WWE has a history of experiencing actual pain and suffering, despite being mocked for being “fake” quite frequently. There is only so much that wrestlers can do to prevent the violence that amuses us and to safeguard their fellow competitors. Injury can occur at any time, says the video warning that opens each WWE DVD.
The wrestlers who have suffered broken necks ripped muscles or had their careers ruined are fully aware of how accurate that is. Some injuries worsen over time, wearing down a wrestler’s body to the point where they must give up. Due to cervical spinal stenosis from spearing rock-solid men and jumping from ladders, Edge had to hang up his boots early.
This article focuses on accidents that happen suddenly and forces wrestlers to continue performing while suffering from broken bones or ripped quads.
Honorable Mention: Beth Phoenix’s Jaw
Beth Phoenix earned a spot on the main roster after making an impression in Ohio Valley Wrestling, a WWE development territory.
When she broke her mandible during her first singles match on Raw, her career immediately came to an abrupt halt. Phoenix finished her battle against Victoria on June 5, 2006, despite the excruciating discomfort she must have been experiencing.
Only the most vigilant spectators were likely to discover anything was amiss.
Phoenix winced and clutched her right cheek in agony after making the pin. She impressively continued to taunt Victoria and avoided collapsing in the middle of the ring. Phoenix shared a photo of her freshly realigned teeth.
The injury prevented her from performing for the remainder of 2006 and the first half of 2007, delaying the beginning of her WWE career.
Undertaker’s Orbital Bone
Most fans would have bet on the underdog if asked to identify who would have emerged from a Rey Mysterio and Undertaker match with a fractured nose, broken orbital bone, and concussion.
The Phenom had his face smashed in by Rey Mysterio during a SmackDown taping on May 25, 2010. Just over a minute more of the match saw Undertaker defeat Mysterio with the Tombstone piledriver.
Following this, The Undertaker was supposed to compete for the SmackDown world championship in the Fatal 4-Way. Due to his injuries, WWE decided to remove him from the show, and to account for his absence, he entered a kayfabe vegetative state.
Oddly enough, the Undertaker had previously damaged his orbital bone as well. He missed many months of action in 1995 as a result of the injury, and he made a mask-wearing comeback at Survivor Series.
John Cena’s Pectoral
John Cena’s over-a-year run as WWE champion was ultimately terminated by him and not by another wrestler. His own body was there. On October 1, 2007, he engaged in combat with Mr. Kennedy, and during the battle, he completely tore his right pectoral muscle. It was an uncomfortable hip toss, really.
Cena persevered for the remainder of the encounter despite what happened early in the contest. He can be seen struggling to shrug off the anguish throughout, gripping his arm to his side like a broken wing. Later, Randy Orton got in the way and executed an RKO through a resistant table.
Cena lost his belt to WWE, and he needed some time to heal before making a surprise appearance at the 2008 Royal Rumble. Christian (2010) and Edge (in 2005) both had identical wounds.
Triple H’s Quads
After rupturing his left quadriceps muscle, Triple H continued to wrestle in a feat of unfathomable tenacity. It occurred near the conclusion of Steve Austin vs. Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit on Raw in May 2001. Jericho almost defeated Austin as Triple H pounced against him.
Game stumbled uncomfortably. Jericho locked the Walls of Jericho on him on top of a table after he pulled himself out of the ring. Despite the excruciating anguish it must have given Triple H, he continued with that place.
For the following eight months, Triple H watched from the sidelines while Dr. James Andrews fixed the leg. He tore his right quad six years after sustaining the injury. This time, the injury happened early on in a tag bout against RKO, and Triple H had to limp and wince his way to the finish line.
This time, he missed seven months of work. Both times, Triple H made a successful comeback with no problems or substantial impairment. Vince McMahon saw firsthand at the 2005 Royal Rumble that a quad rupture is extremely painful, dispelling whatever misgivings he may have had about it.
Mick Foley’s EverythingEven with the extensive and horrifying list of wounds Mick Foley sustained after King of the Ring 1998, he was fortunate not to have suffered more.
His career may have been over or he may have even died after falling off and through the cell. Good God Almighty, they’ve murdered him, Jim Ross famously exclaimed during the game, but how close was he to breaking his neck or fractureing his skull?
One of Foley’s teeth dangling from his nose is one of the enduring images of the game.
