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WWE Superstars are highly trained professionals who work hard for years so they can safely perform each move in the ring. But even the best Superstars end up botching a few moves, and these mistakes often lead to injuries.
Fans have watched several matches end abruptly due to an injury. Championship matches are affected the most if one of the contenders is legitimately injured.
Over the years, fans have watched several champions and their challengers fight through the pain to bring their matches to conclusive finishes. Here's a look at five WWE Superstars who completed championship matches after they sustained in-ring injuries.
#5 'Stone Cold’ Steve Austin
‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin is one of the most iconic stars in WWE history. Though his career was cut short, he was lucky to make it as long as he did. He suffered a serious injury early in his WWE career.
Austin was at the peak of his career in the late 1990s, and it seemed like nothing could stop "The Texas Rattlesnake." At SummerSlam 1997, Austin faced Owen Hart for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. The match stipulation stated that if Austin lost the match, he would have to kiss Hart’s butt.
Stone Cold almost broke his neck at SummerSlam 1997
While Austin did not lose the match, he almost lost his entire career when he landed awkwardly during a piledriver. Hart botched the move, and Austin landed on his head. He almost broke his neck, and "Stone Cold" was temporarily paralyzed.
Austin recovered just enough to move a few inches and roll Hart up to make the pin and win the title. After the match, "The Texas Rattlesnake" had to go to the hospital. Jim Ross made the following statement regarding the mood backstage.
"A lot of concern. And it’s gonna sound bad if I don’t say this the right way, but you’ve gotta be first and foremost concerned about a man’s health. But at the same time, you’re looking at the guy that you see is going to be, unless injuries bite him in the a**, is going to be the biggest we’ve ever had. And now that may be over just as he got started. Took him seven years to get to WWE. Territories, missed booking, underutilized in WCW. We all remember all those stories. But you know, you just thought, ‘Well, this poor son of a b***h is not gonna live his dream," said Ross.
While many fans believed that the injury would end Austin’s WWE career, "Stone Cold" persevered. He continued to wrestle until 2003, but the severity of the neck injury forced him to retire at a much younger age than most of his fellow WWE Superstars.
#4 Triple H
Triple H was known as one of the toughest competitors in WWE. The 14-time world champion also found plenty of success as a tag team wrestler. "The Cerebral Assassin" joined forces with ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, and the duo competed as the Two-Man Power Trip.
Former WWE Champion Triple H tore his quad during a main event match
The two iconic stars won the tag team titles in 2001, and they had a good run with the gold. But during the May 21, 2001 episode of RAW Is War, Triple H sustained a career-threatening injury when he suffered a tear in his left quadriceps.
But "The Game" still participated in the match, though he was unable to place any weight on his leg. In fact, he allowed Chris Jericho to lock him in the Walls of Jericho, a hold that forced the challenger to wrench Triple H's injured leg.
Toward the end of the match, "The Cerebral Assassin" accidentally hit Austin with a Sledgehammer, and the miscommunication allowed Jericho and Chris Benoit to win the titles.
The injury put Triple H on the shelf for eight months, and he didn't return until January 2002.
"The Game" replicated this gritty performance in 2007. He completed a match at WWE New Year's Revolution after he suffered another torn quad during the bout.
#3 Karrion Kross
Karrion Kross proved to be one of WWE’s biggest signings in 2020, and he made an an immediate impact on the WWE NXT brand. Kross ran through some of the top superstars on the black-and-gold brand. Eventually, he earned a shot at the NXT Champion, Keith Lee.
The two competitors clashed at NXT TakeOver XXX. Kross defeated Lee to win the NXT Championship, but "The Herald of Doomsday" separated his shoulder during the match.
"It felt like a choir of demons screaming inside my shoulder in unison," Kross told ESPN.
Karrion Kross won the WWE NXT Title after he separated his shoulder
Kross braved through the injury, and even with a separated shoulder, he delivered some powerful moves to the 340-pounder. After the win, Kross was forced to relinquish his title. But he was determined to retake his place as the champion, so he returned a few months later.
"The Herald of Doomsday" has already proven that he can shake off a lot of pain in order to get the job done.
#2 John Cena
No one can argue with the fact that John Cena is one of the toughest and strongest men to have ever competed in WWE. He's also one of the most decorated stars in the company's long history. Cena has won numerous titles throughout his WWE career.
On July 27, 2015, Cena defended his United States Championship against Seth Rollins on WWE RAW.
Cena broke his nose during a WWE United States Championship match
During the match, Cena suffered a legitimate nose injury when Rollins kneed him in the face. Though Cena suffered a broken nose, he managed to complete the match and defeat "The Architect."
Following the match, WWE released the following statement on its website:
"As you can see on television tonight, John suffered from a nasal fraction. He's got quite a bit of displacement, so we sent him over to the local emergency room so he can be evaluated by the ears, nose and throat doctor who's on call tonight and see what can be done to properly repair it," wrote WWE.
While a broken nose is always difficult to work with, Cena was able to recover so he could compete against Rollins at WWE SummerSlam a few weeks later.
#1 Finn Balor
Finn Balor may be the smallest man on this list, but he’s proven time and again that he is among the toughest performers in the WWE. Most of the WWE Superstars on this list have competed through injuries in multiple matches. Balor has suffered injuries in two major title matches, but he still won both contests.
"The Demon" competed against Seth Rollins at WWE SummerSlam 2016 for the opportunity to become the inaugural WWE Universal Champion. During the match, Balor suffered a separated shoulder when Rollins powerbombed him onto the barricade.
But Balor kept fighting, and he won the match, though he had to relinquish the title the next night. WWE physician Dr. Jeffrey Dugas discussed the injury with WWE.com:
“Finn’s injury was pretty severe, more severe than normal. A really high energy injury, it did more damage than a standard shoulder dislocation where you simply tear the labrum. The prognosis is excellent, however. We were able to fix it all and put it back where it came from. I’m anticipating him getting back at full speed," said Dugas.
Former WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor suffered a broken jaw in an NXT Championship match
Balor suffered another serious injury in a match at WWE NXT TakeOver 31. In a match for the NXT Championship, Kyle O’Reilly kneed Balor in the face and broke his jaw.
While O’Reilly was able to break Balor’s jaw, he couldn’t break his will. "The Prince of NXT" won the match, so he retained the title. Balor had to have surgery, and he was on the shelf for over three months.
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