Wrestler who broke neck in ring dreams of comeback

A professional wrestler who almost died after breaking his neck during a match said he was "determined" to return to the ring.

Lee Mitchell, from Hopton-on-Sea, Norfolk, was injured while competing in Colchester on 1 December.

While doctors have said he will never wrestle again, the 32-year-old - who wrestles as Mitchell Starr - said he hoped to make a comeback in "two years tops".

A 24-hour fundraising "wrestlethon" is currently under way in Norwich to help support his rehabilitation.

"I'm overwhelmed by all the love and care that I've been given. It's a sense of love I didn't realise could possibly exist," Mr Mitchell told the BBC.

"The world is such an uncertain and fractious place at the moment, this has really shown how everyone can pull together in somebody's time of need and not ask for anything in return.

"I want to get better for everyone that's helped. I owe it to them and it means the world."

Mitchell was taking part in an SOS Christmas in the Cage match at Colchester's Charter Hall when he attempted to catch a wrestler who had dived outside the ring.

He broke his C3 – a vertebrae in the neck.

"It was just a move that went wrong," said Saraya Knight, a fellow wrestler at the World Association of Wrestling (WAW), based in Norwich.

"Everyone knows that if you break your C3, usually it's death, so for him to still be talking… is great.

"As one of his closest friends, I just want to raise enough money so that his house can be redone, take the pressure off his parents and then look to bring Lee back into the wrestling world once we can get him back on his feet."

In the past few weeks, Mitchell said he had slowly regained a "bit of movement" in his limbs.

An online fundraising page, set up shortly after his accident, has so far raised almost £6,000.

The 24 hour wrestlethon, being held at the home of WAW on Diamond Road, began at 15:00 GMT on Saturday.

"It's not a show per se. People can just come in, give us a tenner and stay as long as they want," said WAW co-owner "Rowdy" Ricky Knight.

"The response from other wrestling companies has been amazing," he said.

"We've got a lad coming over from Ireland, Italian wrestlers, someone from North Wales, Hull and Lincoln – they're all sending people down."

Mitchell, who may need his C3 replaced, said a final scan in a few weeks would show the "full extent of the damage".

"I'm staying positive and optimistic, although I have my up days and down days," he added.

"I'm determined that I'll get back into that wrestling ring one day, and not too far in the future."

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