5 WWE Superstars forced to retire following a neck injury
The life of a professional wrestler is a mixture of dizzying highs and crushing lows. One setback a wrestler is susceptible to is injury. Given how they put their bodies on the line, the chances of picking up an injury are always high. Some injuries recover quickly, while serious ones can take years off a wrestler's career or even force them into retirement.
Throughout WWE history, quite a few superstars have suffered neck injuries. Wrestlers like 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin and Daniel Bryan had to shorten their careers due to this problem. Very recently, Big E suffered a horrific neck injury on SmackDown, with no certainty surrounding his return at the time of writing.
As we hope Big E returns to action as soon as possible, here are five superstars who did end up retiring following neck injuries:
#5. Darren 'Droz' Drozdov
This is one of the saddest things to happen in WWE. Darren Drozdov joined WWE in 1999. He was part of Legion of Doom and got earmarked for great things.
However, fate took a cruel turn when he suffered a life-changing injury on a random episode of SmackDown. D'Lo Brown botched a running powerbomb and dropped Droz on his head. It caused fractures in his neck, with the diagnosis revealing that he's paralyzed for the rest of his life.
It was a devastating series of events for the performer, who was forced to retire. However, his fighting spirit and hard work has restored some movement in his upper body. We hope he goes the distance and makes a full recovery soon.
#4. Paige gets the short end of the stick at a young age
Paige's retirement broke the hearts of fans around the world. Neck problems persisted throughout her WWE career, but it was never career-threatening until it was.
At a WWE House Show in 2017, Paige faced Sasha Banks and ended up taking a kick to the face. The move injured her neck to an unprecedented degree, with the diagnosis confirming that her health and well-being would be compromised if she wrestled again.
As a result, the former Divas Champion was forced into retirement at 25. For such a talented star yet to enter her prime, giving up her dream was devastating.
One can only imagine what Paide would've accomplished in WWE. Unfortunately, all we can do is hope she makes a recovery and returns to the business she loves.
#3. Jason Jordan gives up his dream
It was saddening to see Jason Jordan's career cut short due to a severe neck injury. The circumstances forced him to wind up his wrestling career, abruptly drawing the curtains on a promising future in the business.
Jordan was a WWE mainstay in 2017 and 2018. He battled the likes of Roman Reigns and John Cena and was headed for great things before his unfortunate injury.
The diagnosis revealed that his neck required surgery, and he'd have to retire from wrestling immediately. He now works as a producer with WWE.
#2. The Kidd's career comes to a halt
Tyson Kidd's retirement came as a shock to the WWE Universe. It was forced by a freak neck injury that ended his career abruptly.
In 2015, Kidd faced Samoa Joe in a dark match. Unfortunately, he took a Muscle Buster from his opponent with his hands in a wrong position. A week later, WWE announced Kidd suffered severe neck and spinal injuries because of the botch.
The former WWE Tag Team Champion had no choice but to retire from in-ring competition. However, he revealed he holds no grudges against Joe and insisted that he's a big fan of his work.
#1. Edge rides off into the sunset for nine years
Edge's retirement announcement came as a massive shock to the WWE Universe a day after his world title match at WrestleMania 27. A somber Rated-R Superstar stood in the ring on April 11, 2011, and announced that he couldn't wrestle anymore.
Fans watched in disbelief as Edge announced that although he passed basic strength tests before WrestleMania, his MRI result forced him into making the decision to retire. He said should he continue to wrestle, there was a high chance of him suffering neck-down paralysis and maybe even death.
However, nine years later, at Royal Rumble 2020, the speakers blared the iconic 'You think you know me' line. Every WWE fan erupted as Edge returned after triple-fusion neck surgery to prove a point.