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No WWE Superstar is safe from injuries. While they are professionally trained athletes, Superstars cannot control every single variable in the ring. This can lead to some legitimate injuries that can take them out of the ring for some time and even end their careers.
Over the years, many prominent figures have had extreme injuries, including broken necks. Neck injuries are often the cause of early retirement.
With that in mind, take a look at five superstars who broke their necks in the WWE ring.
#5. Hardcore Holly broke his neck in a match against Brock Lesnar
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“Hardcore” Holly was once seen as the toughest man in WWE. The superstar had the in-ring talent to pull off some good matches, and punished his opponents to maintain his status as a heel.
The former Hardcore Champion faced Brock Lesnar in 2002. Lesnar broke Holly's neck following a botched powerbomb in the match.
The impact of the powerbomb was enough to take the WWE Superstar out of contention for thirteen months. Since then, Holly has appeared in several interviews and spoken about how none of it was Brock Lesnar’s fault.
“Let me clear something up, people write stupid s–t on the internet all the time saying me and Brock didn’t get along, me and him got along just fine and we worked well together. I did break my neck during a match with Brock but he called me all the time whilst I was in the hospital checking up on me. People say that he did it on purpose and I got what I deserved. Let me tell you something; no one deserves to get a broken neck number one, and he didn’t do it on purpose!,” Holly said.
Holly made a successful recovery and continued to perform for WWE for several years after his neck injury. He had a good partnership with Cody Rhodes, following which he was released from his contract in 2009 after a 15-year tenure.
#4. A kick from Sasha Banks ended Paige’s WWE career
In 2018, Paige became one of the youngest WWE Superstars to retire from the ring because of a neck injury at 25.
Paige was in a six-woman tag team match for during a house show on 27 December 2017 when, a kick from Sasha Banks broke Paige’s neck, forcing the referee to stop the contest.
The former WWE Divas Champion has not competed in the ring ever since, but she has gone on to defend Banks on several occasions. During an interview with GiveMeSport, Paige explained in detail what happened in the ring on the night that ended her wrestling career.
"The thing is with me, right, that move where she kicks me in the back, I had taken that so many times previously that I was so stubborn and I thought 'I can still do these kind of things' and I thought my neck was just as strong as it was before, but, unfortunately, it's not,” Paige said.
"So I called this move and I told her to do it and so she did it, and unfortunately, my neck wasn't strong enough and it snapped all the way back and it was essentially the same as having a really bad car crash - the whiplash was,” " Paige explained.
The former NXT Women’s Champion has worked in different capacities for WWE since her injury and could look to make a miraculous comeback to the ring if she is cleared to compete again.
#3. Charlie Haas suffered a broken neck on WWE SmackDown
Charlie Haas was seen as a great in-ring worker for the company. Haas' career particularly took off after he was paired with Shelton Benjamin and Kurt Angle.
He had a WWE career spreading ten years and two tenures. During that time, he suffered a broken neck at the hands of Drew McIntyre in 2009.
A DDT from McIntyre broke the former WWE Tag Team Champion's neck. Soon after, Haas was released from his WWE contract. He went on to perform on the independent circuit for some time and soon retired from the ring.
The former WWE Superstar appeared as a guest on UnSKripted with Dr. Chris Featherstone and touched on several topics. He gave details on his injury in 2009.
Haas spoke about Edge’s miraculous return to the ring after suffering a broken neck and
"I mean, I broke my neck, Drew McIntyre broke my neck, it's on YouTube. It was supposed to be me and Ron Killings, and they brought him out instead and... it was an interview and he cut me off and he hit me with a DDT with my hands behind my back, never let go. I heard it crack,” Haas said.
#2. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin suffered a broken neck at WWE SummerSlam
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is a WWE legend. However, his career almost came to a tragic end at SummerSlam 1997.
Austin faced Owen Hart for the Intercontinental Championship. Towards the end, Owen botched a Piledriver and dropped Austin on his head, resulting in a legitimate broken neck and temporary paralysis for Austin.
Owen stalled the audience as Stone Cold managed to get some feeling back in his limbs to barely pin him for the three-count. However, the damage was done, and Austin was forced to relinquish the title soon after.
Jim Ross summed up the locker room's feelings on that fateful night :
"A lot of concern. And it’s gonna sound bad if I don’t say this the right way, but you’ve gotta be first and foremost concerned about a man’s health. But at the same time, you’re looking at the guy that you see is going to be, unless injuries bite him in the a**, is going to be the biggest we’ve ever had. And now that may be over just as he got started. Took him seven years to get to WWE. Territories, missed booking, underutilized in WCW. We all remember all those stories. But you know, you just thought, ‘Well, this poor son of a b***h is not gonna live his dream,'” Ross recalled.
However, Stone Cold quickly recovered from the injury and returned at WWE Survivor Series after a while. Austin continued to wrestle for a few more years but was forced to retire from the ring after more neck injuries haunted him.
#1. Edge broke his neck against Eddie Guerrero on WWE SmackDown
WWE Superstar Edge is one of the biggest names who had their careers almost cut short due to a neck injury. It all started with a ladder match against Eddie Guerrero on an Smackdown episode in 2002.
During the contest, Edge took a bump where he landed on the ladder. He “heard a crack,” but thought it was the ladder. Things got worse when a sunset flip powerbomb from the top of the ladder further damaged his neck.
The former WWE Champion felt numbness in his neck and arm, but continued to compete in the ring. He realized he needed help once he started losing strength in his arms. Edge was forced to retire in 2011.
Since then, Edge has had multiple neck surgeries to keep him going. Thankfully, he has managed to make a miraculous recovery and returned to the ring in 2020.
