Blading for real: Dr. James Andrews—the surgeon to the superstars—talks about how he puts all your favorite wrestlers back together again

Wrestling Digest, Feb, 2002 by Steve Anderson

DR. JAMES R. ANDREWS IS AN internationally renowned orthopedic surgeon often called upon by the WWF to treat major injuries suffered by the promotion's superstars. His patient list reads like a "who's who" of wrestlers from the past and present, including WWF headliners Triple H, Steve Austin, Rikishi, and former WCW stars Hulk Hogan and Sting.

For 30 years, professional wrestlers have been able to count on Dr. Andrews to work his magic on major and minor injuries suffered in the ring. Many owe their careers to his talent, dedication to his craft, and overall respect for wrestling.

Dr. Andrews is one of the founding members of the Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center and the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham. He also serves as Chairman and Medical Director of ASMI, and lists mainstream sports stars such as Michael Jordan as his clients as well.

Read on for Dr. Andrews' thoughts on his multi-decade association with the "sport of kings" in an exclusive interview.

WRESTLING DIGEST: How long have you been working with professional wrestlers, and whom have you treated?

DR. JAMES ANDREWS: All the way back to the early 1970s, back in the days of King Kong Mosca. I took care of them when they were concentrated in Atlanta. I lived in Columbus, Ga., and they used to come down on a Wednesday night at the Municipal Auditorium when they would wrestle there. At one time, I actually had some of my people coveting the wrestling events and I got to know them through that relationship. Jerry Oates and his brother, Steve Oates, were professional wrestlers from Columbus and owned Oates Gym. Both of them were big-time wrestlers, but Jerry was way up the ladder. I started taking care of them. They started telling their other wrestling buddies about me being involved in athletic injuries. So, I started seeing a lot of them. Andre the Giant used to come down to Columbus and see me years ago with bad knees.

I knew all the old-timers back before they really made a lot of money. They had no medical coverage, most of them. Some of them we took care of basically on gratis, because we've always considered them athletes. A lot of them were former football players, so I knew some of them through football circles. I've always sort of been the guy they leaned on, by word of mouth from one to the other. Then it sort of went on. I moved from Columbus to Birmingham, Ala., in 1986. Ted Turner owned WCW, and I was involved with the Atlanta Braves. WCW would send wrestlers to see me. I sort of became their official doctor. Then, I got to know some of them who switched over to the WWF, and I got involved with the WWF to the point that we now have an athletic trainer who travels with them. We've developed a relationship with all the different wrestlers from both leagues.

WD: Since you work with so many different types of athletes, how do wrestlers' injuries compare to those of other athletes?

JA: Baseball players have repetitive, micro-trauma injuries. They have rotator cuff problems. They have scars in their elbows. But those injuries are not as severe as what we see with wrestlers. Now they're severe enough that they can't play baseball at a high level. There's a fine line between being healthy for baseball and being hurt and unable to play. Wrestlers have a more significant injury when they're injured. Wrestlers can wrestle with the small injuries, but when they get hurt, they rupture their quadriceps tendon, for example, like Triple H did. They rupture their Achilles. They tear their rotator cuff completely off. They dislocate their elbows. They have injuries more in line with what football players get. A lot of them tear their knee ligaments up. A lot of them have severely degenerated joints--shoulder, elbow and knees. Lifting weights to stay big and strong, having played college or professional football and all the maneuvers they do to train--it takes a toll on their bodies.

In the remote past, a lot of them would not seek medical attention. They wouldn't get time off. They had no medical insurance. If they weren't wrestling, they didn't have a way to make a living. If they didn't wrestle, they had no income. So they would go on and participate with serious injuries because they couldn't afford to take time off, and it complicated their problems. Now, they have much better coverage. [The federations] give them time to get adequate treatment. They have a relationship with HealthSouth, which is our rehab corporation. We have a trainer who goes with them on the road. So [the wrestlers] get the medical care that now is up to par compared to other professional athletes.

WD: Are wrestlers shortening their careers by executing the high-risk moves that are so popular now with fans?

JA: It's coming to a neutral point where we can keep them healthy, and we can treat them. They couldn't take enough time to even get [their injuries] to heal. They were always pressured to come back early. That's not happening now. They're much more sophisticated relative to taking care of themselves and keeping themselves healthy. Hopefully, we're looking at a more promising time relative to their general health and treatment.