Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
In the business of professional wrestling, there have been a number of gruesome injuries that have been captured on camera. One in particular that comes to mind, is a match that took place in October of 1992 in Atlanta, Georgia. This is the story of an enhancement wrestler named Joe Thurman.
Joe Thurman was a professional wrestler who made a small name for himself competing for the Global Wrestling Federation based in Dallas, Texas. Thurman was competing as a “jobber” or enhancement talent on the night of October 27, 1992 for World Championship Wrestling. It was a handicap match, in which Thurman teamed with a wrestler named TC McCoy to take on the monster named Big Van Vader.
Vader was being pushed hard by WCW as an unstoppable, unbeatable monster during his run with the company. Being trained by Verne Gagne and Brad Rheingans..and competing in the extra hard hitting style of Japanese wrestling…Vader took that style with him to WCW. According to Vader, WCW management wanted him to look the part and encouraged him to be extra stiff to his opponents in matches. The match we are about to discuss was no different.
During the match, Vader pummeled his competition. He viciously clotheslined Joe Thurman and then proceeded to chokeslam him. In the course of the maneuver, Thurman landed hard on the back of his neck and head. Thurman was still able to get himself up and was given a powerbomb for his troubles. As Thurman laid on his back, Vader knew something was horrible wrong. Announcer Tony Schiavone made it out like Vader was trash talking Thurman while pinning him.
The truth of the matter was Vader was asking Thurman if he was okay. He needed to be removed from him by referee Nick Patrick, so WCW’s medical team could attend to the injured Thurman. According to Mick Foley (Cactus Jack) who was there that evening…he says that Vader was crying and inconsolable. Vader wanted to travel to the hospital with Thurman but was denied. Vader did follow the ambulance to the hospital to see if Thurman was going to be okay.
The diagnosis that Joe Thurman received was a broken back…and was partially paralyzed from the waist down. Years later, Vader would claim that Thurman only suffered a sprain back and saw Thurman stand up out of his hospital bed. What we do know, is Thurman’s wrestling career ended that night. Friends of Leon ‘Vader’ White have said the incident haunted him the rest of his career. He began doubting himself as a wrestler and felt he was working stiff too much.
Vader would continue his career for several more years before his death in 2018. As for Joe Thurman…after extensive rehabilitation…he was able to walk again and became a police officer in Georgia. After retiring from the police force, Joe Thurman…real name Joe Thurmond became an actor working on several movies and TV shows.