13 Times Blading Went Horribly Wrong In WWE
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- Thanks to WWE’s deliberate choice to ban intentional blading in the late 2000s, blood has become a bit of a controversial subject in pro wrestling, especially now that rival promotions like All Elite Wrestling have embraced it. However, because blood is so taboo in modern WWE, instances where wrestlers do bleed — intentionally or unintentionally — are of extreme interest to fans. Limiting discussion of bleeding in WWE to just 10 leaves out some notable examples, so let’s add a few more to the list, not to mention expand on one of wrestling’s most famous bleeders who also happens to be a 16-time (at least) World Champion.
Blading has been a part of professional wrestling since time immemorial. If a wrestler needs to make the culmination of their feud dramatic, intense and memorable then being covered in their own blood seems to be the way to go. "Juicing," "gigging," or "getting color" are the fun and frivolous terms for when a wrestler uses a secreted razor blade to cut themselves open.
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The idea is that the combination of a small cut and the copious sweat on the wrestler's forehead and torso will make the injury look much worse than it is. That isn't always the case though. Sometimes blading and getting busted open can go horribly, vomit-inducingly wrong.
UPDATE: 2023/05/13 19:00 EST BY DANNY DJELJOSEVIC
Thanks to WWE’s deliberate choice to ban intentional blading in the late 2000s, blood has become a bit of a controversial subject in pro wrestling, especially now that rival promotions like All Elite Wrestling have embraced it. However, because blood is so taboo in modern WWE, instances where wrestlers do bleed — intentionally or unintentionally — are of extreme interest to fans. Limiting discussion of bleeding in WWE to just 10 leaves out some notable examples, so let’s add a few more to the list, not to mention expand on one of wrestling’s most famous bleeders who also happens to be a 16-time (at least) World Champion.
13 Chris Jericho & Batista (Raw, 11/3/2008)
In 2008, WWE was firmly in its PG Era, which saw the company distance itself from its edgy, violent tendencies in favor of a more family-friendly product. This, of course, included a ban on blood, a rule that Chris Jericho and Batista flagrantly broke for their Steel Cage match on a late 2008 Raw.
Batista was annoyed about the PG direction, so he decided to blade when Jericho hit him with a pipe. As a result, Vince McMahon fined everyone involved — the wrestlers, the referee, and the producer — with Batista paying everyone else’s fines on top of his own hefty $100,000.
12 Samoa Joe (NXT TakeOver: Dallas, 4/1/2016)
In the mid-to-late 2010s, NXT became the place for die-hard fans to watch quality in-ring action, but WWE’s developmental territory was still subject to WWE’s rules, including its ban on blood. For WrestleMania 32 weekend’s NXT TakeOver: Dallas, a NXT Title match between challenger Samoa Joe and champion Finn Balor went off the rails for a bit due to blood.
In the early goings of the match, Joe got busted open pretty bad, forcing the match to stop repeatedly while the medical staff tried to stop the bleeding, much to the chagrin of Joe himself. But it also served to annoy the fans, who voiced their displeasure for WWE’s PG product with some choice profanity.
11 Steve Austin (King of the Ring, 6/28/1998)
There is no limit to the things that can go wrong in a wrestling match, so booking a First Blood Match is a particularly risky decision. It’s not entirely uncommon for wrestlers to get busted open accidentally — even in WWE — so there’s always a chance for someone to accidentally bleed before the booked finish.
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That’s exactly what ended up happening when Stone Cold Steve Austin took on Kane in a First Blood match at King of the Ring. Austin ended up bleeding from his back earlier in the match, making Kane the technical winner. However, it was conveniently ignored so the match could finish as planned.
10 Shawn Michaels & Triple H (Royal Rumble, 1/25/2004)
You know that scene in The Shining? Of course you do. As soon as someone mentions Stanley Kubrick's cinematic classic, all anyone can think about is gallons and gallons of blood pouring from a lift. That was a lot of blood. It's likely however, that the amount of blood leaked by Shawn Michaels and Triple H during their Last Man Standing match at Royal Rumble 2004 could rival that iconic scene.
Michaels bust himself open from a dive through a table and soon every inch of his face was covered in blood. Clearly jealous, Triple H saw red after a chair shot and was soon pouring the crimson stuff with abandon.
9 Shawn Michaels (Great American Bash, 7/20/2008)
Ever wondered why we don't see blading very much in WWE these days? That would be the result of the match between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho at the Great American Bash 2008. During the match Shawn Michael's used a concealed blade to slice his eyebrow open. Soon Shawn was bleeding as only Shawn Michaels can.
Michaels and Jericho spent much of the match rolling around in the blood and Vince McMahon banned blading soon after. Probably for the best, though the ban didn't stop everyone from gigging.
