10 Wrestlers Who Tried To Injure Their Opponents

7. Ad Santel (George Hackenschmidt)

So this incident apparently happened during a sparring session but it’s too damn interesting not to talk about.

Way back in the early days of pro wrestling, we’re talking turn of the 20th century here, Frank Gotch and George Hackenschmidt had one of the most talked-about rivalries of the day, with Gotch winning their first encounter and the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship, despite Hackenscmidt alleging dirty tactics like excessive body oil, oh the rank scandal of it all.

Wrestling hasn’t really changed all that much. Years later their rematch was set for 1911 and it was instantly a storm of controversy. Hackenschmidt went into the match claiming to be fighting fit, but actually had a knee injury he received in training, which Gotch used to get the easy win.

However, after the bout, a wrestler called Ad Santel told Lou Thesz that Frank Gotch’s team had made him $5000, which would be equivalent to over half a million today, to injure Hackenscmidt during a sparring match and make it look like an accident.

This all happened decades before promoters tried to get Iron Sheik to break Hulk Hogan’s leg. Wrestling’s always been a stand-up industry.

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6. Daniel Puder (Kurt Angle)

When you start work at a new company it’s important to make a good first impression. And if I’ve learned anything from Daniel Puder’s book how to succeed at business, it’s try and break the arm of your boss on day f**king one.

Step 2 is unclear. Step 3 is profit. 2004 and the fourth season of Tough Enough aka the who can get their boy scouts wrestling badge competition, hello tiny Miz.

During a November episode of SmackDown, Kurt Angle was putting the new recruits through their paces, challenging one of them to match, during which the tough enough competitor actually had some of his ribs accidentally broken by Angle so, a nice scary start. Fab.

Angle challenges the rest of them, a challenge accepted by MMA trained, fivehead showcase Daniel Puder who proceeded to snatch Kurt in a Kimura and refused to give.

Angle scrambled to force a botched pin because, according to Dave Meltzer, he would have been quotes, “in surgery” if the hold had been applied for even a few seconds longer.

As you can imagine, backstage were less than thrilled and Puder was punished with a prison yard beating in front of an audience of millions when lockerroom enforcers Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit and Hardcore Holly ruined him in the 2005 Royal Rumble. Oh, sweet Jesus.

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5. Antonio Inoki (Great Antonio)

All you can Antonio buffet now and the chinniest chin to ever cherroo in the form of Japanese Uberlegend Antonio Inoki, the man who founded New Japan Pro Wrestling and booked himself to be its top star for decades, wrestling never changes.

To be honest though, you’re not exactly going to argue with him are you, because Antonio Inoki has been in a number of infamous shoot fights in his wrestling career and had a cast-iron reputation of sending condolences to the families of those who don’t comply.

In 1976 he fought Akram Pahalwan and when his opponent wouldn’t comply with the match booking, Inoki locked in a double wrist lock and just straight-up broke his arm when he wouldn’t tap.

Slightly more famous is Inoki’s match against Mohammad Ali where lay on his back for most the match tried to injure Ali’s knees for being uncooperative during the match’s build, and finally, his most infamous disciplining against the Great Antonio.

Oh no no no. For reasons unknown and incomprehensible during their match in 1977, Great Antonio stopped selling Inoki’s offence.

So Inoki simply said, ok then, and flipped his internal switch from kayfabe to real-life, knocking Antonio to the match and repeatedly kicking him about the body and face until he was a bloody mess. 

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4. Akira Maeda (Riki Choshu)

Sticking with New Japan and their hair-trigger shoot lunatics, let’s talk about another man liable to see red and make red, Akira Maeda.

Much like his boss, Inoki, Maeda has a handful of wrestling matches gone wrong under belt. One saw him taking on Andre the Giant.

Story has it that Andre had been instructed by Inoki himself to discipline the hotheated Maeda, so when the giant stopped cooperating, Maeda got furious and repeatedly went after Andre’s legs until, unable to stand the pain any longer, the giant lay down for him and demanded to be pinned.

Maeda is no joke, but yet even more brutal than that was a 6 man tag match, pitting Maeda with partners vs a team including Riki Choshu. This match also fell apart when, apparently incensed at Riki Choshu big leaguing him, kicked him full in the face while he was applying a submission on another wrestler.

A total shoot, the kick broke two orbital bones in Choshu’s face, and remarkably he didn’t even fall.

What did happen next was the match being completely abandoned as both men had to be separated by their partners, trying to stop them coming to blows again. Damn Japan, you scary.

• Kurt Angle
• Injury
• Adam Blampied
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