5 WWE Superstars who saved the lives of their opponents in the ring
WWE is meant to be enjoyed in front of a live crowd.
The presence of a crowd also means there's no room for error and no chance of a replay. In the past, there have been several serious injuries and botches in front of the live crowd. Meanwhile, other superstars were able to think fast enough to prevent a fatal move.
The following list looks at just five times that WWE Superstars saved the lives of their opponents in the ring.
#5. Former WWE Champion AJ Styles saved James Ellsworth
On SmackDown Live in 2016, AJ Styles went one-on-one with James Ellsworth. At the time, Styles was feuding with Dean Ambrose. Ellsworth was brought into the company to job out to Braun Strowman, but because he became popular with the WWE Universe, the company kept him for a few months.
Ellsworth entered a feud and went one-on-one with Styles. 'The Phenomenal One' has made a career out of using The Styles Clash as his finisher, but that doesn't mean there haven't been casualties. In the past The Styles Clash had broken necks when not performed properly or if there was an issue with the opponent. The latter almost happened to Ellsworth.
When Styles locked in his finisher on the former WWE Superstar, as seen from the video above, the star decided to put his head forward instead of back which meant that if 'The Phenomenal One' had delivered it the way he usually does, it would have broken his neck.
Quick thinking from the former WWE Champion meant that Styles was able to deliver the move with a slight variation and Ellsworth made it out of the match unscathed. Styles didn't hold onto Ellworth's legs to deliver the move, instead opting to fall straight onto the canvas and catch himself.