10 Horrifying Wrestling Injuries Captured On Camera

5. Vader's Eye

Triple H Injury
AJPW

*The injury in full*

Known as much for his gentle temperament off-screen as his fiery persona with the cameras on, Vader's hard-man aesthetic was in essence the most underrated aspect of his work. Most colleagues referred to him as a "teddy bear" behind the scenes, and the shower shoes sh*tkicking he took from Paul Orndorff betrayed the fabulous monster within he was capable of channelling. As was the relatively relaxed approach he had to his eyeball popping out midway through a match with Stan Hansen.

An errant shot from Hansen during their NJPW/AJPW inter-promotional clash for Vader's IWGP Heavyweight Title forced the giant to release an armbar and hurriedly remove his mask to address intensely painful swelling underneath. Gasps and screams are audible from the first audience members to see an eye socket almost entirely swollen over as Vader frantically tried to push his eyeball back to its requisite location.

In the spirit of the brawl, Hansen gave his foe little time to address the matter before peppering him with punches dangerously close to the hot-spot. The referee ultimately threw the contest out after the pair simply couldn't be separated. Vader's fortitude (and foresight) was utterly remarkable, considering.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett