Piper Niven has undergone neck surgery in California, posting on Wednesday on X that she’d had an anterior cervical discectomy after eight months on the shelf with what reports last year described as a potentially career-threatening neck injury.
Niven posted a photo from her hospital bed alongside the statement.
“I went to California and all I got was this lousy anterior discectomy. I have so much I want to say about the past 8 months but we can get to that later. For now, I just want to express my endless love and gratitude for every single soul that has helped me and cared for me during this difficult and really scary time. Pain and heartbreak are incredible teachers and the lessons I have learned from this will stay with me forever. I am so grateful to wake up from surgery already feeling better and I know I am coming out the other side of this so much stronger for the experience.”
An anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is performed for patients dealing with long-term neck and arm pain, weakness, or numbness in the arms and legs. The procedure involves a small incision at the front of the neck, removal of damaged discs or bone material pressing on nerves or the spinal cord, and the placement of a synthetic implant in the cleared space, after which spinal fusion is completed. Typical recovery from the procedure runs at least six months, though there is no official WWE timeline for Niven’s return to the ring.
Niven last wrestled on the August 22, 2025 episode of WWE SmackDown in Dublin, Ireland, where she defeated Charlotte Flair. Reports surfaced in the weeks after that match indicating Niven was dealing with a serious neck injury, with WWE doctors at one point concerned the situation could end her career. There was hope as of September 2025 that she would eventually be cleared to wrestle again.
At the time of her last TV appearance, Niven was working as Agent P, the bodyguard at the head of Chelsea Green’s Secret Hervice faction alongside Alba Fyre. Fyre was released by WWE in the company’s April 24 wave of cuts and is no longer with the company. Green herself underwent a separate, unrelated procedure on May 4, 2026, getting an ablation to treat the supraventricular tachycardia she has dealt with for the better part of a decade.
Niven, who turned 35 on May 6, has been with WWE since 2019 after first appearing in the company at the 2017 Mae Young Classic. She wrestled on NXT UK before moving to the main roster in 2021 as Doudrop alongside Eva Marie, then continued solo under the Doudrop name before reverting to Piper Niven in January 2023.
I went to California and all I got was this lousy anterior discectomy. 😆
I have so much I want to say about the past 8 months but we can get to that later.
For now, I just want to express my endless love and gratitude for every single soul that has helped me and cared for me… pic.twitter.com/iBrLDKj4pD
— Slaygent P (@PiperNivenWWE) May 13, 2026
