Chmura had a herniation between the C5 and C6 discs in his spine, and—with the increased risk of paralysis now a factor—his football career was cut short because of it. The doctor told me that if I continued to wrestle I could become paralyzed, too, and therefore I shouldn’t wrestle anymore. Those words landed with a thud. Not wrestle? Hold up...paralyzed? Me? The kid who has just learned to harness his will to trump other kids’ wills while pinning them on the mat?
