Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: “Desperado” Joe Gomez
Date: 06/06/2026
Your Host: “Arizona” James Walsh”Well, James, you know, like so many of my friends and colleagues and guys you’ve interviewed over the years – The years of wrestling and I used to power lift… It all caught up to me. My knees were really, really bad… They still are. But, I’ve had nerve abrasions done where they burn away the nerves so you don’t feel the pain. That has helped quite a bit. I let my weight get up to over 400 pounds… 406 pounds! I guess I carried it pretty well. But, I was real big and just too heavy. But, business is good. I’ve got a funding company. And, I’ve got a new IV therapy that I’m starting up at the Hard Rock here in Tampa (on June 18th). My phone was on 24 hours a day. I’d have 2, 3 business lunches every day… And, my weight escalated. So, two weeks prior (to my stroke) I was in Cleaveland for Real American Freestyle. My friend Chad Bronstein owns it and my old boss, Eric Bischoff runs it. I had a great time. Then, I was the best-man of my friend Fandango’s wedding a week before it happened. That was a wonderful time. Ironically, myself and Mike Rotunda were both there. We came home and he had a massive heart attack And, I had a stroke. Mike’s on the mend and he’s doing really, really well. He was in the same rehab facility I was.””I just ignored it. I ignored my high blood pressure and hypertension because i thought I was invincible. I had never really been sick. I had a few surgeries on my shoulders and my knees. But, I never was a party guy. Never smoked. Never really drank that much. But, I ignored the warning signs. The weight and the high blood pressure… And, I had a stroke. A Schemic stroke which impacted the entire left side of my body. Thankfully, I am back on my feet. I’m walking again. In fact, I was just at the Hard Rock last night for a business meeting. I was probably there too late playing. But, I’m getting better. But, James. The most important thing is to keep the weight down, watch the blood pressure, and never stop excercising!” “Thank God my daughter was home from school that day. I have a 16 year old daughter. If she wasn’t home sick that day, I’d be dead. I was in the bathroom and I passed out.”