10 times an injury actually helped a wrestler's career

#5 ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin’s neck injury helps improve his image

The greatest WWE superstar of all time was a genuine tough guy that survived unimaginable pain

‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin is, to many people, the perfect definition of a wrestling badass. Not only did he look the part, and not only did his proms make him come across as a tough S.O.B. that you wouldn’t want to mess with, but his actual toughness was proven when he suffered a neck injury following a botched Tombstone Piledriver from Owen Hart.

By his own account, Austin was left temporarily paralyzed by the move, yet still continued the match, albeit with an improvised finish. For him to have the wherewithal to not only finish the match but also to act quick enough to come up with a believable ending that didn’t ruin the match per se is also a testament to his quick wit and natural instincts as a pro wrestler.

Although Austin’s career was shortened by that neck injury, he still managed to wrestle for at least four full years afterwards. As soon as people learned that his neck injury was real, they flocked to see him even more than before because they were amazed at how tough he was to have done so despite suffering a serious neck injury.