5 WWE Superstars who were severely injured by botches
WWE is an entertaining industry that fans watch from all ends of the world. The professional wrestling business blends numerous aspects of entertainment into one special show. Wrestling is a sport, with rock concerts, dance, and soap operas all rolled into one.
Due to the outlandish nature of the business, some fans forget just how physical professional wrestling can be. While the WWE Superstars are all well-trained professionals who are top-level athletes, they're not perfect. Accidents happen.
Unfortunately, some accidents in professional wrestling prove to be more dangerous than others. Some injuries that occur in the ring ultimately lead to a wrestler retiring, even if temporarily, or they end up being put on injury reserve for a long time.
While the wrestlers involved never meant to become injured nor injure somebody else, unfortunate incidents are inevitable. This article will take a look at five serious injuries that took place due to a botched or otherwise errant move.
#5. Paige suffered a major injury from an errant kick
Paige is a thirty-year-old star who first began wrestling in the mid-2000s as a teenager. She signed with WWE in 2011 and eventually became the first-ever NXT Women's Champion. Paige went on to become a two-time WWE Divas Champion during her time with the promotion.
The popular superstar went down with a neck injury in October 2016 which kept her out of action for over a year. She had her first match post-injury in December 2017. Unfortunately, just a few weeks later she was injured again after an errant kick from Sasha Banks at a live event which affected her bad neck.
The Norwich star's neck was in rough shape and she was unable to be cleared for competition. In April 2018, Paige officially retired from the ring and didn't wrestle again for four-and-a-half years. She recently returned to action during AEW Full Gear, noting recently that her doctor fully cleared her.
#4. Droz was paralyzed in the ring
20 days ago in 1999 Darren Drozdov got paralyzed on #SmackDown after a botched running powerbomb from D'Lo Brown, when people say #wrestling is fake, i like to tell them about Droz, it's a real sport, based on trying NOT to hurt your opponent, but sometimes accidents happen. https://t.co/YfYSNqAcTW
Darren Drozdov was a professional football player who played for the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, and Philadelphia Eagles. He eventually moved to professional wrestling where he worked under the names Puke and Droz. He wrestled for WWE in 1998 and 1999.
Unfortunately, the athletic superstar dealt with a tragic injury. During a WWE SmackDown taping, Droz had a bout with D'Lo Brown. There was some kind of slip up when D'Lo attempted to hit a running Powerbomb on Droz, which resulted in the star landing on his neck and head.
Droz had to go under immediate surgery and came out of it a quadripeligic. In the time since, he has regained mobility in hs upper-body but remains confined to a wheelchair. Droz worked for WWE.com for quite sometime post-accident and has publicly stated that he holds no ill-will for D'Lo following the incident.
#3. Sting temporarily retired following an in-ring scare
Sting became the face of Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling, and later TNA Wrestling after breaking into the business in 1985. During his time with WCW and JCP, he won nine world titles. He won five world titles while competing in TNA.
The Man Called Sting finally joined WWE beginning in 2014. His time as an active wrestler in the company was short-lived, however. He battled Seth Rollins at WWE Night of Champions 2015, but suffered a freak accident during the bout. Rollins hoisted Sting up for a Bucklebomb and when Sting hit, he suffered a neck injury.
While Sting suffered from cervical spinal stenosis, he opted against having surgery. Instead, he just stopped wrestling until 2021 when he returned to the ring with All Elite Wrestling. The Icon still wrestles in AEW on occasion.
#2. Stone Cold Steve Austin was almost paralyzed at SummerSlam 1997
Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the biggest stars of all time. He began wrestling in 1989 and found success in the remaining territories of the era before moving on to World Championship Wrestling. After a short stop in ECW, Austin moved to WWE in 1995.
The Texas Rattlesnake suffered a major injury at SummerSlam 1997. He battled the talented Owen Hart on the show, who used a sit-out Tombstone Piledriver on Austin. Somehow, Steve's head wasn't protected correctly and Owen spiked Austin's head into the canvas. Stone Cold's body went limp, but thankfully he regained control of his body after the botched move. Unfortunately, his neck was badly damaged.
Unlike most stars on this list, Steve Austin didn't retire immediately after suffering a neck injury. He was back in the ring at Survivor Series that same year and went on to have the highest of heights a superstar could hope to reach during the Attitude Era. Austin did retire in 2003, but recently returned for a major match against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38.
#1. Big E recently suffered a horrible injury on WWE SmackDown
Here is the clip of Ridge Holland suplexing Big E onto his head tonight from #Smackdown that led to him leaving on a stretcher. https://t.co/7oLQDC9QhG
Big E first began wrestling in 2009. He was first part of Florida Championship Wrestling but eventually transitioned to NXT where he became the second-ever champion of the devlopmental brand. E later found success on the main roster as part of New Day and even captured the WWE Championship in 2021.
Despite having an incredible run in the company, his time wrestling may have been cut short. During a tag team match on the March 11th, 2022 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, a botched belly-to-belly overhead suplex on the floor between E and Ridge Holland led to the former world champion landing on his head and neck. It was later revealed that he fractured his C1 and C6 vertebraes.
Due to how severe Big E's recent injury was, there's no telling if the charismatic star will ever return to the ring again. Regardless, the former WWE Champion seems to be in good spirits and undoubtedly left a memorable legacy behind him.
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