5 WWE Superstars who got injured at the worst time
WWE Superstars get injured. It's part and parcel of a business that offers very little margin for error.
Some of the best talents in the world are struck down with injuries from time to time and forced to spend a prolonged period on the shelf. Whether it's a botched wrestling move or a freak accident, it is almost inevitable that every WWE superstar will suffer an injury at some point in their career.
There's never a good time to get injured, but there is certainly a bad time to suffer one. Some superstars have found themselves forced onto the sidelines with the most unfortunate timing. Whether it be shortly after a major title win, or in the middle of a huge push, these wrestlers really had no luck.
On that note, here are five WWE Superstars who got injured at the worst possible time.
#5 Mr Kennedy's WWE push never recovered following his injury
Following his debut, Mr Kennedy seemingly had a bright future in WWE. He was pushed heavily from minute one, and the sky looked to be the limit for him.
At WrestleMania 23, Kennedy won the Money in the Bank ladder match and it looked like a world championship run was on the horizon for him.
Unfortunately, shortly after winning the briefcase, the now-46-year-old tore his right tricep and lost it to Edge, who went on to cash it in on The Undertaker, becoming the World Heavyweight Champion.
Kennedy's main event push never recovered, and after several other mishaps, he was released from WWE two years later.
#4 Finn Balor's impressive main roster start was ruined by injury
#WhatIf Finn Bálor didn’t get injured at Summerslam 2016?
This feels like an eternity ago.
@FinnBalor https://t.co/wnCP6eqrCH
Finn Balor's time on the main roster got off to a tremendous start. He quickly burst onto the scene on Monday Night RAW and earned a spot in the Universal Title match at Summerslam 2016 against Seth Rollins.
Fans were worried about the former NXT Champion's prospects on the main roster after so many had failed before him. At Summerslam, he beat Rollins in a tremendous match for the championship, and fans were thrilled to see him reach those heights.
They were excited about the future, but unfortunately, he sustained a shoulder injury during the bout and subsequently had to vacate the title. That was the last time Balor even had a sniff at winning a world title on the main roster.
He hasn't even come close to reaching those heights again. His untimely injury when Vince McMahon entrusted him with the gold quickly ruined any chance of the boss trusting him in such a role again.
#3 Mustafa Ali's injury led to Kofi Mania
Mustafa Ali may end up being one of the biggest "What ifs" in WWE history
Had he not got injured, what could have been?
Kofi replaced him, had that amazing ending to the EC match with Bryan and set up his first WWE Title run
Who knows what Ali would have done in a similar spot https://t.co/JOeaDNfaQ5
As Kofi Kingston enjoyed the best run of his career heading into WrestleMania 35, with it culminating in his WWE Championship victory, Mustafa Ali was surely wondering what could have been.
After all, Ali's injury ruled him out of the Elimination Chamber and led to Kofi's inclusion and eventual story heading into the Showcase of the Immortals.
Of course, there's no way of knowing whether the 36-year-old would have gone on to enjoy the unprecedented fan support and remarkable storyline that Kingston did. The timing was devastating for Ali, though, and he has never been close to regaining that initial momentum again.
Shortly after his return, he turned heel with the poorly received Retribution and has since floundered. Having recently requested his release, it's safe to say that the chances of Ali ever returning to that sort of prominence are unlikely.
#2 Dolph Ziggler's main event push never recovered following his concussion
After so many years scratching and clawing his way to the top, Dolph Ziggler finally reached the mountain top on the RAW after WrestleMania 29 when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
Ziggler beat Alberto Del Rio to become the World Heavyweight Champion, and the reaction in the building was electric. The Show Off deserved the opportunity to run with the ball as the champion, and fans were excited to see him finally get the chance to prove himself worthy.
It's a cruel world, though, and Ziggler suffered a concussion at the hands of Jack Swagger not long afterwards. It ruled him out for a short while, and Vince McMahon lost faith in the star.
Shortly after, Ziggler dropped the belt back to Del Rio and he would never be the world champion again. It's a damn shame that the injury came so shortly after Dolph became champion, and it certainly did no favours in proving to the WWE Chairman that he was capable of being a world champion.
#1 Daniel Bryan's "Yes Movement" was ruined with an injury
Daniel Bryan's WrestleMania 30 success is one of the greatest stories WWE has ever told. The overwhelming fan support that propelled the master technician to the very peak of the company was like nothing that had been seen before.
Bryan was at the very top of the world following the WrestleMania 30 main event, and it looked like the story would have one of the most satisfying conclusions in recent memory.
Unfortunately, some stories just don't have fairytale endings, though, and less than a month after the momentous win, Bryan suffered a long-term injury and was forced to vacate his new title.
He returned several months later, but was soon after injured again and forced to step away from the sport for two years. He returned in 2018 and would eventually become WWE Champion once again, but his first injury really robbed him of a truly tremendous reign.