5 Times WWE Superstars apologized for hurting an opponent

While WWE match outcomes are scripted, superstars’ real-life injuries are certainly not planned in advance.

WWE’s men and women are ultimately responsible for protecting their opponents every time they step inside a squared circle. Brock Lesnar, for example, may look like he annihilates his rivals whenever he lands an F-5. But, in reality, he tries to help them land as safely as possible.

Given the number of WWE matches that occur on a weekly basis, it is inevitable that in-ring mistakes are going to happen. On some occasions, superstars have even apologized to a co-worker after hurting them during a match.

In this listicle, let’s take a look at five times when superstars issued a post-match apology following an incident inside the ring.

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#5 Seth Rollins apologized to Sting in WWE

Sting suffered a serious neck injury during his one and only WWE singles match against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions 2015.

Rollins threw the veteran superstar against the turnbuckle with his signature Buckle Bomb midway through the match. Unfortunately, Sting sustained an injury that, at the time, forced him to retire from in-ring competition after 30 years in the wrestling business.

Two days after the incident, Sting told WWE.com in an out-of-character interview that Rollins apologized for causing the injury.

“He poked his head in the ambulance and said, ‘Man, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened.’ I said, ‘Seth, don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.’ And he, for 15 minutes, he said, ‘I just wanted to tell you what an honor it was, what a pleasure,’” Sting said.

Sting further clarified that Rollins was not to blame for his injury. The WCW icon added that the former Shield member had no idea how much he enjoyed getting the opportunity to work with him.

After a five-and-a-half-year absence from the ring, Sting returned to action in AEW in 2021 as Darby Allin’s tag team partner.

#4 Batista apologized to Randy Orton in WWE

Dave Bautista (a.k.a. Batista) and Randy Orton worked together alongside Ric Flair and Triple H as part of the legendary Evolution faction in WWE.

Following the group’s separation, the two men often competed against each other between 2004 and 2010. They were also involved in the Triple Threat main event at WrestleMania 30 against Daniel Bryan in 2014.

Speaking on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast in 2020, Batista recalled how he once injured Orton during a match. The Animal repeatedly apologized to his former co-worker, but his attempt to make amends did not go according to plan.

“I hit him really hard and he sold it and I knew I hit him really hard. I was trying to get close to him to apologize to him so I kept punching him. Then I hit him hard again and I’m going, ‘Oh my God, I’m so sorry.’ The more I’m trying to apologize, the harder I’m hitting him. He finally smacks me and goes, ‘Just get the f*** away from me!’” Batista said. [H/T Cheat Sheet]

Batista also said in the interview that he was afraid of hurting opponents in the early stages of his wrestling career. As a result, he was accused of being “non-aggressive” for someone his size.

#3 Kurt Angle apologized to Bob Holly in WWE

One of the few injuries that Kurt Angle caused during his illustrious career came in 2000 when he faced Bob Holly on WWE SmackDown.

Angle usually had no issues performing his signature moonsault on opponents. However, during his match against Holly, the WWE Hall of Famer landed awkwardly and accidentally broke his rival’s arm.

Speaking on The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic gold medallist revealed that he took Holly to hospital after their match.

“I took care of him. I checked up on him. I took him to the hospital. I went and got him food. I called him for the next several weeks, making sure he was okay. I felt really bad about what happened, and I wanted him to know that I sincerely apologized,” Angle said.

Angle added that he wanted to make sure Holly was mentally and physically okay following his injury. The former Hardcore Champion was in the process of receiving a push before the injury forced him to miss four months of in-ring action.

#2 Drew McIntyre and Sheamus apologized to each other in WWE

Drew McIntyre and Sheamus have stood across wrestling rings from each other since their pre-WWE days in the United Kingdom and Ireland in the mid-2000s.

Known as two of the hardest-hitting superstars in modern-day WWE, the real-life friends competed in a series of one-on-one matches at the start of 2021. Their most notable match occurred at the Fastlane pay-per-view, where McIntyre won a 19-minute No Holds Barred encounter against the Irishman.

McIntyre revealed on Busted Open Radio that he and Sheamus watched the pre-match video package shortly before their entrances. During that moment, they agreed to “beat the living hell out of each other” and apologize later.

“Both of us saw it [pre-match video package] before the match and it was pretty emotional right before we walked to the ring. We said right before, 'We'll say sorry after.' We beat the living hell out of each other, said sorry after, laughed about it, and we're excited to do something together again,” McIntyre said. [H/T Fightful]

Sheamus’ Fastlane 2021 experience was documented from start to finish in a WWE Day Of video after the event. Cameras captured an emotional moment where The Celtic Warrior passionately claimed that his match against McIntyre should have been the WrestleMania 37 main event.

#1 Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar apologized to each other in WWE

The WWE Universal Championship match at the 2018 Royal Rumble is best remembered for Braun Strowman and Brock Lesnar legitimately coming to blows.

Lesnar defeated Strowman and Kane to retain his title in a 10-minute match. In the early stages of the physical encounter, The Monster Among Men caught Lesnar in the jaw with a strong knee strike. Seconds later, The Beast Incarnate retaliated by deliberately punching Strowman in the head.

The one-time WWE Universal Champion later told talkSPORT’s Alex McCarthy that he exchanged apologies with Lesnar after the match.

“We laughed about it afterwards. It is what it is. We got to the back and I said ‘Hey, my bad,’ he said the same thing and we went about our business. We’re both grown-ups, we both knew what we were getting into,” Strowman said.

Braun Strowman went on to say that he and Brock Lesnar are dominant males who did not want to let the other gain the upper hand. Ultimately, both superstars’ real-life aggression overcame them during their in-ring battle, but they quickly resolved the issue backstage.