10 Most Genuinely Frightening Moments In Wrestling History
The violent, horrifying and sometimes tragic moments that remind all of us of wrestling's dangers.
Wrestling is a dangerous industry. There's no denying that. The common phrase used by people of a certain age within the industry is "this ain't ballet."
While the two mediums have a surprising amount in common, the sentiment hits hard, wrestling isn't just a performance, it's a constant risk of everyone involved's health and wellbeing. Every bump hurts, every spot has potential dangers, there is a sense of fear lingering over every worker and every fan who knows the risks of the industry. For as many truly transcendent moments that professional wrestling brings us, there are those moments that truly shock and horrify, ones that make it difficult not to worry about wrestlers' safety constantly.
While there are truly appalling instances not captured on camera like the death of Owen Hart or Chris Benoit's murder of his family, this list will be focused on the major injuries that happened in a match that was caught on tape, the instances that reminded all of us that wrestling is sometimes more real than we'd like it to be. There are sadly so many horrible things captured on camera that not all of them could be mentioned, but these are 10 of the most genuinely frightening moments in wrestling history.
10. Brock Lesnar’s Failed Shooting Star Press
Brock Lesnar is one of the toughest men alive right now. A national collegiate wrestling champion, a widely successful UFC fighter and former Heavyweight champion, he's a legitimate badass who could genuinely destroy almost anyone he could encounter. He is an otherworldly figure of toughness and intimidation, seemingly invulnerable to traditional pain. But he's human and like all of us, he has made mistakes.
In his WrestleMania XIX main event with Kurt Angle, Lesnar went to the top rope to execute a Shooting Star Press, a move he'd mastered in FCW and had been convinced to pull off as the finish for his match with Angle. Upon executing the move, it became clear that Angle was too far away and Lesnar hadn't timed the rotation correctly, causing Lesnar to plummet neck first onto the canvas.
He was immediately concussed and lucky he wasn't paralysed or even killed from blunt force trauma. Thankfully, he wasn't severely hurt and was able to finish the match but it could have been so much worse. His aura only grew from being able to withstand the punishing bump, but it's a reminder that even men like Lesnar are mortal and that this business is always dangerous.