Unfortunately, that was one of the least unpleasant experiences he had that evening. In addition to having his jaw and shoulder dislocated, Foley also sustained many puncture wounds, a hole in his lip, and a concussion. The injuries that followed Foley’s outrageous bumps were a deliberate risk. They made him a cult icon and permanently altered the business.
Hardcore Holly’s Neck
WWE veteran Hardcore Holly had held a number of different ring identities, characters, and positions inside the organization’s hierarchy.
Up until that moment, he had had his fair share of minor wounds, but a match with Brock Lesnar in 2002 left him with a herniated disc in his neck. Holly was dropped on Lesnar’s neck after a powerbomb attempt went wrong.
In an interview with Inside Pulse, Holly denied rumours that he was uncooperative and that there was animosity between him and Lesnar in real life. Holly described the incident to Liam Burnside as “a simple case of an accident brought on by inexperience.”
Lesnar continued the motion despite Holly’s complaint that he hadn’t rotated sufficiently, which led to Holly’s neck injury. Holly came back 13 months later and worked for WWE up until 2009.
Joey Mercury’s Face
Beyond the countless stitches, the fractures, and the blood loss, this injury has a significant magnitude. Joey Mercury’s career was destroyed by a facial injury.
Mercury, along with Johnny Nitro and Melina, re-joined MNM following a 30-day Wellness Policy suspension. At Armageddon 2006, Mercury was hit in the nose by a misplaced ladder during a four-team ladder match.
He started bleeding, slid out of the ring while still unconscious and in need of medical assistance. He would try a couple returns, but nothing would take. He returned shortly after the incident while wearing a safety mask, although he only stayed for a short while before WWE released him.
Mercury just wasn’t the same performer, whether it was a newly discovered lack of confidence, a crippling fear of getting injured again, or something else completely.
Shawn Michaels’ Back
In a 1998 match against The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels appeared to hit his back on a coffin in a way that was far from fatal.
He was forced to cease wrestling until 2002 despite what seemed to be a minor blow that ruptured discs in his spine. His spine was fused to metal plates after a four-hour operation.
Michaels virtually missed the entirety of the Attitude Era since he missed a major portion of his prime. Fans frequently ponder how many more classics he might have created and how the WWE landscape might have changed if Michaels hadn’t slammed into that casket.
Steve Austin’s Neck
Even though Steve Austin miraculously made a comeback to wrestling only three months after fracturing his neck in the ring, the incident would forever alter Austin’s life.
Austin and Owen Hart squared off at SummerSlam 1997 for Owen’s Intercontinental Championship. Austin’s head was driven into the ground by Owen’s reverse piledriver. Austin believed he might be permanently paralysed because he was unable to feel his extremities.
In order to roll Owen up for the pin and hold up the title, he regained enough feeling. Strangely enough, Austin had used the same motion to break Masahiro Chono’s neck just five years prior.
Due to the injury and hasty return to the ring, Austin spent the majority of the rest of his career in excruciating pain. He underwent numerous surgeries to heal the damage, but his deteriorating knees and neck eventually forced him to quit.
Droz’s Neck
Sometimes the physical strain WWE wrestlers endure in the ring is comparable to being involved in a collision. One of the worst accidents in business history happened to Darren Drozdov, paralysing him and wrecking his career.
He wrestled as Droz in a 1999 SmackDown taping match against D’Lo Brown. Brown made a terrible powerbomb effort that failed. Drozdov is believed to have fallen onto his head and fractured two discs in his neck as a result of Brown slipping due to a moist place in the ring.
Even though Drozdov’s upper body has some flexibility again, his body nonetheless serves as a stark reminder of the degree of risk that wrestlers take on during each contest.
Owen Hart
Owen Hart was set to combat The Godfather at Over the Edge in 1999 while dressed as The Blue Blazer and making a grand entrance from the rafters. As Owen had done throughout his career, an entertaining tale would be told in the ring.
Instead, the device was ineffective. Onto the turnbuckle and then into the ring, Owen dropped approximately 50 feet. The impact caused fatal damage to him.
No WWE fan will ever forget this incident, and we all wish it had never happened. The majority of WWE injuries are severe and require physical treatment for extended periods of time to heal. Owen, who passed away at the age of just 34, was never given that chance.