11 Wrestlers Who Broke Their Necks In The Ring

Before ECW gained fame there was Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW), a Japanese federation that seemed to take the term "Deathmatch" just a little bit too seriously at times.

Their matches were insane, as was their main star Hayabusa. Hayabusa was considered by many to be the heart of FMW - in much the same way as Tommy Dreamer was for ECW - and he quickly became a popular star thanks to his high-flying and risky offense.

He managed to wrestle for many years in matches that contained crazy stipulations without sustaining serious injury, so it is perhaps a little ironic that it was a fairly simple move that led to the star breaking his neck.

In a match in October 2001, Hayabusa was attempting a springboard moonsault when he lost his footing on the ropes and simply vaulted backwards and headfirst into the canvas. The impact was sickening and the resulting injury left him paralysed.

Though Hayabusa eventually managed to regain some feeling in his legs, the injury finished his career. He now has a singing career while also maintaining close ties with a number of other Japanese feds.