Professional wrestling is an extremely dangerous sport to take up, and the risk factor is certainly high in every single match. Whenever a wrestler steps between the ropes they are just inches away from disaster. Because they're trained, the majority of the time things run smoothly, but unfortunately, injuries do take place.

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These can range in severity, but occasionally they can be very serious. A broken neck is something no fan wants to see, and is a potentially career-ending situation. While these situations are thankfully rare, over the years some wrestlers have suffered this fate when things have ended up going wrong.

10 Big E

Big E breaks his neck Cropped

The most recent example of a professional wrestler breaking their neck was Big E. This took place just before WrestleMania 38, and it left everyone stunned. While wrestling Ridge Holland outside the ring, he took a belly-to-belly suplex and sadly landed on his head, causing the injury.

The fact it was on the floor meant there was zero give for him, making the situation worse. Thankfully, Big E has managed to stay very positive since the injury, and he has continued to provide fans with updates regularly.

9 Hardcore Holly

Hardcore Holly vs Brock Lesnar

Hardcore Holly was a well-respected professional wrestler, and someone who was often praised for his in-ring ability. However, he, unfortunately, broke his neck during a match with Brock Lesnar. The two men competed on an episode of SmackDown in 2002, and a powerbomb went wrong.

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It was an accidental situation, with Holly landing on his neck. This is where the injury took place, leaving him on the shelf for a while. He was eventually able to return, and even got a WWE Title match against the Beast upon his return.

8 Charlie Haas

Charlie Haas WWE

Charlie Haas is another talent who ended up breaking his neck inside the ring. A young Drew McIntyre delivered his Future Shock DDT during an in-ring segment on SmackDown, but unfortunately, he kept the arms hooked and didn't let go. This is what caused the injury.

It was a frustrating period for him, and it kept him out of the ring for a while as he had to work hard to get fully fit. However, he did manage to return to wrestling, showcasing that his efforts were worthwhile.

7 Drew Galloway

Drew Galloway and Joseph Conners

Drew McIntyre is someone who knows exactly what a broken neck feels like, as he suffered the same fate during his time on the independent scene. When working for WCPW as Drew Galloway, he took a bump from, now NXT UK star, Joseph Conners.

Things didn't go to plan, and this led to him breaking his neck. Thankfully, it wasn't a severe break, which means that he wasn't out of action for as long as other people normally are from this type of situation.

6 Steve Austin

steve austin vs owen hart summerslam 1997

Steve Austin's injury is one of the most famous examples of a wrestler breaking their neck, which took place in a match against Owen Hart. This took place at SummerSlam in 1997, when a piledriver went wrong, leading to Austin being dropped directly on his head.

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Austin was temporarily paralyzed at this moment, which was a scary situation for people to witness. However, despite the fact he broke his neck, the Texas Rattlesnake was somehow able to finish the match. He didn't do much, but the fact Austin got the roll-up to win was unbelievable.

5 Lita

Lita in Dark Angel

Lita's situation is quite different from other people, because she suffered a broken neck away from the wrestling ring. She was filming a television show, which was an opportunity she gained thanks to her WWE career. However, when performing a stunt, Lita was dropped on her head.

She was not very well looked after following that period either by those in the room, which was frustrating for her. Unfortunately, the situation did lead to a broken neck, which almost ended her wrestling career had it not been for advice from Steve Austin.

4 Taz

Taz TNA

Taz is one of the best wrestlers of his era, with the in-ring ability that he has being incredible to witness. However, during a tag team match against Dean Malenko and 2 Cold Scorpio the former ECW star suffered a broken neck after receiving a move from the top rope.

Taz wasn't set in the manner that he should have been to take the bump, so when he did it ended with a serious injury happening. The spiked piledriver went wrong, and that is where the problem ended up taking place for him.

3 Lionheart

Lionheart

Over the years, the Styles Clash has caused a few issues for some wrestlers. Because the move has an element of danger, if a wrestler tucks their neck, the impact can be severe. Unfortunately, that is what happened to Lionheart during a match between him and AJ Styles in England.

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It took place on an independent show in Blackpool, and it resulted in Lionheart breaking his neck. He ended up writing a letter to AJ, requesting that he stopped using the move because of the slew of talent being hurt by it.

2 Yoshi Tatsu

Yoshi Tatsu

Yoshi Tatsu is another wrestler who ended up in the same position as Lionheart. He tucked his neck when taking the same move, which is the natural thing to do, but is the wrong idea with this one. Unfortunately, it led to him breaking his neck as well, which wasn't helped by the fact he took another bump soon after.

It showcases that even one of the best wrestlers in the world can make mistakes, with the Styles Clash being a great move, but one that provides a lot of danger if it ends up not going to plan.

1 Edge

Edge v Eddie Guerrero on SmackDown

It was problems with his neck that originally led to Edge retiring from the professional wrestling business. However, that wasn't something he just suffered towards the end of his career. He broke his neck back in 2002, which is something a lot of fans had forgotten about before he called time on his career.

His issue took place when facing Eddie Guerrero on an episode of SmackDown. It was a no disqualification match that saw a ladder get involved. He took a bump onto the steel and heard a crack, which he presumed was the ladder. However, it was his neck, which is where the injury took place.