'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABf/aAAgBAQAAAABgn//EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/2gAIAQIQAAAAH//EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT/2gAIAQMQAAAAR//EACMQAAEEAQIHAQAAAAAAAAAAAAQBAgMSBQAUBhETISMxUoH/2gAIAQEAAT8AxYAxOFmzYPUjJ2UMhV3VRI6rVsaJ8/mhOJ2bSHmITMtG+SQ99n9va6//xAAYEQACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAxIhYf/aAAgBAgEBPwBNrlp//8QAFxEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAESYf/aAAgBAwEBPwBpVOH/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#4 “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin needs no introduction as he is regarded as the biggest WWE Superstar of all time by none other than the Chairman of WWE Vince McMahon himself (Off the Record with Michael Landsberg. June 1, 2004).
Austin battled through many injuries during his career which forced him to retire earlier than most other Superstars from the ring. Even though he tried to make his way into Hollywood, he wasn’t able to make it as big as his colleagues Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena.
Steve Austin's WWE career was cut short by an injury
At SummerSlam 1997, Austin suffered one of the worst injuries of his career in the ring during a match against Owen Hart.
Hart set up Austin for a Tombstone Piledriver, but Austin’s head was too low and as soon as his head hit the mat, his neck was broken. The Rattlesnake was temporarily paralyzed following the move and Hart played the crowd until Austin could get some movement back in his body and barely pinned him to pick up the victory.
He was taken to the hospital right after his match where he was evaluated by the doctors but couldn’t get an MRI done as the hospital did not have the facility. He has revealed that no one from WWE accompanied him to the hospital:
“I walk outside the hospital, (and) ain't nobody from the company come with me. I'm sitting there, I'm all messed up, and three girls had followed the ambulance to the hospital. I walked out to no support there! 'Steve, do you want a ride back to the hotel?' 'Yeah!' I got in the car with them.”
Stone Cold was out of action until WWE Survivor Series later that year, and the injury reduced the number of years Austin had left in him following the move.
