5 times WWE Superstars had to be legitimately stretchered out of the ring
Pro-wrestling is an extremely physical form of entertainment that takes a toll on an athlete’s body. In WWE, we see a mixture of storylines, drama, and in-ring action combine to provide us with a complete entertainment package that keeps fans glued to their screens.
Often, WWE involves the use of stretchers during their programming either to take a Superstar away in kayfabe, to show the damage done to them, or to put on Stretcher Matches.
On the other hand, there have been instances when Superstars have been injured in real-life or beaten down to such an extent that they’ve required stretchers to take them away.
While it’s extremely scary whenever the need for a stretcher has arisen in WWE, it’s something that cannot be ruled out as wrestling is a profession where the wrestlers have to continue taking calculated risks.
With that in mind, we will look at the five times WWE Superstars have legitimately required stretchers to take them away backstage or to the hospital, either during or following a match.
#5 WWE Superstar Ridge Holland had to be stretchered to the hospital
After proving himself in WWE NXT UK, Ridge Holland made his way to NXT in August 2020. Holland was part of a big new storyline involving the returning Pat McAfee when he was hired by the pro-footballer to attack Adam Cole during TakeOver 31.
While it seemed like Holland would become a major part of NXT’s top storylines, he suffered a freak injury on the October 7 episode of NXT. Holland defeated Danny Burch during the show and then continued to beatdown the Superstar following the match. Burch’s partner Oney Lorcan arrived to help his friend out and dove onto Holland outside the ring.
Holland tried to catch Lorcan, but his legs gave out and it was obvious that the English Superstar was in discomfort. The referees sprung into action almost immediately after noticing something was wrong, and pulled Lorcan away from Holland to avoid any more damage to the Superstar. A stretcher was rolled out and Holland had to be stretchered away from the arena, but the tough Superstar gave the audience a thumbs up on his way out.
WWE announced Holland dislocated and broke his ankle as well as dislocated and ruptured his patellar tendon. This was one of the most concerning moments we’ve seen in NXT, and Holland is currently recovering from the injury with no clear set date of return.