Dangerous wrestling botches are the moments when pro wrestling’s trust breaks. Two people share a 20-foot ring, hit moves that look brutal, and get no second take. Almost every night, that trust holds.
These four nights, it didn’t. Each botch below changed a career or a life, and each one still shapes how wrestlers think about risk. I built this list from the performers’ own accounts and contemporary reporting, and I linked every source at the end.
The 4 Botches at a Glance
| Match | Move | What went wrong | Aftermath |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Hart vs. Steve Austin, SummerSlam 1997 | Sitout piledriver | Austin’s head hung too low and took the impact | Temporary paralysis, lasting neck damage, retirement in 2003 |
| D’Lo Brown vs. Droz, SmackDown taping, Oct. 5, 1999 | Running powerbomb | Brown couldn’t get a grip on Droz’s loose shirt, and the jump never synced | Two fractured vertebrae, quadriplegia |
| Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle, WrestleMania 19 | Shooting Star Press | Lesnar under-rotated and landed on his head | Concussion, a near-catastrophe |
| Sid Vicious vs. Scott Steiner and others, WCW Sin 2001 | Second-rope jumping boot | Sid landed on one leg | Compound fracture, an effectively ended full-time career |
1. Owen Hart’s Piledriver on Steve Austin (SummerSlam 1997)
On August 3, 1997, Austin was a few months from becoming the biggest star in wrestling. He challenged Owen Hart for the Intercontinental Championship, with a humiliating stipulation attached to the loss.
Late in the match, Hart set Austin up for a sitout piledriver. In a safe version, the receiver tucks his head high between the attacker’s legs. Austin’s head hung too low, so the top of his skull hit the mat first.
What happened next
Austin lost feeling in his limbs and could barely move. According to accounts of the match, Hart stalled while Austin recovered, and Austin crawled into a roll-up to win the title.
Many outlets call this a broken neck. Some detailed accounts describe a bruised spinal cord instead, so the sources disagree on the exact diagnosis. Everyone agrees on the result: months out of action, and neck problems that never fully went away. Austin retired from full-time wrestling in 2003, then returned for one match at WrestleMania 38 in 2022.
The same sequence had hurt Austin once before, from the other side. In 1992, on a tour of Japan, Austin seriously injured Masahiro Chono’s neck with a similar piledriver. He knew the move’s risks better than most.
WWE banned the piledriver in 2000. Hart’s botch was a major reason, and we cover that in the FAQ below.
2. D’Lo Brown’s Powerbomb on Droz (1999)
Not every disaster happens in front of a pay-per-view audience. On October 5, 1999, Darren “Droz” Drozdov faced D’Lo Brown at a WWF SmackDown taping at Nassau Coliseum. Droz was a former NFL defensive tackle and a 30-year-old in the middle of a push.
Brown’s finisher was a running powerbomb. Droz wore a loose shirt, so Brown couldn’t get a proper grip. Droz also didn’t get the jump that helps the lift. Per multiple reports, Droz landed on his head and fractured two vertebrae in his neck.
Aftermath
- Injury: Droz was left a quadriplegic, though he later regained some movement in his upper body and arms.
- No blame: Mick Foley wrote that Droz, lying on a stretcher, told Brown not to blame himself. Both men said for years that it was an accident.
- Friendship: Brown and Droz reunited publicly in 2018. Droz died of natural causes on June 30, 2023, at age 54, according to his family’s statement.
Want more wrestling history? Read our ranking of every Undertaker WrestleMania streak match or how Bray Wyatt rewrote the rules of wrestling.
3. Brock Lesnar’s Shooting Star Press (WrestleMania 19)
On March 30, 2003, a 25-year-old Lesnar main-evented WrestleMania 19 against Kurt Angle. In Ohio Valley Wrestling, he had hit the Shooting Star Press often, back when he was much lighter. Late in the match, he went for it again.
He didn’t make it. In his book, Lesnar says his boot slipped off the wet top rope, and he under-rotated and crashed head-first. He suffered a concussion and says he doesn’t remember finishing the match.
Angle has a story of his own. His neck was broken that night, and he had surgery within days. Even so, he guided a dazed Lesnar through the finish. Lesnar hit the F-5 and left with the WWE Championship.
Lesnar later called the attempt foolish and said he felt pushed toward a “WrestleMania moment.” Angle has given a different account of whose idea the move was, so the full story is murky. Lesnar’s career went on to last two more decades, and Angle’s TNA years came later too. Our breakdown of Kurt Angle’s TNA run covers that chapter.
4. Sid Vicious’s Leg Break (WCW Sin 2001)
At nearly seven feet tall, Sid built his career on size and intimidation, not flying. At WCW Sin on January 14, 2001, he faced Scott Steiner, Jeff Jarrett, and a mystery partner revealed as Road Warrior Animal in a four-corners title match.
Sid says WCW’s booker that night, John Laurinaitis, suggested a second-rope move. Sid jumped. Steiner didn’t move the way Sid expected, and Sid landed on his left leg. It snapped, a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula, live on pay-per-view.
Sid needed surgery, then rehab several days a week for about a year. By his own account, doctors told him he would never run again. The injury effectively ended his run as a full-time main-eventer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a botch in pro wrestling?
A botch is any move that goes wrong from bad timing, miscommunication, slippery gear, or a mistake in execution. Most are small. A few, like the four above, cause real injuries.
Is the piledriver banned in WWE?
WWE banned the piledriver in 2000, citing head and neck safety. The Undertaker and Kane kept using the Tombstone. Stephanie McMahon told Congress in 2007 that only two wrestlers had that permission, because they had done the move for years and knew how to do it safely.
Did Droz blame D’Lo Brown?
No. Droz said repeatedly that it was an accident, and Brown has said neither man was at fault.
Did Stone Cold Steve Austin wrestle again after his neck injury?
Yes, for years. He kept wrestling through 2003 in a more brawl-heavy style, then returned for a no-holds-barred match against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38.
About Gaurav Sharma
I am Gaurav Sharma, founder and the only writer at Wrestling Nightmare. I live in Punjab, India. I have watched professional wrestling since 2000, and for the last 15 years I have followed dirtsheet reporting and the difference between what is shown on screen and what is reported from backstage. I write explainers and labeled opinion on WWE, AEW, and TNA. I credit the outlet that broke a story, and I do not publish unsourced salary figures or private family pieces.
contact@wrestlingnightmare.com
