Top 8 Shocking Wrestling Injuries That Occurred At The Height Of The Wrestler’s Popularity 2

2. Stone Cold Breaks Neck in 1997

"You talk about your Psalms, John 3:16. Well Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass.” With that statement after winning the 1996 King of the Ring, the Austin 3:16 train was in full motion, with enough momentum to knock down any obstacle in its way. Well, almost any obstacle. For a good part of 1997, Stone Cold was in a heated feud with the Hart Foundation, mainly the late Owen Hart. Austin, at the time of his injury, was a double-champion holding both the Tag Team titles and the Intercontinental title as his popularity continued to rise with each match.
Austin would put his Intercontinental Championship on the line at SummerSlam 1997 against Owen Hart, in a match that became known for a botched piledriver. Owen Hart lifted Austin up to execute a piledriver but failed to cushion Austin’s head between his thighs, and dropped him directly on his head. This resulted in a broken neck and immediate short-term paralysis for Stone Cold who was able to finish the match, retaining his title. His injury would force him to vacate both of his titles, and temporarily put an end to the wave of momentum he’d been on since the King of the Ring. Austin would return months later and pick up right where he left off by recapturing the IC title and winning his 1st WWE Championship the next year, signaling the beginning of the Austin Era.

 via www.therichest.com