Somehow, These Wrestlers Competed Through Ridiculous Injuries

As the old “Don’t Try This” public service announcements showcased, an injury can happen at any moment in the wrestling industry. Some of the biggest and worst ones have been due to a simple slip or misstep, but tragically for some, those missteps not only spelled the end of a career, but a change in a superstar’s way of life.

But there are mistakes and slip-ups that superstars can come back from – and have. Superstars are taught to get the match in the ring, therefore they’re also taught to finish it – no matter what. Coming back from an injury is wonderful, but finishing the match is used to truly test one’s mettle.

Brock Lesnar’s Botched Shooting Star Press

The Beast’s Big Moment Was Almost Tragic

• The Beast had regularly done the Shooting Star Press in WWE Developmental.
• Brock Lesnar drove the ring crew truck in Developmental.
• He and Shelton Benjamin were a tag team – The Minnesota Stretching Crew.

From the moment he debuted the day after WrestleMania 18, fans were clamoring for Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle. They got it at WrestleMania 19. It was a mix of great sports entertainment and amateur bravado. But the big moment arrived when Brock ascended to the top rope. Back in 2003, rumors abounded that Brock was able to do a Shooting Star Press and did the move regularly in Ohio Valley. But the big sumbitch decided he’d leap over halfway across the ring. The Anomaly almost cleared it, but he landed on his giant head instead. Thankfully, he was merely phased and was able to shake the cobwebs off and finish the match.

The Undertaker Gets Burned

The Deadman Never Moved So Fast

• The Undertaker fell for Michelle McCool because she could throw a football.
• McCool initially thought The Deadman and Kane were too scary to talk to.
• The Phenom made sure that the pyro guy was not in back when Taker got back there.

The Undertaker’s entrance is one of the coolest things about wrestling. The gong hits and the arena literally feels colder. Until the lighting strikes and the flames shoot up signaling the arrival of The Phenom.

Unfortunately, a pyro mishap occurred at the 2010 Elimination Chamber that sent the Deadman up in flames ever so quickly – luckily he decided to wear a jacket with sleeves on that night. He was still forced to walk to the ring as fast as possible, very un-Deadman-like. He then spent most of the match dousing himself with cold water to try and alleviate the burning flesh.

Finn Balor Gets Buckle Bombed Out Of His Chance

The Demon’s Crowning Was Tarnished

• Finn trained at the Inoki Dojo.
• The Prince is an avid Lego collector and built several sets while injured.
• He the NXT title record holder with a combined 504 days.

After wowing the NXT universe, Finn Balor was called up to the main roster. Instead of most call-ups that were treated as afterthoughts, the rocket was strapped right to his back and he was booked to be the first ever Universal Champion. But an errant Buckle Bomb from Seth Rollins tore Balor’s labrum. The Demon was able to finish the match and still be the first ever superstar to hoist the Universal title high above his head.

Edge Is Wrestling’s Humpty Dumpty

How Many Times Could He Be Put Together?

• Edge realized he could come back after falling off his bike and not feeling pain.
• Edge’s first time acting came as part of the cast of Highlander: Endgame.
• Cope has been nominated for a Children’s Emmy for Percy Jackson.

Edge refuses to take things easy in the ring, which accounts for so many of his injuries. His comeback at the 2020 Royal Rumble is still one of the most emotional moments in WWE history. After eleven years of being forced to retire and forced to take it easy, a fall off his bicycle during Sheamus’ Celtic Warrior Workouts actually paved the way for The Rated-R Superstar to make a heartfelt and emotional return at that event and continues to work to this very day.

The Undertaker Becomes The Phantom

Just The First Time His Face Was Broken

• As Texas Red, Taker’s first match was against Bruiser Brody.
• His manager in that match was Percy Pringle III, aka Paul Bearer.
• The Undertaker has broken hips, knees, fingers, amongst other body parts throughout his career.

Not only was The Undertaker able to keep going despite various injuries, some of them he even worked into his gimmick. It happened in 1995 when Mabel delivered a leg drop to the Phenom and inadvertently broke the guy’s orbital bone. Instead of resting up, a hard shell mask was made to protect the visage of The Reaper. But the mask was designed to go along with Taker’s persona and made him look sort of like The Phantom Of The Opera to strike even more terror into the hearts of his enemies.

Shawn Michaels’ Back Bump

The Four-Year Botch

• Triple H and Chyna kept Shawn upright after this injury.
• During his time away, HBK found the lord and met his wife.
• Watch the match with Austin closely. HBK is gritting his teeth and grimacing the whole way through.

While they didn’t get along very well in the mid-nineties, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels were still able to do business and make beautiful violence together. Shawn was defending the WWE title against The Deadman in a Casket Match at the 1998 Royal Rumble when an errant backdrop onto the coffin rendered Shawn Michaels with a nasty stinger, or at least that was what was thought at first. HBK had to take a sabbatical for four years, but was able to finish this match and do the favors for Steve Austin at WrestleMania to officially usher in The Attitude Era.

Cody Rhodes’ Pec Couldn’t Get Worse

The American Nightmare Lives A Dream

• Cody tore his pectoral muscle on the eve of the match.
• According to doctors, he couldn’t damage it any worse by working the match.
• Cody with a torn pec has sold plenty of action figures.

With Cody defeating Seth Rollins at WrestleMania and again at Backlash, the two rivals were set for round three, which was to take place inside Hell In A Cell. But while training f for the event, Cody tore his pectoral muscle. He was ready and willing to gut it out.

When he took off his robe, there was an audible gasp in the entire arena as Cody revealed the massive purple bruise covering his pectoral muscle. The match was one more chapter in helping to cement Cody’s bravery.

Triple H Tears A Quad

The Nastiest Heel Becomes The Biggest Babyface

• The tag match is considered one of the greatest in Raw history.
• Triple H would tear his other quad in 2007.
• Every male McMahon family member has torn at least one quad.

Sometimes, we mere mortals can take a false step and feel something not quite right. When Triple H did it during a tag team title defense, he tore his quad right off the bone. Not only did he still finish the match, he allowed Jericho to lock him in The Walls on the Announce desk. He was the biggest heel in the company. But the effort and the comeback instantly turned him into the biggest Babyface.

Kurt Angle’s Olympic Feat

“…With A Broken Freaking Neck!”

• Kurt Angle trained at the world-famous Foxcatcher facility.
• In professional wrestling, Angle was trained by Dr. Tom Prichard.
• Angle worked a dark match against Owen Hart.

It became a trademark of his entire professional wrestling career: Kurt Angle won an Olympic Gold medal in 1996. Anyone winning a gold medal is a Herculean effort, but the Wrestling Machine doing it with a broken neck is nothing short of a miracle. Angle was able to bring home the gold for his country and parlay that success into a wildly successful Hall Of Fame career – a career in which all amateur wrestlers have been judged against ever since.

Brock Lesnar And Kenny Omega Overcome Diverticulitis

Stomach Removals Can’t Stop The Beast Or The Best Bout Machine

• Both Brock and Kenny are former IWGP champions.
• Brock defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win his IWGP title.
• Kenny defeated Okada for his.

If you ask 100 different doctors about Diverticulitis, chances are you’ll get at least 100 different explanations about the disease. Based on some of the people the stomach-eating disease targets, it’s odd even one superstar got it, let alone two. Elite athletes like Kenny Omega and Brock Lesnar are typically at very low risk of this disease.

But it claimed over a year of both men’s careers. It ended Lesnar’s MMA run, but he came back for UFC 200. The Cleaner only recently made a triumphant comeback to AEW.