Professional wrestlers are often ridiculed for participating in a "fake" sport. While we all know that wrestling is scripted, there is simply nothing like it. Watching two high level wrestlers compete in a well executed match is similar to watching an epic fight between skilled boxers. At the highest level of professional wrestling, the Superstars are able to tell amazing stories that cannot be duplicated in other sports.

Who could forget the time that Hulk Hogan slammed Andre the Giant? Or, what about the legendary WrestleMania matches between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels? How about the time that Stone Cold Steve Austin came to the ring in a beer truck? These amazing moments are ingrained in the minds of wrestling fans from around the world. When the best Superstars coexist with each other, wrestling can be captivating.

There is obviously a reason why millions of people tune into Monday Night Raw each and every week. However, in order for great matches to occur, professional wrestlers must be on the same page. But, what happens when two wrestlers absolutely despise each other? Well, their matches will usually suffer, and there will most likely be some problems backstage. When things get really bad, wrestlers usually end up fighting each other behind the scenes.

These is the Top 15 Wrestlers Who Were Hurt In Backstage Altercations. Some of the injuries were just bumps and bruises, but many of the injuries on this list were life threatening, and some of them were even life ending. What you are about to read may shock you... You've been warned.

15 15. Shawn Michaels (Hair Ripped Out)

The rivalry between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels was at its peak in 1997. Both superstars hated each other with a passion, but their battles were mainly verbal. However, things took a turn for the worse in the summer of 1997. During an episode of Monday Night Raw, Bret Hart cut a rather heated promo on Shawn Michaels. Hart ran over the time limit of their segment, and HBK was unable to respond.

A few weeks later, Bret Hart tried to talk to Shawn Michaels backstage, but HBK wasn't having it. It wasn't long until the two superstars got into another heated argument. They traded insults for a while, but things eventually got physical. Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart started brawling backstage. The altercation ended with The Hitman ripping a chunk of HBK's hair out.

14 14. Roddy Piper (Slapped Down)

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper was one of the wildest men in the history of sports entertainment. He was no stranger to backstage brawls. Unfortunately for Piper, he was much smaller than many of the wrestlers that he fought against.

In 1997, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall took on Roddy Piper and Ric Flair in a tag team match. The match was terrible, and Kevin Nash blamed Piper. After the show, Nash barged into Roddy Piper's locker room and smacked him as hard as he could. Piper hit the ground, and there was nothing he could do about it. Kevin Nash was far too large of an opponent to take on by himself.

13 13. Big Show (Ground and Pounded)

The Big Show is one of the largest athletes in the history of sports entertainment. However, while he was huge, there were other giants who roamed the WWE locker room at various points in time. During a TV taping of Smackdown in 2009, the Big Show and the Great Khali got into a heated argument backstage. Apparently, the Great Khali had stolen one of the Big Show's trademark moves, and Show was furious.

The two giants postured up a bit, and then the Big Show threw a heavy punch that landed on Khali's jaw. Khali stumbled a bit and then landed a few punches of his own. The Big Show then tripped over a bag, and the Great Khali jumped on top of him. Khali secured a full mount position and struck the Big Show multiple times. The fight was eventually broken up by the rest of the wrestlers who were looking on.

12 12. John Bradshaw Layfield (Black Eye)

JBL is currently one of the lead commentators on Monday Night Raw. However, just a few years ago, John Bradshaw Layfield was an active wrestler. During his wrestling career, he was known in the past as a troublemaker, an instigator and a bully.

In 2008, the WWE put on a tribute show for the troops who were stationed in Iraq. Instead of spreading love and peace to his co-workers, Bradshaw pranked and hazed them. JBL even threw a bucket of ice on Lilian Garcia, but it was former ECW commentator Joey Styles who was the main target of his assault.

For nearly a week, Bradshaw bullied and annoyed Joey Styles. The former ECW commentator couldn't take it anymore, and he ended up blasting JBL with a vicious punch to the face. JBL's eye was cut and blackened as a result.

11 11. Batista (Beatdown)

Dave Batista was brought into the WWE in the early 2000s. He was paired with Triple H and Ric Flair almost immediately, and it wasn't long until he became the World Heavyweight Champion. While Batista was a decent draw in his prime, many veterans felt that he was a bit too arrogant.

