10 Biggest Wrestling Scandals Of The 1990s

8. Droz’s Injury

Darren Drozdov should have been famous for that 'Beyond The Mat' clip where Vince McMahon yells "He's gonna puke!" Instead, he is best known for a different, more tragic reason. 

The former NFL player, who wrestled as Droz in WWE, was booked to face D'Lo Brown during a SmackDown taping in October 1999. Brown hit Droz with his signature running powerbomb - and it quickly became clear that something had gone horribly wrong. 

Droz fractured two vertebrae in his neck after landing on his head. This not only ended his career, but left him almost completely paralysed. While he was able to regain the use of his upper body later in life, he never walked again.

This gruesome moment has never been shown on official WWE programming. To his immense credit, Droz has never blamed Brown for the accident. However, the former European champion was noticeably less prominent on programming following this moment. 

Droz passed away in 2023 at the age of 54. His life was changed forever by this one moment, which remains one of the most horrific and gruesome injuries ever suffered in a WWE ring.