Sid Vicious’ famous leg break happened on this day 17 years ago

It’s been 17 years since one of the worst on-air injuries to ever happen in pro wrestling and it’s still just as hard to watch it. WCW held its Sin pay-per-view on Jan. 14, 2001, in Indianapolis, featuring a Four Corners match for the world heavyweight championship. It started with Sid Vicious, Scott Steiner, and Jeff Jarrett, with the promise of a mystery fourth participant, who was ultimately revealed to be Road Warrior Animal.

During the match, Vicious went up to the second rope. He would later say in interviews that John Laurinaitis had been trying to get him to do a spot off the ropes for some time before it. He said he was uncomfortable even giving a double axe handle off the ropes and he didn’t want to do it.

But when the time came, he did do it.

He jumped off, delivering a boot to Steiner. When he landed, then, all his weight came down on just one leg, which snapped underneath him. He broke both his tibia and fibula. It was a compound fracture.

The next night on Nitro, WCW replayed it multiple times before giving an update on his condition. He spent years rehabbing the injury and hasn’t been the same ever since.

If you’d like to see it, you can click here.