Professional wrestling is a spectacle due to the athletic ability that the athletes can showcase, but the crazy bumps and excellent moves that people can hit bring an increased risk factor. Over the years, there have been many tough injuries that wrestlers have suffered, showcasing just how tough the sport is.

Because WWE is the biggest company in the world, whenever an injury does take place, it becomes a big deal that people are widely aware of. There have been plenty of issues that wrestlers have dealt with over the years, and while some have only been small injuries, others have ended up being far more serious.

Beth Phoenix Gets Her Jaw Destroyed: Kept Her On The Shelf For Two Months

Beth Phoenix was barely into her main roster run after some time in Ohio Valley Wrestling before a freak accident caused her jaw to be destroyed. Phoenix, being as strong as she is, somehow managed to finish her match against Victoria and would only be off-screen for about two months.

For whatever reason, though, Phoenix would not return to Raw but instead went back to OVW for about a year before being called up to the main roster once more in 2007.

Shane McMahon’s Quad Muscle: A Leapfrog At WrestleMania 39 Took Out The Daredevil Performer

The last match that Shane McMahon had in the WWE came during a spur-of-the-moment match against The Miz at WrestleMania 39. In what would have been a nothing segment that most fans forgot shortly after, it would instead see Shane, the man who has thrown himself off everything, through glass walls, and so much more, injure himself during a leapfrog spot.

McMahon landed wrong and tore his quad muscle, leading him to bail out of the match. Instead, celebrity guest Snoop Dogg would have to take over, picking up a clean pinfall victory over The Miz.

Ridge Holland’s Ankle Dislocation: Buckled Under A Massive Amount Of Pressure

Something as simple as catching someone from a dive, which is often done, can cause so much damage to one’s body. Ridge Holland had to face nine months away after doing that exact thing during an episode of NXT in 2020.

Both of Holland’s legs completely gave out on him, and he had to be stretchered out of the arena. He would suffer an ankle dislocation, a fracture in his left leg, a knee patellar dislocation, and a patellar tendon rupture in his right leg. All of that was just from catching someone who was quite a bit smaller than himself.

John Cena’s Nose Gets Shattered: Looked Much Worse Than It Was

During John Cena’s amazing United States open challenge series that was taking place in 2015, a match with Seth Rollins saw Cena on the other side of a pretty ugly-looking broken nose. Cena, doing what he does when injured, brushed it off and continued to wrestle like nothing happened despite the blood dripping from his nose.

The injury wasn’t all that bad as it didn’t take Cena out of action at all; it just looked quite awful. Cena would continue to wrestle until late October that year, when he took about a month off.

Paige’s Neck Issues: A Kick During A House Show Forced Her Retirement

Paige/Saraya’s career in professional wrestling has been a wild story to say the least, she even got a movie made about it. Things did take a tragic turn when she was suffering many issues with her neck before even turning 30 in late 2016, and not long after, she would be forced to retire from in-ring action completely.

The actual injury happened during a house show match in December 2017 and saw Paige take a seemingly nothing kick from Sasha Banks before not being able to move and finish said match. Of course, the moment was a complete accident and just horrible luck, but Paige would soon announce her retirement after WrestleMania 34.

The Undertaker Gets Hit By Fire: Pyro Went Wrong During His Entrance

The Undertaker has suffered many serious injuries throughout his career, and they have all taken place inside the ring during matches. However, at the 2010 Elimination Chamber event, he ended up sustaining second-degree burns courtesy of the epic pyro he had during his entrance.

The Deadman was standing at the top of the ramp when someone hit the button for an explosion to go off, directly underneath him. Fortunately, the jacket he had on ended up saving him from sustaining more injuries, and he then went on to wrestle, but it was a major injury for him.

Hardcore Holly Receives A Botched Powerbomb: Broke His Neck And Missed A Little Over A Year

On an episode of SmackDown in September 2002, Brock Lesnar and Hardcore Holly were having a typical match before a scary-looking powerbomb resulted in Holly suffering one of the worst injuries in his career. Lesnar wasn’t able to fully lift Holly and when they went down to the mat, Holly’s neck was broken. There were rumors spread over the years that Lesnar and Holly had some personal issues resulting in this accident happening. Holly said of the incident during an interview with Liam Burnside, “It was a simple case of an accident caused by inexperience.”

