Maven Recalls Gruesome Injury From WWE Match Against Hardcore Holly

While it may be a scripted sport, professional wrestling presents a real risk of injury. In April 2002, a young Maven encountered a particularly unsightly injury — one that also marked the first broken bone of his career. In a video recently posted to his YouTube channel, Maven recalled the hand wound he sustained while wrestling the veteran Hardcore Holly on an episode of "WWE SmackDown."

"[It was] a simple maneuver, him coming off the rope, and me putting my foot up to stop him. And being the rookie that I was, as he was coming off the ropes, I had my hand in the wrong spot. Let's just say his weight coming down on my finger was not a good situation ... I immediately knew something was wrong with my finger, but I didn't look at it immediately. I just wanted to get through the match," Maven said. "I knew if I looked at it, it wouldn't be a good issue, so I waited until the match was over. As I was rolling out of the ring, then I saw what I was dealing with, and what I was dealing with was the bone of my ring finger sticking through the fingernail."

According to Maven, the rush of adrenaline from wrestling provided him with a brief window of physical relief. Once Holly scored the winning pinfall, however, Maven met a rush of pain.

Though WWE's medical team dressed his wound in the immediate aftermath, Maven wasn't able to receive full treatment for his finger until the next day, when he flew to New York City to meet with the New York Yankees' physician. There, the doctor administered an injection that numbed the affected hand, after which he removed Maven's entire fingernail. From there, he reattached Maven's finger bone with an adhesive, put the fingernail back in its place, and finally stitched it back on.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Maven with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.