Horrifying Injuries That Changed Wrestlers FOREVER

6. Brian Pillman

Nikki Bella neck brace
WWE.com

It spoke to just how big a talking point Brian Pillman had made himself in early 1996 that WWF were still willing to offer an ultra-rare guaranteed contract despite 'The Loose Cannon' suffering an injuries in a car accident that derailed his career and life.

Working his way out of WCW via a worked shoot confrontation with Eric Bischoff in order to cause a stir in ECW en route to the World Wrestling Federation, the former 'Flyin Brian' was the most in-demand man in the industry, but he put he put that to the test when he flipped his Hummer that left him first in a coma and later with multiple serious injuries.

He spent the rest of 1996 on commentary and doing interviews before doctors were required to re-break a broken ankle to fix it yet again at the end of the year. By the time he returned in 1997, the physical wear and tear along with spiralling drug and alcohol addictions expedited the tragic end of his wholly unique life at just 35 years old.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett