From the most gruesome to the seemingly small injuries that ended careers, this list will examine the 10 most devastating injuries in WCW history.

WCW saw its fair share of bone-crunching injuries that have left fans gasping in horror. From torn ligaments to broken bones, the injuries suffered by WCW wrestlers have been both devastating and heart-wrenching. Although some injuries like Bret Hart's and Sid Vicious' are well-known others have been forgotten with time.

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From the most gruesome to the seemingly small injuries that ended careers, this list will examine the 10 most devastating injuries in the history of WCW.

Mick Foley, known by several wrestling names including Cactus Jack, suffered a famous injury during a match in Munich, Germany. While caught in the ropes, he had a portion of his ear ripped off but managed to save the cartilage and have it reattached that same day.

Foley's injury was as Cactus Jack, one of his wrestling monikers, and it is arguably his most well-known injury.

Buff Bagwell suffered a serious injury during a Thunder match with Rick Steiner due to a failed diving bulldog maneuver. Despite interference from Rick Steiner's brother leading to a victory for Bagwell, he suffered from spinal shock syndrome and multiple vertebrae fractures.

Although he eventually returned to wrestling, Bagwell spent a significant amount of time in a wheelchair due to his injuries. It was one of the worst injuries that ever took place on Thunder.

On a WCW Thunder episode in December 1999, Goldberg was supposed to chase and damage an nWo limousine with a metal pipe. Although he managed to break some windows, he accidentally dropped the pipe and punched the third window with his bare hand, causing a deep cut.

This injury required a five-month recovery time and nearly resulted in the amputation of his arm due to excessive blood loss.

Bret Hart and Goldberg have had a longstanding feud. Most fans know that Hart's career as a wrestler came to an abrupt end thanks to a botched kick from Goldberg at Starrcade.

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The kick resulted in a severe concussion and post-concussion syndrome, leading to Hart's retirement shortly after. Despite a controversial victory over Goldberg, Hart's injuries were considered too brutal for him to continue wrestling, and he ultimately relinquished his title on January 16, 2000 and officially retired later that year.

Jim Cornette suffered a serious knee injury when he fell 20 feet from a scaffold at Starrcade 1986. Cornette was supposed to land safely in the arms of Big Bubba Rogers, but he misjudged the distance and fell too far.

Despite needing surgery, Cornette continued to manage in the industry. In typical Cornette fashion, he ended up using it as a storyline and it was one of the many times a manager was injured pulling a stunt in wrestling.

Rick Rude, a member of the WCW roster, was involved in a feud with Sting for the WCW International Heavyweight Championship while touring Japan. However, the feud was cut short due to an unfortunate injury. During the match, Sting executed a backdrop on Rude, causing him to hit his lower back on the entrance ramp.

Though the injury may not have looked severe, it had a lasting impact on Rude's career, limiting him to only a few matches afterward. This injury was a significant blow to both the wrestler's physical health and his professional aspirations.

The British Bulldog's wrestling career was cut short due to a back injury caused by an unforeseen trapdoor meant for a later surprise in the show. The Ultimate Warrior's disappearance through the trapdoor was intended to entertain fans, but Bulldog collided with it during an earlier match and suffered an injury that limited his mobility. Bulldog would eventually return to the WWE in 1999, but it was clear he had lost a step.

Not only did the injury affect his career, but the injury also likely contributed to Bulldog's addition to painkillers that ended up costing him his life.

Three-time World Heavyweight Champion in WCW, Vader, is a beloved wrestler that was finally inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022. Despite his immense size and strength, he was a very safe wrestler.

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Joe Thurman was, unfortunately, not one of the wrestlers who left the ring safely after jobbing for Vader. During a 1992 tag team match at Halloween Havoc, Vader powerbombed Thurman, breaking his back and causing temporary paralysis. Thurman was able to recover but was sidelined for a long time.

On February 1990, Clash of the Champions X took place in Corpus Christi, Texas, attracting 3,000 fans. The event's main draw was a six-man tag team steel cage match where The Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson & Ric Flair) defeated Gary Hart International (Buzz Sawyer, The Dragon Master & The Great Muta).

The Horsemen experienced a roster shake-up before the match, resulting in Sting being replaced by Ole Anderson. This angered Sting, who interfered in the match, setting up a future feud with Ric Flair. Unfortunately, Sting blew out his knee jumping onto the cage that sidelined, and almost completely derailed his career.

Sid Vicious suffered a career-ending injury during WCW's Sin 2001 event. The injury occurred because Vicious was asked to perform an aerial maneuver despite protests from WCW officials that he was not suited for them.

It was one of the most horrifying injuries in the history of wrestling. This also ended up being the end of Vicious' career as the multi-time world champion never competed at a high level ever again. The injury has been played over and over again on the internet and needless to say, someone at WCW massively screwed up in letting Sid attempt such a move.

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