10 professional wrestling might have predetermined outcomes, but those outcomes only matter if the athletes actually stick to the script. As you’re about to discover, that isn’t always the case. Whether a stiff blow is used to remind a rival of the backstage hierarchy, an over‑zealous chair strike lands on a head, or a bout devolves into a genuine life‑threatening assault, anything can happen once the script is tossed out the window, often with disastrous results.
This list showcases some of the most extreme and graphic incidents ever captured inside a wrestling ring. If you’re uneasy about graphic violence against both men and women, now is the perfect moment to look away.
10 professional wrestling: When the Script Falls Apart
10 The Stardom Incident
Famously remembered as a nightmarish bout in Japan, the showdown between Act Yasukawa and Yoshiko was slated to be the main‑event title clash for the women’s promotion Stardom. Instead of a clean, scripted contest, the encounter erupted into a real‑life brawl that made national headlines and ultimately ended one wrestler’s career. Early in the match, the diminutive Act seemed to land a genuine punch on Yoshiko’s face; Yoshiko retaliated with a barrage of serious blows that turned the contest into a horror‑show, leaving Act’s visage brutally battered.
When officials finally intervened, Act was diagnosed with a broken cheekbone, a fractured orbital bone, and a shattered nose that required immediate surgery. Those injuries forced her into retirement, and the fallout mandated that medical personnel be present at every subsequent Stardom match. Yoshiko faced an indefinite ban from Stardom, though she continued to find work with other Japanese promotions.
9 Mick Foley Gets Hit in the Head with a Chair Eleven Times
Back in 2010, WWE instituted a ban on direct chair shots to the head in an effort to curb concussions and potential brain damage. Unfortunately for Mick Foley, this rule arrived a full eleven years too late. During a match with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Foley agreed to endure five chair blows while the two wrestlers moved around the arena, but the chaotic chase resulted in a staggering eleven unprotected strikes to his scalp.
The relentless assault left Foley with a deep gash that bled profusely, all while his wife and young children watched in stunned silence. Though he only required stitches, the incident marked the beginning of a decline for the hardcore legend, as he later began experiencing noticeable memory issues.
8 Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle Nearly Gets Arm Broken
In an attempt to capture the early‑2000s reality‑TV craze, WWE launched the Tough Enough series, where hopeful wrestlers competed in live challenges for a million‑dollar contract. One such challenge pitted Olympic gold‑medalist Kurt Angle against a contestant named Daniel Pruder, an experienced MMA fighter.
Pruder managed to lock Angle into a kimura, twisting his arm painfully backward. Sensing disaster, WWE officials abruptly called the match in Angle’s favor, claiming a pin had occurred during the hold. Both participants later offered wildly different accounts, but the referee confirmed the decision was made to protect Angle’s arm—and his pride.
7 Big Van Vader Loses an Eye, Puts It Back In
Big Van Vader, a colossal force in the ring, was notorious for occasionally landing real punches. His opponent, Stan Hansen, shared the same penchant. When they clashed in 1990, the two exchanged brutal blows until Vader suddenly pulled off his mask, revealing a shocking sight: his eye had literally popped out of its socket.
Defying logic, Vader pushed the wayward eye back into place and continued the melee, pausing intermittently to reposition it as it kept slipping out during the exchange. The gruesome spectacle lasted a harrowing twelve minutes before the match naturally concluded. Vader later required surgery to preserve his vision.
6 Wrestler Pulls off His Mask, Nearly Gets His Neck Snapped
For many luchadores, the mask is sacrosanct. El Santo, for instance, guarded his identity so fiercely that he arranged secret travel plans to keep customs officials from seeing his face. The only time he ever removed the mask on television was days before his death from a heart attack. In a similar vein, the wrestler known as Dirtbike Kid entered a “mask‑off” loser‑takes‑the‑mask match against Great Sasuke.
Defiantly, Dirtbike Kid ripped off his mask before the bout even began, nullifying any stakes the promoters had built. He then ignored Sasuke’s staged attacks until the Great Sasuke escalated to a genuine assault, locking Dirtbike Kid in a brutal neck‑wrench choke. The pain was audible as Dirtbike Kid screamed, and Sasuke was declared the victor, effectively ending Dirtbike Kid’s career.
