Physical Toll of Wrestling

Extracted Attributes

• Causes

  Dangerous maneuvers, taking 'bumps', violent and brutal matches, scripted violence often directed towards the self

• Common Injuries

  Accidental injury, trauma, concussions, bruises, broken noses, damage to knees and other joints, nerve stingers, torn rotator cuff, broken neck and back, torn ACL, torn meniscus

• Nature of Sport

  Vigorous, physically demanding, requires tremendous physical preparation

• Psychological Impact

  Significant psychological and emotional load, psychological damage

• Long-term Consequences

  Accumulation of injuries over a lifetime, long-term neuropathologic disorders, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

• Associated Wrestling Style

  Hardcore wrestling

Timeline

• Mick Foley's Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker demonstrates the extreme physical toll and dangerous maneuvers common in professional wrestling, becoming one of his most memorable and controversial matches. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  1998

• Wrestler Shayne Hawke announces a broken neck and back, highlighting severe injuries sustained in the sport. (Source: Web Search)

  2023-07-12

• A study published in JAMA Neurology raises questions about long-term neuropathologic disorders, including CTE, in young contact sports athletes, including wrestlers. (Source: Web Search)

  Unknown

Mick Foley

Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler and author. He is signed to WWE, under a Legends contract while also serving as an ambassador. Foley worked for many wrestling promotions, including the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), as well as numerous promotions in Japan. He is widely regarded as one of the biggest stars of the Attitude Era and one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of professional wrestling, and headlined the 16th edition of WWE's premier annual event, WrestleMania. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2013. Foley has wrestled under his real name and various personas. His main persona during his time in WCW and ECW from 1991 to 1996 was Cactus Jack, a dastardly, bloodthirsty and uncompromisingly physical brawler from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, who wore cowboy boots and often used sharp metallic objects, such as barbed wire, thumbtacks, and trashcans. When Foley first appeared in the WWF in 1996, he debuted the persona known as Mankind, an eerie, masochistic, mentally deranged lunatic who was masked and spent his spare time dwelling in mechanical rooms. The following year, Foley debuted Dude Love, a relaxed, fun-loving, jive-talking, tie-dyed shirt-wearing hippie. These personas were known as the "Three Faces of Foley", with Cactus Jack making his debut in the WWF also in 1997. All three characters appeared in the 1998 Royal Rumble, making Foley the only competitor to enter the same Royal Rumble match three times under different personas. Foley is a four-time world champion (three WWF Championships and one TNA World Heavyweight Championship), an 11-time world tag team champion (eight WWF Tag Team Championships, two ECW World Tag Team Championships, and one WCW World Tag Team Championship), a one-time TNA Legends Champion, and the inaugural WWF Hardcore Champion. Foley's Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker is regarded as one of his most memorable and controversial matches and widely acknowledged as the greatest Hell in a Cell Match of all time. Foley's dedicated and physical style of wrestling led him to often participate in violent and brutal matches that involved him taking dangerous bumps and putting his body through a considerable physical toll, eventually earning him the moniker "The Hardcore Legend".

Web Search Results

• The Effect that Weight Loss and Weight Classes Have on a Wrestler

  The effect of weight cutting on a wrestler has only presented even more challenges for athletes competing in the sport. Since wrestling is a vigorous and physically demanding sport activity requiring a tremendous physical preparation as well as the ability to tolerate significant psychological and emotional load (Ransone & Finn, 2020). With the lack of nutrition or hydration an athlete competing in wrestling are experiencing the same stressors as other athletes in other sports, along with the [...] there is an emphasis on safety. Therefore, a young wrestler and their parents should be introduced to the fundamentals of the sport, alongside the importance of nutrition and hydration associated with making a weight class. This education to the athlete and parents can help them realize the dangers associated with wrestling beyond the physical damage that it can do to the body, but also help illustrate the psychological damage that can be done as well. By educating all members of the sport, the [...] Wrestling is not only one of the oldest sports in the world, but its also one of the most misunderstood sports people can compete in. Throughout the evolution of wrestling, wrestling has become more accessible for any athlete to compete in and find success in, but to accomplish this many physical and psychological concerns were created as well. These concerns led to many changes within how the NCAA handles weight loss within wrestling. However, throughout all the struggles, concerns and

