5 WWE wrestlers who were forced to retire at the peak of their careers

#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin

And that's the bottom line.

Retirement Year: 2003

Retired at: 38

Arguably the greatest WWE superstar of all time, Stone Cold Steve Austin needs no introduction. From winning three Royal Rumble matches to main-eventing multiple PPVs, Austin established himself as the face of the company in the late 90s. With unparalleled mic skills and charisma, "The Rattlesnake" was set to become the top star in pro-wrestling, but fate had other plans for him.

A botched Tombstone Piledriver from Owen Hart at SummerSlam 1997 broke Austin's neck, and with WWE relying on him to guarantee a profitable future, he rushed his return back to the ring. Just three months into the injury, Austin was back in action and produced some of his greatest performances, but his neck had started giving him trouble once again.

After surgery and missing months of action, Austin was finally released in 2002 due to his physical condition worsening. He did return a final time to face The Rock at WrestleMania XIX, but that was it. After repetitive warnings from doctors, "The Hellraiser" eventually retired from the wrestling business.