5 Audience Member Whips a Nine‑Volt Battery at Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels, now a legend, was once labeled a bit of a prima donna in the 1990s. Ahead of WrestleMania 14, he was slated to lose the championship to Steve Austin—a decision he loathed. Rumors swirled that The Undertaker was on standby to “convince” him to comply.
While Michaels eventually agreed to the loss, chaos erupted during the filming of a promotional video when an audience member hurled a nine‑volt battery into the ring, striking Shawn squarely on his forehead. Already irked by the upcoming defeat, Michaels exited the arena, leaving fans to wonder if this incident would derail the multi‑million‑dollar spectacle. Ultimately, he performed his part, but the battery incident nearly derailed the entire show.
4 Asuka Purposefully Has the Most Uncomfortable Match Ever
During a mixed tag bout, Asuka teamed with Naomichi against Meiko and Minoru Suzuki. The match proceeded normally until Asuka entered the ring with her idol, Suzuki, who opened with a terrifying head‑butt and proceeded to deliver a series of stiff punches and kicks that appeared unequivocally real.
Despite the other wrestlers’ attempts to intervene, Suzuki persisted until he finally pinned Asuka. The brutality seemed unprovoked, but in truth Asuka had orchestrated the ordeal. She admired Suzuki’s stiff style and specifically asked him to hold nothing back, wanting to showcase just how vicious a match could become. Suzuki obliged, delivering a beating that left viewers horrified.
3 Wendi Richter Gets Cheated by the Company
Wendi Richter may not be as instantly recognizable as Hulk Hogan, yet in the 1980s she stood among the top female talent, holding the women’s championship and poised for a lucrative contract renewal. Her fate took a dark turn when she was booked against a mysterious newcomer dubbed the Spider Lady—a figure no one had ever seen before.
Fans and announcers soon realized the Spider Lady was none other than The Fabulous Moolah, concealed behind a mask. Despite promises that Richter would win, Moolah rolled her up and was declared the new champion, even as Richter kicked out and tried to continue the match. In protest, Richter seized the belt and refused to hand it over, effectively ending her run with the company. She never wrestled for WWE again, only returning decades later for a Hall of Fame induction.
2 Katsuyori Shibata’s Life‑Changing Headbutt
In Japanese wrestling, headbutts are a staple of hard‑hitting drama, and Katsuyori Shibata had built a reputation for delivering them with bone‑crushing force. That reputation shattered during his bout with Kazuchika Okada for NJPW, when Shibata executed his signature head‑butt, cracking Okada’s skull and simultaneously bursting open his own.
The impact caused a subdural hematoma, leading to bleeding in Shibata’s brain. As the match progressed, he became increasingly paralyzed on his right side, losing the ability to walk and speak. Okada eventually delivered a final massive strike and secured the pin. Shibata attempted to exit the arena but collapsed before reaching the exit. After multiple emergency surgeries and months of rehabilitation, he regained the ability to walk and talk, later appearing at an NJPW event to announce his survival.
1 Owen Hart Falls to His Death During Pay‑Per‑View
Considering the relentless physical toll wrestlers endure, it’s surprising how few lose their lives in the ring. Yet on the night of WWE’s Over the Edge pay‑per‑view in 1999, Owen Hart paid the ultimate price during a stunt that went tragically wrong.
Hart was portraying the Blue Blazer, a comedic superhero persona, and was set to be lowered from the rafters via a harness, then detach and face‑plant into the ring. Unfortunately, the safety equipment released prematurely while Hart was still nearly 80 feet above the arena, causing him to fall chest‑first into the ropes, which catapulted him into the ring in front of the live audience.
Medical personnel rushed him away as the show continued, and it was soon announced that Hart had died from the fall. The Hart family later sued WWE, reaching an out‑of‑court settlement. The Over the Edge broadcast was pulled from re‑air for fifteen years and, when finally shown, the fatal fall was heavily edited out.