HOW I LOST MY F*$KING EAR
As many of you may know, there is a rather detailed account of how I lost that f*&ing ear in the first chapter of my first book, "Have a Nice Day". So I'm not going to relive every moment here. But, in light of the recent popularity the video of that f*$king ear injury has received, look at this as a guide to more fully understand and enjoy the video. Sounds, like fun, right? So let's get right to it.
At the :05 mark, I catch my head in the ropes in a "hangman", a move that creates the illusion of hanging by, um..actually hanging. I'd done the move many times in the past, always with great pain, sometimes with significant injury - including multiple emergency room visits for post-match stitches. So I think the question of "why continue doing it" is a valid one..and one I wish I'd examined more extensively pre-March 16, 1994.
The actual injury occurs at the :13 second mark, when I remove myself from the ropes. Amazingly, I was only caught in the ropes for 5 seconds, since it certainly seemed like an eternity while it was happening. For many months, my opponent that night, Vader, took credit for removing me from the ropes, but looking at the video, that is clearly not the case.
As I got to my knees outside the ring, i was aware that the injury had to be pretty bad, as there was a constant pitter-pattering of bright red blood on the protective mats outside the ring - a contrast to the injuries to the ear I'd suffered before, which although fairly nasty (more than 10 stitches on at least three occasions) had resulted in almost no blood loss.
The ear actually falls from my head at the :51. Go ahead, look a few times; it is indeed a human ear.
The referee picks up the ear at :53. Earlier in the tour one of our regular referees had been sent home due to a knee injury, and another had gone home due to a death in the family. As a result, we had to take whatever referee we could get, which ended up being one from France, who spoke no English, and was therefore unable to tell me of his unique find. The referee handed the ear to ring announcer Gary Michael Capetta who (unseen of this video) brought the ear backstage and told Ric Flair that he was in possession of my ear. "I have Cactus Jack's ear", he told the Nature Boy. What would you like me to do with it?" By the time I got to the back, someone had put the ear in a plastic bag.
In the ring, you can see me check on the injury at the 1:10 mark. I could see there was significant bleeding, but did not, at that point, know the extent of it.
The match ends at the 1:41 point. I had claimed for years that the match had continued for about five minutes after the loss of the ear. Clearly, this video indicates that this claim was not true. The match continued for a mere 1:28 after the ear loss. At approximately 2:14, I come to the realization that I have, indeed, lost my f*&king ear - a sentiment I make clear upon my return to the dressing room, with the quote, "I think I lost my f*&king ear...bang bang!" Two eye-witnesses, Booker T, and Sting have told me that I had a fairly big smile on my face at the time of the quote. I believe William Regal would concur, but I am not certain. I believe he would be glad to share his thoughts at the time, if asked. So ask.
Later, upon arriving at the hospital (krankenhaus in German) in the ambulance (krankenwagon) I said the following words to the EMT's: "Vergessen Sie nicht, bitte, mein ohr in der plasiktasche zu bringen." Loosely translated, it means "please don't forget to bring my ear in the plastic bag."
I hope you have enjoyed, or at least appreciated this little stroll down memory lane. Have a nice day.
As many of you may know, there is a rather detailed account of how I lost that f*&ing ear in the first chapter of my first book, "Have a Nice Day". So I'm not going to relive every moment here. But, in light of the recent popularity the video of that f*$king ear injury has received, look at this as a guide to more fully understand and enjoy the video. Sounds, like fun, right? So let's get right to it.
At the :05 mark, I catch my head in the ropes in a "hangman", a move that creates the illusion of hanging by, um..actually hanging. I'd done the move many times in the past, always with great pain, sometimes with significant injury - including multiple emergency room visits for post-match stitches. So I think the question of "why continue doing it" is a valid one..and one I wish I'd examined more extensively pre-March 16, 1994.
The actual injury occurs at the :13 second mark, when I remove myself from the ropes. Amazingly, I was only caught in the ropes for 5 seconds, since it certainly seemed like an eternity while it was happening. For many months, my opponent that night, Vader, took credit for removing me from the ropes, but looking at the video, that is clearly not the case.
As I got to my knees outside the ring, i was aware that the injury had to be pretty bad, as there was a constant pitter-pattering of bright red blood on the protective mats outside the ring - a contrast to the injuries to the ear I'd suffered before, which although fairly nasty (more than 10 stitches on at least three occasions) had resulted in almost no blood loss.
The ear actually falls from my head at the :51. Go ahead, look a few times; it is indeed a human ear.
The referee picks up the ear at :53. Earlier in the tour one of our regular referees had been sent home due to a knee injury, and another had gone home due to a death in the family. As a result, we had to take whatever referee we could get, which ended up being one from France, who spoke no English, and was therefore unable to tell me of his unique find. The referee handed the ear to ring announcer Gary Michael Capetta who (unseen of this video) brought the ear backstage and told Ric Flair that he was in possession of my ear. "I have Cactus Jack's ear", he told the Nature Boy. What would you like me to do with it?" By the time I got to the back, someone had put the ear in a plastic bag.
In the ring, you can see me check on the injury at the 1:10 mark. I could see there was significant bleeding, but did not, at that point, know the extent of it.
The match ends at the 1:41 point. I had claimed for years that the match had continued for about five minutes after the loss of the ear. Clearly, this video indicates that this claim was not true. The match continued for a mere 1:28 after the ear loss. At approximately 2:14, I come to the realization that I have, indeed, lost my f*&king ear - a sentiment I make clear upon my return to the dressing room, with the quote, "I think I lost my f*&king ear...bang bang!" Two eye-witnesses, Booker T, and Sting have told me that I had a fairly big smile on my face at the time of the quote. I believe William Regal would concur, but I am not certain. I believe he would be glad to share his thoughts at the time, if asked. So ask.
Later, upon arriving at the hospital (krankenhaus in German) in the ambulance (krankenwagon) I said the following words to the EMT's: "Vergessen Sie nicht, bitte, mein ohr in der plasiktasche zu bringen." Loosely translated, it means "please don't forget to bring my ear in the plastic bag."
I hope you have enjoyed, or at least appreciated this little stroll down memory lane. Have a nice day.