5 Current WWE Superstars who ended a fellow wrestler's in-ring career
The wrestling business is a cruel one and sometimes the path to the top in WWE is filled with difficult obstacles. Several wrestlers have suffered consistent injuries in the past which have then cost them down the line.
Wrestling is a dangerous business. This is common knowledge and superstars are aware of the risks before they step into the ring. That being said, injuries are inevitable, but none of the following list of stars were looking to end a fellow wrestler's career.
The following list looks at just five superstars who were forced to retire from in-ring competition after injuries suffered at the hands of these current WWE Superstars.
#5. WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix was the last woman to wrestle Candice Michelle
Beth Phoenix was last seen at the Royal Rumble last month when she was able to wrestle alongside her husband Edge for the first time. Phoenix and The Rated R Superstar came out on top as part of their match against The Miz and Maryse and then went on to tease that there was more to come.
Phoenix is a Hall of Famer and veteran of the company since she left the business more than a decade ago. During her first stint with WWE, Phoenix wrestled Candice Michelle several times, including in her final singles match.
During a Ted Talk back in 2018, Michelle opened up about suffering a collarbone injury during a bout against Phoenix.
"My legs felt like cement and my arms started to shake but I pushed right through it up to the top. Next thing I remember is barely being able to see Stephanie McMahon leaning over me saying, ‘Don’t worry your husband is being flown in.’ I knew this was real because they never fly your husband in. The diagnosis that night was a concussion and I shattered my collarbone and it shattered my dreams of ever wrestling again,” via Wrestlinginc.
Whilst Candice did make her return to the ring six months later, the star's career came to an end after just a handful of matches when she was released from WWE the following year. One of Michelle's final matches was against Phoenix when she looked to challenge for the Women's Championship at No Mercy.
#4. Seth Rollins was the final man to wrestle Sting in a WWE ring
"I just kept thinking 'It can't end this way'..." - #TheIcon @Sting on his last match in @WWE. #LegendsWithJBL snpy.tv/2bD1lL8
Seth Rollins has become one of the biggest names in WWE over the past few years, but the former world champion appeared to hit a few issues in 2015. After breaking John Cena's nose during a match, Rollins was later the final man to wrestle Sting as a WWE Superstar at Night of Champions.
Rollins delivered a Buckle Bomb to the Hall of Famer which legitimately injured his neck and then led to his retirement from the business.
Sting later revealed to WWE's official website that Rollins approached him after the match to apologize.
“Really, I can’t say enough. He poked his head in the ambulance and said, 'Man, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened.' I said, 'Seth, don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.' And he, for 15 minutes, he said, 'I just wanted to tell you what an honor it was, what a pleasure. I can’t believe I had a chance to get in the ring with you and work with you. I was you for Halloween when I was a kid,'" via Sportskeeda.
Of course, Sting has since returned and is now a member of the AEW roster, but for several years there was a belief that The Icon would never wrestle again because of that Buckle Bomb.
#3. Goldberg's superkick ended the career of Bret Hart
"Bill Goldberg kicked me in the head and ended my career because he didn't know what he was doing."
- Bret Hart https://t.co/W1FPC4keXS
Goldberg recently challenged Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship in Saudi Arabia at Elimination Chamber, in what was believed to be his final WWE match.
While his career remains up in the air, the same can't be said for Bret Hart, who announced his retirement from the business back in 2000. At Starrcade 1999, Goldberg wrestled Hart for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. A brutal kick to the head during the match resulted in a severe concussion for the legendary Hitman.
Hart has since been outspoken about Goldberg over the past two decades, despite later being able to return to the ring where he was able to lift the United States Championship and defeat Vince McMahon in a WrestleMania match.
#2. Edge ended Jose Estrada Jr.'s career in his first match
Edge is one of the best-known wrestlers in the world at present and has recently been able to make his return to the company after almost a decade on the sidelines.
Ironically, The Rated R Superstar was able to return from a career-ending neck injury. However, his first-ever WWE opponent was unable to do the same.
Edge made his debut back in 1998. In his first televised match against Jose Estrada Jr., the match ended prematurely after Edge performed a Somersault Senton to the outside which legitimately injured his opponent's neck.
Estrada retired from wrestling shortly afterward and was released from WWE. He was able to come out of retirement back in 2005 and wrestled full-time for several years.
#1. Sasha Banks was the last woman to wrestle former Divas Champion Paige
Sasha Banks talks about how Paige's career ending injury affected her. https://t.co/DY9LxdIs7V
Paige is still contracted to WWE and has recently been teasing a return to the company after the likes of Daniel Bryan and Edge were able to return from career-ending neck injuries.
Paige struggled with her neck for much of her career and was able to return following neck surgery in 2017. A few months later, during a live event match that also featured Sasha Banks, Paige received a kick to the back which re-injured her neck. This forced her to retire from in-ring competition a few weeks later.
Paige has since found several on-screen roles with WWE which have allowed her to remain part of the business without being an in-ring competitor.
It's unclear if Paige is preparing to make her return to the ring since her WWE contract is set to expire later this year.