5 times WWE Superstars suffered major in-ring injuries at the peak of their careers

#2. Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels had to retire after the injury in this match

Another of the major legends to feature in this list, Shawn Michaels is an obvious contender for one of the greatest performers in WWE history. Sadly, his career was dramatically shortened by an injury he suffered at the beginning of 1998.

Michaels was meeting The Undertaker in a casket match for the WWE Championship at the time and took a seriously bad landing on his back when hitting part of the casket. As a result, he herniated two discs and would have to retire just a few months later after WrestleMania 14. It proved, thankfully for his fans, to be a temporary break from the ring for The Heartbreak Kid. He was away a long four years, but went on to add a further eight years to his active, in-ring career after returning.

For the record, Michaels went on to win the casket match in question - with help from Kane - but, undoubtedly, the injury at Royal Rumble in 1998 robbed fans of precious years' worth of matches from one of WWE's most popular performers.