12 Unluckiest WWE Injuries Ever
3. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Almost disabling a performer on the cusp of worldwide mainstream supremacy, Owen Hart's reckless Summerslam '97 tombstone piledriver on Stone Cold Steve Austin still makes for an ugly scene nearly twenty years later.
Dropping to his backside rather than his knees with Austin's head planted firmly below his legs, the bounce and rattle of 'Stone Cold's neck and spine when he hits the mat is still frightening to watch, and it remains a miracle he was able to move so soon after suffering temporary paralysis immediately following the move.
Avoiding surgery due to the incredible wave of momentum his character was riding at the time, Austin appeared on television every week in loosely non-physical segments, and barely worked anything resembling a proper match for months as WWE found ways to disguise the severely limited physical condition 'The Rattlesnake' was in.
When Austin was able to return to a full schedule in early 1998, the injury had grossly affected his in-ring style to such an extent that his matches were forced to quickly degenerate into arena brawls and punch-kick wars that became 'Attitude Era' staples, such was his influence.
Eventual surgery in late-1999 shelved Austin for a year, and only truly afforded him another eighteen months at the highest level before his eventual 2003 retirement.