8 WWE Superstars who had to be legitimately rushed to hospital after a match
What’s wrestling without a few big spots during a match that can make the crowd pop and sit at the edge of their seats to figure out what just went down and if everything is okay? WWE has relied on big wrestling spots to make their product even more interesting over the past few decades, and we have seen Superstars perform death-defying stunts to ensure that the fans go home fully entertained.
At times WWE sets up certain storylines, spots, and moves that worry the WWE Universe just to keep the suspense and drama going. However, things end up going wrong at other times and result in WWE Superstars picking up legitimate injuries or are left requiring immediate medical care.
Over the years, we have come across several instances where Superstars have been stretchered away from the ring or ringside area. At times, they’ve even been rushed to the hospital in real-life!
In this article, we will look at the eight times WWE Superstars actually needed to be transported to a medical facility for treatment soon after their match came to an end.
#8 Neville
Neville was one of WWE’s brightest stars who performed at an elite level but was unhappy with the bookings he was stuck in. Even though the Superstar got several title matches and Championship runs, he was unhappy at some of the bookings that led to his departure from the company.
Around 2016, Neville was doing well before a match in March turned things around for the Superstar.
Neville suffered a bizarre injury in WWE during a routine move
Neville was booked to compete in a match with Chris Jericho on WWE Monday Night RAW on March 14, 2016, but the match was cut short as the Man That Gravity Forgot seemed to have some discomfort in his ankle.
Jericho used his experience well and argued with the referee to such a degree that he was disqualified from the match, after which he called out AJ Styles for a confrontation.
On the other hand, Neville was checked by officials backstage and it was revealed that the WWE Superstar had suffered a fractured ankle, after which he was sent to the emergency room.
The Man That Gravity Forgot was forced out of competition and was unable to compete in a scheduled match for WrestleMania 32. The WWE Superstar remained out of action for four months before returning to the ring in July 2016.
#7 Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt is one of the best characters on television, and even though the WWE Superstar has limited skills inside the ring, his creative mind has helped him make a few gimmicks that has propelled him to the top of the company and win both the WWE and Universal Championships.
In late 2014, Wyatt had a great rivalry with Dean Ambrose (nka Jon Moxley) and the two went through some incredible matches that helped both men display their uniqueness.
During an episode of RAW in on 22 December 2014 the two men competed in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight. The two men had an encounter in which they dished out a lot of punishment on each other.
Wyatt was rushed to the hospital after WWE RAW stopped airing
While Wyatt managed to sneak in a victory during the match, Ambrose continued to beat him down. Ambrose sent Wyatt through the table, after which the Eater of Worlds had to be taken away to Hennepin County Medical Center after the show.
Thankfully, Wyatt was alright and the two ended up having an ambulance match later in January 2015 to bring their rivalry to an end.
#6 Joey Mercury
Joey Mercury teamed up with Melina and John Morrison to come up with one of the most unique factions in WWE history known as MNM. Together, Mercury and Morrison won the WWE Tag Team Championship thrice to leave a mark in WWE.
However, a match in 2006 at the WWE Armageddon pay-per-view changed Joey Mercury's career forver.
The WWE Superstar suffered a gruesome injury during the match at WWE Armageddon
MNM was part of a Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match against Dave Taylor and William Regal, Paul London and Brian Kendrick, and The Hardy Boyz. During one of the spots of the match, Jeff Hardy was set to leap off the top rope onto a ladder that would be forced upwards and hit the faces of both Mercury and Morrison.
However, Mercury wasn’t able to get his hands up to protect his face on time and took the direct impact of the ladder to his face. The moment after it happened, it seemed like Mercury was left a bloody mess, but it turned out that he only suffered a broken nose.
Mercury was pulled from the match and immediately taken to the hospital for emergency treatment. Luckily, his eyes, mouth, and cheekbones remained protected during the mishap and he was able to return to the ring with a nose brace on within a few weeks.
#5 Jeff Hardy
The Charismatic Enigma of WWE has given fans some of the most death-defying moments in wrestling history. Jeff Hardy knows no boundaries when it comes to putting his body on the line to take out his opponent, and one such instance cost him dearly in 2018.
At the 2018 edition of WWE Hell in a Cell, Hardy looked to end his rivalry against Randy Orton in a Hell in a Cell match. The two legends took to the red steel structure with only one thing in mind; to walk out victorious.
Hardy's WWE Hell in a Cell outing proved to be costly
Orton dished out a lot of punishment to Hardy and even used a screwdriver to twist The Charismatic Enigma’s ear around in a spot that will be remembered for years.
However, a spot that might never be forgotten saw Hardy climb to the top of the stage inside the structure and hung from it in an attempt to dive on Orton. However, something went extremely wrong and Hardy seemed unsure of what to do and came crashing down into a table.
The referee and Orton both seemed concerned for Hardy, but The Viper immediately pinned him before the medical officials at ringside could rush him out of the arena and take him to the emergency room.
Hardy suffered a few injuries, and Michael Cole updated the WWE Universe claiming that Hardy was coughing up blood. Hardy was kept at the facility overnight and was kept out of competition for some time before he could return to the ring. This was one spot that had us all worried for a few days!
