Life after an injury can be tough for wrestlers to continue making strides forward in their careers. A poorly-timed brutal injury presents the possibility of a wrestler never being able to overcome it when they return. Quite a few noteworthy talents were never able to bounce back and continue progressing in the industry.
The wrestlers involved range from talents who were top stars when suffering the injuries to rising names that saw their potentials left unfulfilled. Unfortunate luck in wrestling puts a cap on what a talent can accomplish if their prime is curt short. Find out which names just couldn’t rebound from injuries, as they were never as good when they returned.
10 Sycho Sid
The success of Sycho Sid saw him achieve great things in both WWE and WCW. Sid main evented both WrestleMania and Starrcade events in his career to showcase just how pivotal he was during the Monday Night Wars.
The end of Sid’s WCW run came in 2001, when he suffered the ugly leg injury that fans still talk about to this day. Sid came out of retirement on the independent circuit, but he was slower than ever, so he didn't receive a WWE or TNA offer.
9 Road Warrior Animal
The early ‘90s run of the Legion of Doom ended when Road Warrior Animal suffered a terrible back injury and Hawk left the company. Animal was unsure he’d ever wrestle again when taking time off to rehab.
Three years out of the ring felt even longer back then, leading to huge hype for Animal’s return. The Road Warriors had solid runs in WCW and WWE, but the tag team was never the top act again. Animal’s injury limited him compared to the peak of the duo.
8 Dolph Ziggler
WWE found success with Dolph Ziggler winning the Money in the Bank briefcase and cashing it in to become World Champion with an all-time great crowd response. The aftermath saw Ziggler getting injured to miss a few weeks of television without defending the title.
Ziggler returned and lost the title just a few weeks after his big moment. WWE lost all confidence in Dolph and his career was never the same. The physical wellbeing of Ziggler was not as dire as other names on the list, but he never performed at the highest level.
7 Joey Mercury
The tag team run of John Morrison and Joey Mercury with Melina managing them led to huge success for all three. Each wrestler proved they could thrive on the main roster when working together and getting called up from developmental.
Mercury suffered a horrible face injury during one of his stints in MNM that was meant to last longer. The ladder match moment is still discussed today with Mercury’s facial injuries hurting his career. WWE never viewed him the same and his career stalled afterwards.
6 Kerry Von Erich
Wrestling fans of the territory days saw Kerry Von Erich become a star in Texas. However, the career of Von Erich could have been a lot more successful when looking at his skill set. A car accident led to injuries that changed his career forever.
The right foot of Kerry was amputated along with a couple of other severe injuries following him around for years. Von Erich did not reveal the severity of the injuries despite his work taking a hit. WWE signed him to play the Texas Tornado, but he was never at his best during the short stint.
5 Bret Hart
The reckless nature of Goldberg in WCW basically ended The Hitman's career with a stiff kick. Bret was working a feud with Goldberg for the WCW Championship where he suffered the injury that limited him in the ring.
The rest of Hart's matches were nowhere near his best work before he decided to take some time off. Bret realized the severity of the injury and retired from the ring. The one return stint in WWE for a feud against Vince McMahon gave him closure, but he was clearly nowhere near as capable between the ropes.
4 Scott Steiner
WCW fans witnessed the rise of Scott Steiner as a main eventer in the final years of the company’s run. Steiner hoped to have another main event stint when signing with WWE in 2002 after his former contract expired.
The first storyline with Triple H completely sank Steiner’s value and he suffered an injury shortly after. Steiner's return saw him nowhere near what fans expected. Steiner taking a hit made him a slower wrestler that now got by on personality without the in-ring skills and athleticism.
3 Christian
The unfortunate luck of Christian ended his career in a way no wrestler wants. Christian was coming off arguably the best run of his career in 2011 after winning the World Championship and having a stellar feud against Randy Orton.
WWE was planning to use Christian as an upper mid-carder with the occasional main event match until multiple injuries came up. Christian tried to return a few times, but his body kept failing him. WWE eventually forced Christian to retire when concussions became a bigger health concern.
2 Ahmed Johnson
Vince McMahon expected Ahmed Johnson to become a top main event star for the future of WWE in the New Generation Era. Fans did take to Johnson when he received a push as the Intercontinental Champion despite his lackluster matches.
Ahmed suffered an injury that took him off television, and he lost all momentum moving forward. The return would see Johnson even slower in the ring and no longer having the same fan support. WWE cut Ahmed loose faster than anyone in the company would have expected, and his WCW run was even worse.
1 Brian Pillman
WWE signed Brian Pillman in 1996 as the second wrestler to get a guaranteed contract from the company. Pillman was clearly viewed as a future top star coming off strong WCW and ECW runs playing the Loose Cannon character.
Unfortunately, a broken ankle saw Pillman’s in-ring debut delayed as he started off as a commentator. Pillman was never the same in the ring following the ankle injury and his matches did not provide nearly as much entertainment. WWE ended up using Pillman as a lower mid-carder for the rest of his career.