10 Wrestlers Who Nearly Died

5. Tyson Kidd Busts His Muscle

Dean Ambrose operating table
Twitter/@SharpShooterTJ

Ultimately, being a professional wrestler saved Tyson Kidd's life - but not before it nearly killed him first.

During a dark match opposite Samoa Joe in June 2015, Kidd took an extremely awkward landing from his foe's vicious Muscle Buster finisher. He suffered a major spinal cord injury, which required 16 stables, four screws, and a rod to fix.

According to surgeons, only 5% of people could have survived an injury of such severity. Kidd owed his miraculous escape to the fact that as a professional wrestler, he'd developed a preternaturally thick neck. Not only did Kidd avoid death, but he avoided any permanent long-time damage - though sensibly chose to hang up his wrestling boots as a consequence.

 
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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.