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For most wrestlers, injuries are an unavoidable part of the sport. With all the contact with competitors, ring parts and foreign objects, they’re bound to take nasty bumps and bruises from time to time. Add in the high-flying element of modern wrestling, and it’s really a wonder as to how more guys don’t end up with injuries. But sometimes, the injury comes in the exact way that a finishing move is meant to emulate. Here are five incidents where a pro wrestling finishing move went wrong, and the results were disastrous for the guy on the receiving end.
#1 Big Show
To be clear, Paul Wight was still known as the Giant in WCW in 1998, and at Souled Out that year, his size proved to be a dangerous issue.
At that time, he was locked in a feud with fellow big man Kevin Nash.
Nash went for his signature Jack-knife Powerbomb, but he couldn’t get the Giant all the way up to his shoulders, and as a result, dropped him on his neck instead of flat on his back, injuring Wight’s neck. Perhaps lifting a 400-plus pound man like that wasn’t the best of ideas.
#2 Stone Cold Steve Austin
Two running themes of Steve Austin’s run as Stone Cold in WWF intertwined at SummerSlam 1997: Toughness and injury woes.
The late Owen Hart went for the often-controversial Tombstone Piledriver, which has been used as a finisher by greats like Undertaker and Kane, and Stone Cold wound up breaking his neck.
A dazed Austin finished the match and even got the win, but many wondered how much greater his Hall of Fame career could have been if he hadn’t missed time for neck and knee injuries that eventually led to his retirement.
#3 Marty Garner
The Pedigree, while one of the most protected finishers in WWE programming, seems like one that would be easy to do.
That’s why it was an ideal choice for Seth Rollins when he abruptly needed to stop using the Curb Stomp. But early in Triple H’s career, the move had costly effects.
In a match on Superstars in June 1996, Triple H set up Marty Garner for the manoeuvre, but Garner mistook it for a suplex and jumped. That led to Garner getting dropped on his neck, leading to an injury and a lawsuit down the road.
Guess that’s what happens when you play ‘The Game’ the wrong way.
#4 Tyson Kidd
Truth be told, Samoa Joe’s Musclebuster finishing move just looks like one that could get someone hurt. Unfortunately for Joe and Tyson Kidd, that’s exactly what happened in the former Ring of Honor and TNA star’s first match in a WWE ring.
As the two wrapped up a non-televised match, Joe set up the Musclebuster, but something went wrong. Kidd landed on his neck and went limp in the ring after suffering a severe neck injury that required surgery.
That was June 2015, and Kidd hasn’t seemed close to returning after a situation that could have been fatal.
#5 John Cena
Seth Rollins is widely respected for his in-ring ability, which he’s proven on the independent circuit and on WWE programming. But even a grappler of that calibre can make mistakes, and Rollins had a rough spell in that regard in summer 2015.
In addition to a match with Sting that resulted in a bad neck injury for the former WCW legend, Rollins absolutely smashed John Cena’s nose in a match on Raw.
While the flying knee that resulted in the botch and the injury isn’t his official finisher and can aptly be termed as a signature move, Rollins uses it for devastating results towards the end of his matches. Cena required surgery for the broken nose he sustained.
#6 Honorable mention - Darren Drozdov (Droz)
This by far is the most tragic name on the list as one terribly botched powerbomb proved to have life-changing implications for the wrestler on the receiving end – Darren Drozdov.
The incident happened during a WWE Smackdown TV taping on October 5th, 1999. D’Lo brown went for his signature running powerbomb on Droz, but things went horribly wrong after D’Lo couldn’t get a proper grip on Droz – who took a nasty bump and fractured his neck in the process.
That fateful night on Smackdown, Droz was left with no sensation below his neck and tragically became a quadriplegic ever since. Till date, he doesn’t blame D’Lo for the incident and puts the onus on the nature of the sport. D’Lo too opened up about that forgetful night which you can watch below:
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