3 WWE injuries that were fake and 3 that forced Superstars to retire

WWE and professional wrestling as a whole is a scripted presentation, with the results being pre-determined and matches planned in advance. This doesn't deter the fact that injuries are a big part of WWE. Having matches on a weekly basis ends up putting a WWE Superstar at the risk of suffering an injury.

Over the past several decades, we have seen a number of WWE Superstars suffering injuries that put them out of action for months on end. Who can forget John Cena's epic return at the 2008 Royal Rumble event, after being on the sideline for several months, or WWE Hall of Famer Edge's injury that forced him to retire?

Not every injury is real though, with Superstars sometimes feigning injury for the sake of a storyline. In this list, we will take a look at three times WWE Superstars faked an injury, in order to get an upper hand over their opponents. We will also focus on the other side of the coin, and take a look a three real injuries that forced WWE Superstars to retire.

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#6 Alexa Bliss leaves fans in concern during a match against Sasha Banks

Alexa Bliss

On the road to WWE Great Balls Of Fire 2017, Alexa Bliss was holding the RAW Women's title belt. She had retained the same against Bayley at WWE Extreme Rules. A No. 1 contenders match was announced to determine Bliss' next challenger, which was won by Sasha Banks. At the pay-per-view, Banks took on Bliss with the latter's title on the line.

Alexa Bliss fooled Sasha Banks as well as the WWE Universe on that night

At one point during the match, Sasha Banks targeted Bliss' arm, and Bliss headed towards a corner, tending to it. It looked like Bliss' arm had bent backwards, in a disturbing visual. The WWE Universe was concerned for Bliss' well-being after seeing her arm in such a state, but they quickly learned that it was all for naught, as Bliss had fooled them and Banks in order to gain an advantage. Bliss was double-jointed and had feigned the injury in order to throw Banks off-guard. In the end, Sasha Banks won the match via count-out, thus allowing Bliss to leave the arena with the RAW Women's title still on her waist.

#5 Corey Graves retires due to concussion issues, and takes on the role of an announcer

Corey Graves

Before coming to WWE, Corey Graves had been wrestling since 2000, and honed his craft on the independent scene for around 10 years. He signed a developmental contract with WWE around a decade ago, and had brief stints in FCW as well as NXT. In NXT, Graves feuded with the likes of Seth Rollins, The Wyatt Family, and Ascension. Graves suffered two concussions during his stint in WWE, with the second one putting him out of action for several months.

Corey Graves announced his WWE retirement following his return

Corey Graves made his return on the NXT TakeOver: R Evolution pre-show, and took the WWE Universe by surprise by announcing that he was retiring from active competition. Graves then took on announcing duties on WWE NXT, and later announced for WWE SmackDown and RAW as well. Graves' WWE career came to an unfortunate end due to his concussion issues. Fortunately for him, his skills on the mic guaranteed him a job with WWE following his retirement.

#4 Eddie Guerrero tricks Kurt Angle to retain his WWE title at WrestleMania XX

Eddie Guerrero

At WWE No Way Out 2004, Eddie Guerrero defeated Brock Lesnar to win his first and only WWE title, with some help from Goldberg. Soon after, Kurt Angle won the opportunity to face Eddie Guerrero at WrestleMania XX for the WWE title. The duo kicked off a feud on the road to WrestleMania XX, and finally faced off at the big event. Eddie Guerrero and Angle had an instant classic at the historical pay-per-view, with Angle determined to leave MSG with the WWE title.

Eddie Guerrero retained the WWE title on that night

In the final moments of the match, Eddie Guerrero seemed to be in intense pain, due to the Ankle Lock that Angle had applied so mercilessly on him. Guerrero proceeded to loosen his boot to ease off the pain, while screaming in agony. What fans didn't realize was that the WWE Champion was preparing to trick Angle. As Angle applied an Ankle Lock on Eddie Guerrero again, he pushed him off using his other foot, leading to Angle catching Guerrero's boot in his hands. As a confused Kurt Angle approached Eddie Guerrero, he rolled him for a sneaky pin, thus retaining the WWE title.

#3 Stone Cold Steve Austin retires on The Grandest Stage Of Them All

Stone Cold Steve Austin

Stone Cold Steve Austin is quite possibly the greatest Superstar to ever step foot in a WWE ring. He was instrumental in Vince McMahon defeating Ted Turner's WCW in the Monday Night Wars, leading to WCW shutting down in 2001. In 1997, Austin was yet to compete in his first WrestleMania main event. He suffered a neck injury against Owen Hart in a match, when the latter executed a Piledriver on Austin.

Stone Cold Steve Austin retired from WWE in 2003

By the time 2003 came around, Austin's neck issues had worsened. When he entered Safeco Field for his WWE WrestleMania 19 match against The Rock, fans didn't know that this was it for The Rattlesnake in terms of an in-ring career. Austin lost the match, and was given a deserving ovation by the fans in attendance. He kept making appearances for WWE over the next several years, and was involved in major WrestleMania matches like The Battle of the Billionaires, and Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg.

#2 Batista says he knows something Randy Orton doesn't

Batista

In mid-2009, Batista was savagely attacked by The Legacy, following which he vacated the WWE title due to an injury he had suffered at the hands of the villains. In reality, Batista was battling a bicep injury, and was to be out of action for months on end. Batista returned to WWE RAW in September, with his arm still covered in a cast. Randy Orton hit the ring to interrupt Batista, and assumed that he was the one responsible for ending his career.

Batista would leave WWE a year later

As Orton berated Batista, the latter took his cast off, and stated that he knows something that Orton doesn't. Batista proceeded to beat Orton up, and revealed that he wasn't retiring, and was moving to WWE SmackDown. Later that night, Batista exacted revenge on Orton by defeating him in a singles contest. Batista would soon turn heel on SmackDown, and kick off a feud with Rey Mysterio. On the road to WrestleMania 26, Batista feuded with John Cena over the WWE title, and lost three straight title matches to him. Following the feud, Batista left WWE, and wouldn't return for the next four years.

#1 Paige is forced to retire at 25-years-old

Paige

Paige returned to WWE in late 2017 following a brief hiatus, and established herself as a heel. Paige now had Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville by her side. The villainous trio competed in a Six-Woman match at a house show on December 27, which ended up being Paige's final match. At one point during the match, Sasha Banks hit a kick on Paige from behind, which led to the latter suffering a neck injury.

Paige remained a mainstay on WWE TV following her retirement

Paige announced her WWE retirement on the RAW after WrestleMania 34. She was soon appointed the WWE SmackDown GM by Shane McMahon. Later on, Paige managed The Kabuki Warriors on the Blue brand, and also had a brief stint as a panelist on WWE Backstage on FS1. She's currently active on Twitch, and is making a good living doing so. Paige's injury forced her to retire at a young age, but she will always be remembered as one of the greatest female Superstars of her generation.