10 WWE Stars Who Fought Through The Pain Barrier

2. The Undertaker Vs. Mankind - King Of The Ring 1998

Triple H quad 2007
WWE.com

It would be borderline disrespectful not to include Mick Foley on this list. He'd made such a (questionable) habit of using real violence to get himself over that he popularised the phrase 'intestinal fortitude'.

The injuries suffered by Foley in this match (if you can call it that) are both legendary and multiple; the sight of his tooth wedged in his nostril is as unforgettable as the footage of the Cell falls which caused it.

What you may not know, if you've not read 'Have A Nice Day', is that it was 'Taker who had to fight through the pain barrier here initially; his ankle was so messed up that it inspired Foley to devise the match structure in the first place.

Foley knew that unless drastic and revolutionary measures were taken, they couldn't hold a candle to the original Hell In A Cell match between 'Taker and Shawn Michaels. One of the most notorious matches in WWE history was born from artistic necessity.

'Taker could barely climb the Cell he shoved Foley off and through; Foley, for his part, had to fight through the agony because, having obviously never performed such an unprecedented stunt, had no idea of the extent to which it would hurt.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!