WWE legend Fred Ottman, known in the ring as both ‘Tugboat’ and ‘Typhoon’, opened up on Sunday about a health scare that caused him a lengthy hospital stay last month.
“Unfortunately, my gallbladder exploded inside of me and it released a bunch of poison into my body,” Ottman said in a video posted to Instagram. “So, I’ve been on my back for 30 days. The doctors have been amazing – my surgeons and that stuff. I had a major infection along with some of the stuff I’ve been dealing with. As far as infection goes, if I would’ve waited one more day, the doctors told my wife that I probably wouldn’t be here with you or be able to talk to you guys. God bless.
“But I’m here, I lost a lot of muscle mass. I’ve lost a lot of different things. It’s been a brutal fight. I’ve been learning how to walk again. It’s been a fight, it’s been a fight.
Ottman began wrestling in 1985 and debuted with the WWF (now WWE) in 1989 as ‘Tugboat.’ He was reintroduced as Typhoon in 1991 and one half of the tag team known as The Natural Disasters with Earthquake.
Last year, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame with Earthquake.