Alexa Bliss recently spoke with BT Sport about the scary details of her prolonged concussion symptoms, and the resulting uncertainty concerning her future in the wrestling ring.

“I was experiencing really bad vertigo for an extended period of time, and all my other symptoms were gone. But if I had changed height levels, I would get extremely dizzy. It didn’t go away for a really really long time. So that’s when I got really concerned. And they were like, well you can’t be in the ring if you’re having any symptoms at all. Then you have to go through a whole concussion process after you stop having symptoms.

So I wasn’t even able to get to that first step for a long time, and that’s what was really frustrating, and really disheartening. I was afraid that I [wouldn’t] be able to get in the ring again, because it was nine months that I wasn’t in the ring, just over a couple hits to the head. It was very uncertain, but I’m really grateful that WWE gave me the opportunity to still be part of the show with A Moment of Bliss [and] hosting WrestleMania.”

Bliss’ final matches in 2018 took place in September and October, both on pay-per-view and on house shows. All of these matches included Ronda Rousey as one of her opponents. Nia Jax spoke out against “a certain somebody” injuring her friend. Bliss did appear in the women’s Royal Rumble match in January 2019, and later hosted WrestleMania 35.

Her description on what it’s like dealing with concussions is a good reminder that there is no given timetable for the recovery process. Sometimes a concussion won’t keep an athlete away from competition for very long, but other times it can take a year or more to recover. Bliss’ own experience with vertigo symptoms that wouldn’t go away sounds like a scary situation to be in. She said that Vince McMahon assured her that her safety was the number one priority, and she is very grateful that WWE gave her the best care possible.