18 Injured WWE Stars (And When They're Set To Return)
Clearing out WWE's colossal injury reserve.
Health and safety in professional wrestling has been a hot-button topic throughout 2019.
With AEW, the big question is whether or not the nascent promotion will break ground and offer all-encompassing healthcare packages for employees. Tony Khan, Cody, and co. have skirted around the question so far, but doing so would make their "change the world" mission statement infinitely more justifiable than anything that can be crafted inside a wrestling ring or creative meeting.
In NJPW, the debate is reignited every time Kota Ibushi, Tetsuya Naito, Tomohiro Ishii, or one of their hard-bumping cohorts land on their neck. Has New Japan's high-risk, high-impact style gone too far, or should the wrestlers, as experienced professionals, be allowed to do as they please with their bodies?
In WWE, it's a question of volume. Vince McMahon's injury list always runs long. This is not only a result of his company's colossal talent roster, but also it's gruelling road schedule and abundance of singles matches, despite a supposedly "safe" style designed to protect its purveyors from the sport's inevitable wear and tear. Either way, this list of broken men and women stretches all the way from the Performance Center to the main event scene...
18. Karen Q
The Mae Young Classic 2018 competitor broke her leg while working a tag match on a 27 July NXT house show. She finished the bout but had to be helped to the back by officials, and there's no word on when she'll return.
Expected Return: TBC.