AEW's Luchasaurus Says Lung Ailment Gave Him A Different Perspective

AEW's Luchasaurus returned to the promotion back in August 2025 after being hospitalized in September the previous year. The former AEW TNT Champion rekindled his friendship with Jack Perry to reform The Jurassic Express; however he's since been sidelined with a shoulder injury. Looking back at the bout with pneumonia he suffered that nearly cost him his life, Luchasaurus expressed how his touch with death changed his outlook on life during an interview on "Talk Is Jericho."

"We thought it was maybe a pulmonary embolism," he said. "It was so scary to think that, so then they [were] like, 'No, you have actually pneumonia, but it's spread to both lungs, so we can give you these meds and just pray.'" Luchasaurus then added that he originally used to just shrug off sickness. "If you're sick, who cares? Like, I'll get better; it's fine. But then I realized – I started learning about actually how fragile your lungs are, and I'm like, 'Oh my God, this is a lot!"

Although he says he was cleared a few months after the incident, Luchasaurus spent a considerable amount of time at home even after he felt ready, and it caused him to re-evaluate the way he views pro wrestling. While there were some voices in his ear encouraging him to push to become a singles star, the man behind the Luchasaurus mask doesn't see his career that way.

"I'm like, 'Not every character needs to be focused on that.' I like the character that I'm playing as Luchasaurus, and I think there's a place for that."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Talk Is Jericho" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.