5 WWE Superstars who ended great careers with a botched move

Wrestling isn’t an easy job. It may look easy but that's far from the reality.

I know that everything in pro wrestling is scripted, but still, it's always risky to put your body on the line every day.

Some wrestlers have even lost their lives while competing in the ring and you still think it is an easy job? In WWE, Superstars do everything carefully. They try their best not to hurt their opponents, but some times, things go wrong.

Some wrestlers have botched their move in the ring that caused a lot to real damage their opponent. In this article, we will look at 5 WWE Superstars who ended careers by messing up a move.

#5. Sasha Banks (Paige)

Sasha Banks has experienced a lot in recent times, however, ever since winning the Women's Tag Team Championships, The Boss is enjoying her time in the WWE.

But in 2017, WWE fans criticized her for botching a move which ended Paige’s career. The Anti-Diva had just returned to the ring after dealing with some personal issues in her life. During WWE’s holiday tour, Paige’s Absolution fought against Mickie James, Sasha Banks and Bailey.

The match was running smoothly, and then the tragedy happened. Paige was standing by ringside when Banks dropped a kick to her back. At first, everything seemed normal until the referee stopped the match by putting up the 'X' mark.

Her neck had already been damaged before the match, and this simple kick only made things worse. Sasha got a lot of backlash from the fans for something that happened accidentally. Paige is now retired, and it seems like it was this injury that may never let her return to the ring again.

#4. Owen Hart (Steve Austin)

Owen Hart may not be a popular name among the WWE Universe of this generation, but he was one of the most talented wrestlers of the Attitude Era. In 1997, Owen and Steve Austin were battling for the Intercontinental Championship.

The match had everything that needed to charge up the crowd, but a botched move changed everything. Owen went for a reverse piledriver on Austin, but the latter’s head wasn’t in the right position during the move. The Texas Rattlesnake landed on his head that severely damaged his neck, almost breaking it in the process. He also got paralysed as a result of the impact.

Even though the botch didn’t end Austin’s career right away, its effects eventually spelled the end of his run. Stone Cold wrestled for a few more years, but this very botch forced him to retire in 2003.

Many people around the world were shocked when Austin returned to the ring after suffering a piledriver gone wrong. After all, there’s a reason why this move is banned in WWE. The mishap could have even led Austin to death, but fortunately, nothing like this happened.

#3. Goldberg (Bret Hart)

Goldberg is a former Universal Champion of the WWE who is known for his 173-0 winning streak in WCW. At Starrcade 1999, he faced Bret Hart in a much-anticipated match.

The match itself wasn't that good and Goldberg's mistakes eventually cost Bret his career. The former champion landed a straight kick to Hart's face which gave him an instant concussion.

Is that wasn't enough, Goldberg continued to hit Hart's face throughout the match which only aggravated the situation. Even though Bret didn't retire right after this match, it is the biggest reason why his career ended so quickly.

He then didn't have many matches until he returned to WWE, in 2010, to tend to some unfinished business with Vince McMahon. On the other hand, Goldberg retired after losing to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 33.

#2. Seth Rollins (Sting)

The Icon wrestled his final match against The Kingslayer

Sting is arguably one of the most popular wrestlers of his time. He remained loyal to WCW until it went out of business and then joined TNA, He never stepped foot in WWE until 2014.

WWE put him in a feud with The Authority which resulted in a match against The Game, Triple H. Both Superstars shared the ring in 2015, at WrestleMania 31, where The Icon lost. Sting then fought two more matches in WWE before suffering a career-ending injury at the Night Of Champions pay-per-view against Seth Rollins.

The match was decent, and Rollins retained his title. However, Sting suffered a severe neck injury, thanks to the botched buckle bomb. Fans then heavily criticized The Kingslayer for messing up this move. But, The Icon had this to say about th incident:

“It was just a freak accident. I’m telling you, Seth, it is not his fault. I mean not even in the slightest percentage of anything. It was without question, it was me, and to this day I cannot figure out what the heck I was thinking." (HT: Fightful.com)

#1. Samoa Joe (Tyson Kidd)

It's sad that Tyson Kidd never really reached his full potential in WWE. He worked in a tag team for many years before becoming a singles Superstar. However, the days weren't so bright for the former Tag Team Champion as he suffered a career-ending injury in 2015 at the hands of Samoa Joe.

Both wrestlers were slugging it out in a dark match on Raw, and everything was going great until the moment Joe botched his then-finisher Muscle Buster. It severely damaged Tyson's neck, which forced him to retire prematurely.

Only a few wrestlers can sustain such an injury and the ones who do, often get paralyzed. In 2017, WWE signed him as a full-time producer and it seems like Tyson is pleased with his new role.