WWE Hall of Famer Typhoon gives update after ‘pretty tough’ surgery
WWE Hall of Famer Typhoon (Fred Ottman) is ready to start the recovery process after undergoing surgery.
Earlier this month, Ottman revealed that he had been hospitalized for approximately 30 days after his gallbladder “exploded” and released poison into his body. He was discharged on February 9 and was awaiting surgery, which Ottman has now undergone. It was a “pretty tough” operation, but Ottman is home and looking forward to getting better.
“They released me from the hospital yesterday. They kept me in the hospital for an extra couple days for observation because the surgery was pretty tough,” Ottman said. “But I’m home with my beautiful wife Sheila. And I got home health care coming in and checking on me today. And then will become the road to recovery, which ought to take a while I believe.
“But I just wanted to keep you guys in the loop, and thanks for all the prayers and all the thoughts and everything and the cards and letters that have been sent to me. God bless you, each and everyone. I really appreciate the support. You know, you’re my extended family. So I just wanted to keep you in here. All right, I love you and I won’t bother you anymore. Have a great day.”
During his hospitalization, Ottman lost a lot of muscle mass that he’s working to get back. He’s also needed to get used to walking again.
Ottman played the characters Typhoon, Tugboat, The Shockmaster, and Big Steel Man during his wrestling career. He and his Natural Disasters tag team partner Earthquake (the late John Tenta) were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2025.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.