10 Wrestlers Who Nearly Died In Travelling Incidents

5. The Loose Cannon Falls Asleep At The Wheel

Flyin€™ Brian Pillman had achieved the professional wrestler€™s dream in 1996 €“ he was able to write his own ticket. Fresh from his infamous worked-shoot departure from WCW, where his new €˜Loose Cannon€™ persona had made waves already, Pillman had amped up his game in ECW, intending to make a name for himself before signing a long term and very lucrative contract, increasing his name value while he waited for the highest bid. Two months before signing with WWF, Pillman fell asleep at the wheel of his Humvee and collided with a tree at some speed, flipping the heavy vehicle. Pillman would shatter his ankle, and was in a coma for some weeks after the accident, but would wake with no further significant issues€ aside from that foot injury. Pillman had been a celebrated high flyer as well as an absorbing character performer, one of the reasons that his value to WWF and WCW had been so high, and one of the reasons why his tag team with the future €˜Stone Cold€™ Steve Austin in WCW €“ the Hollywood Blonds €“ had been such a success. The accident put paid to that, however. Doctors were forced to fuse his foot together in a permanent walking position, causing Pillman to be forced to completely restructure his wrestling style when he finally made it back into the ring. Just over a year after signing with WWF, a previously undetected heart condition would cause the hugely talented star€™s death at only 35 years old.