3 WWE Superstars who overcame career-threatening injuries and 3 who were forced to retire

#2 WWE Superstar who overcame career-threatening injury: Edge

In this emotional bonus scene from #WWE24, @EdgeRatedR gave a special farewell on a tour of Europe following his retirement announcement in 2011.Watch WWE 24 EDGE: The Second Mountain anytime on demand on @WWENetwork. pic.twitter.com/A0U3TbXTOi

— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2020

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.

Edge return at WWE Royal Rumble 2020 pic.twitter.com/hRvb42xrLt

— Rohit (@RohitXmc) October 3, 2020

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.