#4 “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin needs no introduction as he is regarded as the biggest WWE Superstar of all time by none other than the Chairman of WWE Vince McMahon himself (Off the Record with Michael Landsberg. June 1, 2004).
Austin battled through many injuries during his career which forced him to retire earlier than most other Superstars from the ring. Even though he tried to make his way into Hollywood, he wasn’t able to make it as big as his colleagues Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena.
Steve Austin's WWE career was cut short by an injury
At SummerSlam 1997, Austin suffered one of the worst injuries of his career in the ring during a match against Owen Hart.
Hart set up Austin for a Tombstone Piledriver, but Austin’s head was too low and as soon as his head hit the mat, his neck was broken. The Rattlesnake was temporarily paralyzed following the move and Hart played the crowd until Austin could get some movement back in his body and barely pinned him to pick up the victory.
He was taken to the hospital right after his match where he was evaluated by the doctors but couldn’t get an MRI done as the hospital did not have the facility. He has revealed that no one from WWE accompanied him to the hospital:
“I walk outside the hospital, (and) ain't nobody from the company come with me. I'm sitting there, I'm all messed up, and three girls had followed the ambulance to the hospital. I walked out to no support there! 'Steve, do you want a ride back to the hotel?' 'Yeah!' I got in the car with them.”
Stone Cold was out of action until WWE Survivor Series later that year, and the injury reduced the number of years Austin had left in him following the move.
#3 John Cena
John Cena is one of the biggest WWE Superstars of all time, and the man that never backs down has shown time and time again that he is one of the toughest men to ever step into the WWE ring.
We’ve seen Cena brave through many injuries and difficult times in the ring, and one spot that helped him establish himself into the toughest man around came in July 2015.
Cena suffered an injury during his WWE United States Open Challenge
Cena defended his United States Championship against WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins on WWE RAW as part of his United States Open Challenge. During the match, a knee to Cena’s face from Rollins left his nose bloodied and bruised.
It was obvious that Cena was in pain as his nose was broken during the move and he was having trouble breathing initially. However, the Doctor of Thuganomics recovered and continued to compete in the match and went on to defeat The Architect.
Following the match, Cena was taken to the emergency room for check-up and procedures that followed.
WWE Dr. Steve Daquino updated the WWE Universe on WWE's website:
"As you can see on television tonight, John suffered from a nasal fraction. He's got quite a bit of displacement, so we sent him over to the local emergency room so he can be evaluated by the ears, nose, and throat doctor who's on call tonight and see what can be done to properly repair it."
Thankfully, Cena’s injury was not too severe and the 16-time World Champion was back in the ring soon.
#2 Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero will forever be remembered as one the most underrated WWE Superstars of all time who passed away prematurely when he was hitting his prime.
While his legacy lives on, one can only wonder how the current product would have been like had Eddie competed for a few more years.
Eddie made a terrible botch at the 2004 WWE Judgement Day PPV
In 2004 at WWE Judgement Day, Eddie had a big match against John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) in which the Superstar had planned a big spot. Eddie had decided to blade himself during the match to spill out some blood and make the match even bigger and more personal than it already was.
However, Eddie ended up blading himself a bit too deep resulting in blood pouring out with no end in sight. Eddie’s entire face and part of his chest were covered with blood while even the WWE ring mat was soaked with it.
Eddie continued to fight on and finished the match before he headed backstage where WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was extremely unhappy with what had happened. Bruce Prichard revealed in an episode of Something to Wrestle that Eddie headed to the locker room and he had to plead with him to head to the emergency room before the legend decided to go to the hospital with his nephew Chavo Guerrero.
According to Prichard, Vince hated the spot due to the following reason:
“He hated it. He just hated it because it was just way too much. It took away from the match, and it put the sympathy in the wrong place if you know what I mean in Eddie bleeding. That’s not where we wanted the sympathy. It was just too much. It was overdone. It was just way overdone, and it wasn’t meant to be that way. It was just an accident that happens.”
Thankfully, Eddie was able to make a full recovery following one of the bloodiest spots in sports entertainment history.
#1 The Undertaker
The Undertaker is the most iconic name in the world of wrestling and there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that The Phenom’s name will forever remain synonymous with WWE.
Not only did The Undertaker enjoy the longest WWE tenure of all time, but he also enjoyed a WrestleMania Streak that will forever be incomparable with any other achievement of any other WWE Superstar.
His biggest loss stunned the WWE Universe at WrestleMania 30
However, at WrestleMania 30, The Undertaker’s 21-0 Streak came to an end at the hands of Brock Lesnar. While the WWE Universe was shocked by Lesnar’s victory, Taker was rattled with a concussion during the match.
The Phenom had to be rushed to the hospital following the match, and The Beast accompanied the legend in the ambulance to ensure that he was fine and had some support.
Taker has always reminded fans that it was nothing that Lesnar did that led to his concussion, and has gone as far as to state that at times he doesn’t even remember competing in the match.
While The Undertaker recovered and competed in a few more WrestleMania matches, his WrestleMania 30 match will forever be remembered as the one that ended his iconic streak.