• [PDF] Notes on the pervasiveness of injuries in professional wrestling in ...

  dinner theater venue; as well as many others. On the other end of the spectrum, most dedicated wrestling fans can probably easily name a wrestler who is well past their prime and clearly physically compromised, yet who still performs at smaller shows to make money and stay in the game. Collectively, these episodes show how frequent accidental injury can occur for independent professional wrestlers, and how they accumulate over a lifetime. The wrestlers themselves are not even the [...] mean a loss of income, and there are always younger guys hungry to take your spot. At the same time, many of those younger wrestlers are a lready dealing with injuries in the same way as the veterans they chase, as demonstrated in the stories told here. Fans pay to see wrestlers enact scripted violence unto others, likely without realizing that much of the violence ends up directed towards the self (Young, 2012) - professi onal wrestlers threaten their own physical [...] trauma, concussions, bruises, broken noses, and damage to the knees and other joints happen all the time. Very many injuries are never visible yet felt intensely by the performer, such as nerve stingers that immediately end a match and send the wrestler skipping around the ring, forcefully exhaling through tightly clenched t eeth. Others, like concussions or neck twists, leave the person dazed but coherent enough to leave the ring unassisted (Smith, 2014,

• Wrestling Injuries & Prevention - Andrews Sports Medicine

  ## How Can Weight Control In Wrestling Be Properly Monitored? Proper control of diet, preferably with the advice of the coach and a dietician, is the preferred method of “making weight.” If a wrestler maintains his weight near his weight class limits, it is then a simple matter to lose two-to-four pounds to “make weight.” Nutritional advice should emphasize daily caloric requirements associated with a balanced diet based on age, body size, growth, and physical activity level. [...] can help prevent concussion, as well. [...] Wrestling, one of the world’s oldest sports, is offered at various levels of competition, including the Olympics, the American Athletic Union, the U.S. Wrestling Federation, and high school and college-sponsored tournaments. It’s a sport for all sizes of people, and both male and female participants compete, even at the Olympic level. Competition rules require that athletes be paired against each other according to their weight class. Some competitions require that contestants be matched by

• Study Raises Questions about Long-Term Consequences to Brain ...

  A recent study published in JAMA Neurology found that young contact sports athletes may be at risk for long-term neuropathologic disorders, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive and fatal brain disease associated with repetitive head impacts (RHI). The study, which examined the brains of 152 deceased contact sports (including football, soccer, hockey, rugby, and wrestling) participants younger than 30 years old at the time of death, CTE was found in 63, or 41.4 [...] percent. [...] “This is a three alarm reading if you are an adult responsible for protecting young athletes,” shared Greg O’Shanick, MD, medical director emeritus with BIAA, in a recent blog post titled New CTE Anxieties in Youth Contact Sports.

• WWE, AEW, TNA, NJPW Wrestler Injury Report List - Fightful

  Dan Barry: Barry stated in a social media post on 8/25 that he will be out for the remainder of the year. Barry said he has a torn rotator cuff and is hoping to avoid surgery, and hopes to do physical therapy during the hiatus. Barry also noted he would still be doing comedy shows. Davienne: Davienne announced she will not accept any bookings for the foreseeable future while sidelined. [...] August 11, 2025, 6:54 pm Image 6: Sabu ### Sabu Documentary To Premiere On Kinema In September, New Trailer Released August 11, 2025, 6:38 pm Image 7: limitless wrestling vacationland ### Limitless Vacationland Results (8/9): Hardy Boys Compete, Aaron Rourke Wins Vacationland Cup August 11, 2025, 6:07 pm Sponsored Content : Hardy Boys Compete, Aaron Rourke Wins Vacationland CupAugust 11, 2025, 6:07 pm ### LATEST PODCAST Image 9: YouTube Video Thumbnail ### LATEST THE HUMP [...] Shayne Hawke: Announced in a tweet on July 12th, 2023, that he has a broken neck and back. He will be out for the foreseeable future. Valentina Rossi: On 2/14, Valentina posted on X that she would be out for an extensive amount of time with a torn ACL & Meniscus Zeuxis: Stated in a social media post on 6/30/25, that she had underwent surgery for torn meniscus. There is no estimated return date. If there are any corrections, let us know!