Top Wrestlers Who Came Back From Neck Injuries

• Broke his neck after a frog splash from Eddie Guerrero.
• He was forced to retire from WWE in 2011.
• He returned at the 2020 Royal Rumble and wrestles today in AEW.

Adam Copeland suffered a broken neck all the way back in 2002 after a Frog Splash from Eddie Guerrero while he was lying on a ladder. His body went numb, but he continued to work at the time, with the issue slowly chipping away at him until he had surgery. By the time 2011 rolled around, Copeland's body had given up, and that led to him retiring from the business in an emotional and unexpected moment.

Most people presumed he was done forever due to how long he spent out of the ring, yet everything changed during the 2020 Royal Rumble match. Copeland's iconic music hit, and the WWE Universe went wild as they realized what was happening. The WWE Hall of Famer battled back from his neck issues and continues wrestling today as part of AEW.

Nikki Bella

• Her Rack Attack finisher led to a herniated disc.
• Nikki Bella had bone fusion surgery to fix her issue.
• Bella was almost paralyzed due to her injury.

Nikki Bella is another WWE Hall of Famer who is currently working despite having a serious neck injury. She suffered a herniated disc on the C6/C7 vertebrae in 2016, which ended up being such a serious issue that she was almost paralyzed. It was a serious situation, proving just how dangerous the sport is, despite how many people claimed that Divas didn't push themselves.

Nikki's injury occurred because of her finisher, the Rack Attack. Each time she hit the move, pressure built up on her neck, eventually causing too much friction. This caused her to sustain an injury that almost forced her never to wrestle again.

Steve Austin

• Austin was seriously hurt from a piledriver by Owen Hart.
• He suffered a bruised spinal cord and temporary paralysis.
• He wrestled against doctors' orders until 2003.

Steve Austin is one of the biggest names in wrestling history, and that often leads people to focus on his brilliant career. However, that can lead to people forgetting that he suffered a neck injury in 1997 after a botched Piledriver from Owen Hart. It remains one of the scariest spots in WWE history, as fans could see Austin lose the ability to move, which is a reminder of how serious injuries can be with wrestling.

Austin went on to have fusion surgery in 1999, and despite being advised to retire, he continued to work. He had to deal with pain from this situation, proving how much he loved professional wrestling and how resilient he was.

Saraya

• Mercedes Mone injured Saraya during a WWE match in 2017.
• Saraya didn't blame Mercedes Mone for the injury.
• She returned and became the AEW Women's Champion.

Many wrestling fans presumed Saraya's in-ring career was over when she suffered a neck injury in 2017 during a live event. Saraya was kicked from behind by Mercedes Mone when they both worked for WWE, with the situation leading to Saraya requiring surgery for C5, C6, and C7 vertebrae fusion, which led to her having six screws put in her neck.

However, in 2022, the unthinkable happened when she stepped back inside a wrestling ring to compete again for the first time. Her neck had healed with time and was strong enough to wrestle again, eventually becoming AEW Women's World Champion.

Sting

• He was hurt by a buckle bomb by Seth Rollins.
• Sting's injury brought an end to his in-ring work for WWE.
• He only competed in tag team matches for AEW.

Fans could see Sting's neck injury occur in real time after a Buckle Bomb caused an issue during a match against Seth Rollins. It was an emotional moment as the WCW icon struggled to stand on his own two feet in the match, and that led to him ending his career when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Fans thought that was because he couldn't wrestle again, yet AEW shocked everyone by having him return. While Sting started a little slow, with a controlled cinematic match, it didn't take him long to find his groove. He ended up having some of his wildest moments in a wrestling ring during his AEW career, as Sting would constantly be involved in crazy bumps that someone once forced into retirement was never expected to do.

Kurt Angle

• Angle won an Olympic gold medal with a broken neck.
• Three of his neck injuries happened in WWE
• The injuries led to him becoming addicted to pain medication.

When it comes to neck injuries, Kurt Angle took the gold medal as he suffered five throughout his career. It was a constant issue for him over the years, dating back to before he even stepped into a WWE ring. His first significant neck injury took place during his amateur career, and it's widely known that he won an Olympic gold medal with a broken neck.

Angle battled through a lot of pain during his in-ring career due to his neck, which was one of the reasons he ended up suffering from addictions to pain medication. The WWE Hall of Famer pushed himself and his body to its limit with his intense style, but he is proof that wrestlers can sometimes fight through neck problems.

Hardcore Holly

• His broken neck came at the hands of a Brock Lesnar powerbomb
• WWE turned the situation into a storyline when he returned.
• Holly wanted revenge on Lesnar and vowed to end his career.

Hardcore Holly's neck break was one he suffered during a match against Brock Lesnar when a powerbomb from the young wrestler went wrong. Holly was sidelined for a year in a moment that could easily have ended his career. Still, fortunately, the WWE veteran was able to return and continue working after a lot of rehabilitation and work.

Holly returned to the ring and wrestled against Lesnar once again, and WWE created a revenge storyline based on the injury. He vowed to end Lesnar's career as part of the storyline that WWE presented. While that didn't happen, Holly and WWE managed to make the best of the difficult situation, with the main positive simply being that he could wrestle again.

Bryan Danielson

• A neck injury caused him to drop the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
• His neck injuries forced him into retirement in 2016.
• Danielson has had stem cell surgery to help.

Bryan Danielson's neck issues were widely documented at the time, mainly because he had finally reached the pinnacle of the business when the problem struck. He was forced to vacate the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and ultimately retire from in-ring competition for a while before shocking the world and returning to the ring. It allowed him one final run in WWE before eventually joining AEW.

He still deals with neck issues, so he also called time on his AEW career. Danielson opted to focus on his long-term health and being able to live an everyday life with his decision to retire,as the pain still caused him issues.