10 Wrestlers Who Ruined Their Bodies For The Business

7. The Undertaker

John Cena Edge Crying
WWE Network

Bruce Prichard's podcast is littered with gushing praise for how The Undertaker strapped himself up and kept going despite suffering numerous injuries throughout the 1990s. Broken orbital bone? Stick a Phantom Of The Opera mask over it. Shattered ankle? Meh, work the most iconic Hell In A Cell match ever.

'Taker's ability to grit his teeth and keep on keeping on became legendary, but no human being can do that forever. Check out the icon's 'Last Ride' documentary series for harrowing footage of Mark Calaway stumbling when he returns back through the curtain. There are also various reports out there of him needing oxygen post-match towards the end of his career.

Physically, The Undertaker was done in.

He knew it too. WWE's greatest ever gimmick groaned as he watched back bouts vs. Roman Reigns and Goldberg, almost like he knew he had no business being inside rings any longer. 'Taker tried, but he couldn't mask the pain anymore.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.