"Hangman" Adam Page's concussion on a recent episode of AEW Dynamite reminded many fans that wrestling is one of the most dangerous forms of entertainment on the planet. Although many of the top wrestling stars are also some of the most skilled and safest performers on the planet, that doesn't stop freak injuries from happening time and time again.
It doesn't take the most technical or dangerous maneuver to cause an injury that could take years to recover from or one that could be career-ending. Bret Hart is still bothered by a botch from Goldberg that ended up costing him his in-ring career. Some of the greatest wrestlers in the world have gotten seriously hurt by wrestling moves that are taught on day one and this list will examine 10 of those injuries.
10 Sasha Kicks Paige
Paige was at the top of her game when she spent some time away from the ring to deal with a neck injury in 2016. A little bit over a year after she had neck surgery, she exacerbated the injury thanks to a very basic move. At a house show in December of 2017, Paige took a kick in the back from Sasha Banks that ended her WWE career.
Her neck was jolted in an awkward position and the referee was forced to stop the six-women tag match. Paige retired from in-ring wrestling shortly after the injury, but in 2022 she showed up at AEW and is expected to wrestle again.
9 Triple H Breaks Up A Submission
There are two actions in tag team matches that are extremely common: tagging your partner and breaking up a move. These are the most fundamental aspects of a tag team match and they very rarely lead to injury. Unfortunately for Triple H, he experienced the rare exception.
During a tag match where Chris Jericho had (Triple H's partner) Steve Austin locked into a Walls of Jericho, Triple H swooped in to break Austin from the hold. He broke the hold, but also planted his left foot which led to Triple H tearing his quad. It was one of the most devastating injuries of Triple H's illustrious career.
8 Mabel Leg Drops Undertaker
A leg drop is a fairly safe move and according to the man who made the leg drop famous, Hulk Hogan, it actually seems to do more damage to the person giving the leg drop than the wrestler receiving it.
Many fans remember The Undertaker wearing a mask but they don't often remember why. The Undertaker received a leg drop from the 487-pound Mable in 1995. Mabel landed on Undertaker's face instead of his chest which led to a broken orbital bone. Undertaker apparently still suffers to this day from the injury to his face.
7 John Cena's Hip Toss
Although fans will often argue over how much they love or hate John Cena, it's tough to argue that he wasn't one of the least injury-prone wrestlers in the history of the WWE. Cena rarely missed time in the ring due to injury, but one of the first major injuries of his career occurred when he attempted to do a hip toss on Mr. Kennedy.
A hip toss is one of the most basic moves in wrestling and is usually used to speed up the intensity of a match. The person giving the move has a very low chance of injury since it requires little force. For Cena, a botched hip toss led to a torn pectoral muscle that put him out of action for months.
6 Kane Kicks Shawn Michaels
Although there are many urban legends around the story of how Shawn Michaels ended up with a lazy eye, the truth is that it occurred thanks to a botched kick. Kane performed a million big boots throughout his career, but the one performed on Michaels at Unforgiven in 2004 had long-term effects.
The force from Kane was so strong that it caused a muscle in Michael's face to shift out of place. Although he didn't instantly have a lazy eye, as time has passed the effects of the injury have become more and more noticeable.
5 Kofi Kingston Gives CM Punk A Standing Drop
CM Punk was one of the toughest men to ever set foot in a WWE ring. Although many fans remember how abruptly he left the company, they often forget that his last match was in the 2014 Royal Rumble. In the match, Punk suffered a concussion that seemed to contribute to his departure from the company.
Kofi Kingston entered the Rumble and performed a simple standing drop that Punk sold very well. Kingston performed the move from a standing position with little momentum. Unfortunately for Punk, his head hit the mat at full force when he landed, causing a concussion.
4 Sid Vicious Broke His Leg Jumping Off The Second Rope
Although many dangerous moves can be performed off the top of a corner turnbuckle, a boot off the second rope is as basic a move as there is. It requires little athleticism and it's a pretty low-risk move since it's only a few feet off the ground. Unfortunately for Sid Vicious, jumping off the turnbuckle led to him snapping his leg in one of the most gruesome injuries ever shown on live television.
3 Kane Body Slams William Regal
A bodyslam is one of the few moves that fans will likely only see in wrestling. Although it may seem like one of the most aggressive moves, it's actually fairly low-risk as long as the person receiving it flips over and lands on their back.
An example of this simple maneuver going array occurred during a tag match where Kane body-slammed William Regal. The landing was botched so badly that Regal was knocked out by the move. Somehow, Regal ended up finishing the match and he and Lance Storm were ultimately victorious. This all happened during the 2003 No Way Out pay-per-view.
2 Okada Drop Kicks Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada are so technically sound that they rarely botch moves in the ring. Okada also has one of the most sound dropkicks in all of wrestling. The move may look intense but it's actually more devastating to Okada since he has to stick his landing.
During the infamous Okada vs Omega feud in 2017, Omega accidentally landed in Okada's landing zone and caught a knee to the face after the drop kick was delivered. Omega suffered from vertigo for years after the move.
1 Goldberg Kicks Bret Hart
Even in 2022, it seems Bret Hart is still upset about the botched kick that ended his career. At Starrcade 1999, Goldberg and Hart competed for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Goldberg botched a kick that hit Hart so hard that it concussed him.
The severity of the injury wasn't known at the time and Hart ended up actually winning the match. The concussion ended up being so severe that it ended Bret Hart's entire career. Hart even recently called for Goldberg to be removed from the WWE Hall of Fame due to the botch.