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WWE in the Attitude Era became know for the brutality in the ring, some of the most famous matches in that era were about brutalizing your opponent with weapons or being the first to make them bleed.
Over the years, WWE has slowly toned down their product to the point where it is now more acceptable for children to watch as well as adults. Despite the change, in recent years there have still been some shocking and unscripted moments that were caught on camera by the company.
Here are just five of the most brutal, shocking moments that were not scripted but have since become legend in WWE.
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#5. Jerry Lawler suffers a heart attack at ringside - WWE RAW 2012
The WWE commentators are always part of the action whether it's on RAW, SmackDown, or NXT. There have been times when the commentary team has also become part of storylines, but back in 2012 on a live episode of Monday Night RAW, the WWE Universe was left in shock when Jerry Lawler suffered a legitimate heart attack.
Team Hell No were facing The Prime Time Players in the ring when the commentary suddenly took a dip and audiences were made aware that there was some sort of issue.
The medical staff rushed in and Lawler was stretchered out of the arena before Michael Cole was then forced to address the WWE Universe and inform them of the events that had unfolded. Of course, this wasn't part of the show and Lawler was then worked on in the backstage area.
WWE released the following write up on the website following the incident.
Jerry Lawler had a heart attack at the announcers table at this week’s WWE Raw. Medical personnel and crew members transported him from ringside to the backstage area via the aisle way through the crowd. Half-way there he was met by EMS where he was hit with a defibulator several times to restart his heart. I’m told he was unresponsive and not breathing at this point. Another crew of EMTs used a different defibulator that restarted his heart and ultimately saved his life. Jerry was rushed to a hospital in downtown Montreal where he was put on a ventilator while doctors worked to stabilize him. After nearly twenty minutes, Lawler was stabilized and was taken off the vent. A multitude of tests were ran once he was stabilized including an eye test while he was coherent. They did an MRI of his brain to rule out a stroke. Once a stroke was ruled out, they performed a CT scan while most WWE officials and medical personnel felt like it was cardiac arrest even before the CT results came back.
Lawler was later taken to hospital and has since recovered to the point where he was able to return to WWE and is now a member of their kick-off show panel.
#4. Joey Mercury catches a ladder to the face - WWE Armageddon 2006
Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro were part of a promising tag team in WWE with MNM but Mercury suffered one of the worst injuries in wrestling history back in 2006 when a spot in a ladder match went very wrong.
MNM were facing Paul London, Brian Kendrick, William Regal, Dave Taylor, and The Hardy Boyz in a fatal four-way ladder match for the WWE Tag Team Championships at Armageddon in December 2006.
The spot saw Matt Hardy hold both Nitro and Mercury's faces down in the corner whilst his brother Jeff jumped from the top rope onto a ladder and the top then ricocheted. Whilst Nitro didn't feel any effects, his partner rolled straight out of the ring covered in blood as the true extent of the damage was about to be revealed.
Mercury later revealed the injuries he had suffered in an interview with WWE's official website.
"I’ve shattered my nose around the bridge area. I have four fractures on the inside of my nose; I have 5 stitches on the inside of my nose and my cheek and 15 stitches on the outside of my nose and cheek. My left eye is swollen shut and I have continual internal bleeding from my nose and my eye."
Nitro finished the match alone but Mercury only took a few weeks out of action before returning and reigniting his feud with The Hardyz.
#3. Cesaro loses his teeth - WWE No Mercy 2017
Cesaro has been called the Swiss Superman and The Swiss Cyborg throughout his WWE career, but it wasn't until WWE No Mercy 2017 that Cesaro was able to prove just how superhuman he is.
Cesaro teamed with Sheamus against Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose in an attempt to reclaim the RAW Tag Team Championships but left No Mercy empty-handed.
At one point in the match, Ambrose catapulted Cesaro into the ring-post and somehow the former Champion landed mouth first and lost several teeth. Not only that, but the impact of the landing meant that some of Cesaro's teeth were pushed into his gums and then required surgery following the match.
Surprisingly, Cesaro was able to finish the match despite the obvious injury and it only became clear when he smiled following the encounter and his teeth looked very different.
Cesaro underwent dental surgery and was then forced to wear braces for two years to correct the damage. He was able to have these removed back in 2019 when his teeth were considered to be healthy once again.
#2. Seth Rollins breaks John Cena's nose on RAW
Seth Rollins has suffered his own fair share of injuries in a WWE ring throughout the course of his career. That being said, back in 2015, he was the man on the other side of the fence when former WWE Champion John Cena suffered a broken nose.
Seth Rollins was facing off against the former Champion on an episode of Monday Night RAW when a knee to the face managed to cause a lot of damage. United States Champion John Cena was just weeks away from defending his Championship against Rollins at SummerSlam when the incident occurred.
WWE.com went on to release the following statement after the match:
“As you can see on television tonight, John suffered from a nasal fraction. He’s got quite a bit of displacement, so we sent him over to the local emergency room so he can be evaluated by the ears, nose and throat doctor who’s on call tonight and see what can be done to properly repair it.”
Despite the injury, Cena was still able to finish the match and force Rollins to tap to the STFU.
#1. The Undertaker catches fire - WWE Elimination Chamber 2010
The Undertaker recently retired from wrestling after a 30-year WWE career, but that could have been cut short prematurely just over a decade ago when he was the victim of a freak accident.
The Deadman was making his way to the ring as part of WWE's Elimination Chamber match when one of his pyros exploded too close to him and he caught fire. Undertaker's chest was exposed to the fire and the video above shows that The Deadman's coat also caught fire.
Undertaker threw off his coat as he made his way down the ramp, but was still able to take part in the match despite the shocking start. The former WWE Champion recently spoke to Stone Cold Steve Austin on his Broken Skull Sessions about that night.
"I knew I had to sit in that pod for 20 minutes. And then I had to work another 20 minutes after getting in. And I'm trying to assess where I'm at physically with the burns. Because all I could smell was my burnt hair and flesh."
The ring crew at the time handed Undertaker several bottles of water whilst he was in his pod to help him cool down whilst he waited to be included in the match, but it wasn't enough to stop the pain.
"Despite all that water, every time I look down, my skin is bubbling up more and more. I'm trying my hardest to stay focused and I'm also thinking in my head, 'I am about to kill this pyro guy. I'm usually a very forgiving and understanding person. But a couple of weeks prior [to that incident], I had a conversation with the pyro guy and told him, 'look, the pyro burst is too close. I'm starting to feel it. I said lets back them out."
The former WWE Champion didn't go on to win the match, instead, he was pinned by Chris Jericho, who won the World Heavyweight Championship.
