10 WWE Careers That Ended Way Too Soon

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WWE career length: 1998-1999

Event --> major injury: the Brawl-For-All disaster --> torn hamstring

Dr. Death was a legitimate tough guy, both inside and outside the ring. And so, when he signed with the WWE in 1998, the company brass decided to put him in the Brawl For All—a shoot fight contest that everyone assumed Williams would win.

This backfired in the worst way possible. First off, the fans didn’t care. It was boring to watch, and even thought it was real fighting, no one thought it was, which defeated the entire purpose. And secondly, everyone got injured. These professional wrestlers were used to putting on athletic performances—not actually fighting. Williams tore his hamstring and got knocked out in his match against Bart Gunn, of all people, and the required recovery time destroyed his momentum. He drifted on the periphery of things until the WWE finally released him from his contract in 1999.

WWE career length: 1988-1989, 1991-1999

Event --> major injury: equipment malfunction --> in-ring death

It’s become a part of WWE lore, almost to the point of overshadowing its victim. But just for the sake of those who are young—Owen Hart, the youngest son (of 12 children) of the legendary Hart family, was performing at the Over The Edge PPV in 1999. He was going to perform a dramatic entrance from the rafters of the arena. But instead, the harness accidentally unbuckled, and Hart, in front of a paying audience, plunged over 70 feet to his death.

It was tragic, avoidable, and utterly senseless. Owen, like everyone else who trained in the Hart family Dungeon, was as technically gifted as you could hope for. And whereas his big brother Bret was more of a "boots on the ground," submission wrestler, Owen was more of a flashy high flyer who could connect with the audience, both as a face and as a heel. We’re left with a lot of "what-ifs" instead of the long, Hall of Fame worthy career he deserved.

WWE career length: 1996-1997

Event --> major injury: car accident --> broken ankle. Pillman also suffered from heart disease. 

An honorary member of the Hart Family, Brian Pillman also practiced in the family Dungeon, and was personally mentored by Stu Hart himself. A longtime member of WCW and ECW, Pillman was a crowd pleaser, with top rope maneuvers and an "unstable" gimmick.

By the time he arrived in the WWE, however, his career was already on its downward trajectory. A prior car accident left him in a coma and shattered his ankle, which forced him to change his wrestling style (something that Daniel Bryan should probably look into if he wants a longer career). He had a brief feud with Stone Cold, which saw him pull a gun on the Texas Rattlesnake. And then, suddenly, Pillman was dead—the unlucky victim of an undetected heart condition.

WWE career length: 2002-2003

Event --> major injury: concussion --> post-concussion syndrome

Nowinski had the looks, the physique, and the mouth to make it far in the WWE. His clean-cut looks made him a natural heel, and he boasted about being a Harvard graduate, which was actually true. He earned a degree in sociology, and was a defensive tackle for Harvard’s football team. As a WWE superstar, Nowinski won the Hardcore Championship, and pissed off arenas with his condescending, Ivy League attitude.

Eventually, however, Nowinski’s love for contact sports and wrestling forced his retirement. He began suffering from post-concussion syndrome—difficulty sleeping, splitting headaches, memory loss—as a result of multiple, undiagnosed head injuries. Since his retirement, Nowinski has become an advocate for concussion-affected athletes, and he has helped advance concussion medical research by seeking out the brain tissue of deceased athletes.

WWE career length: 2010-2012

Event --> major injury: pregnancy issues --> Depression

Most people knew her as Awesome Kong, the undisputed Women’s Champion in TNA. She rolled through the women’s division like a steamroller—it’s hard to assert dominance with anybody, guy or girl, who weighs close to 300 pounds. And when she signed to the WWE and renamed herself Kharma, the WWE fans were excited. They expected her to run through the Diva’s division and lay waste to every one of the "Barbie dolls." But instead, she took off time early in her WWE run to give birth, only to miscarry.

Kharma fell into a dark depression, and the WWE ultimately released her—she only wrestled one match for the company during her time with them. Kharma hold no ill grudge towards the WWE, and considers the release “appropriate.”

WWE career length: 1998-1999

Event --> major injury: fractured neck --> paralysis

Droz was never going to be a main eventer, but the guy was a good worker with a unique gimmick; he would have made an excellent mid-carder and Intercontinental contender.

But all of that ended when D’Lo Brown attempted a running powerbomb on Droz at a Smackdown! show in 1999. It’s not certain who was at fault—for the record, Droz has never blamed D’Lo for the accident. But the bottom line is that Droz landed on his head and fractured his neck in two places. He was, for all intents and purposes, rendered a quadriplegic. In recent years, however, he’s gained some feeling and movement in his torso, and he’s remarkably optimistic and content for someone who was dealt such a bad hand.

WWE career length: 2011-2014 (developmental only)

Event --> major injury: multiple head injuries --> concussions

Just look at that photo. Everything about this man screamed charisma and future superstar. But unfortunately, he didn’t even get out of the gate. Cory Graves was a talented submission wrestler in NXT, and he tussled with Seth Rollins and the Wyatt Family in WWE’s developmental system. But eventually, the injuries piled up, and Cory Graves announced his retirement. The culprit? Concussion issues.

Graves now works as a color commentator for NXT, and although we still get to enjoy his charisma, we miss his unique image and athleticism.

WWE career length: 1984-1997

Event --> major injury: the Montreal Screwjob forced his exit from WWE. He suffered a severe concussion and a stroke while wrestling in the WCW.

Bret truly was “the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.” Bret was a gifted technician, but moreover, he was a safe technician; over the course of his career, he never severely injured any of the wrestlers he worked with.

He left the WWE on horrible terms over the Montreal Screwjob, and then he got a severe concussion from Goldberg in WCW, which ended his career. This was followed by a stroke, which confined the Hitman to a wheelchair until he learned to walk again.

True, Bret had a fairly long career in the WWE. But he never got to have those glorious, golden, twilight years that archrival Shawn Michaels enjoyed. And although Bret recently buried the hatchet with the WWE, we’ll still miss the farewell matches that could have been.

WWE career length: 1995-2003

Event --> major injury: piledriver --> temporary paralysis

Steve Austin’s injury was partially responsible for the ban on piledrivers in the WWE. Owen Hart dropped Austin directly on his head, and it resulted in a broken neck and partial paralysis. He was able to recover after surgery, but from then on, he was wrestling on borrowed time.

He changed styles, from a technical wrestler to a brawler, and he enjoyed main event status for years afterwards. Eventually, however, time caught up with him, and his bad knees were the final straw. Austin retired after Wrestlemania XIX, and although he still comes to the ring every now and then to hand out some Stunners, we miss his crowd pleasing, in-ring work. Austin burned bright for a short amount of time, but imagine what he could have done with more of it.

WWE career length: 1997-2011

Event --> major injury: neck injury --> cervical spinal stenosis

When the Rated-R Superstar entered the ring in his street clothes on April 11, 2011, fans didn’t know what to expect. But they certainly didn’t expect this. Edge wasn’t in character; he was speaking to the WWE Universe as Adam Copeland. His voice was different, his mannerisms were different, and it was jarring to witness.

He laid out the situation; after undergoing an MRI, he was not medically cleared to compete, and he was being forced into retirement; one wrong bump or fall could paralyze him. It was an emotional, tear-jerking farewell, and although it’s too bad that he couldn’t quit on his own terms, we’d rather this than have him sit in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.