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WWE always advises its fans never to try out the various wrestling moves they see on its shows. It takes immense skill to pull off these moves inside the squared circle.
However, despite taking several precautions and undergoing relentless training, wrestlers often end up suffering career-ending injuries.
Here are three wrestlers who made comebacks from sheer adversity and four stars who didn’t return to the ring:
#7. Bobby Roode didn’t return after getting reinjured
Bobby Roode currently works as a producer in WWE, but he was also a solid wrestler before his retirement. The former United States Champion got injured in a match against Rob Van Dam in TNA in 2014. The Canadian once noted that he couldn’t feel one of his legs for almost two minutes after RVD landed a twisting leg drop on him.
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Roode wrestled his last match against Omos in June 2022 at a house show in Texas, where he reinjured himself. While the two-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion got a medical clearance to compete again, he decided to hang up his boots last year.
#6. Nikki Bella almost avoided paralysis
Nikki Bella is inarguably one of the most popular wrestlers from the Divas era. She held the Divas Title two times. However, during her reign in 2015, she started witnessing alarming symptoms, such as spontaneous loss of strength and lack of sensation in her legs while sleeping. Scans showed that she had shattered her C6 and C7 vertebrae, making her susceptible to paralysis.
While receiving treatment, there was little hope for her comeback, and Nikki had to spend six months wearing a neck brace. However, Bella powered through her injury and received a grand welcome from fans at the 2016 SummerSlam. She also recently made an appearance in the 2025 Women’s Royal Rumble Match at the 30th spot.
#5. Corey Graves had to switch careers within WWE
Corey Graves has been one of the mainstays in WWE’s lineup of commentators in the past few years. However, during the mid-2010s, he was a top wrestler in NXT, where he also feuded with The Shield. However, the former NXT Tag Team Champion suffered a bad concussion in the fall of 2013.
After a hiatus that lasted for several months, Graves made a return in January 2014. The star even faked a concussion in front of fans, only to suffer a real concussion again soon after, forcing him to quit pro wrestling for good.
#4. Randy Orton’s career was almost over in 2022
Randy Orton is known as The Viper in the Stamford-based promotion. The 14-time World Champion suffered a back injury in 2022 that threatened to end his career. Randy underwent spinal fusion surgery and had to spend time in rehab for several months before making a comeback at the 2023 Survivor Series: WarGames PLE.
The Apex Predator has since revealed during media interactions that his back gave him a lot of problems, even before the surgery. Orton recently suffered another injury, a cervical cord neuropraxia, when Kevin Owens hit him with a Piledriver in November 2024. The Viper returned earlier this month and is set to face KO at WrestleMania 41.
#3. Tyson Kidd had to slow down and stop wrestling after a brutal injury
Tyson Kidd (AKA TJ Wilson) was known for his high-speed and agile moves in the ring. Now working as a producer in WWE, the Canadian star suffered a vicious spinal cord injury during a dark match against Samoa Joe in June 2015, forcing him to retire from in-ring duties two years later.
Speaking in an interview with Chris Van Vliet on INSIGHT, Kidd revealed that the worst-case scenario following his injury could have been death. He expressed that he was grateful for being able to move his neck properly and waking up without any pain.
#2. Sheamus once thought his WWE career was done
Sheamus was consigned to the bench for eight months due to a severe shoulder injury he suffered in August 2023. The former WWE Champion got injured during a match against the erstwhile Edge. He noted that he took a fall during the match, following which he couldn’t move his neck without going through severe pain.
During an interaction with My Mom's Basement with Robbie Fox earlier this year, the Irish star noted that he couldn’t even take a bump or a headlock because of the injury, forcing him to think if his pro wrestling days were over. However, The Great White returned in April 2024 and has since continued to be a strong performer.
#1. Big E has yet to make a comeback
Big E suffered a neck injury in March 2022 when he took a Belly-to-Belly outside the ring from Ridge Holland. This resulted in the former New Day member breaking his neck in three places, including his C1 and C6 vertebrae. Three years have since passed, and the former WWE Champion still hasn’t been declared medically fit for in-ring competition.
However, Big E hasn’t retired yet and is still a part of the Stamford-based promotion. He was shockingly kicked out of The New Day by Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston during the faction's 10th-anniversary special segment on WWE RAW last December. Thus, the company may still have plans to bring him back to the ring as soon as he gets medically cleared. However, it's unlikely that he will return.
