Jamie Hayter made her return at AEW All In on August 25, 2024, though came rather close to not making a return at all.
Before her recent return, Hayter was last seen in the ring at AEW Double or Nothing in May 2023 where she dropped the AEW Women’s World Championship to Toni Storm in around three minutes.
In the wake of the match, it was reported that Hayter had been working with an injury with Tony Khan going to comment on her status.
With a fifteen month absence from the ring, Hayter recently opened up about her mindset during her recovery, revealing that she may not have come back.
Speaking to Renee Paquette on Up Close, the former AEW Women’s World Champion explained:
“Sometimes, it wasn’t necessarily the injury. It was, ‘I don’t know if I want to.’ It got to a point where ‘I don’t know if I even want to do it again.’
“I don’t know why. I think it was just the pain and everything that happened. I really wasn’t sure. It’s almost like I had to find myself again. Find my purpose and find my passion to do it again.”
With her passion and purpose seemingly lost, Hayter was asked about what it took to find them again, revealing:
“I think when the pain for my injury kind of subsided a little bit. That’s when I could see the light a little bit more.
“I was in pain constantly. It was not a fun injury. I was bed-bound for months. I couldn’t do anything. All I had was watching stuff on my phone, lying in bed, and reading some books.
“When the pain subsided and I could start to move again, for me personally, being physical is my enjoyment. That’s what I do best. Getting back into a gym. The first time I got back into a ring, I felt alive again. The first time I hit my body on the mat again, it felt good. Honestly, it was just being back in the ring. I couldn’t visualize myself in it.
“I watched AEW at home and I couldn’t imagine myself doing it. I couldn’t imagine myself being in front of however many people. It was a weird space to be in. When the cogs started turning again and things started to fall into place, ‘Oh, I can.'”
Hayter would reveal the seriousness of her injury and how she was initially unaware of how bad it was, stating:
“I completely herniated two discs in my back. I wasn’t even aware of the injury until it was really bad. Until I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t even stand up straight. My body was at an angle.
“I couldn’t laugh, sneeze, cough, sit down, stand in the shower, lay on my back. I couldn’t do anything.
“I thought it was a sciatica at first. I kept going to the gym and kept wrestling. I did a skydive on my birthday because I felt really good that day. ‘I’m going to do it.’ After, ‘Oh, maybe I shouldn’t have done that.’
“I wasn’t aware of the significance of the injury until I couldn’t walk. ‘I’m in too much pain 24/7.’ It would wake me up in the middle of the night. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
Following her return at AEW All In, Hayter has gone on to face Harley Cameron on the August 28 episode of Dynamite.
Highlights from her return match after fifteen months can be seen below this news story.
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