2022 & 9 Other Years Cursed By Injuries In Wrestling

Professional wrestling is a highly physically demanding sport where wrestlers put their bodies on the line for the sake of the entertainment of the fans. Therefore, injuries are part and parcel of the career of a professional wrestler. While some wrestlers get serious injuries that keep them away from the ring for a lengthy period, some even get career-ending injuries.

With the growth of professional wrestling over the past few decades, and promotions like WWE having a hectic house show schedule, there have been many years when wrestlers have gotten injured more than usual in a particular year, and here are some of the injury-prone years of professional wrestling.

10 2022

From the perspective of the growth of professional wrestling, 2022 was a stupendous year. However, the year was also filled with some horrific injuries of wrestlers in different wrestling companies.

CM Punk was certainly the most notable name to be injured this year, as he had to relinquish the AEW World Championship right after he won the gold. Cody Rhodes was another big name whose pec injury forced them to be away from the ring after his incredible return to WWE. Becky Lynch had a shoulder separation, forcing her to be out of action for over three months. Big E's neck injury in March has put a question mark on whether he will ever wrestle or not.

9 2019

2019 was a fruitful year for WWE and professional wrestling in general. While women main-evented WrestleMania for the first time, the beginning of AEW marked a new era in pro-wrestling. However, 2019 was filled with some injuries of big names.

Ronda Rousey broke her wrist in the main event of WrestleMania 35. John Cena also got injured at the beginning of 2019, failing to compete at Royal Rumble. In addition, the likes of Samoa Joe, Ember Moon, Jeff Hardy, Nia Jax, etc. were on the long injury list.

8 2016

2016 was a decent year with WWE's attempt of building new stars. But it was a year with some major injuries to big stars forcing them to miss months.

Finn Balor's injury was certainly the most well-remembered injury from 2016, as he popped his shoulder and had to forfeit the Universal Championship after becoming the inaugural champion. At the beginning of the year, John Cena had shoulder surgery. Paige suffered a career-threatening neck injury in 2016. Also, wrestlers like Randy Orton, Sasha Banks, Bray Wyatt, and Roman Reigns suffered injuries that year.

7 1999

1999 was one of the peak years of the WWE. It was a game-changing year, helping WWE to reach a new height with the Attitude Era. On the other hand, WCW was still going strong in 1999, and the fans certainly enjoyed Monday Night Wars every week.

Unfortunately, the year was also cursed with some major injuries. Bret Hart's career ended following his injury against Goldberg at WCW Starrcade. Stone Cold Steve Austin, the biggest star in wrestling at that time, was forced to take time off for neck surgery. The Undertaker also dealt with a groin injury and then a torn pectoral muscle, which kept him away from the action for eight months.

6 2015

While 2016 was loaded with some injuries, the previous year was even more severe. While some wrestling injuries were extremely serious, a couple of injuries were career-ending.

Daniel Bryan, who became the top main event level star in WWE at the time, had a concussion-related issue, forcing him out of action for three years. Seth Rollins was enjoying an incredible run as the WWE Champion until suffering a knee injury in 2015, which made him miss nine months of in-ring action. Tyson Kidd's spinal cord injury in 2015 ended his wrestling career. Moreover, the legendary Sting's WWE run came to an abrupt end after suffering a neck injury. John Cena also broke his nose that year.

5 2018

The tight schedule of the WWE takes a toll on the body, so wrestlers get injured more frequently. 2018 was a year that was filled with some unexpected injuries.

Triple H tore his pectoral muscle while wrestling at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. Becky Lynch got injured in the face following a legit punch from Nia Jax, which proved to be a huge moment in the former's career. Also, the likes of Sami Zayn, Braun Strowman, Alexa Bliss, Jason Jordon, etc. were on the injury list.

4 2003

2003 was a year to remember for WWE with a bunch of new stars on the block. Also, the success of the Ruthless Aggression Era began that year. While the WWE roster was filled with some great talents and the company delivered outstanding pay-per-views, the year was cursed by injuries.

At WrestleMania 19, Brock Lesnar botched a Shooting Star Press to pick up a nasty concussion. Kurt Angle also had a neck injury that year. Triple H suffered a groin injury in 2003, while Edge also had a serious neck injury, sidelining him for almost a year.

3 2010

2010 started a new decade in professional wrestling. Despite the commercial success, the year was stacked with some terrible injuries of top names in the industry.

It was an awful year for Triple H, who suffered a neck injury as well as a bicep injury. The Undertaker got injured by Rey Mysterio in the same year. John Cena, CM Punk, and Beth Phoenix were significant names to be on the list of injured wrestlers in 2010.

2 2011

Wrestling fans would remember 2011 as one of the worst years to be hit by injuries. The most memorable one was certainly Edge's career-threatening neck injury. He was forced to retire in his prime, leaving fans in shock.

Besides Edge, major names such as CM Punk, Triple H, and Maryse got injured in 2011.

1 2007

WWE consisted of many colossal stars in 2007, with John Cena becoming the face of the company. But the Leader of the Cenation also had a serious injury in 2007. He tore his right pectoral muscle, which sidelined him for a long time.

Triple H's old quad injury happened again in 2007 after a gap of six years. Shawn Michaels was out for five months after a knee injury in 2007, and Rey Mysterio had to undergo three surgeries following a bicep injury in the same year. The Undertaker and Bobby Lashley were also on the injured list.