5 Crazy Wrestling Accidents That Happened Outside The Ring

Pro wrestlers take more risks with their bodies than just about any other profession you can imagine. Yes, wrestling is scripted, but the stunts are very real. WWE Superstars risk their bodies every night they step into the ring.

Some of wrestling’s worst injuries, however, have taken place outside the ring.

It was reported today that former WWE Tag Team Champion, Justin Gabriel, was injured in a horrible BASE jumping accident. The incident would cause him to break his leg, hand and force him to lose a finger. Gabriel had suffered two broken ankles in October from an earlier base jumping accident while in South Africa and will have to miss an undisclosed amount of time due to his injuries.

Gabriel joins a long list of pro wrestling greats who have fallen on unfortunate luck while not performing in front of thousands of adoring fans.

From motorcycling to boating to scissor fights, wrestling history is littered with stories of stars who have jeopardized their career while they were off the clock.

Scroll down to see the five craziest accidents that happened outside the wrestling ring.

Mick Foley loses his teeth

Seeing Mick Foley without teeth just makes sense. Anyone who saw the hardcore legend wrestle would expect nothing more. 

For years, Mick Foley claimed his two front teeth had been knocked out during a match with WCW Icon, Sting. The true story, however, is that Foley was in a car accident early on in his career as a passenger in a two car accident. The car Foley was riding in would crash into another car that was driving without its lights on. The crash would knock out both of Mick’s two front teeth, but thankfully, no one was killed.

While Mick’s front teeth story may have been fabricated, he did legitimately lose another tooth when The Undertaker through him off the top of Hell In A Cell. 

Brutus goes parasailing

There is an injury on this list that involves scissors. Ironically, it’s not this one.

Hulk Hogan’s BFF, Brutus The Barber Beefcake, was becoming a huge babyface at the offset of the 90s when a tragic parasailing accident would cost him years of his career.

While helping a friend prepare for takeoff, the driver of the boat mistook a sign and started speeding off. This resulted in Beefcake getting nailed right in the face by his friend’s feet. Beefcake’s facial skeleton would be shattered and need over 100 metal plates after he was slammed in the face during a boat’s take off.

Beefcake would return to the ring in 1993 with a protective mask and eventually get back in the swing of the business, but never to the level that he was in 1990.

Kerry Von Erich loses a foot

The Von Erich family is the most cursed family in wrestling history and every single tragedy happened outside the ring. Kerry Von Erich would be involved in a motorcycle accident in 1986. The result of the crash was a dislocated hip and the amputation of his right foot. Amazingly, Kerry kept the amputation hidden for years, but the operation would contribute to a crippling pain killer addiction. 

Kerry Von Erich was one of five brothers involved in wrestling because of their father, Fritz Von Erich. David Von Erich would die of a drug overdose in 1984. Mike Von Erich committed suicide in 1987 and Chris Von Erich would take his own life in 1991. Sadly, Kerry would take his own life in 1993 after years of depression and drug abuse. 

Today, the only brother that’s alive is Kevin Von Erich.

Magnum TA crashes

Magnum TA was one of the NWA’s biggest stars in the 1980s. The babyface brute with Tom Selleck looks had the southern wrestling crowds eating out of his hands.

Magnum was in a 1986 car accident when he was driving his Porsche in the rain and lost control, wrapping the car around a telephone pole.The accident happened on Sardis Road in Charlotte, North Carolina, only a couple of miles from his home. Initially, investigators believed he was speeding, but forensic reports showed he was driving the speed limit and he was left in his car for two hours before a witness called 911. The accident caused his C-4 and C-5 vertebrae to “explode”, and it was doubted that he would ever walk again.

Sadly, Magnum TA would never wrestle again.

Psycho Sid plays with scissors

And now for the accident with scissors.

Sid Vicious was once a member of The Four Horsemen. To say the big man allegedly didn’t get along with founding member, Arn Anderson, would be an understatement.

Apparently, the two would get in a scissor fight in 1993 that nearly left one of them dead. As told by 2 Cold Scorpio, Sid came to Anderson’s hotel door late at night to pick back up on a fight the two had earlier in the evening while drinking.

Arn was waiting at the door with scissors in hand and began stabbing. Sid was able to knock the weapon out of Arn’s hands and began returning the favor. Many believe Arn would have been killed if 2 Cold Scorpio hadn’t been there to break it up. 

Sid was immediately fired from WCW and would resurface in the WWE as Psyco Sid a few months later.