WWE: 5 Wrestling Moves That Nearly Paralyzed Wrestlers

Wrestling is scripted, but injuries are real. These five WWE moves came frighteningly close to ending careers or even worse in the ring.

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1. Brock Lesnar’s Shooting Star Press – WrestleMania XIX (2003)

Brock Lesnar was 295 pounds, not exactly the size you'd expect to see flying through the air. But at WrestleMania XIX, Lesnar attempted a Shooting Star Press (a backflip off the top rope) in his match against Kurt Angle. He under-rotated and landed square on his head and neck.

Lesnar suffered a severe concussion and compressed his neck. He admitted later he didn’t remember the end of the match. Doctors said he was lucky not to be paralyzed or worse. That one move ended his days of high-flying forever.

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2. D-Lo Brown’s Running Powerbomb – 1999 (vs. Droz)

This was one of WWE’s most tragic in-ring accidents. During a SmackDown taping in October 1999, D-Lo Brown attempted a Running Powerbomb on Droz. Something went wrong, either a mistimed lift or a grip issue, and Droz landed awkwardly on his neck.

He suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury and was left paralyzed from the neck down. Droz never blamed D-Lo, calling it a freak accident, but the Powerbomb was immediately scrutinized. It remains one of the darkest moments in WWE history.

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3. Stone Cold Steve Austin’s Piledriver Bump – SummerSlam 1997

The match was going great until the finish. Owen Hart hit Austin with a sit-out Tombstone Piledriver, but instead of tucking Austin’s head properly between his thighs, he executed it with Austin’s head extended.

Austin’s neck was driven straight into the mat. The result? A broken neck and temporary paralysis in his limbs. Austin managed to roll up Hart for a rushed finish, but his career was never the same. He eventually retired in 2003 due to consistent neck issues. 

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4. Cesaro’s Turnbuckle Impact – No Mercy 2017 (vs. Rollins & Ambrose)

During a tag match at No Mercy, Cesaro went for a slingshot into the corner but landed mouth-first on the exposed ring post. His two front teeth were shoved several millimeters up into his gums. While not a neck injury, doctors noted that with a slightly different angle or more force, Cesaro could’ve fractured his facial bones near the brain stem, which could have led to a life-altering or paralyzing result.

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5. Ridge Holland’s Belly-to-Belly Suplex – NXT 2021 (vs. Johnny Gargano)

In a September 2021 NXT match, Ridge Holland delivered a belly-to-belly suplex to Johnny Gargano. The angle was wrong. Gargano landed squarely on his neck and shoulder, and viewers could instantly tell something was off. He laid motionless for a moment, then somehow finished the match.

Afterward, he admitted he couldn’t feel parts of his body for several minutes. Had the angle been slightly worse, doctors said he could’ve faced spinal trauma.