Britt Baker Reflects On Injury-Hit AEW Run
Britt Baker has opened up about the serious back injury that threatened to derail her career.
After months of speculation and several months away from television, Britt Baker confronted Mercedes Mone at Forbidden Door after the star beat Stephanie Vaquer to win the NJPW Strong Women’s Title.
The segment set up a rivalry that ran until All In where Mone got the better of AEW’s resident dentist.
The appearance at Forbidden Door was Baker’s first since September 2023, following reports that the star was struggling with a back injury. In the days after her comeback Baker revealed she’d been diagnosed with two herniated disks and a torn hip labrum, before suffering a transient ischemic attack in late 2023.
Britt Baker Couldn’t Wrestle Without Injections
During an interview on DDP’s Gauntlet, Baker discussed her injury history with the WWE Hall of Famer. The interview was conducted back in June, just prior to her return at Forbidden Door.
“I had quite a few injuries. I had two herniated discs in my back. One in my neck. The problem area is the L5-S1. That affects your hips, your legs, everything. There are days where, if I didn’t get the shot before my match, if I went down, I’m not getting back up,”
When asked if there was a specific match where she got injured, Baker said her back had been hurting for several months but she realised she was in real trouble in a match against Kris Statlander. Following that match in September 2023, Baker wouldn’t wrestle again for ten months.
“I don’t really remember a specific match where I was like, ‘this hurts.’ It was just over time. ‘This is getting harder. This is getting harder.’ The last match I did was against Statlander at Penn State. I knew then.
I got through the match, she’s fantastic, she’s one of my favorite competitors. I knew after that, ‘I’m done. I need to take a step back and rehab some stuff.’ I’ve had so many (injuries). I broke my leg, I broke my wrist, I broke my nose. My back. In a two year span.”
Baker added that she was dealing with a small tear in her hip which goes back to her history of back problems.
“Now, I have like a small tear in my hip and labrum, I know that’s from the back and favoring it different.”
The former Women’s World Champion went on to reveal she was filming for a secret new project during her time away but declined to give any further details.
Baker hasn’t wrestled since defeating Penelope Ford on November 13th. After the match, she was confronted by Serena Deeb and was repeatedly shown on camera saying “Nobody cares” as the star made her way onto the stage. Deeb later wore a t-shirt with the phrase and an arrow pointing to her face on the December 7th edition of Collision.
H/t to Fightful