WWE behind the scenes: How Stone Cold's Neck was broken and what happened behind the scenes

Part Two: The Piledriver Spot that went wrong.

The infamous botched piledriver spot at SummerSlam 1997

Stone Cold Steve Austin remains one of the most underrated ring technicians in the history of sports entertainment. He has a deep move set and can utilize a good power game as well as the brawling style which became his trademark.

Owen Hart was one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots. So when the two men were set to square off, they met backstage and agreed that they would try to steal the show at SummerSlam 1997 just as Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage stole the show at Wrestlemania III.

Their bout leading up to the infamous piledriver botch is nothing short of brilliant. Both Austin and Hart display a ton of technical acumen, utilizing holds and counter holds with equal aplomb.

But then, tragedy struck. During a tilt o whirl slam reversal, Owen Hart put Austin into the piledriver position. Both men were covered in sweat, and Austin slipped a few inches in Owen's grip before he hit the piledriver. Austin's vertebrae was compacted with what is referred to in the sports world as a 'stunner', and suffered immediate pain and partial paralysis.

The show, however, had to go on. Owen Hart baited the live crowd while giving Austin time to recover. However, Austin was unable to do the scripted Stone Cold Stunner spot and instead had to use a sloppy, weak-looking schoolboy to capture the Intercontinental championship from Owen.

It took several referees to support Austin so he could lift the IC strap and pose as the victorious, new champion. But all the fans could tell that Austin had suffered a serious injury.

On television, it looked both clumsy and uncomfortable. Austin clearly looked in pain and one could only have feared the worst.