Tag: konnan

Jeff Jarrett and Conrad Thompson recently spent time talking about Konnan on the latest episode of the My World podcast.

According to reports, Konnan is currently hospitalized in San Diego and recently had one of his legs amputated due to medical complications.

Jarrett said he texted Konnan after hearing the news and noted that he appeared to be in good spirits.

Jarrett said:

“I saw that headline come across. I immediately text him. I didn’t ask any details. I just said, ‘Hey dude, love you. Hope all is well.’ We text back and forth. He said some funnies like he always does and we went on about our way.”

Jarrett also spoke about the impact Konnan had on the success of WCW Nitro, noting that the luchadors brought in were a key reason why fans tuned in to the show on Mondays.

“When you look at Nitro, if you take out the lucha libre aspect of Nitro, I just don’t think you have the same… Yes, you have NWO, and I’m not trying to say that it was the end-all be-all, but I just think it was a massive part of the success of Nitro.”

“Is Rey Mysterio the legend and icon that he is today without Nitro? I personally don’t think so.”

“The day before I launched TNA, I knew that the X-Division needed to have a big part of lucha in there.”

“You remove Konnan from the history of AAA and I guarantee you it does not look the same, not even remotely close.”

“Prayers up for my man. He’ll pull through. He always does.”

Konnan has been absent from the AAA commentary table since mid-January. Dave Meltzer recently noted on an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that while he is unsure about the details regarding Konnan’s situation, Konnan has been in and out of the hospital in recent weeks. Meltzer also noted that Konnan is expected to address the situation soon.

The full episode of My World with Jeff Jarrett and Conrad Thompson is available below. The video is queued to their comments about Konnan.

Dave Meltzer and Garrett Gonzales addressed Konnan’s health on Saturday evening’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.

Reports on Friday from Mexican outlet RECORD stated that Konnan was hospitalized in San Diego and had his leg amputated due to medical complications. The reports have not been independently confirmed and no official announcement has been made.

In an update to this story, Meltzer said on the show that while he does not know all of the details regarding Konnan’s situation, Konnan has been in poor health for several weeks and has been in and out of the hospital during that time.

Meltzer said:

“He’s been in rough shape for a while now, probably since the last time he was on AAA television, so it’s probably been six weeks. I don’t know all of the details. I believe that he will be probably addressing it soon.”

“He’s been in and out of the hospital, mostly in, that much I know. That’s about it, really.”

Gonzales added, “Whatever is going on, best wishes to Konnan.”

The full episode of Wrestling Observer Radio is available here for subscribers.

Unconfirmed reports regarding the health of Konnan are currently circulating online.

On Friday, Mexican sports outlet RECORD reported that Konnan was hospitalized in San Diego and had one of his legs amputated following medical complications. RECORD cited its columnist @elplanchitas for the news.

Other outlets have since reported the news citing RECORD’s report. However, the information has not been independently confirmed and no official statement has been issued.

RECORD Mexico wrote:

“Based on information from @elplanchitas, RÉCORD can confirm that the Cuban wrestler, Carlos Santiago Espada, better known as ‘Konnan’, has just undergone the amputation of his leg. Carlos is in delicate health in the United States. Much strength, Konnan!”

@elplanchitas wrote:

“I can confirm that Carlos Santiago Espada (62 years old) had a leg amputated. For some time now, the Triple A star has been dealing with health problems that have left him in a delicate state in San Diego, United States.”

Konnan has dealt with a number of health issues in recent years. He has struggled with kidney problems dating back to the mid-2000s and underwent a kidney transplant in 2007. In late 2022, it was revealed that Konnan was on dialysis due to kidney problems and had been dealing with health issues dating back to a severe bout of COVID-19 in February 2021. He also underwent heart surgery in January 2022. Konnan noted in December 2022 that he had found a donor for another kidney transplant surgery. However, it is not clear whether that surgery ever took place.

