5 life-threatening incidents WWE Superstars barely survived
Over the past few decades, some WWE Superstars have barely survived life-threatening incidents outside the ring.
Several WWE Superstars have suffered some horrible injuries inside the squared circle. A few of them were even close to losing their lives. Big E, for example, recently suffered a broken neck and barely escaped disaster on live television.
Meanwhile, a few other former and current WWE Superstars were also on the brink of losing their lives in scary incidents outside the ring. While one luckily survived a plane crash, another found himself in the middle of a bank robbery.
Here are five life-threatening incidents WWE Superstars barely survived.
#5. Bobby Lashley
A few years before joining Vince McMahon's company, Bobby Lashley barely escaped with his life after finding himself in the middle of a bank robbery.
The incident took place in 2003 when Lashley took a routine trip to the bank. The Almighty was at that time preparing himself to become an Olympic wrestler. However, his life changed when a man kicked the door in and began shooting at him.
"This guy kicked the door down and shot at me. I took a dive down to the ground, landed on my knee, split my knee wide open and I had to go to surgery afterward. It was a crazy situation," Lashley told The Denver Post.
Luckily, Lashley's dive saved his life. However, the injury he sustained ended his amateur wrestling career.
Lashley later decided to pursue a professional wrestling career. The Almighty joined WWE in 2005 and spent nearly three years in the company before leaving in 2008. After competing for about a decade in different promotions, he returned to WWE in 2018. He is currently active on Monday Night RAW.
#4. Asuka
Like Bobby Lashley, Asuka also found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time nearly two years ago. The Japanese superstar was at the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas when she got caught in the middle of a shootout.
The former RAW Women's Champion tweeted about the incident, disclosing that she barely escaped with her life:
"I just escaped! There was a scream in front of me at #FashionShowMall (...) It was like shooting. #GUESS near the shooting range protected me (...) I heard screams from outside the door several times after fleeing to GUESS," she wrote.
As a result of the shooting, three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Two days after the incident, Las Vegas police announced that they had arrested 18-year-old Christoper Valenzuela-Olivas for the shooting.
Asuka is currently out of action due to injury. She is now considered a free agent and could return to action on Monday Night RAW or SmackDown.
#3. WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi
Nearly four decades ago, WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi almost lost his life in a horrific incident. The former Intercontinental Champion got hit in a drive-by shooting when he was 17.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Rikishi opened up about the incident, stating that he "died for three minutes":
"I damn near lost my life. I was dead for three minutes. I woke up in ambulance and all I could see was my mother's face – being taken to the hospital, I could see my mother's face (...) This scar on my stomach, they had to cut me open, because I was shattered inside. They just said that the bullet, it was a .22, actually hit the side of my rib, which saved my heart. Had that rib not need there, it would have gone through my heart and we probably wouldn't be having this conversation," he said.
Nearly three years after the incident, Rikishi kicked off his wrestling career. He competed in a few promotions before joining WWE in 1992. He spent 12 years in the company before leaving in 2004.
Rikishi has made a few sporadic appearances in Vince McMahon's company over the past few years. His twin sons The Usos are currently active on SmackDown. Meanwhile, his son Solo Sikoa competes on NXT 2.0.
#2. Perry Saturn
In 2004, Perry Saturn was driving his girlfriend to work when he saw two men attacking a woman. The former United States Army Ranger decided to intervene and save the lady.
The former Hardcore Champion successfully fought off the two attackers. However, he was shot twice in the neck and shoulder during the altercation. Luckily for the 55-year-old, he recovered from his injuries.
Saturn kicked off his wrestling career in 1990. He competed in a few promotions, including ECW and WCW, before joining Vince McMahon's company in 2000.
The former European Champion spent two years in WWE before leaving in 2002. Saturn then competed for nearly another decade on the independent circuit before seemingly retiring in 2013.
#1. WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair
In 1975, Ric Flair, John Valentine, Bob Bruggers, Tim Woods, and David Crockett were on a private jet heading from Charlotte to Wilmington, North Carolina. The pilot, however, struggled to get the small plane off the ground due to the weight of its passengers. Hence, he decided to empty some fuel from the gas tank.
The pilot's decision proved to be disastrous. The plane ran out of fuel in the air and crashed about 100 yards from the runway in Wilmington.
"The pilot realised he'd hit the point of no return where he should have refuelled, and the engines stalled and we went down and through some trees. We tore an orchard apart and landed like an arrow," Flair told talkSport.
In the WWE Evil documentary series, The Nature Boy also spoke about the incident, disclosing how close he was to losing his life in that plane crash:
"The next thing I do, I was getting put in one of these old military ambulances, I just remember them saying 'we're going to lose this one.' And I thought they were talking about me. The pilot died. Valentine and Bob Bruggers were paralyzed. I broke my back in three places," he said.
Although Flair thought he might never wrestle again after breaking his back, he luckily did. His career even thrived after adopting the Nature Boy persona. The 73-year-old competed in several promotions, including WWE, WCW, NWA, and IMPACT Wrestling, and won 16 world titles.
Flair last competed in September 2011 when he lost to Sting on TNA IMPACT. Although he claims to be fit to return to the ring, The Nature Boy stated that WWE would not let him do so even after releasing him from his contract last year.