12 WWE Wrestlers Who Worked Through Chronic Injury

5. Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy came from a backyard mentality and made his name with daredevil risks like swanton bombs off of ladders. The trouble with working that style is that you then need to keep it up, and in many cases you even have to top it. The ladders got bigger as Jeff became more and more famous in the WWF from 1999 – 2002.

By 2003, he was a physical wreck. There were neck, back and knee problems, in addition to just overall body pain from years of big bump matches. A drug problem developed to help cope with the issues. He was well and truly burned out, so WWE released him in April of that year.

He returned to WWE in 2006, breaking out as a mega star in 2009. As World Champion, it really did look like he could become a very top player in the industry. But at the peak of his power, he left the company after SummerSlam 2009. He’d been continually working hurt, to the point that he simply couldn’t continue. On his departure, he had a damaged neck, two herniated discs in his lower back and restless legs syndrome. He and WWE had been just getting on with it, but by the summer he’d simply had enough.

He was then busted for trafficking drugs just after his WWE exit. With stashes of vicodin and somas, it appeared that he’d been dealing with his chronic injuries in the very worst way. It’s amazing that WWE used him in such a prominent position in 2009 when you think about how messed up he was.