Konnan says that so far, he’s very happy with how WWE’s new ownership of AAA is going.

During a recent interview with Denise Salcedo, Konnan was asked about his initial reaction to WWE purchasing the company and responded:

“It was a little bit sad because AAA, it was kind of a mom and pop’s operation, but they couldn’t grow anymore. They didn’t have the resources, they didn’t have the money, and even though our business was great, our business was actually hot, we weren’t going to grow. And I’m so glad that WWE looked into this.”

He also spoke about the change backstage since WWE’s purchase, saying that he no longer has to agent every match and other responsibilities have been taken off his plate. Before WWE’s purchase, Konnan said he would attend every TV taping, but he missed Sunday’s show in Monterrey.

“It’s just been excellent because they’re smart at what they do. They understand what works and what doesn’t work. They’ll ask us for opinions on stuff. No pressure, really laid back, really cool to work with. So far – If you know my history, I’ve quit a lot of places and been fired from a lot, and I hope this doesn’t happen here – I’m very happy.“

Konnan also spoke about The Undertaker’s involvement backstage with AAA:

“Undertaker’s brilliant. I don’t think they would have put him in that position (otherwise). When you sit down and talk to him, he knows his stuff. I’ve been around enough bookers to know who knows their s–t and who doesn’t.”

He later added:

“What Undertaker brings to the game is he knows what gets heat, what works, what can get somebody over, and what are good finishes. That’s his genius.”

In Friday’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported on the new creative structure backstage in AAA. He noted that Jeremy Borash, Mark Calaway (Undertaker), Charles Ashenoff (Konnan), and Dorian Roldan make up the creative team, with Triple H in charge. Producers for the company include Matt Bloom, Pete Dunne, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Jack Melendez (Moody Jack), Juan Rivera (Savio Vega), and Jose Cordero (Lince Dorado). It was also noted that there are plans for WWE to begin producing lucha podcasts.

Konnan’s full interview with Denise Salcedo is available below.

Konnan discussed WWE’s goals in acquiring AAA during the latest episode of his K100 podcast.

Earlier this month, Dave Meltzer reported that WWE’s main goal with AAA is to secure a television deal for the promotion in the United States. Konnan reiterated that on the podcast, saying it’s WWE’s “end game.”

“We had a lot of bad luck getting here, but we’re finally here. And (WWE’s) end game is to get us a TV deal. And if that happens, sh-t’s on, right? But all I’ve been doing is advocating Lucha, advocating Lucha, advocating Lucha. And you see what happened? And this is just a beginning. They’re really invested,” Konnan said.

Konnan also said WWE was pleased with how Worlds Collide went, sharing that WWE President Nick Khan told him they “hit a grand slam” with the event.

“When I spoke, and I spoke to him briefly, to Nick Khan — yes, I’m a Nick Khan guy — I said, ‘I think we hit a home run.’ And he said, ‘No, we hit a grand slam.’ So that’s the president. They’re happy, bro,” Konnan said.

He added that WWE’s t-shirt for Mr. Iguana is already selling well.

“They already made a T-shirt. I talked to him today, and it’s the fifth best-selling T-shirt. The guy that came on TV once.”

Earlier in the conversation, Konnan was asked whether more AAA shows would feature English commentary and whether fans can expect episodic storytelling going forward. He responded:

“Well, they did have English commentary on Worlds Collide, so there will be more shows in the future that will have English commentary. And I think once we get our TV deals, that’s when we’ll start seeing episodic storytelling.”

AAA presented Triplemania Regia in Monterrey on Sunday, which saw WWE’s Los Garza win the AAA Tag Team Championships. Up next for the promotion is a show in Querétaro on June 21, followed by Verano de Escándalo in Aguascalientes on July 11 and a show in Mexico City on July 19. Triplemanía XXXIII takes place August 16, also in Mexico City.

The full episode of the K100 podcast is available below: