Sheamus Dealing With Neck Injuries

On November 29 WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Sheamus revealed on his YouTube channel that he's been dealing with "serious stenosis - neck issues" for the past six months. This was followed up in today's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, where it's claimed The Celtic Warrior is dealing with spinal stenosis.

The former WWE Champion was absent from television from November 21 to December 1 with WWE putting this down to a sabbatical to his homeland of Ireland. He returned on this week's episode of Raw where The Bar defeated The Shield duo of Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose twice - the initial match being restarted after Sheamus got himself deliberately disqualified before a Samoa Joe interference saw the champions retain once again.

Spinal Stenosis is a narrowing of the spine that can lead to career-threatening surgery. This is nothing new in the world of wrestling, as the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin and Edge have been through similar situations in the past.

At 39 years of age and with a 15-year career under his belt, it's no surprise to see Sheamus dealing with these kinds of problems. Unfortunately, it's the nature of the beast, especially when you've been as consistently hard-hitting as he has been for so long.

Sheamus' YouTube video underlined the importance of recovery, where he demonstrated how he has to use a neck hammock for 20 minutes every day. This involves him hanging the hammock off something, and laying there without moving.

One thing there's no denying is the fact Sheamus has been one of WWE's most reliable performers of the last decade. Making his debut as part of the New Superstar Initiative on WWE's version of ECW in June 2009, he's gone on to win three WWE Championships, one World Heavyweight Championship, two United States Championships, three RAW Tag Team Championships, a Royal Rumble, a King Of The Ring and a Money In The Bank.