Booker T felt Batista was an entitled pre-madonna, and he often let Batista know his feelings. Booker told Batista that he should start respecting his peers and those who came before him. Unfortunately, Batista blew off Booker T's words, and the two men eventually got into a shoot fight.

Unlike other fights which breakout organically, Booker T challenged Batista to battle in an empty room. The incident took place at a SummerSlam promotional event, and there were many wrestlers there who could have stopped the fight from taking place. However, no one stepped in, and Booker T and Batista walked into a separate room to brawl.

Batista entered the room first, and then he attacked Booker T before the door was even shut. Booker eventually recovered from Batista's cheap shot, and managed to take the Animal down. Booker T then mounted Batista and pounded him out with heavy strikes. The two WWE Superstars became friends after their battle, and they even worked at SummerSlam together.

10 10. Kurt Angle (Choked Out)

Kurt Angle is unquestionably the greatest amateur wrestler who has ever competed in the WWE. He won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1996 with a broken freaking neck. Knowing how talented Kurt was as a wrestler, Vince McMahon would often tangle with the Olympic champion.

Mr. McMahon would try to take Kurt Angle down when he was least expecting it, and he actually succeeded on one occasion. Angle was embarrassed that his boss, who doesn't have an amateur wrestling background, was able to take him down. So, the two men began to wrestle with each other whenever possible.

What started off as a playful joke between employer and employee escalated a bit too far. During one of their grappling matches, Kurt Angle and Vince McMahon disturbed The Undertaker from a peaceful nap. Taker woke up to see Kurt Angle mounted on top of his boss. So, The Undertaker decided to do what any good employee would have done in that situation. The Phenom slapped on a rear naked choke, and he basically choked Kurt until he was unconscious.

9 9. Sheamus (Punched Out)

It seems that the WWE fans aren't the only ones who hate Sheamus. Just a few years ago, Ted DiBiase, Tatsu and Sheamus were roommates. Sheamus declared himself the leader of the house. However, no one really took him too seriously. Nonetheless, Sheamus was a pig, and he made his roommates handle the chores.

Tatsu and DiBiase eventually confronted the arrogant Irishman. Tatsu told Sheamus to clean up after himself. Sheamus got angry and threw a protein bottle at the Japanese Superstar. Tatsu then beat Sheamus down with a series of punches.

8 8. Vader (Stomped Out)

Vader was one of the most feared heels in the early 1990s. His run in WCW was legendary, and he was an even bigger star in Japan. Vader's brawl with Stan Hansen is still considered by many to be the most gruesome shoot fight in wrestling history. With that being said, Vader found himself on the wrong end of an altercation with Paul Orndarff.

At the time of this incident, Paul Orndorff was working backstage in the WCW. Vader had shown up late one day to shoot a promo. Orndorff told Vader to hurry up. Apparently, Vader got into Orndorff's face and then pushed him. Paul Orndorff retaliated with a giant overhand right that sent Vader crashing to the ground. Orndorff then proceeded to stomp Vader out while wearing a pair of flip flops.

7 7. Buff Bagwell (Brain Freeze)

Buff Bagwell was a big star in WCW. Unfortunately, his career never took off in WWE. While he was a talented performer, Bagwell's personality was most likely the reason for his demise.

In 2001, Vince McMahon purchased WCW, and many wrestlers from the roster were added to WWE. Buff Bagwell was one of these men. In WWE, Bagwell made enemies immediately. He picked on Hurricane Helms the most.

Buff Bagwell told the Hurricane that he would never get over with his superhero gimmick. Bagwell also told him that he lacked wrestling ability and had a terrible physique. Helms couldn't take anymore of Bagwell's tirade, and that's when the Hurricane threw a frozen water bottle at Buff Bagwell's head.

The frozen water bottle crashed into Bagwell's skull, and he quickly hit the ground. The Hurricane then pounded his face in some more. Thankfully, other wrestlers from the locker room pulled Helms off of Bagwell.

6 6. Vince McMahon (Choked Out)

Vince McMahon has found himself in a life threatening situation on more than one occasion. However, one of the most famous incidents occurred when a wrestler named Nailz choked out Vince McMahon in his office.

