Christian Watson, the 27-year-old Green Bay Packers wide receiver, was taken to a local hospital for internal bleeding checks during the second quarter of the game against the Carolina Panthers, then returned to play in the third quarter.
Watson suffered a serious-looking collision while making a 53-yard catch, prompting medics to transport him by ambulance to the stadium's nearby hospital.
Footage captured the player, still in full kit, exiting the ambulance inside the stadium, walking toward the tunnel and receiving a warm welcome from fans and teammates.
He re-joined the action in the third quarter, finished as the game's top receiver and helped the Packers secure a 27-19 victory.
After the game Watson explained, "I never wanted to go [to hospital], I was hoping they'd let me off. They said there were a couple of signs that made them want to take me over there, so I was just praying it was good enough that I could come back out here. Luckily it was... I'm happy to be out here on a football field. There was no internal bleeding [nothing] that was raising suspicion. I cleared everything and I was able to get back out."
Social-media users expressed amazement, with one writing, "CHRISTIAN WATSON HAS COME BACK OUT IN WWE UNDERTAKER STYLE!" and others joking about the scene feeling like professional wrestling.
