The Architect with J&J SecurityIn professional wrestling, it is almost guaranteed for the performers to get injured at some point in their careers. While the business itself has stood the test of time and has kept evolving, it is an almost certainty that every superstar at one point or another would get injured.There have also been rare instances when the athletes lost their lives in the middle of the ring – a grim reminder of their sacrifices and hardships just to entertain the fans.A couple of days ago, one of the greatest highflyers of the modern era, Hayabusa sadly passed away. While Hayabusa is credited to have popularized the high-risk offensive style in the 90s, he wasn’t the only superstar to have met with a serious injury in the middle of the ring.Popular North American stars such as ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, Owen Hart and Droz to mention a few were unfortunate enough to have broken their necks inside a wrestling ring. Today, we look back at the five most cringe-worthy injuries caught on camera from the world of professional wrestling.
#5 Joey Mercury
Joey Mercury, along with the former Johnny Nitro (who later became John Morrison in WWE) was one of the most successful superstars in the tag team division. The duo, along with Melina became one of the most successful tag teams in the modern era, and won the WWE Tag Team Championship on three different occasions.
The tag team was also voted the ‘Tag Team of the Year’ by Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 2005.
In late 2006, MNM took on the Hardys, LonDrick, and the team of William Regal and Dave Taylor at Armageddon for the WWE Tag Team Championship. During the match, the Hardys and MNM were involved in a spot, where Jeff jumped on one end of the ladder, resulting in MNM getting decked with the legs of the ladder.
However, Joey Mercury ended up getting smacked in the face, resulting in a huge gash, broken nose and a pool of blood! The ladder was just inches away from Joey’s eyes. Joey ended up receiving 15 stitches to close the gash and sported a horrible mug for the next few months.
#4 Sabu
Sabu is known as the “Suicidal, homicidal, genocidal, death-defying maniac”, and rightfully so. Tales have been told about Sabu’s toughness, and he made a name for himself wrestling in hardcore matches.
Sabu was involved in numerous barbed wire death matches, resulting in torn biceps and broken bones. During his match with Terry Funk in ECW, Sabu tore his bicep, and proceeded to tape the gash himself in an attempt to finish the match!
However, it wasn’t the most gruesome injury Sabu suffered in a wrestling ring. In ’94, Sabu faced Chris Benoit, and when Benoit tossed Sabu, believing Sabu would take a flapjack bump, Sabu instead tried to twist in mid air to take a back body drop.
Sabu then landed on his neck, breaking it in the process! Sabu would break his neck again later in his career, during his match with Taz. But watching Sabu land on his neck was one of the most uncomfortable moments for a wrestling fan.
#3 Terry Funk
Terry Funk is one of the greatest legends the business has ever witnessed. Terry, along with Mick Foley is considered to be one of the greatest hardcore legends in the history of professional wrestling.
Foley’s earliest notable victory came against Funk, during the King of the Death Match tournament in ’95, when Foley defeated Funk in the finals in a No Ropes Barbed Wire Exploding Barbed Wire Boards & Exploding Ring Time Bomb Death Match.
Terry Funk was always known as one of the toughest performers in the business, as he put on extreme matches. During his relatively short tenure with XPW, Funk took on Shane Douglas for the XPW World title.
What started as a brutal affair soon turned ugly; during a spot where Funk was supposed to cut himself with a broken beer bottle, Funk cut too deep, resulting in a massive gash with his muscle clearly visible!
Funk somehow managed to carry on, and although the referee stopped the match after seeing the extent of the injury, Funk managed to complete the angle with a vicious beat down on Douglas. However, do not watch the video if you have a weak stomach.
#2 Hayabusa
A couple of days ago, the wrestling world was shocked by the untimely passing of Hayabusa. A true pioneer in the late 90s, Hayabusa wrestled a high-risk acrobatic style that was relatively new. The Japanese legend also inspired the current generation of wrestlers, including the likes of Neville and Drake Younger.
However, Hayabusa hasn’t competed in the past decade and a half. His last match against Mammoth Sasaki for FMW saw Hayabusa’s attempt to go for a Lionsault end in disaster, as he landed on his neck, while his back contorted, leaving the fans in disbelief.
After a few minutes, the gravity of the situation dawned on the fellow wrestlers and the crew, who immediately took Hayabusa to a nearby medical facility. The doctors told Hayabusa that he would never walk again. However, Hayabusa once again displayed his indomitable spirit by managing to walk again back in 2015.
#1 Pyscho Sid Vicious
The number one pick might not come as a surprise to the fans, as it was arguably the worst injury (not leading to the death of a wrestler) caught on tape. What made it worse was that it was on live PPV, as WCW rolled out with WCW Sin in 2001. In the main event, “Psycho” Sid Vicious took on Scott Steiner for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
A lot of stories have been thrown around regarding what transpired, but the WCW management had apparently asked Sid to incorporate some aerial moves, which made Sid jump from the middle rope for a big boot.
While Sid hesitated initially, he went ahead with what the management wanted, and it resulted in one of the most cringe-worthy moments in professional wrestling history. Sid’s leg crumbled, as he broke his tibia and fibula, with the bone sticking out of his leg! Fair warning however, if you’ve never seen this before.