The incident took place at SummerSlam in 1992. Apparently, Mr. McMahon did not pay Nailz what he wanted. Rather than speaking to his boss like a normal person, Nailz attacked him. Loud noises were heard in Vince's office. WWE employees ran in to see what was going on. Nailz was on top of Vince choking the life out of him. WWE staff members pulled Nailz off of Vince. Not surprisingly, Mr. McMahon fired the psychopath immediately.

5 5. Randy Savage (Knocked Out)

Randy Savage is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. However, he is no stranger to backstage brawls. In fact, Savage has been involved in a number of altercations, but his fight with Road Warrior Hawk left him unconscious.

Back in 1996, Randy Savage and Hawk were working at New Japan. They had a heated argument backstage. Hawk then uncorked a huge right hook that knocked Savage out cold.

A few years later, the Macho Man got some revenge when he sucker punched Hawk at a Kid Rock concert. Hawk was staggered by the blow, but he wasn't knocked out. Hawk's wife and Savage's girlfriend began fighting with each other as well.

4 4. Vince McMahon (Bret Hart K.O.)

Vince McMahon is the most powerful man in the history of professional wrestling. With that being said, Vince has fallen victim to the wrath of more than one angry wrestler.

During the main event of the Survivor Series in 1997, Bret Hart was infamously screwed. Today, we all refer to the incident as the Montreal Screwjob. It was on that night that Bret Hart marched into Vince's office and knocked him out cold with an uppercut. The Hitman stated that knocking him out was a Stu Hart judgement call, and he doesn't regret it one bit. Mr. McMahon appeared on Monday Night Raw a week later with a black eye.

3 3. Arn Anderson (Stabbed With Scissors)

Sid Vicious and Arn Anderson had one of the most insane shoot fights in the history of pro wrestling. The incident between Anderson and Sid started at a bar, and it ended in a hotel.

The issue began when Sid told Arn Anderson that the Four Horsemen better get out of his way. Sid Vicious thought that he was going to be the next Hulk Hogan, and he didn't want anyone to steal his shine. Arn Anderson insulted Sid and told him that he'd never drawn a dollar in his life. Needless to say, Sid took great offense to Arn's words.

Sid and Arn parted ways after their verbal altercation at the bar. Unfortunately for Arn, the night was about to get a whole lot worse. Sid showed up at Arn Anderson's hotel room and started beating him while he was sleeping. Arn Anderson woke up, and he started brawling with Sid throughout the room. Sid grabbed a pair of scissors and slammed them repeatedly into Arn's body. The fight was eventually broken up by other wrestlers who were staying at the hotel.

Ric Flair stated that the hotel looked like a horror scene from a movie. There was blood all over the room and hallway. Thankfully, Arn Anderson wasn't critically wounded in the altercation.

2 2. Dynamite Kid (Teeth Knocked Out)

The Dynamite Kid was one of the meanest wrestlers in the history of the business. The fact that he was only 5-foot-8 didn't matter. He was one of the strongest wrestlers of his time, and he loved to intimidate the other wrestlers in the locker room.

The Rougeau brothers were Dynamite's main victims. The Dynamite Kid would often rib the brothers with malicious intent. On one particular night, someone cut apart the Rougeau brothers' wrestling gear. Of course, the Rougeau brothers thought that it was the Dynamite Kid who pulled the prank.

Jacques Rougeau grabbed a roll of coins and made a tight fist. He walked up to the Dynamite Kid and punched him full blast in the face. Kid was left unconscious, and most of his teeth were knocked out as well. The Rougeau brothers had enough, but the most ironic part of this story is that Curt Henning was the one who had actually cut up their ring gear!

1 1. Bruiser Brody (Stabbed To Death)

Bruiser Brody was one of the toughest athletes in the history of wrestling. His physical presence intimidated nearly all who stood against him in the ring. Brody was a man that you would never want to cross.

It wasn't uncommon for Bruiser Brody to punch his opponents for real. He was a loose cannon, and no one could tell him what to do. Unfortunately for Brody, his wild ways would eventually lead to his death.

On the night of July 17, 1988, Bruiser Brody was stabbed to death in a shower stall by Jose Gonzalez. The incident took place in Puerto Rico, and the reasons for the assault aren't completely clear. However, most people believe that Gonzalez was getting revenge for all the times that Brody was uncooperative.

When the case was brought up in a Puerto Rican Court, Jose Gonzalez was acquitted of all charges.