8 CM Punk (Raw, 8/27/2012)
If you're the WWE's main star, how do you make a match exciting when you're saddled with a glorified part-timer? CM Punk's solution during his cage match with Jerry Lawler was to blade. Problem was that he was deep in the PG Era and blading had been banned by big bad boss Vince McMahon.
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That didn't stop Punk though, who blatantly bladed during the match. Unlike other wrestlers who had all been severely punished for blading with fines or being buried, Punk escaped scot-free. One of the perks of being the top star means you can slice your own skin open with a razor blade. What a lucky man.
7 John Cena (Extreme Rules, 4/29/2012)
With blading banned, how on earth could a wrestler remove the blood from their own body to add gravitas to a match? Why just call upon Brock Lesnar of course. As you'll see from other entries on this last, the Beast is really good at making men bleed.
In the brutal encounter between John Cena and Lesnar at Extreme Rules 2012, Lesnar busted Cena open with repeated elbow strikes to the cranium. Surely blading is a safer option than having your top star cracked open like an egg by a big angry man with elbows of adamantium?
6 Randy Orton (Summerslam, 8/21/2016)
Cleary Randy Orton didn't watch Extreme Rules 2012. When you're not allowed to blade to draw some claret, why not try the "hard way". That was Brock Lesnar's solution to achieve a bloody culmination in his match with Randy Orton during the main event of Summerslam 2016. Brock had stated that he could safely bust open Orton using his bare knuckles and elbows. What could possibly go wrong?
Quite a lot, actually. Randy was left spurting blood like a malfunctioning water fountain and so convincing was the mauling that Chris Jericho confronted Lesnar backstage in a heated exchange that resulted in fisticuffs. Matters were only resolved when Triple H assured Jericho that the violence was a work.
5 Randy Orton, Again (Money in The Bank, 6/29/2014)
There's no two ways about it, Randy Orton can really bleed. Money in the Bank ladder matches are infamous for their bonkers over-the-top violence, who can forget the countless innovative and insane high spots during the gimmick's storied history?
It wasn't a particularly noteworthy spot that saw Orton hemorrhaging blood like he'd just lost a limb in Money in the Bank 2014. Instead, it was a rogue ladder clunking against his head that saw the Viper prove beyond doubt he is a red-blooded reptile. It took a stonking 12 staples to seal the wound. No wonder why it's considered bad luck to walk under ladders.
4 *Ric Flair (Every Match Ever)
Has anyone in the history of professional wrestling bled as much as Ric Flair over the course of his career? How Flair has any blood left in his body is beyond our current medical understanding. Need proof of this? Check out his classic encounter with Macho Man Randy Savage at Wrestlemania 8.
While WWE’s PG Era gets a lot of flack for its sanitized product, the 1982-1993 period known as the Golden Era was the promotion at its most kid-friendly. Blood was obviously a no-no, though it wasn’t totally unseen, as evidenced by Flair’s ‘Mania WWE Championship defense against Macho Man Randy Savage. The Nature Boy bladed and not only created a shocking image for the kids of 1992, but also got fined by Vince McMahon for his efforts.
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Then there was Flair's blood-splattered cage match against Triple H at Taboo Tuesday 2005, which saw Flair covered in so much blood it was difficult to recognize the Nature Boy. Not one to watch whilst eating, that's for certain.
3 The Undertaker (No Mercy, 10/20/2002)
How does a wrestler know when they've bladed too deep? That would be when their own blood spurts on the camera lens of the nearby friendly neighborhood cameraman. That's exactly what happened to The Undertaker in his bout against a young Brock Lesnar at No Mercy 2002, and boy oh boy, it was gross.
After receiving a brutal steel step shot, Undertaker bladed so deep he was soon covered in his own blood. Not only that but queasy viewers at home could literally see the dead man's blood pumping out on to Lesnar during a pinfall attempt!
2 John Cena (Judgment Day, 5/22/2005)
There's a reason why chair shots to the head are a bad idea — though why anyone would think wrapping a steel chair around another person's cranium is a good idea is beyond us — they result in concussions and blood loss.
Just ask John Cena in his I Quit Match against JBL at Judgment Day 2005. After a brutal chair shot, Cena ended up covered in more blood than Dracula taking a bath. The hemoglobin-filled gunk was everywhere. Not a match to watch for the faint-hearted.
1 Eddie Guerrero (Judgment Day 5/16/2004)
The late great Eddie Guerrero suffered one of the most disgustingly unpleasant blade jobs of all time during Judgment Day 2004. After a heinous chair shot to the head Eddie bladed himself but something went wrong, he went way too deep and cut an artery. An artery.
Blood was pumping everywhere: Eddie was covered in it, his opponent JBL was covered in it, heck the ring mat was coated so deep in the stuff it resembled a toddler's paddling pool. Albeit one that would give infants nightmares for the rest of their lives.
NEXT: Eddie Guerrero Vs JBL: The Story Behind One Of The Most Violent WWE Matches Ever
