Steph De Lander to Undergo C5 and C6 Discectomy and Fusion Surgery

Steph De Lander became a big name in TNA Wrestling following her WWE exit. Recently, she announced that she needs neck surgery and has now shared details about her procedure and recovery plans.

At TNA Victory Road 2024 in San Antonio, Texas, the anticipated tag team match between Rhino & PCO and Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander took an emotional turn before it even began. Steph De Lander stepped up to the microphone and shared with the sold-out audience that she would be undergoing neck surgery due to ongoing pain

In her latest YouTube podcast, Steph De Lander talked about her upcoming neck surgery and why she decided to have it now. She highlighted how important this surgery is for her wrestling career and mentioned the serious risks of injuries and paralysis if she kept wrestling without fixing the problem.

While speaking with her boyfriend, Mance Warner, she said that getting the surgery—a fusion of the C5 and C6 vertebrae and a discectomy—is necessary. She noted that many wrestlers who had similar surgeries felt much better afterwards and were happy with their choice.

De Lander stressed that taking care of her health is essential to avoid the worst-case scenario of being told she can’t wrestle anymore. She expects to be out for at least six months but is hopeful about coming back stronger and continuing her wrestling career.

“I need to take care of myself. I need to take care of my neck so I can have a long career when I return. Every wrestler’s worst nightmare is getting told that you can never wrestle again, right? But that’s not even taking into consideration the risks of paralysis, serious neck injury, and all of that kind of stuff,” she explained. “So even just from a career standpoint, I’m going to do everything that I can to avoid getting told I can’t wrestle, right? So, if I have the option to do this surgery, which would be a fusion of C5-C6, discectomy, and recover and come back, which is a surgery that lots of wrestlers have had previously. I’ve spoken to multiple wrestlers that have had the exact same surgery and have returned to wrestling, and they’ve all said that they feel [like] a million bucks, that it’s the best thing they ever did. They’re so happy they did it. I’ve heard so many people have really positive experiences, which is what I need to hear.

“I’m gonna do this while, while I can and while it makes sense,” she added. “it feels very, very reckless when I want to have a long career to risk a really serious neck injury. So that’s kind of where I’m at. That’s the answer for everyone. It’s going to be a fusion of a C5-C6. Is it career-ending? Absolutely not. How long am I going to be out? Probably six-plus months, maybe a little bit longer, and that’s just the way it is.”

Regardless, Steph De Lander will be out of action well into 2025 and fans will simply hope for her speedy recovery until then, as this kind of surgery will require a long time to truly come back from.

Do you feel it’s unfortunate Steph De Lander will be out of action for a long time due to her neck issues? Let us know in the comments section below!