Sycho Sid Comes Clean About Botched Spot That Caused His Legendary Leg Break

Pro wrestling history is full of stories about injuries that shut down promising careers. When Sycho Sid suffered that cataclysmic leg break that we have all seen in countless animated gifs and highlight reels, there was a big story behind that. That injury also stunted a successful career when he had a lot of gas left in the tank.

While speaking to Inside the Ropes, former WWE and WCW World Champion Sycho Sid shared insights into the unfortunate incident that led to his severe leg injury. This is something that he hasn’t opened up about much, but he was prepared to tell all this time.

During a four-corners match for the WCW Title at the Sin PPV in January 2001, Sid faced Scott Steiner, Jeff Jarrett, and Road Warrior Animal. The high-risk move he attempted was suggested by John Laurinaitis, who briefly held a booking position.

Johnny Laurinaitis, they give him a one-day position to be like the book or the guy who came up with ideas. So he thought was Scott Steiner, if you watched him if he took a high boot in the corner, he took it really well. And he does it where his face into your foot really hard. So John says ‘We’re going to do something really crazy, we’re gonna get you to jump off the second rope and give Scott a high knee.’

Advertising

Advertising

Despite Sid expressing his discomfort and seeking a change in the plan throughout the day, Laurinaitis insisted on sticking to the original idea. When the crucial moment arrived, Steiner did not move as expected, leaving Sid in an awkward midair position. Consequently, Sid landed on his left leg, resulting in a severe fracture of both his tibia and fibula.

And I told him, I didn’t feel comfortable doing that. When he tells me, ‘We’ve already got it written down, it’s already in the back, we can’t get out of it.’ So two or three other times, I came to him through the day and I said ‘I just don’t feel comfortable with that.’ And so they just wouldn’t bend.

The aftermath of the incident led to an extensive rehabilitation process for Sycho Sid. He underwent surgery on his leg and had to engage in physiotherapy three to five days a week for a year. Initially, doctors told him that he would never run again. After nearly three and a half years of rehabilitation, Sid made his return to the ring on June 5th, 2004. Despite rumors of his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022, this did not come to fruition.

Sycho Sid never made it back to the ring with the full gusto that he once had after that injury. Sadly, many wrestlers have suffered injuries that stopped their careers in its tracks. Thankfully, Sid is able to look back at things now, but it doesn’t change how things changed his career forever.

What’s your take on this famous pro wrestling injury? Where were you the first time you saw the clip of Sid’s leg break? Let us know what you think in the comments section!