After a career-threatening injury one year ago today, Sid Vicious is now more than thinking about making a comeback — he can feel it.
On January 14, 2001, Vicious sustained a compound fracture on his left leg, and minor damages on his right leg and his back, during a World Championship Wrestling pay-per-view named “Sin” as he was attempting a high-flying move from the second rope against Scott Steiner. Although he might have been considering retirement before his injuries, that PPV changed his career outlook completely.
SLAM! Wrestling caught up with Sid just before a scheduled appearance in Montreal, on Dec. 30th, during Jacques Rougeau Jr.’s Lutte 2000 card at the Molson Centre. He was the referee for the final match involving Kurrgan against Pierre-Carl Ouellet and, although he started off being impartial, he quickly turned against Pierre-Carl at the end of the match, giving Kurrgan the win, and setting the stage for a possible return at the next show.
But before he even attempts a comeback, he has to complete his rehab successfully. According to Vicious, his rehab is not dictated to him by any therapists — he is so active in his everyday life that the healing is actually months ahead.
“There is no rehab for me because I’m so active, I’m doing all the rehab myself,” Sid told SLAM! Wrestling. “So the doctors have told me there is no sense in rehabbing as far as where I’m at. I’m three to four months ahead of where most people would be. I have no atrophy (shrinkage) on my left leg, it’s as big as my right. The doctors are just astonished, they have never seen a comeback like this from such a serious fracture.”
But although rehab is ahead of schedule, there is still some major damage to contend with and he believes he’ll be at 100% in about four months.
“I have a little atrophy in my left calf because I’m not able to work on it just yet, that’s one thing you can’t speed up. So they say that in probably two months from now, I’ll be able to run on my own then it’ll be a question of time for me to get my legs really back under me. So I’d say in four months, I’d be close to 100%”
Was he really contemplating retirement? He sure was, especially up until two months ago, but now, he’s more than anxious to make a return to the ring.
“If you had asked me two months ago if I wanted to make a return to the ring, I’d have said no. Now, it’s a whole different story. I’d even work for free for a month. I don’t know if I want to go out like that (at the PPV).”
Leaving the sport on a negative note wasn’t on Sid’s agenda, and since his health is almost back to normal, he really wants to make waves.
“I’d like to go out on a big run again and then go to these places and I’d know as I go through this town, this will be the last time. That would be something for me. I was telling an usher here in Montreal tonight that I’d never thought I’d be happy coming back to Montreal (laughing). I’ve actually been sitting at home looking forward to this. It’s a strain for me to walk through airports and even just walking around here, I am so glad to be back here today.”
But if there is a comeback to be achieved, it will be on his terms. He has an idea on a futuristic character that he hopes can give him another year or two in the business.
“I have never once made a call to any promotion for a job, and I never will. I don’t want to wait more than six months, if they don’t call, then I won’t go back. If I do come back, then I see myself actively for a year, depending if the bookers buy my idea of a futuristic character. I don’t want to stay in a situation where I came in and did really good for a year, then after that second half of that second year, I wasn’t the drawing power I was before. Ideally, I want to build myself up and as I’m leaving, get somebody over really strong. What happens now, so many retirement matches nowadays, they’re retired one day, and back the next. When I announce my retirement match, it will be my last match.”
If Sid had the choice today, he would make his return as a heel without a shadow of a doubt. But when the time would come to say goodbye, he will gladly make a turn into a face for the benefit of his future career.
“I would go back into the business, being there is only one company now, the World Wrestling Federation, I would return as one of the worst heel this business has ever seen, and I already have something in mind. But for my very last match, since it would be a retirement match, that’s when I would turn baby face and only do personal appearances.”
The reasons he loves being the heel is the fact the pressure is off of him for not being cheered and also the fact that usually the heel dictates the match.
“As a baby face, there’s nothing worse in the world than working your butt off, and then, you hear that one heckler, even if it’s just one, it drains you emotionally. You can hear that one guy over 10,000 at that one moment. Also, traditionally, in our business, the heel usually dictates the match. As a baby face, I never really had people working with me who could give me great matches. As a heel, I can have something to say about it.”
Sid wants to completely give himself to the sport upon his return and really leave with a bang whether it’s with the XWF, the WWF or whomever, he would tell the bookers that he has one year of total dedication of everything they would need out of him. But after that one year, it’s retirement or just do autograph deals.
We can only hope to see that Psychotic Sid character back in the rings some time soon … for the last time.
RELATED LINK
