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Pro-wrestling is an extremely physical form of entertainment that takes a toll on an athlete’s body. In WWE, we see a mixture of storylines, drama, and in-ring action combine to provide us with a complete entertainment package that keeps fans glued to their screens.
Often, WWE involves the use of stretchers during their programming either to take a Superstar away in kayfabe, to show the damage done to them, or to put on Stretcher Matches.
On the other hand, there have been instances when Superstars have been injured in real-life or beaten down to such an extent that they’ve required stretchers to take them away.
While it’s extremely scary whenever the need for a stretcher has arisen in WWE, it’s something that cannot be ruled out as wrestling is a profession where the wrestlers have to continue taking calculated risks.
With that in mind, we will look at the five times WWE Superstars have legitimately required stretchers to take them away backstage or to the hospital, either during or following a match.
#5 WWE Superstar Ridge Holland had to be stretchered to the hospital
After proving himself in WWE NXT UK, Ridge Holland made his way to NXT in August 2020. Holland was part of a big new storyline involving the returning Pat McAfee when he was hired by the pro-footballer to attack Adam Cole during TakeOver 31.
While it seemed like Holland would become a major part of NXT’s top storylines, he suffered a freak injury on the October 7 episode of NXT. Holland defeated Danny Burch during the show and then continued to beatdown the Superstar following the match. Burch’s partner Oney Lorcan arrived to help his friend out and dove onto Holland outside the ring.
Holland tried to catch Lorcan, but his legs gave out and it was obvious that the English Superstar was in discomfort. The referees sprung into action almost immediately after noticing something was wrong, and pulled Lorcan away from Holland to avoid any more damage to the Superstar. A stretcher was rolled out and Holland had to be stretchered away from the arena, but the tough Superstar gave the audience a thumbs up on his way out.
WWE announced Holland dislocated and broke his ankle as well as dislocated and ruptured his patellar tendon. This was one of the most concerning moments we’ve seen in NXT, and Holland is currently recovering from the injury with no clear set date of return.
#4 WWE Superstar Droz had to be stretchered out to the hospital
Droz was signed to WWE in 1998 after he claimed to have the natural ability to regurgitate on command. While Droz enjoyed his alliance with the Legion of Doom during his initial year, he suffered a tragic injury that ended his career. On October 5th, 1999, Droz competed in a match against D’Lo Brown during a WWE SmackDown! taping. D’Lo Brown attempted to powerbomb Droz, but something went severely wrong and the Superstar ended up landing on his head and fractured two vertebrae in his neck.
While footage of the match has been withheld by WWE, Mick Foley revealed in his book "Foley Is Good: And the Real World Is Faker than Wrestling," that Droz was taken away from the ring on a stretcher. He has also stated that Droz kept telling Brown that it was not his fault and just an accident.
However, WWE has used the footage of Droz being stretchered out in their “Don’t Try This at Home" public service announcements. The WWE Superstar has unfortunately been a quadriplegic due to the disastrous botch but has continued to live his life as well as he can after the tragic event.
#3 WWE Superstar The Undertaker had to be stretchered to the back
At WWE WrestleMania 27, Triple H made an impressive entry to For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica for his match against The Undertaker. Undertaker, on the other hand, entered to Ain't No Grave (Gonna Hold This Body Down) by Johnny Cash.
Both men geared up for a No Holds Barred match at the grandest WWE event of the year. Taker was out to protect his WrestleMania streak, while Triple H was looking to end it and get his name in the history books. Both men had an extremely physical match, and Triple H had to reach for a sledgehammer to try and end things for good.
However, Taker caught him in Hell’s Gate and made him submit to protect his WrestleMania streak. After the match was over, The Game walked out of the ring on his own two feet while The Undertaker collapsed and had to be taken away on a stretcher. Taker could not get up on his own two feet, and it took a bit away from his victory.
This not only showed how physical the match was, but how much it had taken out of the two men in real life. This was also one of the few times Taker appeared to be human in WWE and needed assistance following a match in the ring.
#2 WWE Superstar Jeff Hardy had to be stretchered out of the ring
WWE has seen several Superstars put their bodies on the line to entertain the audience to the max. However, Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton are two individuals who have competed under some of the most extreme stipulations and given the WWE Universe some of the biggest jaw-dropping moments.
At WWE Hell in a Cell in 2018, both men came face to face in a Hell in a Cell match, and we were prepared to get some of the best moments of the year from the match. Orton dished out a lot of punishment to The Charismatic Enigma during the match, and even drove a screwdriver through his ear and twisted it around.
While the spot could have been the most memorable one of 2018, a botch from Hardy became one of the most talked-about spots of the year. Hardy decided to climb to the top of the cage from inside the structure and hung from it in an attempt to dive on Orton.
However, things didn’t go as planned, and The Enigma came crashing down into a table, missing The Viper completely. Orton and the referee both sensed that something was wrong and the referee called for the cage to be raised so EMTs could attend to Hardy while Orton quickly pinned him to pick up the victory.
Hardy had to be taken out of the ring on a stretcher and was rushed to the hospital. He suffered a few internal injuries, and Michael Cole reported that Hardy was coughing up blood. The spot was extremely worrying, and Hardy managed to make a full recovery and return to the ring to continue to perform some death-defying moves.
#1 WWE Superstar Owen Hart had to be stretchered out of the ring
The tragic death of Owen Hart is one of the most well-documented pro-wrestling deaths in WWE. At the WWE Over the Edge pay-per-view in 1999, Hart was booked to compete against The Godfather for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
However, Hart, competing as Blue Blazer, attempted to make a grand entry that went horribly wrong. Hart descended into the ring on a safety harness, but the equipment gave way and he fell. EMTs had to load Hart onto a stretcher and rush him to the hospital following the incident. The Rock has written about what happened once Hart was brought backstage on a stretcher after the incident in his book:
"So I waited anxiously, helplessly by the curtain, until they wheeled Owen through on a stretcher. One of the EMTs was still straddling Owen, pumping his chest, desperately administering CPR. I walked alongside them and said a prayer as I looked at Owen’s face. Then I helped them load the stretcher into the ambulance. I climbed into the passenger side of the vehicle and looked in the back where they were still working furiously on Owen. I kept praying that God would save my friend’s life…"
According to ‘Broken Harts: the Life and Death of Owen Hart’ by Martha Hart, the Superstar was brought dead to the hospital. Hart was later pronounced dead, and the unfortunate incident took the life of one of WWE’s most brilliant competitors.
