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WWE is making a one-legged man's dreams of becoming a pro wrestler come true. Reports say the wrestling entertainment company is looking to offer an Army veteran a developmental contract once he recovers from treatment.
In 2006, Michael Hayes, was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) while riding a Humvee in Ramadi, Iraq. The soldier was the only survivor of the explosion which took his left leg.
"He had to drag himself away from the wreckage carrying his own left leg, which had been blown off from the knee down," The Courier Journal revealed.
"Along with losing the leg, he sustained a broken hip, a crushed right heel, shrapnel damage in his hands and burns on 35 percent of his body."
Hayes spent the 18 months undergoing rehabilitation and physical therapy until he got used to wearing a prosthetic leg, the site added.
Four years after the incident, joined the Ohio Valley Wrestling and trained under former WWE superstar Nick Dinsmore, aka Eugene. Five years after, he joined the WWE competition "Tough Enough".
According to Fox Sports, the Army vet made it through as the top 40 try outs. Hayes said it was the hardest training he's had since Army boot camp.
Hayes got through the first day of camp without getting cut, but the following day proved to be impossible. He had exerted so much force "on his prosthesis, causing the bottom of his left leg to bleed."
While this forced him to drop out of the competition, WWE saw something in the one-legged wrestler and wants him on board after he fully recovers.
The Courier Journal revealed that senior director of WWE talent development Canyon Ceman approached Hayes and told him he would be "considered for a developmental contract" as soon as he fully recovered.
"Whether or not your body lives up to your heart and mind, there is an opportunity here at the WWE," Ceman confirmed the veteran, noted the site.
Hayes is now working on getting a new prostheses which can handle more force and training.