This resulted in Holly needing to get surgery and taking about 13 months of television. In a sort of apology for it, Holly was given a main event program when he returned as he started a feud with Lesnar based on the injury. The two would get to compete for the WWE Championship at the 2004 Royal Rumble.

Cody Rhodes’ Scary Looking Pectoral: Continued To Wrestle An Amazing Hell In A Cell Match

Rumors started floating around that Cody Rhodes had injured himself in the build-up for his Hell in a Cell match against Seth Rollins. Fans weren’t certain how bad it was until the show itself, when Cody removed his ring jacket. Cody was sporting a massive spot on his pectoral muscle and arm, proving exactly how injured the superstar was.

He would continue to work the match and even have spots focused on hurting the muscle before coming out as the victor in a stellar performance. Cody then had to miss around eight months of work before he made a recovery and returned at the 2023 Royal Rumble.

Finn Balor’s Momentum Comes To A Complete Halt: Tore His Labrum And Missed Around Seven Months Of Action

Finn Balor’s rise to the main event in 2016 was spectacular, as he burst onto the scene after the brand split and immediately became the inaugural Universal Champion after beating Seth Rollins at that years SummerSlam. Unfortunately, the match saw Balor tear his labrum, causing him to relinquish his title and take months away from the ring.

Balor would be able to return for a six-man tag team match at a live event in March 2017, before making his televised return on the Raw after WrestleMania 33. His momentum wouldn’t ever reach the same heights and his one-day long Universal title reign remains his only World Championship on the main roster.

Mick Foley’s Entire Career Is Filled With Horrible Injuries: Happened Everywhere Foley Went To Wrestle

Mick Foley has dealt with a lot of injury problems throughout his career, which is not a surprise to most, because he has been involved in some of the craziest bumps in wrestling history. However, his famous Hell in a Cell bout against The Undertaker was something that led to a lot of serious problems all at once.

He took two insane bumps in this match, being thrown off the roof to the floor and then slammed through the roof down to the mat. He sustained missing teeth, a dislocated jaw, a concussion, a bruised kidney, and a dislocated shoulder, with that culmination leading to a serious situation for him.

Triple H Tears His Quad: Missed Around Eight Months

Triple H’s torn quadriceps is one of the most well-known injuries as he ended up being out of action for eight months and then made one of WWE’s greatest returns afterward. He was in a tag team match and was placed in the Walls Of Jericho on the announce desk when his muscle tore.

Even though he suffered one of the worst injuries a wrestler can sustain, Triple H somehow managed to finish the match, showcasing incredible grit and determination.

Kevin Nash And His Quad: Tore It From Running In A Match On Raw

Being a man the size of Kevin Nash and having to run and perform any sort of move must be hell on his legs. This was never more apparent than when he tore his quad during a tag match on Raw in 2002. The moment came when Nash ran from one end of the ring to the other in an attempt to attack the opposing team.

He made it to the other side before falling down and screaming. The match would become hectic and Nash had to be carried out of the ring by his nWo partners. It was revealed that Nash tore his quad and would miss a significant amount of time. He finally returned in April 2003, after nine months, to start a rivalry with Triple H.

John Cena Rips His Pectoral Muscle: Showcased His Super Human Healing Ability

During a match with Mr. Kennedy on Monday Night Raw in October 2007, Cena tried to perform a hip toss when his entire pectoral muscle tore off. Cena and Kennedy finished the match and even delivered a post-match beating to Cena from Randy Orton.

The injury was planned to leave Cena on the shelf for around six months to a year before he could start even lifting weights or heavy objects. In typical fashion though, Cena would recover and by the Royal Rumble in January, he was able to return and win the big match, leading to the WrestleMania main event.

