Whenever a race comes to an end, it’s always a great moment and unless it’s a decision made by the fighter in question, it’s most likely a negative situation. Sometimes a career coming to an end can be a decision made by someone due to creative issues, due to injury, or behind-the-scenes issues.
Those kinds of situations often lead to unfortunate retirements and WWE races ending in a way no one planned, and that’s always a shame to see. Fighters always want the perfect retreat with meaningful combat, but sometimes that just isn’t a possibility.
10 tyson kid
Tyson Kidd is one of the most talented fighters of his generation and while he was greatly underrated at times, he certainly showed his qualities. He was just starting to really start cooking alongside Cesaro when his career unfortunately came to an end during a dark match against Samoa Joe.
Kidd landed badly receiving a Muscle Buster, and that led to his career coming to an end, and at one point nearly costing him his life, showing the seriousness of the situation. Fortunately, he is able to continue giving back to the business by working behind the scenes as a producer.
9 dr oz
Another person who had a career-ending bump was Droz, which took place at 199 during an episode of SmackDown. He competed against D’Lo Brown and ended up landing on his head after a powerbomb with an incredibly serious situation.
This injury not only brought Droz’s wrestling career to an end, but also resulted in him becoming a quadriplegic, which also completely changed Droz’s life outside of the business.
8 jason jordan
Jason Jordan was getting a big boost when his career came to an end as he was booked as Kurt Angle’s illegitimate son and was poised for a big career as a singles star. The timing of his injury made the whole situation even more disturbing for him and his fans, with most people thinking that his initial injury was just a minor one.
He was pulled from television due to a neck problem while in the middle of a run with Seth Rollins as the Raw Tag Team Champion. However, the injury was something that he has not been able to overcome, as Jordan was unable to return to the ring.
7 Christopher Nowinski
Christopher Nowinski didn’t have a particularly long fighting career in the business, and that’s due to an injury that forced him to withdraw from in-ring competition. Nowinski is someone who had a lot of potential, with his work in the ring showing great skill, but that was not something he was able to continue.
Nowinski took a hit and dealt with post-concussion syndrome that forced him out of the business altogether. However, even though his fighting aspirations came to an end, he has continued to push medical research to help others.
6 alex riley
At one point, Alex Riley seemed like a big name for the future in professional wrestling, considering he got a huge boost working alongside The Miz during his run for the WWE Championship. He then got a push as a babyface and should have become a much bigger name on his own.
However, Riley fell victim to behind-the-scenes politics and an issue with John Cena landed him in trouble. He was sent back to NXT and put on comment, and was eventually released. Riley hasn’t competed since then, which disappointingly ended his contract.
5 corey graves
Corey Graves might be thriving right now as a commentator on the main roster, but when it comes to his in-ring career, things came to an abrupt end. He was hard pressed by the black and gold brand, but a concussion and head problems forced him to hang up his boots.
Seeing him have to make the announcement himself during the pre-show panel of a Takeover event was an emotional one where Graves could be seen incredibly upset about things.
4 Richie steamboat
When NXT was created, Richie Steamboat was someone that most people thought was going to be pushed hard while putting on fantastic performances. At FCW he was the top star, and Ricky Steamboat’s son was someone who excited the company.
Unfortunately, injuries ended his career as a back problem forced him to undergo surgery. The hope was that he would still come back at some point, but he was never able to get back into business.
3 Muhammad Hassan
There are a lot of gimmicks that haven’t worked over the years, but usually when that happens, WWE repackages them and gives them another chance. The character of Muhammad Hassan brought a lot of heat, but the moment just didn’t work, and many found it offensive.
Hassan was a talented professional wrestler inside the ring, but instead of WWE giving him another chance, they buried him and ended up releasing him. The trick wasn’t his choice, and the fact that it cost him his entire career was unfortunate.
two brian pillman
Brian Pillman’s career ended up coming to an end much sooner than initially planned due to, unfortunately, a heart attack that ended his life. It was something that people couldn’t believe, and it was an incident that shook the professional wrestling business to its core.
Nobody wants to see the end of someone’s life like that, especially at such a young age. Pillman’s last moment in wrestling saw him kicked out of the arena by Goldust, which wasn’t a great time to end things the way his career deserved.
1 Owen Hart
The death of Owen Hart is one of the most tragic and unfortunate incidents in the history of the entire wrestling business, and something that should never have happened. The situation was an accident, but seeing someone lose their life in the ring is never a situation that should play out.
Hart’s death is something that is constantly talked about, and led to Martha Hart removing him from all WWE-related content, which is why the company doesn’t talk about his name and legacy. This moment remains the most disturbing point in wrestling history, and it’s something everyone wishes would never happen again.