Backstage Update On Rick Boogs Following WWE WrestleMania 38 Injury

The latest on Shinsuke Nakamura's tag partner following WWE WrestleMania 38 mishap.

Rick Boogs
WWE

Rick Boogs suffered a legitimate injury while competing at WWE WrestleMania 38, forcing his and Shinsuke Nakamura's SmackDown Tag Team Championship match with The Usos to be cut short.

Boogs' knee gave way while he was attempting to hoist both Usos onto his shoulders. Rendered unable to continue after the dreaded "X" symbol was flashed by the officials, he ended up having to be carried out of the arena, with the announce team later confirming that the 34-year-old would require surgery after tearing his quadricep patella.

In an update on the matter, PWInsider's Mike Johnson reports that WWE will send Rick to Birmingham, Alabama at some point today. It is expected that he will go under the knife while there.

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How long Boogs will be out of action will be determined by the injury's severity. Complete recovery for injuries like this usually takes around six months, though some patients require double that before they are at 100% again.

The Usos successfully retained the SmackDown Tag Team Championships following Rick's injury, as Nakamura was left to face them two-on-one. Fightful Select note that the night one opener was originally set to go around 20 minutes including entrances.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.