Sting’s Temporary Retirement: Was The Conclusion Of A Pretty Poor WWE Run

The former face of World Championship Wrestling finally made his long-awaited debut in the WWE at Survivor Series 2014 to stop The Authority from winning in the main event. Sting would be off-screen mostly until around WrestleMania 31 when it was announced he would face Triple H at the Showcase of Immortals.

After suffering a loss at the show, Sting would be granted a WWE Championship match against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions later that year. The match saw a typical spot Rollins did by powerbombing Sting into the turnbuckle, which caused a severe neck injury that was later confirmed to be the reason Sting needed to retire from in-ring action.

Seth Rollins Blows Out His Knee: Ending Rollins’ First WWE Championship Reign

Seth Rollins was having the run of his career after cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania 31 and carrying the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the following months. It was a live event taking place in Dublin, Ireland that saw Rollins blow out his knee and tear his ACL, MCL, and meniscus during a match with Kane.

Rollins attempted to Sunset Flip over Kane from the top rope and powerbomb the Big Red Machine through a table when the injury occurred. The aftermath saw Rollins have to vacate the championship and step away from in-ring action until his return at Extreme Rules 2016.

Joey Mercury’s Takes A Ladder To The Face: Causes A Massive Amount Of Blood

Joey Mercury sustained one of the most memorable injuries in WWE history, mainly because it looked so devastating and caused a huge visible scar afterward. Mercury ended up having a ladder smashed up into his face, and that instantly led to blood pouring out as it became clear things didn’t go to plan.

He wound up breaking four bones in his face, which required 30 stitches and resulted in him almost losing his eye. It was a serious situation and a scary one at the same time that can be difficult for any to rewatch.

Shawn Michaels Loses His Smile: Changed HBK’s Career Forever

Shawn Michaels is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, but he did have a four-year period where he didn’t compete at all, highlighting just how serious his back injury was. At one point, it wasn’t clear if the Heartbreak Kid would ever be back.

He sustained it during a casket match against The Undertaker when he was thrown out of the ring, glimpsing the casket itself before landing on the floor. It was that glimpse that caused him to herniate two discs, which was a big problem for him.

Big E Breaks His Neck: Still Working Through Recovery

Big E sustained one of the most serious injuries in WWE history as he broke his neck after he landed directly on his head outside the ring. Ridge Holland tried an overhead suplex which didn’t go to plan, and that was visibly difficult for people to watch.

The long-lasting impact of this situation is still not fully clear as Big E remains on the shelf, recovering. While he thankfully can walk and move around, when it comes to getting back inside the ring, that remains to be seen.

Steve Austin Breaks His Neck: Takes Years Off Of Austin’s Career

Another wrestler who unfortunately broke his neck inside the ring was Steve Austin, with his injury being a difficult one to see. It took place when Owen Hart hit him with a piledriver, slamming Austin head-first down to the mat, which caused the problem for him.

Austin lost the ability to move for a moment in time, showcasing just how serious the problem was for him. While Austin was able to return from this issue, it was something that impacted him for the rest of his run. By 2003, he would officially retire from in-ring action as problems with his neck were impacting him more and more.

Tyson Kidd’s Freak Accident: Put An End To Kidd’s Career

While Austin was able to wrestle again, and the potential remains for Big E to do the same, that cannot be said for Tyson Kidd. He sustained a broken neck during a dark match that fans didn’t see as he was hit with Samoa Joe’s Muscle Buster finish.

It didn’t go to plan and Kidd ended up sustaining an incredibly serious broken neck that almost cost him his life. While he thankfully survived, Kidd hasn’t wrestled since, and with the luck surrounding his injury, an in-ring return seems tremendously unlikely.

Droz Breaks His Neck: Left Him In A Wheelchair For Life

Droz was another wrestler who suffered a broken neck inside a WWE ring. However, his injury ended up being far more serious than any others. While the likes of Austin and Big E were able to walk afterward, Droz was quadriplegic, showcasing just how impactful this injury was.

Not only did it end his career, but it completely changed his way of life. This came when D’Lo Brown hit him with a powerbomb, but the landing didn’t go to plan, and it ended up having massive implications. Droz sadly passed away in 2023 after years of living with his injury.