match, and this is when Arn Anderson and Ricky Steamboat started to really train me. So, you see how really towards the end of my wrestling career is when I really felt like I was getting the knowledge,” she said. “It was the first time I understood that there’s a philosophy to the match. I literally had no idea. I was never taught it or anything. And there was something in me and Beth that resonated with Ricky and Arn Anderson, and they really stepped up to the plate, and they said, ‘This is how you got to start working this.’ And the fans were really getting behind us.
“And overseas, we’re having these great matches, and we had this move where I was going to — it was supposed to be, how you open your legs on the top rope and fall in. Just, I’m not that flexible, like I think about it to this day, I just saw somebody in TNA do this move, and I was like, yep, that’s not for me, right? So, I was like, I’ll do my knees instead. That seems a little less flexible.”
Michelle added how the pre-planned move went awry and led to a scary situation. In addition to the broken collarbone, she suffered a “massive” concussion.
“And overseas, I did it one time, and I came back and all the boys were worried because I landed on my neck. I didn’t feel it. It didn’t phase me. I was not injured. I wasn’t hurt, and so I didn’t really think much of it. But we’re on like a 7-10 day tour over there, not much sleep. We fly back to Nebraska. We’re going to kind of do this match again, and my boot catches that rope, and I wasn’t allocated that little extra space, and I landed on my head,” Michelle said.
“I was knocked out. I don’t remember it. The first thing I remember is being on the stretcher, and Stephanie McMahon was leaning over me, and they’re going into Gorilla, and she goes, ‘Don’t worry, we’re flying your husband out.’ I was like, they don’t fly your husband out. So, instantly I was worried. I had a massive concussion, and I broke my collarbone, so I just had one break in it, and flew home and started the rehab journey for that.
“And the hard part is, you know, it came at a time where we weren’t really educated with that kind of injury, and so being dragged to the center of the ring after that happened, if that was my neck, it would have paralyzed me.”
Michelle also went into detail about the rehab and recovery journey. After the incident, she returned in January 2008. However, a few months later she re-broke her collarbone in a tag team match with Maria Kanellis against Jillian Hall & Victoria. That required subsequent surgery forcing her to be out of in-ring competition again for most of that year.
It was recently announced that Michelle has returned to pro wrestling in a backstage capacity, signing a contract with TNA Wrestling for the new role.
