10 Ways Wrestlers' Bodies Changed Forever Because Of Wrestling
6. Bruno Sammartino's Cauliflower Ears
A common condition amongst amateur wrestlers and mixed martial artists, cauliflower ear, if left untreated, can leave a person with a grotesque and unsightly lug or two, with Bruno Sammartino pro-wrestling's foremost example.
The problem arises when one's ears are struck or suffer a different form of trauma. Blood clots or other build-ups of fluid can then form beneath the skin, separating the cartilage from the connective tissue that provides it with nutrients. It dies, and if the fluid isn't drained in time, a permanent hematoma leaves the ear permanently deformed and swollen.
Basically, it looks f*cking gross.
"The cauliflower ears are really the worst," Bruno told the Washington Post in 1980. "There is nothing, no broken bone, no busted nose, as painful. Now you see these ears of mine, they are hard little ears, but when it first happens they are swollen with blood. Even walking down the street, the breeze that passes causes excruciating pain."
It's a shame that Bruno had to suffer through this nasty condition, but it's not like having cauliflower ears hindered his career in any way outside the apparent pain.