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Ivar suffered a cervical injury due to a botched suicide dive on The Hurt Business during a match on RAW. It was unfortunate since it was a move that Ivar had done for years.
However, due to him falling short, he immediately threw up the X signs, and the match was ended rather abruptly. As a result, it was revealed that Ivar suffered a cervical injury and would go to Birmingham, Alabama to undergo neck surgery.
Ivar provided an update a week removed, stating that he underwent successful surgery and is now on the road to recovery:
It's good to see that Ivar underwent successful surgery, but the timetable of when he can return to WWE still isn't known. Due to the severe nature of the injury, Ivar is expected to be out for a year at least. It could even go longer.
The issue with this is the fact that Erik will also have to suffer as a result of it. Normally, when one tag team member is injured, the other member is made to sit home until the other one returns. However, in the case of Erik, he has been utilized as an enhancement talent so far.
It's also a huge blow to WWE's tag team division, which has been filled with limited teams on the men and women's side, with the challengers often being the same.
Either way, such injuries are an unfortunate reality about wrestling. Ivar will have to sit it out for a while, though it isn't known whether WWE will freeze his contract. Normally in the event of extensive injuries, WWE freezes a superstars' contract and it carries forward once they retire.
What will the tag team division do without Ivar and The Viking Raiders?
Perhaps the biggest shock and blow to the entire tag team division was WWE releasing AoP - Akam and Rezar. It was surprising because they were reportedly ready to return, but WWE opted to terminate their contracts along with a few other names backstage.
We wish Ivar well on his recovery and hope to see him return sooner than expected.
