Alex Wright on Prince Iaukea Kicking Him So Hard He Went BLIND (Career Almost Over)

[@bdr113080]

Man much respect to Alex for his love of the business to keep fighting to keep wrestling after an injury like that.

[@timsullivan4687]

Never heard this story, I'm glad that Alex's story turned out well...I was, and still am...a huge fan

[@tacoenvy]

Holy crap, had no idea that even happened to him, that's crazy.

[@timevans4942]

Thank the LORD, Alex is still here Das Wunderkind

[@dustinbasham393]

This is an insane story! It's awesome to hear Alex tell these stories. He seems like a great dude

[@zemmons5000]

I had no idea how tough he was

[@jvharbin8337]

He would have been a great US champion. Especially as a European. That would have drawn so much heat!

[@petesmart1983]

Sadly Nash and friends were booking, but he should of been the guy to beat lance storm

[@lucasblubaugh8786]

This is amazing content. A never before heard story. Very interesting listen for sure.

[@KEWLV1C]

Wow what a story. I always thought he was a good wrestler, but now Ihave more respect and appreciation for him than I did before.

[@jyesucevitz]

its obvious that James is fairly new to pro wrestling. in only that he's fairly new to life. what a great amount of research, respect and knowledge from this guy and at such a young age. most of the people he talks with were long out of ring action before james was even born. i love it. happy to be subbed.

[@bdr113080]

Yeah I’m in my 40s and I know he’s more than a decade younger than I am maybe close to two decades younger than me but I have so much respect for him because I can tell he’s watched every bit of smoky mountain wrestling because his first interviews that I really watched he went out of his way to find all the guys that wrestled in Smoky Mountain that he could find and he was asking them questions that no one else had asked them in interviews. Hell a lot of people that do these types of interviews don’t even care about smoky mountain wrestling and as someone who grew up on it I like that there was somebody younger that went out of their way and watched it, and liked it enough to go out in interview guys like Tom Pritchard and Bobby Blaze.

[@jyesucevitz]

@@bdr113080 I'm 56 and started watching in 78-79. never seen it before and switching between all 3 vhf channels and 4 uhf ones on the tv. I saw this guy iTV. native American headdress doing all those moves. I was hooked and quickly became a Bob Backlund guy. that is what lot the fuse.

[@bigjakepowers6649]

Criminally underrated

[@purrpleturtle-z4z]

don't wrestle with a head injury (or any other injury), if you got a concussion take the night off, if you need to go home do it, a push in the fake wrestling business is not worth a potential life long injury.

[@81rbutler]

Wow, can you imagine not knowing if you were ever going to see again? All the thoughts that your career may be over. Can you imagine how different he might look if he had to have his brain cut open? I'm glad it turned out well for Alex. I still think he should show up as Berlin in AEW. Even just to manage some "dark" character or be a part of the House of Black. Something.

[@karma_coin]

It's amazing how young Alex still looks, even with the grey hair. Must be those German genetics.

[@ConnbineHarvester]

His Dads English but I guess you're the geneticist. I had no idea it's a well known fact Germans look younger than everyone else.

[@karma_coin]

@@ConnbineHarvester Well they do.

[@TeeKoon]

I had similar experience going blind after a mx crash, Luckyly I had a helmet, head first hitting ground, after few minutes I went blind for a minute or two. I had to walk back cause a broken wrist.

[@noname-wz5ww]

Loved Alex Wright, one of my favs as a kid. More interviews with him please.

[@bradpaton3927]

This allegedly happened to an accident-prone co-worker of mine before he got fired.

[@CujoKelly]

Other then not letting you fall asleep how do doctors normally treat concussions?

[@alexmartin3143]

I went blind after a head injury before… *Temporarily

[@digitalmarketinghumans]

You know if Vince had creative control of Das Wunderkid, he would make him dance all the time. He would have loved him! He would get so much TV time on WWF/WWE tv, easily.

[@Brando-Lee3725]

WOW ! See ! It stories like those that a lot of people dont realize about wrestling . Oh its fake its phony etc ... RIGHT ! OK ! Tell Alex its phony . Tell COUNTLESS other wrestlers its fake . I have nothing but respect for these guys . I wrestled 2or 3 years on the indies back in the 2000s and im still not right ! They did it every night for years !!! God bless em !!!

[@TheRosswise]

Damn talk about scary

[@NLaBar]

Love hearing these kinds of stories & learning of the amazing trials some of my childhood favs went thru during their careers

[@johnt.campbell316]

Wow, what a genius Eric Bischoff is for putting this real-life story on TV after this had happened to Alex Wright... Wait... So, Alex Wright didn't become the biggest babyface in the company after this had happened? WCW was a horribly mismanaged shithole? Bischoff gets credit for stuff that he maybe shouldn't? Just like with Vince McMahon, Bischoff probably succeeded *in spite* of himself? Hulk Hogan's gargantuan ego never would've allowed for such a great return story? Oh... How unfortunate.

[@LordDeBahs]

well etleast berlyn character was kinda over in europe .but thats about it .they should try push him as top babyface etleast once before

[@MRaadesign]

Damn what a story!

[@Coopsta43]

Good to see Das

[@RyanParreno]

Well I thought we were going to find out some disappointing stuff about Iaukea being unsafe in the ring and I'm relieved that wasn't it If we fans had known you went through this we would have probably begged you not to come back, at least take a safer backstage role instead

[@mandocalrissian4968]

Is that Berlin ? Unrecognizable

[@81rbutler]

Sure is :)

[@murraysaucedo897]

Prince Wacky Jacky!!!

[@jvharbin8337]

NEWS TO ME!

[@smeagolbeagle2316]

Wasnt even covered in the dirt sheets back then. Crazy how that injury escaped the Meltzer-marks when lesser degrees of "dirt" made it thru. Cool story and hard to imagine what dude was going thru

[@georgejohnson4329]

I and many others had the privilege of learning from Prince Iaukea, all disrespectful comments about him are totally unjustified, the man is/was a gentleman.

[@Ron1500R]

did He train You? how it was?

[@georgejohnson4329]

@@Ron1500R he was a guest trainer who appeared regularly at the time. Training was intense but fair, tough but rewarding.

[@Ron1500R]

@@georgejohnson4329 it was nowadays? I really like His matches in WCW, He was in great shape, very fair as a wrestler, I think a bit ubderrated, and He seems very down to earth

[@jvharbin8337]

No mention of Prince Ikea.

[@Ralphanthonybianscomusic]

1:15

[@81rbutler]

1:16-1:17

[@81rbutler]

@@Ralphanthonybianscomusic one second up from where you said