Wrestling is a dangerous sport, with the margin for error being incredibly slim when it comes to many of the moves, which is why people train for so long. Major injuries can take place in the ring, but those issues can be recovered from, yet there are other issues where the problems persist and don't go away.
Wrestlers have been physically scarred from matches that they have had over the years, showcasing the danger that exists for talent when they step into the ropes. It's something that always shocks fans when it happens, but that works as a stark reminder that what they're watching is legitimate.
10 Joey Mercury (Armageddon, 2006)
One of the most gruesome injuries to take place inside the ring took place during a fatal fourway tag team ladder match at Armageddon in 2006 when Joey Mercury ended up having his face shattered. The situation was an accident with Jeff Hardy jumping onto a ladder that was being propped up, which then slingshotted up and into Mercury's face.
This caught him flush, and it was clear immediately that the situation was serious. Blood started pouring from his face, and there was serious concern he may have lost his vision. Thankfully that wasn't the case, but he did end up with facial injuries from the spot, showcasing the dangers that come with ladder matches.
9 Mick Foley (Live Event, 1993)
One of the most famous examples of a wrestler being physically scarred from competing is Mick Foley, who lost 2/3 of his ear inside the ring. This happened during a live event match in Germany during a European tour for WCW when he was competing against Vader in singles action.
Foley had attempted to perform his hangman choke on the ropes, where he gets sent to the outside, but wraps himself up in the ropes beforehand. However, this went wrong on the day and ended up tightly around him, and as he slipped free his ear ended up being caught in the ropes.
8 Cesaro (No Mercy, 2017)
Cesaro is another wrestler who was physically scarred inside the ring, with his injury being a very nasty one. When The Bar competed against Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins at No Mercy, nobody expected to see Cesaro with his front teeth lodged further into his gums, but that's exactly what happened.
The Swiss Superman was sent into the steel ring post, and things went wrong. Cesaro's face smashed directly into it which pushed his further up into his mouth, creating a gruesome looking experience, which is why he now wears a mouthguard inside the ring.
7 Tyson Kidd (Dark Match, 2015)
When wrestlers are forced to retire from injury it is always a serious situation, and unfortunately that was the case for Tyson Kidd in 2015 after he competed in a dark match against Samoa Joe. Kidd landed directly on his neck, and that brought an end to his career and almost saw him lose his life.
Fortunately, Kidd was able to survive the operation he had, with only 5% of people who sustained this injury managing to survive this. But, it did leave him with a lengthy scar on the back of his neck.
6 Roman Reigns (Raw, 2014)
Roman Reigns works a hard-hitting style inside the ring, therefore it's no surprise that he has ended up with a couple of scars along the way. One of his took place during a six-man tag team match on Raw against Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, and Big Show from his days in The Shield.
Reigns was caught flush in the face, and that ended up leaving him with a cut near his eye that had to be stitched up. Because of that, the Tribal Chief has been left with a scar in that area ever since.
5 Cody Rhodes (Live Event, 2007)
Cody Rhodes has never been shy about putting his body on the line, which is something he proved many times during his AEW career where he was bust open regularly. However, it was during the early stages of his original WWE run where he ended up earning a scar for life.
That took place during a match against Daivari where he ended up bust open on his forehead, with the cable stitches that he received leading to him having a scar for life.
4 Fandango (FCW, 2010)
Fandango is someone who put together a memorable run during his time in WWE, but before he'd even reached the main roster he had already received a scar from the wrestling business. This took place during a tag team ladder match in FCW where he teamed up with Derick Bateman to face Hunico and Epico.
One of the ladders had ended up having a sharp section due to the brutality of the match, and Fandango was thrown towards it where he ended up catching his arm. It stuck into him and that led to Fandango suffering a scar on his arm for the rest of his life.
3 Shawn Michaels (Unforgiven, 2004)
Shawn Michaels doesn't have a scar or a cut on his body like some wrestlers do, but instead his physical change came in the form of his eye. Even though Kane is well known for being a safe worker, it was a move from him that led to HBK suffering issues with his eye from time to time.
The muscles around one of them were weakened from this move, and because of that he sometimes has a lazy eye. It's not an issue that occurs on a regular basis, but when the muscles are not working that is a situation he deals with.
2 Sabu (Born To Be Wired, 1997)
Sabu always wrestled a dangerous style, throwing himself around the ring, having no problem taking crazy bumps. It's one of the reasons he ended up being so successful throughout his career, but it did come with plenty of scars as well, including some serious ones on his arm.
He sustained them during a No Ropes Barbed Wire match against Terry Funk, with the steel wires causing problems for him. Sabu attempted a splash in the corner on Funk, but instead he got caught in the wire, which ripped his arm open leaving him with visible scars.
1 Santino Marella (Raw, 2008)
Most wrestlers suffer their serious injuries and permanent scars from moves that are done against them, but that wasn't the case when it came to Santino Marella. He suffered a lip injury after smashing Hacksaw Jim Duggan over the head with a guitar, which saw one of the strings snap back.
That ended up hitting his lip, ripping his mouth open which then required stitches and has led to a permanent scar for him. It could have been a much more serious injury considering the position of it, therefore Santino is likely quite pleased it wasn't any worse.