10 Scariest In-Ring Wrestling Accidents
WARNING: Gruesome images contained herein.
Wrestling might be a scripted art form, but it's far from fake. The risks are very real, and the average performer's body takes an exorbitant amount of punishment over the course of their career. There's no faking wrestling's hardest bumps and biggest spots, and countless athletes have seen their quality of life decline following years of abuse in the squared circle.
Despite this, major incidents are relatively few and far between. A wrestler's duty is to not only put on a good show, but keep them and their opponent safe throughout the match. Most performers do an outstanding job in that department. The margin of error is incredibly thin, however, and one misjudged move can spell catastrophe for those involved.
Wrestlers are just as error prone as anyone else on the planet, and given that they literally have each others' lives in their hands, their accidents occasionally yield horrifying results. Some performers have even lost their lives in the ring, and while these incidents vary in severity, they're all sickening to watch.
Sometimes, there's just nothing that can be done when the stunt show goes wrong, and with very little control over what's about to happen to them, the performers often suffer terrible consequences...
10. Brock’s Botched Shooting Star Press
He might be one of the most athletic big men in wrestling history, but Brock Lesnar’s freakish agility provided the biggest botch of his career at WrestleMania XIX. Competing against Kurt Angle, Lesnar made his way to the top rope after downing ‘The Olympic Hero,’ then flew across the ring with what should have been a breathtaking Shooting Star Press.
Unfortunately, Brock came up short. Kurt was too far away for the move to connect, and as a result, 'The Beast' landed awkwardly on his head and neck. It was a sickening bump, but Lesnar miraculously avoided serious injury - and even finished the match - leaving the building with the WWE Championship after a third F5 on Angle.
The spot was a real heart-in-mouth moment. Watching a wrestler land on his head is never easy, particularly when they’re Brock’s size, and the botch left fans gasping. Lesnar had reportedly performed the move dozens of times without incident before, but he screwed up on the biggest stage of them all, and was lucky to leave with his neck intact.
Unsurprisingly, WWE actively discouraged Brock from top rope moves thereafter.