12 Unluckiest WWE Injuries Ever
'Yes, this is entertainment...but the hazards are real'.
An enraged Big Cass slapped the canvas and dropped some very un-PG verbiage as the realisation hit him that, despite his best efforts, his weekend in Brooklyn had screeched to an unexpected halt.
Several minutes into yet another systematic squash of former partner Enzo Amoré, a routine bump over the top rope saw the seven footer clutch ominously at his left knee. Playing through the pain at first, the reality set in when Cass literally couldn't drop his Empire Elbow due to the sheer agony the impediment had clearly put him in.
As per WWE's refreshed attitude towards injuries, he was attended to almost instantly and had no choice but to forfeit the match. Though deeply unfortunate, there was intense scrutiny in the aftermath as the flagship show ground to a halt, with cameras picking up the former NXT star as he hobbled away on crutches later that night.
Big Cass will have an MRI to determine the severity of the situation, but from look alone it appeared as though he may have suffered significant damage at a truly rotten time. His push has yet to reap substantial gains, but this contest looked to be a move away from his interminable rivalry with Enzo, offering him the chance to exorcise the demons of the lousy spinoff angle with The Big Show.
Others have literally felt his pain, too. The bumps, bruises and breaks are never ideal, but sometimes the timing of a knock can be almost as cruel as the physical trauma itself.
12. Batista
'The Animal' had carried the WWE World Heavyweight Title through some extremely tumultuous times following his WrestleMania 21 victory over Triple H, but an inhuman stack of injuries caused a tearful surrender of the gold in January 2006.
Arriving on Smackdown via the Summer 2005 'Draft Lottery', Dave Batista overcame a bumpy start on the blue brand after alienating the locker-room with comments referring to the Tuesday crew as the 'B-show'.
Earning respect in his first programme with show stalwart John 'Bradshaw' Layfield, Batista then moved into a feud with Eddie Guerrero, in what would prove to be 'Latino Heat's final storyline before his untimely death in November.
Mourning the loss of one of his best friends and nursing a muscle tear in his back suffered the prior month, Batista gamely lead the brand as its champion as the group tackled the very real challenge of working through their bereavement.
He'd work very hurt, regularly appearing bandaged up beyond reasonable expectation to gut out contests as a talismanic figure, but the mounting knocks finally caught up with him after he sustained a right tricep tear in a match with Mark Henry, and time off became a necessity.