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Pro wrestling is fake.

That statement was one of the most closely guarded secrets in the world until the WWE came along. Once cartoon gimmicked wrestlers, high flyers, unrealistic moves, and ridiculous storylines started to emerge the writing was on the wall as far as fans believing it was real. Don’t get me wrong it is a brutal theater full of blood, bumps, and bruises. These guys sacrifice a lot for our entertainment and we all appreciate what they have to give. There are times when real life injuries occur and PMN takes a look now at the 7 most memorable.

7. Kevin Nash blows a quad in 2002 on RAW

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Kevin Nash is a polarizing figure in pro wrestling. You either like him or hate him. His booking has been blamed for the downfall of WCW along with Vince Russo. He booked himself to end Goldberg’s streak so do the math. He is also a reason that the WCW first exploded during the attitude era due to the formation of the NWO. It was his return to the WWE that helped him make this list though. During a simple step over of a downed opponent Nash fell to the ground after apparently tearing his quad. He is second in quad tear skill only to number 6 on this list.

6. Vince McMahon tears both quads just by walking at the 2005 Royal Rumble

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The corporate face of the WWE had to come to the ring in 2005 when the planned finish to the Royal Rumble match was botched to try and save it. On his way to the ring he manages to tear both quads and outdoes Kevin Nash in one fell swoop. No joke, he was reportedly so angry he ignored the pain and gave them a tongue lashing.

A longer look

5. Dynamite Kid injures his back stepping over opponent in 1986

This was the match that essentially led to the Dynamite Kid’s eventual retirement. In a match against Cowboy Bob Orton and Don Muraco, Dynamite Kid has to leap over one of his opponents laying on the mat. When he does he injures his back and to make matters worse he receives a knee to the back right after. He laid on the mat for the remainder of the match.

4. Owen Hart breaks Steve Austin’s neck

This is painful to watch. In a match with Owen Hart at the 1997 SummerSlam PPV Steve’s head was about 4-6 inches past where it should have been meaning he really took this piledriver. Owen never apologized and later died in an in-ring accident of his own.

 

3. Goldberg ends Bret Hart’s career with a nasty kick and then a chain of concussions at Starrcade 1999

This is the kick that ended Bret Hart’s career. After receiving this botched kick (it being the initial concussion), Hart suffered a chain of concussions during the course of this match that caused him to have post-concussion syndrome. Though he was not immediately aware of how severe the concussion was, he retired five matches later after learning of his situation. It happened at Starrcade 1999.

2. Sid Eudy’s leg snaps (Not for the squeamish)

Holy crap this is nasty. I saw this happen live, but it still makes my blood run cold. While defending his title, Vicious climbed the top rope in preparation to deliver a huge boot to the face of an unlucky SOB. He lands awkwardly and his leg snaps, just hanging there like a piece of rubber. Gross.

1. Owen Hart falls to his death during Over the Edge PPV in 1999

This is the single most talked about injury and has been since it happened. Others like Vince McMahon’s quad tear have been the subject of many jokes, but this one was so special to fans for many reasons. Owen was considered one of the most likable, funniest, and of course talented performers on the roster. His death changed the landscape of the WWE and was one of the first times bad guys could be seen openly crying as they paid tribute to Owen. Wikipedia has the following that is reportedly the final, and official story.

Owen Hart was scheduled to face The Godfather for the WWF Intercontinental Championship during the event. Wrestling under his Blue Blazer gimmick, Hart was to make a superhero-like ring entrance, which would have seen him descend from the arena rafters into the ring. He was, however, released prematurely when the harness line malfunctioned, and fell more than 70 feet (21 m) into the ring and died. Criticism later arose over the WWF’s decision to continue the show after Hart’s accident.In court, the Hart family sued the organization, contending that poor planning of the dangerous stunt caused Owen’s death. WWF settled the case out of court, paying US$18 million to the Hart family.Due to the accident and controversy surrounding the event the Over the Edge event was retired.The event was also not released for home video viewing until the launch of the WWE Network in 2014.

There is no footage of the fall, but here is the best collection of news stories that covered the tragic death.

Bret speaks about him on WCW TV shortly after:

Honorable mentions: John Cena tears his pectoral muscle, Triple H tears his Quad, and Drozdov is paralyzed by D-Lo Brown. Bret Hart suffers broken ribs, collapsed lungs.

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