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by
Phil Speer - Credit: WWE.com
Feb. 28, 2003
It's
sadly ironic that Rhyno would return to World Wrestling Entertainment
on this week's SmackDown!
His appearance on Thursday's episode
was his first time back in the ring on WWE television since having
neck surgery on Nov. 2, 2001. Unfortunately, Edge, who was backstage
at SmackDown! but did not appear on the show, is due to have a
similar procedure, performed by the same doctor, and is expected
to miss about a year of action.
One Superstar comes back from the
surgery just as another leaves to go have it. It's especially
unfortunate that those two Superstars happen to be Rhyno and Edge,
who have known each other and traveled together since cutting
their teeth in the business in independent promotions. This week's
SmackDown! should have been the beginning of a happy reunion for
the two. Instead, it was just a one-time special occasion, as
Edge won't be at SmackDown! next week and is scheduled to go under
the knife on March 10.
"It'll be two years by the
time he comes back since we've been on the road together,"
Rhyno said, jokingly adding, "And I told him, 'What makes
you think I want to ride with you anyway?'
"We'll (still) talk. He's going
to be a big part of the company still. He's going to be busy with
autograph sessions and all that, and maybe start a family. I better
be the godfather of the child if and when he does -- if not, it's
going to be some serious heat."
If it sounds like Man-Beast is in
good spirits, he is. While it's sad that Edge has to have surgery,
it's still an ecstatic time for Rhyno, who can finally hear the
roar of the crowd after sitting at home for nearly 16 months waiting
for the bones in his neck to fuse into one.
"In Detroit (at a non-televised event on Feb. 16) I did a
run-in, and they responded very, very well," said Rhyno,
a Motor City native, adding that he also got a great response
from the fans in London, Ontario for this week's SmackDown! "It's
amazing how the people don't forget. Maybe I bring something to
the table they really like and appreciate."
Rhyno said he would have been happy
to join either brand -- RAW or SmackDown! "Whatever they
gave me I would have grabbed and tried to run with as hard as
possible," he said. But there are advantages of being on
SmackDown! One of them is that he's on the same crew as Chris
Benoit, another friend -- his tag team partner on this week's
show -- who has come back from spinal-fusion surgery.
(Stone Cold Steve Austin is the other Superstar thus far to successfully
return from the operation.)
"Just because I'm back doesn't
mean it's smooth sailing," he said. "When you come back
from an injury, you're kind of gun-shy on a lot of things. Your
neck might feel stiff. Working with Benoit, I can compare notes
with him right then and there."
While Rhyno has received full medical
clearance to return to the ring, he says, "The battle's not
over, it's just begun -- on several different levels." He
was referring to recovering mentally from the surgery, as well
as physically, and thinking of ideas for his in-ring work and
his promos.
But he certainly did not look rusty
in his first match back. If there was any rust, he would have
worked it off at WWE's developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling.
He had a handful of short stints there since he was cleared for
light ring work in December. His strength was already back by
then, but he had been trying to regain his size, and he was successful.
His weight on Thursday's SmackDown! was exactly what it was last
time he appeared on WWE television, in October 2001. Now he's
looking to trim five to 10 pounds.
Some fans, and even some Superstars,
expected that he may not do the Gore anymore due to possible jarring
of his neck. But he did just that during his match with Matt Hardy
and Shannon Moore to pick up the win for his team. He also delivered
Gores to all the members of Team Angle (Kurt Angle, Shelton Benjamin
and Charlie Haas) when he made his surprise appearance and saved
Benoit at the Detroit show two weeks ago.
Asked if the doctor had advised
him against any sort of activity in the ring, Rhyno joked, "He
said I can't have my shoulder blades flat for more than two seconds."
Turning slightly more serious, he
said, "I don't think you'll see me Goring anybody off the
stage anytime soon. As long as I'm coming straight on, that's
OK. I feel more comfortable doing that than a lot of other things."
Rhyno said he simply doesn't think
about his surgically repaired neck while he's in the ring.
"I think I'll always think
about it," he said. "I was thinking about it before
(the match), but out there, I was just worried about having a
good match."
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