WWE: NXT Superstar undergoes Tommy John surgery for elbow

To correct a right elbow injury that he suffered during a match on NXT about 10 days ago, WWE Superstar Fandango underwent Tommy John surgery.

WWE has been playing a lot with the “Injury Report” on their NXT brand this year. Their YouTube video Injury Reports are often released to blur fact with fiction by highlighting kayfabe injuries to push storyline narratives.

However, the latest addition to their Injury Report is a real one as Fandango is the latest WWE Superstar this year to succumb to a real injury, right before entering 2020.

A few days ago, during the Dec. 11 episode of WWE NXT, Fandango won a tag team match alongside his Breezango partner, Tyler Breeze, against The Singh Brothers. However, during the matches final moments, it appeared that Fandango suffered an injury.

Presumably, after he and Breeze hit their tag finisher outside of the ring, as Deputy Dango was clutching his elbow afterwards and for the remainder of the match.

Now, The Ballroom Brawler has confirmed these injury suspicions by revealing on his injury page that he recently had Tommy John surgery.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6VOh1nAFyG/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

For those wondering what Tommy John surgery is, this operation is also known in the medical field as ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction.

According to Hopkins Medicine, the operation takes place to repair a torn ligament found on the inside of an elbow. It is repaired by replacing it with another tendon found in the body. It’s nicknamed after baseball legend Tommy John because he was the first person doctors performed UCL surgery on when the process was first introduced in 1974.

Usually, it is baseball players who often go down with UCL injuries like this (because they can easily injure their elbow while throwing), but as Fandango’s case goes to prove, they do not exclusively happen on the baseball field and can affect those in wrestling as well.

There currently is not a time table for when Fandango could return, but most patients don’t regain full mobility in their elbow until two to four months after the surgery. Athletes are typically recommended to rest for six to nine months before returning to their sport.