10 Injuries That Changed WWE History
Breaking Good.
Innumerable public safety announcements over the years have reminded fans just how dangerous being a professional wrestler is, especially if you dare take on the rigours of sports entertainment combat without the requisite training.
However, even the very best in the game have been susceptible to injuries over the years that have had a far-reaching effect on both their career and/or the industry at large.
Timing is everything in wrestling, and history has shown that an unwelcome disappearance from television can both help and hinder performers as well as drastically alter other plans with varied and unpredictable reach.
The recent injury to Seth Rollins shortly before WrestleMania was a perfect example of how a manageable knock can actually improve a situation. His blood feud with Triple H was beginning to run low on energy with several weeks of television still to navigate through before the 'Show of Shows'.
The injury added depth the angle, a stronger story to the eventual match, and some much-needed gravitas behind Rollins' road to personal and professional redemption.
Conversely, there have been injuries that have irreversibly altered entire careers, and not just those of the performers suffering the misfortune of the damage in the first place.
From those who never truly recovered right through to absences triggering an accidental revolution, here are 10 injuries that changed WWE history.
10. Dolph Ziggler
In a recent 'Ask Me Anything' feature for Reddit users, former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts noted that Dolph Ziggler's 2013 'Money In The Bank' cash-in on Alberto Del Rio was one of the greatest moments to be present at ringside for.
The live crowd appeared to share his sentiments.
The traditionally raucous post-WrestleMania Monday Night Raw audience came unglued as his music hit, whilst alleged babyface Alberto Del Rio licked his wounds after a beatdown from former number one contender Jack Swagger.
As well an obviously huge moment for Ziggler himself, his victory was vindication for fans that had stuck with him through years of midcard neglect despite an intense in-ring style that appealed to a large section of the hardcore fanbase. Sadly, a lengthy run on top that fans craved would never materialise.
Suffering a serious concussion during a television taping, Ziggler was removed from his own maiden pay-per-view title defence at the following month's Extreme Rules event.
Dolph would eventually lose his title in Del Rio's first rematch just weeks later at Payback, in a match centred around Alberto's relentless assault on the champion's head.
Ziggler's unfortunately-timed injury saddled him with an albatross within WWE's convoluted perceptions of performers.
Thankfully, their stance towards head injuries would sharpen over the following years, with multiple matches and angles abruptly halted in order to protect the health of their superstars.