3 recent WWE injuries that are real & 2 that are fake
WWE is the biggest wrestling promotion on Earth. The Sports Entertainment juggernaut features three major brands, each with its own weekly shows and unique rosters. As a result, many wrestlers work for the company.
Due to the hardships of the pro wrestling industry, there are many injuries that take place. Some are extremely severe. For example, Big E suffered a broken neck in 2022 and is yet to return to the ring. Other injuries just require a few nights or a few weeks away from the ring.
What makes pro wrestling interesting is that due to the worked aspect of the industry, not every announced injury is legitimate. There are times Triple H and other promoters utilize fake injuries in their writing to better tell a story, supply talent with time off, or for various other reasons.
Recently, World Wrestling Entertainment has seemingly been bitten by the injury bug, but is it as bad as it seems? This article will take a look at five recent injuries, three of which are seemingly real, but two that happen to be fake.
Below are three recent WWE injuries that are real and two that are fake.
#5. Real: Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman is one of the most dominant and imposing superstars in WWE. The big man towers over most of his foes and he's arguably the strongest man in the company. This has led to him winning several titles in the company.
The Monster of All Monsters had a bitter rivalry with Big Bronson Reed on Monday Night RAW. This led to the two clashing in a Last Monster Standing Match on the red brand. While Braun won the bout, he was unfortunately injured.
While an injury to the groin can be cause for concern, fans can relax knowing the WWE star has actually already recovered, at least to an extent. He made his in-ring return during a dark match after SmackDown recently. Whether this was just to see if he's fully ready or if he's feeling 100% healthy remains to be seen.
#4. Fake: WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Jade Cargill
While Braun Strowman is one of the most impressive and dominant superstars in the men's division, Jade Cargill can lay claim to the same in the women's division. She is a physical specimen and one-half of the Women's Tag Team Champions.
Tragedy seemingly struck on WWE SmackDown last week. Jade Cargill was shown laid out on a car in the parking lot, battered and bloodied up. Reports then came out indicating that Jade was legitimately injured.
In a surprise update, however, it turns out that Cargill is not actually hurt. Instead, her reported injuries are fake and this is all part of a story. Jade was likely pulled from Survivor Series WarGames to create tension within the women's babyface team and nothing more.
#3. Real: Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre is another top star in World Wrestling Entertainment who has an incredible physique and towers over most foes. While he isn't quite as big as Braun, he is even more successful, having won multiple world titles instead of just one.
The Scottish Psychopath was last seen on WWE television at the Bad Blood Premium Live Event. He took on CM Punk in a vicious and brutal Hell in a Cell Match that led to Drew bleeding buckets. It was extremely violent.
Drew hasn't been seen since and part of the reason is because he was legitimately injured. McIntyre had to get staples to close the gushing wound on his head. Still, almost two months later, Drew will likely be back sooner rather than later.
#2. Fake: Randy Orton
Randy Orton is one of the most decorated performers in WWE history. He is a 14-time world champion who has also held some mid-card belts and tag team gold. Orton is also a former Royal Rumble winner and WrestleMania headliner.
The Viper was recently betrayed by Kevin Owens in a stunning moment outside of the arena. Their issues then led to a chaotic brawl at Crown Jewel and a shocking moment on SmackDown where the Prizefighter hit a piledriver on Orton to the shock of the WWE Universe.
Orton was stretchered out of the arena and sent to the hospital, but that is simply a kayfabe response to what was actually a move done safely. Orton is fine and he is just selling the fake injury to further the angle between Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens. Orton will likely be back soon to get revenge on Kevin.
#1. Real: AJ Styles
AJ Styles is arguably the best pure wrestler in the world. He has been involved in the industry for around two and a half decades, which led to AJ winning world titles in TNA Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and WWE.
Unfortunately, AJ hasn't wrestled much in the last six months or so. He was absent with an injury and then returned to television much to the fans' delight. He was then hurt in a return match with Carmelo Hayes. Styles has apparently suffered a Lisfranc injury.
This is the only entry marked as "real" that needs a slight asterisk. From all reports, Styles is legitimately hurt, but some fans still question if what happened was a kayfabe injury due to how well WWE sold it. For now, it appears real, but this one could have a slight grain of salt attached to it.