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The worst thing anyone could say to a die-hard pro wrestling fan is "It is all fake". It is often so easy to forget the difference between fake and scripted but when it comes to a performer, a WWE Superstar, they put their bodies on the line every time they step foot inside a ring.
While they are trained professionals who have been doing it their entire lives, it only takes a small error that could lead to someone suffering a devastating injury. It is really hard to find any WWE Superstar who has never been injured throughout his/her career. But the last thing any pro wrestler would want to hear is the doctor telling that they can no longer wrestle due to their injuries.
There have been many instances of WWE Superstars facing fatal injuries inside the ring. Many have been forced to retire due to the risk involved, but there have been few who have overcome these career-threatening injuries and inspired everyone. Let's take a look at three WWE Superstars from each of these two categories in this article.
#3 WWE Superstar who overcame career-threatening injury: Daniel Bryan
Who better to start this list than arguably the biggest babyface in modern-day WWE, Daniel Bryan. The leader of the YES Movement was at the pinnacle of his career when he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XXX. Unfortunately, things came crashing down for him as he was forced to relinquish his title due to not being medically cleared to compete.
He came back again and won the Intercontinental Championship next year at WrestleMania 31. Unfortunately, this title reign again ended the same way as he was forced to relinquish his championship soon. With all the concussion issues, neck injuries, and lesion in his brain, Daniel Bryan finally announced his retirement from in-ring competition in a highly emotional segment on an episode of RAW in 2016. Bryan was then involved in several non-wrestling roles with WWE. His stint as the General Manager of SmackDown Live was memorable.
More than two years after announcing his retirement, he was cleared to compete by WWE's head of medical right before WrestleMania 34. At the pay-per-view, he made his in-ring return, teaming up with Shane McMahon to defeat the duo of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Daniel Bryan has since become a massive part of the roster of SmackDown. He won the WWE Championship in November 2018 and turned heel. He held the title for 145 days before losing it to Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35.
#3 WWE Superstar forced to retire: Paige
Paige remains one of the most promising female WWE Superstars whose career was cut short due to injuries. The first-ever NXT Women's Champion, Paige was always considered the next big thing in the women's division of WWE. Making her RAW debut on the night after WrestleMania XXX, Paige defeated AJ Lee to become the youngest Divas Champion in WWE history.
Paige was also an important part of the Women's Revolution angle in 2015, introducing the main roster to the likes of Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, both of whom went on to become huge WWE Superstars. Unfortunately, Paige's career was filled with injuries, controversies, and suspensions.
The final blow to her in-ring career came when she suffered an injury at a house show in December 2017 after taking a kick from Sasha Banks. After appearing in non-wrestling roles for a while, Paige finally announced her in-ring retirement on the RAW after WrestleMania 34. She then had a stint as the General Manager of SmackDown and continues to make occasional appearances for WWE.
Paige recently shared the above post on her Instagram, raising hopes that we might see her back in the ring someday.
#2 WWE Superstar who overcame career-threatening injury: Edge
If one talks about the most emotional WWE segments of all time, there are hardly a few which tops the one where Edge announced his retirement on RAW in 2011, almost breaking down into tears. Not only was he the reigning World Champion at that time, but he was also one of the most loved and respected WWE Superstars.
But his neck injuries forced him to hang up his wrestling boots way earlier than anyone had expected. Edge was diagnosed with cervical spinal stenosis and the Rated-R Superstar revealed how doctors warned him about the risk of neck-down paralysis or even death if he competed again. Edge was then inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012 and continued making sporadical appearances for WWE in different capacities.
Nearly nine years later, Edge made his surprising return at the 2020 men's Royal Rumble. The pop that he got from the crowd was arguably one of the best ones in Royal Rumble history. Not only was he back to in-ring competition, but Edge was also looking to be in great shape as well. He reached the final three in the match before being eliminated by Roman Reigns.
