The Most Gruesome Professional Wrestling Injuries That Fans Still Talk About Today
Introduction
Wrestling is fake!
Everyone knows wrestling is fake and the outcomes are pre-determined from a storyline that has been created for each and every wrestler on the screen. The story and fighting is fake, but that's where all that pretending ends.
Professional wrestlers do things for your entertainment, even if it means you could break your neck, arm, leg, or any bone in your body. The danger is outweighed by the fans, every time. These wrestlers will jump from 40 feet high onto a stack of tables to turn a match into something legendary.
A lot of the times, they get hurt, sometimes fatally.
Even knowing the risk of jumping from the top rope onto the concrete below, they do it without hesitation or a pause for concern for the good of the product that is wrestling. And most of the times, you probably did not even realize something was wrong because these guys battle through it and finish the match.
Here are the worst injuries to happen to wrestlers during a live, on-air, show or pay-per-view, ever.
The following eight wrestlers unfortunately passed away in the ring.
Owen Hart
Attempting a stunt from the rafters above, his safety harness snapped and he was dropped from 70 feet above straight onto the concrete floor.
Perro Aguayo Jr.
Fractured three vertebrae after being thrown off the side of the ring onto the concrete below. He was knocked out and never recovered.
Mitsuharu Misawa
After a routine belly to back suplex maneuver, he was knocked out and was never able to regain consciousness.
Plum Mariko
She took a Ligerbomb/Sitout powerbomb knocking her unconscious. She later died in the hospital from various brain trauma injuries on top of that one.
Luther Lindsay
He suffered a fatal heart attack during a match
Oro
He took a massive blow to the head following a clothesline move which lead to his eventual death as he was being loaded into the ambulance.
Gary Albright
Following a routing finishing move to win the match, he suffered a fatal heart attack and died during the pin.
Mike DiBiase
He also suffered a fatal heart attack during a match from a cholesterol buildup that no one knew about at that time.
#1 Vic Grimes (2002)
Wrestling Promotion: XPW
Show: Free Fall PPV
Match: Scaffold Match New Jack vs. Vic Grimes
Injury: Minor Injuries but he was inches from falling onto the concrete head first. (Scariest moment)
From the top of a scaffolding, 40 feet above the ring, both wrestlers returned to rehash a rivalry that is legendary in the world of wrestling. Vic Grimes suffered minor injuries but the fall itself wasn't planned to be as wide as it turned out with New Jack holding a grudge from the last time these two wrestlers fought in a scaffold match. (New Jack fell during ECW's Living Dangerously in 2000 and blames Vic Grimes for the injury)
#2 Marty Garner (1996)
Wrestling Promotion: WWF
Show: Superstars
Match: vs. Marty Garner
Injury: Severe Neck Injury (Nearly Broke his Neck)
In the early days of Triple H's career, his pedigree finisher was one of the scariest moves he could have ever performed. It was more dangerous to the opponent in real life than anyone thought and when he performed it on Marty Garner, he almost broke his neck in the process. The video is tough to watch, so be prepared.
#3 Hardcore Holly (2002)
Wrestling Promotion: WWE
Show: Smackdown
Match: vs. Brock Lesnar
Injury: Broken Neck
Since the incident, Hardcore Holly has said several times that it was an accident and that Brock Lesnar, who had the flu during the match, was tired and couldn't hold onto him long enough to complete the maneuver safely.
#4 Randy Orton (2008)
Wrestling Promotion: WWE
Show: One Night Stand PPV
Match: Last Man Standing Match vs. Triple H
Injury: Broken Collar Bone
It appears that one does not simply fight Triple H and not end up with a terrible injury. Randy Orton is the second wrestler to make our list that had been injured by the hands of Triple H. It is not really his fault, just bad luck for Hunter Hearst Helmsley to be honest. Randy Orton was tossed over the rope and failed to turn himself sideways to be able to catch his fall and shattered his collarbone because of it.
#5 Triple H (2001)
Wrestling Promotion: WWF
Show: Raw
Match: WWF Tag Team Title Match w/ Stone Cold vs. Chris Jericho/Chris Benoit
Injury: Torn Quad Muscle
The quadriceps are the muscle that protects your femur bone and covers the front of your thighs down to your knees. Triple H tore his left quad so badly that he almost had to retire from the sport. It came completely off the bone causing him excruciating pain and also the inability to put any weight on his leg. He did, however, finish the match and even had a "Walls of Jericho" move put on him which basically pulls the quad even further apart. That is dedication and love for your fans right there.
#6 Steve Austin (1997)
Wrestling Promotion: WWE
Show: Summerslam
Match: vs. Owen Hart
Injury: Broken Neck
When the WWE looks back on the moment it became the most powerful sports entertainment company in the world, it will remember that Stone Cold was one of the biggest reasons. He was amazingly popular and helped turn the WWE into a global phenomenon. However, back in 1997, just before the man became a legend, he broke his neck during a reversal move by the late Owen Hart. He might have been 3 inches away from not being injured at all but that little bit of difference caused a severe neck injury that haunted him the rest of his career.
#7 Jesse Sorensen (2012)
Wrestling Promotion: TNA
Show: Against All Odds PPV
Match: Number One Contender's Match vs. Ion
Injury: C-1 Vertebrae Fracture with Spinal Cord Edema
Total Nonstop Action, TNA, had a chance at becoming a competitor to the WWE, but the promotion never amounted to a lick of beans. During the promotions time, Jesse Sorenson became a popular face on the roster and was slowly moving his way up the rankings. However, during a backflip, Ion landed on Jesse's neck causing serious damage that nearly broke his spine and neck.
#8 Sabu (1994)
Wrestling Promotion: ECW
Show: November to Remember PPV
Match: Tazz
Injury: Broken Neck
The worst injury in live wrestling history happened many years ago when Sabu was taking on a young, relatively unknown future star Chris Benoit in a 1994 ECW PPV match. Only a few minutes into the fight, Benoit tossed Sabu onto the mat where he landed on his neck, breaking it instantly. It is amazing he was able to move himself to the outside of the ring.