What happens when you put it all on the line?

Warning: This article contains links to some graphic images.

Many people believe that wrestling isn’t real. According to WWE Tag team champion and superstar Xavier Woods he tweeted to a fan that wrestling is one of the last forms of Shakespeare around. These men and women put their bodies on the line to ensure that we, the fans, get our money's worth. But since 2015, WWE has seen a rise in injuries amongst their stars. In the past they would use injuries to cover up someone taking time off. Today these injuries are real and can be life-threatening. Two of the most common injuries that have plagued the WWE have been shoulder and neck injuries. Shoulder surgery put many stars on the shelf for anywhere from 4 to, in some cases, 7 months. Wrestlers Jey Uso, Goldust, Antonio Cesaro, Randy Orton, Sin Cara and company man John Cena all were affected in some way by shoulder bugs.

Neck injuries are even scarier. They can cause the person to lose use of the limbs-- or worse, kill them. Tag team specialist Tyson Kidd, who was trained by the legendary Hart Family, suffered a freak accident against Soma Joe, another well-trained and seasoned wrestler, in a dark match used to get the fans warmed up before a tapping. Joe went to hit his finisher on Tyson but the move wasn’t executed properly as Tyson severely injured his neck. He tweeted a picture of his injuries saying less than 5% of people survive this injury. Another individual who suffered from a neck injury was WWE hall of famer Sting. In a match with Seth Rollins he landed awkwardly during a slam to the corner of the ring. Sting went on to say he was lucky it wasn’t a bad injury, but at 55 years old this injury would force him to retire from the career he loves.

The injury bug raises the question of if the WWE makes their performers work too much. In November while at a show in Dublin, Ireland WWE Champion Seth Rollins was in a match against Kane. Rollins went up to do a flip power bomb from the top of the turnbuckle (the goal was to land on his feet and slam his opponent through a table). Rollins landed, but in the process tore his ACL, MCL, and his Meniscus. Despite not being able to walk, Rollins finished the match. A fan managed to capture it on film and uploaded it to YouTube where fans all around the world watched and saw the champion fall to injury. Another injury to show that just a simple move can get you injured was to Neville. In a match against Veteran Chris Jericho, Neville went for a baseball slide kick. He wound up fracturing his ankle. Despite the pain, Neville managed to land a kick on Jericho before Jericho ended the match by shoving the ref to get a disqualification in order to protect Neville from aggravating his ankle even more. (Warning video contains language). One of the last injuries to happen was to Luke Harper. In a match that happened after Monday Night Raw went off the air, Harper tore his ACL. This match should not have happened, and Harper is now gone for 6-9 months for recovery when he could have been used for matches. The next time someone tells you wrestling is fake, remind them that these men and women are putting their bodies and lives on the line to entertain us, and that in a second their careers could end.