10 Devastating Injuries That Made Wrestlers WORSE

4. Brian Pillman

Triple H Before And Way Before
WWE.com

A car wreck - and of course, the lifestyle that led to it - changed the very timeline of professional wrestling.

Brian Pillman wasn't just a pioneer of a brand new realm of storytelling. He wasn't just an utterly convincing madman who projected an unhinged, must-see aura. He wasn't just a chaotic, magnetic presence slipping between the lines of reality and fiction with such cobra-lunge movement that he worked everybody. Brian Pillman was also one of the best workers in North America.

A tremendous high-flying athlete who was always creating - rewatch his performance at WrestleWar 1991, unless TakeOver: WarGames completely euthanised your interest in the stip - his reinvention of the narrative promised to yield a megastar run. He could work and talk to a tremendous standard and was, in 1996, the most interesting player in the game.

The fateful ankle injury was as poorly-timed as it was disastrous; flitting between promotions and working the entire landscape, those few months off killed the hottest angle in the business, and when he returned, with his shattered ankle fused in walking position, he had to wince through (understandably) unremarkable matches.

The damage was so severe and so debilitating that he couldn't effectively modify his style, though he had the nous to try.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!