Marko Stunt, known for his “Mr. Fun Size” persona and high-risk, underdog style in AEW, recently went viral for a video showcasing his new career as a car salesman. While the video was lighthearted, Stunt’s transition away from the ring was not.
During an interview on Busted Open Radio, Stunt spoke candidly for the first time about the severe, compounding injuries that forced him to “hang up the boots” after doctors warned him of a significant risk of paralysis.
The Concussions
Stunt explained that his issues began toward the end of his AEW run, stemming from a match at a GCW show. “I ended up getting hurt pretty bad,” he said. “I did a drop kick off the top rope… and I didn’t have my contacts in at the moment. They’d gotten ripped out the night before in the match. And so I have my glasses, but I can’t wear my glasses while I’m wrestling.”
“My contacts had gotten ripped out, so I couldn’t see very well, so… my depth perception was not, not right,” Stunt continued. “I jumped off and I did the missile drop kick, and I ended up almost standing on top of the dude, and I kicked off, and I went backwards and hit the back of my head on the on the mat, and knocked myself out.”
Stunt finished the match, which he noted ended with him “taking a brain Buster of all things”. Because he had suffered “a few concussions prior,” the AEW medical team could not clear him to wrestle for the upcoming Jericho Cruise. “They ended up sitting me out for a few months, which caused my contract to expire,” he said.
The Broken Back
After his AEW contract was not renewed, Stunt returned to the independent circuit, where he sustained a career-ending injury. “My back was really, really messed up, and I didn’t know what was really going on. My hips were bothering me,” he recalled. “I did this match… and I did this stupid bump… I went to the top rope, and somebody came out, and they shoved me, and I did a front flip to the apron, but there was no padding on the apron, so I just hit the metal bar that was there.”
The next day, he could barely walk and went to the doctor. “They did the X rays and stuff. And I’d actually broken my back. My L5 was cracked and had a chip in it,” Stunt revealed. “So that I’ve still got a piece, a piece of my spine just floating around in there somewhere. They told me that my right hip was rotating forward, and so it was pulling my tailbone off to the side, which is just causes a whole bunch of pain.”
The Decision to Retire
The diagnosis was a harsh reality check. “They did advise me to go ahead and hang up the boots. And so I did reluctantly,” Stunt said. “It’s one of those things where you just get so used to it that, like you’re like, ‘Oh, this is just a part of my life now. I’m just going to hurt for a while.'”
Ultimately, the decision was made for his family. “I got a family now. I got a 16 month old daughter, and I got to take care of her,” he said. “I want to be able to play with her as she’s growing up and, you know, throw around and and just be able to pick her up and play with her. And I can’t do that if, if, if I’m going out there and I end up getting paralyzed or something. So, which is what they said is very likely to happen if I were to bump wrong.”
Fans can follow Marko Stunt’s journey on his personal X account, @realmarkostunt, or his car sales accounts on Instagram and TikTok, @funsizedeals. His Pro Wrestling Tees store is also available at prowrestlingtees.com/markostunt.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Busted Open Radio with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can catch the full three hours of Busted Open every day of the week at 9am Eastern on pro wrestling nation, 24/7 channel 156.
