10 Terrifying Transformations Caused By Wrestling
The hardest yards are ones ran by pro wrestlers, and WWE said it enough - the hazards are REAL.
Vince McMahon, on more than one occasion, has refused to place the blame on himself or the profession he has successfully promoted for decades when it came to assessing the damage done the minds and bodies of many, many ex-stars.
It's understandable, if you're prepared to be understanding and empathetic with the Mr Burns of the wrestling business anyway. He'd be the type of bloke you'd question how he slept at night, until you remembered that he only needs two hours and he probably takes them hanging upside down from a chin-up bar in his own gym like the jacked vampiric creature he is.
Anyway, more on Vince McMahon later because he's not immune to the rigours of the life he's asked many to lead - rigours that include nowhere near enough sleep, an impossible-to-maintain fitness and nutritional routine, and a travel schedule so brutal that's had others from different entertainment fields shocked and stunned that they don't get more help with it.
Wrestling's a hard life. Maybe the hardest, and it's why there are more than just the 10 (or, spoiler, 11) stories shared here. The following transformations were some of the most terrifying and tragic, but they are far from just the only ones...
10. Jeff Hardy (2003)
Never had the toll of pro wrestling's grind looked quite as apparent on a young Jeff Hardy as the time he stood face to face with his own sibling at the 2003 Royal Rumble.
The pair had been separated by a talent trade during one of the company's early attempts to get a Raw/SmackDown roster split off the ground, and the "Matt Hardy Version One" persona had permitted the older of the brothers to shine in a singles role he'd coveted for several years. Jeff, meanwhile, was headed in the opposite direction.
Losing the love for wrestling in place of drug and alcohol addictions, the 'Charismatic Enigma' wasn't motivated by various dangled carrots from the company. He'd dropped weight, declined their offer of entering drug rehabilitation, and denied he even had any problems that required attention.
All that remained was the genuine star power - the star power that's never left him during the highs and lows of a fittingly unique career. A release later that year was, eventually, good for him, but this stark physical contrast with the man he used to be foreshadowed a few more difficult days ahead.