10 extraordinary examples of wrestlers toughing it out

#8 Rick Rude (Wrestling Dontaku 1994)

The reason why they went on to be wrestling legends

Speaking of Sting, did you know that he was "Ravishing" Rick Rude's final one-on-one opponent?

At New Japan Pro Wrestling's Wrestling Dontaku event in 1994, Rick Rude faced off against Sting in a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. About midway through the bout, Rude took a Suicide Dive from Sting. Upon taking the move, he landed spine-first on the edge of the raised platform at ringside, breaking two of his cervical vertebrae.

Since he was known for being one of the most legitimately tough wrestlers in the business, Rude soldiered on as if nothing was wrong. He took a Suplex on the entrance ramp, he lifted the 250 lb Stinger and dropped him on the barricade, he took a top-rope Clothesline from Sting, and he even performed two moves off the top rope himself.

Ultimately, it was a Knee Drop from the top rope that did tame Sting, and Rude became NWA World Heavyweight Champion as a result.

Unfortunately, he had to drop the title not so long after, as the injury he sustained forced him to retire from wrestling at 35. Five years later, Rick Rude died of heart failure. It's a shame, as he could have had a much longer and more successful career had it not been for that fateful night in 1994.