5 WWE Superstars who returned to the ring from the brink of death
Pro wrestling is a dangerous sport. WWE Superstars risk death and serious injuries every time they step into the squared circle to entertain us. Over the years, there have been quite a few occasions where our favorite WWE Superstars have been able to stare death right in the face and win.
Not only did these titans overcome whatever injuries or illnesses that were plaguing them, but they were also able to return to the ring and continue entertaining the audience.
In this list, we will look at five WWE Superstars who returned to the ring from the brink of death.
#5 Stone Cold Steve Austin came back to WWE after suffering a broken neck
In the late 90s, Stone Cold Steve Austin was fast becoming one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time. Locked in a bitter feud with The Hart Foundation, The Texas Rattlesnake faced Owen Hart at the 1997 SummerSlam.
During the match, Hart went for a piledriver, a move that he had performed numerous times and one that Austin was no stranger to selling. However, on this fateful night, Hart was unable to properly protect Austin and dropped him right on his head.
Stone Cold suffered a broken neck and was briefly unable to move. Austin and those around him feared that he had become permanently paralyzed and was on the verge of death.
The injury forced Austin to take some time away from the ring, but he continued to remain a fixture on WWE TV until he was fully healed. While an injury of that nature could potentially kill someone, Austin was able to quickly regain his movement. Despite his recovery, Austin's neck problems forced him to retire in 2003. WWE would also limit the use of the piledriver following this incident.
However, The Texas Rattlesnake has since claimed that he no longer suffers from any lingering neck issues. He was able to partake in physical angles even after retirement and made a grand return to the ring at WrestleMania 38. Austin's only regret about the injury was that he could not make up with Owen Hart before his death.
#4 Ric Flair came back from a plane crash (and is coming back from a health scare)
In a career that has spanned almost 50 years, Ric Flair has had his fair share of near-death experiences. During his early years as a wrestler, a young Flair bore little resemblance to the Nature Boy that fans would soon become accustomed to. Flair was bigger and worked a more powerhouse style but soon had to make some massive changes.
At the age of 26, Flair was involved in a life-changing plane crash. The crash ended the careers of two other wrestlers onboard and killed the pilot. Flair's back was shattered and he was told that his career was over. However, Flair refused to listen and underwent grueling physical therapy to get back into the ring.
Upon his return, Flair had become much leaner and adopted a more technical style of wrestling. He would also develop his character to be flamboyant and outspoken in order to live up to the Nature Boy moniker. Within just six months of the horrific plane crash, Flair was wrestling again. He eventually made his WWE debut in 1991, and the rest, as they say, is history.
More recently, Flair's lifestyle outside the ring led to health issues. In 2017, Flair underwent surgery to remove part of his bowel. Complications from the surgery included respiratory, heart, and kidney failure. The Nature Boy was in a coma for 31 days and spent 13 of those days on life support.
Flair claims that he was given a 5% chance to live and that WWE had already prepared tributes for him. Miraculously, Flair would make a full recovery and returned to WWE TV. Whether it be due to sheer willpower or stubbornness, the Nature Boy survived, and is now getting ready for one last return to the ring.
#3 Bret Hart came back to WWE after a stroke
Bret Hart is without a doubt one of the greatest technical wrestlers to ever grace the squared circle in WWE. Two years after he retired in 2000, The Hitman would suffer a crippling stroke.
The stroke, which occurred following a serious motorcycle accident, left Hart confined to a wheelchair. He was unable to walk and had difficulties speaking, moving and doing basic tasks. Hart's doctors were unable to promise him a full recovery.
Thanks to intense physical therapy and his own resolve to get better, The Excellence of Execution was able to regain his speech and movement. While he was able to have an independent life, a return to the ring was completely out of the question.
However, in 2010 Bret Hart had mended fences with WWE and was all set to return to the company as a recurring character on TV. Amazingly, Hart would walk down the ramp once again in a match against Mr.McMahon. A decade after his retirement and eight years on from his stroke, The Hitman was back in the ring.
While it wasn't the wrestling classic that fans were used to expecting from Bret Hart, The Hitman himself cites the match as being among one of his greatest personal triumphs. Hart would go on to work ten more matches and even win his final US Title following his miraculous return.
#2 Mick Foley came back from almost choking to death and losing his ear
Nicknamed the Hardcore Legend, Mick Foley has made a career of death-defying moments. From his brutal matches in Japan and ECW to that infamous Hell in a Cell match in 1998, Foley has pushed his body to the absolute edge. However, one particular incident left Foley especially close to knocking on death's door.
In 1994, Foley, as Cactus Jack, wrestled against Vader during a WCW tour of Germany. At that particular show, the ring ropes were much tighter than usual and Foley did not realize this. During a familiar Hangman spot, Foley became trapped in the ropes that he could usually escape from with ease.
Realizing that he was losing consciousness, Foley desperately attempted to untangle himself from the ropes before death or brain damage could occur. As he tried to yank his head from between the ropes, Foley's ear came loose and soon fell off. The severed ear was put aside and Foley finished the match.
Despite the gruesome injury, Foley knew that he had to sacrifice his ear in order to avoid death. Had he not freed himself, he would have died within minutes in front of the live crowd. Despite nearly losing his life, Foley carried on with his career. In fact, he declined an operation to re-attach his ear to compete at a WCW pay-per-view.
Just two years after almost meeting his death in the ring, Foley would arrive in WWE as Mankind. Always willing to sacrifice his own safety for the sake of entertaining the audience, The Hardcore Legend continued on with his brutal and dangerous matches for many years to follow.
#1 Jerry Lawler came back to WWE from a heart attack
Just remembered that time CM Punk interrupted Jerry Lawler’s return from surviving a heart attack https://t.co/pPo4SfHn4R
While the other WWE superstars on this list had come close to death, none of them could say that they were legally declared dead. None of them except Jerry Lawler. By 2012, The King was a fixture on Monday Night RAW. He was a commentator who wrestled occasionally on WWE TV and independently.
Despite his age, Lawler was in excellent physical condition and could wrestle as well as he always had. On that fateful night, Lawler pulled off double duty and returned to commentary following a tag team match where he and Randy Orton defeated Dolph Ziggler and CM Punk in a tag team match.
While calling the next match alongside Michael Cole, Lawler slumped over at the table and began to snore before collapsing. WWE doctor Michael Sampson rushed over to The King and brought in help. Lawler suffered a massive heart attack and was declared dead for almost 30 minutes.
Thankfully, The King was once again breathing on his own after being brought to hospital. It was fortunate that the harrowing situation had reached a somewhat hopeful conclusion by the time WWE RAW had gone off the air.
After spending two days sedated and on a ventilator, Lawler was brought back to consciousness and was unaware of what had happened to him. Fortunately, doctors said that he would make a full recovery and was quickly allowed to continue wrestling once he got better.
Despite being literally dead for an extended period of time, Jerry Lawler was able to quickly return to WWE and has continued to wrestle regularly to this day. His miraculous recovery from this near-death experience likely stemmed from the instant medical attention he received and his overall healthy lifestyle. Leave it to The King to face death and win.