10 Times Wrestlers Hit Their Finisher In A TV Show
3. Lita - Dark Angel
Less a guest appearance or cameo role than a cringeworthy cautionary tale, Lita’s infamous appearance on James Cameron’s dodgy cyberpunk television show is an object lesson in how not to approach this kind of bit part when you’re an active professional wrestler. Rule one: don’t cripple yourself on your day off.
Sadly, one of Lita’s go-to-moves throughout her career was injuring herself while botching one of her own signature moves, and her role on Dark Angel’s series finale ‘Freak Nation’ in 2002 was no exception.
Apparently series creator James Cameron (who allegedly stepped in to direct this episode when the previous director read the script and feigned death to get out of it) had misgivings about allowing star Jessica Alba to fight opposite a professional wrestler, but he really shouldn’t have worried - Lita was only ever going to hurt herself, not her co-star.
A botched Litacanrana caused a stinger and cracks in the vertebrae in her neck, requiring her to need urgent surgery, and Lita was sidelined for seventeen months while she recuperated.
It’s a shame, because - weird facial expressions aside - action legend Cameron did an excellent job of making her look good, and it’s one of the better fight scenes in the show’s history.