Sean Wachter spent years inside the wrestling business but his biggest fight came outside of the ring. Speaking to the New York Post, Wachter recalled being given just three months after doctors discovered stage 4 melanoma that later became a malignant brain tumor.
“I had a massive stroke that was caused by the golf ball-sized tumor. I had a rare complication called leptomeningeal disease, where the cancer spreads to your spinal fluid.”
This fight with cancer came shortly after the independent wrestler suffered a construction work related accident which left him temporarily paralyzed. Fortunately, he had plenty of wrestling to watch and shared that “It really helped me get through everything.”
Over the next three years, Wachter continued to battle cancer and had to learn how to walk again. In 2022, after beating his cancer, Wachter finally made his return to ring for a charity match to raise money for pediatric patients. His return was supposed to be a one-off until a chat with his daughter months later.
“‘Daddy, I didn’t get to see you wrestle last summer.’”I said, ‘Well, you need to go ask mommy. My wife came up to me and said ‘you get one more.’”
Wachter’s one more match came at another charity event where the proceeds went to St. Jude’s. In the summer of 2024 though, Wachter received a call from WWE who wanted to use him as an extra. Though not the role he was used to, Wachter relished the chance to play a NYPD officer on SmackDown inside Madison Square Garden.
“The night before at 1 a.m. I went into my garage and started crying. This is something I wanted since I was a little boy, and thinking about where I was nine years ago, all just hit me.”
After his SmackDown debut in his native New York, Wachter wanted to wrestle more. Unfortunately, a concussion and the return of his cancer, which he’s beaten a second time, helped Wachter decide to stay out of the ring. Today, Wachter owns the New York Wrestling Connection production company, proving his worth in wrestling after an incredible journey.