Following that, he entered into a highly heated rivalry against Randy Orton, leading to his first single-match in nine years at WrestleMania 36, which he won. WWE Network then released a documentary on his road to recovery and Royal Rumble appearance. Edge's almost miraculous return was an inspiration for many.
#2 WWE Superstar forced to retire: Stone Cold Steve Austin
There are hardly few WWE Superstars who can match the popularity of Stone Cold Steve Austin. After a not-so-successful stint in WCW and ECW, he jumped ships to WWE and adopted the Stone Cold persona and the rest is history. Considered to be the "Poster Boy" of the Attitude Era, Austin's anti-authority character and his feud with Vince McMahon did wonders for the company.
Unfortunately, one of the most successful careers in WWE came to an end way earlier than expected as Stone Cold Steve Austin was forced to retire from in-ring competition in 2003. The reason for the same was because of his multiple knee and neck injuries which he sustained during his matches. But he continues to make occasional appearances for WWE and delivers his Stunners to anyone and everyone who comes in his path.
During a recent interview with Talksport, Stone Cold Steve Austin made it clear that he does not plan to make an in-ring return.
“Basically you’re asking me, based on Edge’s return, would I consider making a return? No. Whatever Edge is doing has nothing to do with me. I’m done. I’ve already said I’m done."
Still, WWE fans keep their hopes high to see the Texas Rattlesnake back in action someday. It's just another case of the classic "Never Say Never" in WWE. But the chances are extremely slim.
#1 WWE Superstar who overcame career-threatening injury: Shawn Michaels
Considered by many to be one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time, Shawn Michaels has had a massively successful career in WWE. He had a successful career in the 80s and 90s but his career almost came to an end in 1998. Competing against The Undertaker in a casket match at the Royal Rumble that year, he suffered some huge back injuries, herniating two discs and crushing one completely.
He was forced into his first retirement due to the same and it looked like we would never see him back in the ring again. He continued making non-wrestling appearances for WWE. After a long absence of four years, Shawn Michaels made his return to WWE, starting his second run with the company which was equally successful as his first one, if not more.
Shawn Michaels had several classic matches against the like of Triple H, John Cena, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, and others. It was at WrestleMania 26, where he lost to The Phenom in a "Streak vs Career" match, thus retiring from in-ring competition. He did return for one match in 2018 at a Saudi Arabia pay-per-view but has since stated that it was a one-off deal.
#1 WWE Superstar forced to retire: Tyson Kidd
Tyson Kidd is one of those highly-talented WWE Superstars who could have done wonders had their careers not ended abruptly. A three-time Tag Team Champion in WWE, Tyson Kidd's career was starting to pick steam with his pairing with Cesaro becoming a fan-favorite.
Unfortunately, things came crashing down for Kidd as he suffered a fatal spinal cord injury during a dark match on WWE RAW in 2015. He was wrestling Samoa Joe but his finisher Muscle Buster didn't go as planned, leading to Kidd's career-ending injury.
Speaking to Slam Wrestling, Tyson Kidd revealed how he felt after taking that Muscle Buster.
“I’d never worked Joe before. I’d of course seen him. I’m a student of the game, I’ve seen everybody. But I’d never physically worked him. When we landed on the Muscle Buster, I saw the whitest light I’ve ever seen. I thought it was a concussion for a second. I remember thinking, ‘Man, I did this whole match, completely on the fly, I pulled it off and then I get rocked at the end.'”
He further revealed what went wrong during the move. It was a last-minute match, so him and Joe were not able to run through the details which led to the unfortunate accident.
“I have a picture and I think my hands are in the wrong position compared to other ones I’ve seen. I wasn’t able to run through it with him (before the match). I drop, bang, and at first I saw this light and I was like, ‘Ah, man.’ And then my whole body went limp. It felt like it weighed a million pounds. I was completely paralyzed. I was paralyzed from the neck down.”
Recently, Tyson Kidd's wife and WWE Superstar Natalya shared a video of him training, which has led to speculations of him making his in-ring return. It is to be seen whether that happens or not.
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