Horrifying Injuries That Changed Wrestlers FOREVER

10. Stone Cold Steve Austin

...you break your neck. And you still get up.

Stone Cold Steve Austin's career should have been over following the SummerSlam 1997 Intercontinental Championship match with Owen Hart. If the same thing happened in 2023, it would be.

'The Rattlesnake' landing full force on his head and neck following a tombstone put him down and out in an instant, but a "kiss my *ss" stipulation improbably drove him to catch Hart with the weakest roll-up in history and claim the gold. It'd be one he'd never defend - Austin was forced to surrender it when he couldn't get cleared. But the mere three months he spent on the shelf altered his trajectory forever anyway. With no matches to have nor Harts he could physically fight, he shifted his attention to various company authority figures.

Aside from how quickly he was back hitting Stone Cold Stunners (weeks, rather than months), the man so mechanically sound that he was brought in as a 'Ringmaster' had to pivot to a basic but incredible new style. Main events should be suited to stars and not the other way around, so that's what happened. Attitude Era headline clashes were suddenly crowd brawls with electrifying and bombastic shortcut finishes, and both promoter and performer were better for it.