History Main / GameBreakingInjury

* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' Megatron spends the entire first season in traction after Starscream planted a bomb on him in the first episode and he burned up on re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Megatron's efforts to fix his Game-Breaking Injury make up a good chunk of the first season's plot, and they do pay off in the end. In the series finale Starscream [[spoiler:posthumously]] screws over Megatron ''again'' [[spoiler:with bombs he planted in the Omega Supreme clones]]. Megatron survives, but he is in such poor condition that Optimus curbstomps him.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' Megatron spends the entire first season in traction after Starscream planted a bomb on him in the first episode and he burned up on re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Megatron's efforts to fix his Game-Breaking Injury make up a good chunk of the first season's plot, and they do pay off in the end. In the series finale Starscream [[spoiler:posthumously]] screws over Megatron ''again'' [[spoiler:with bombs he planted in the Omega Supreme clones]]. Megatron survives, but he is in such poor condition that Optimus curbstomps him.

* Wrestling/BigELangston accidentally got dropped on his head from a botched suplex in the lead-up to Wrestling/WrestleMania in 2022, breaking his neck. He mercifully survived, didn't require neck surgery, and received a prognosis of a "full" recovery, but was warned by doctors that another similar injury could be catastrophic, leaving the answer to whether or not he can wrestle again up in the air.

** Wrestling/{{Sting}}'s neck was injured by a bucklebomb delivered by Wrestling/SethRollins[[note]]Who wasn't the first victim of a Rollins bucklebomb, Wrestling/FinnBalor spent 6 months on the shelf after a botch at ''[=SummerSlam=]'' 2014, leading some fans to call Rollins a dangerous worker and pretty much ''everyone'' asking why WWE hasn't outright banned the move, especially when several female wrestlers have also been injured by it (none of whom were caused by Rollins, obviously)[[/note]], he retired a few months later. However, the injury wasn't as serious as first thought, and he elected to try and rehab it rather than get would would definitely be a career ending surgery (the retirement was believed to be more over issues with WWE's creative than the injury). It worked and Sting would return to wrestling with Wrestling/{{AEW}} in 2021, though given that Sting [[RingOldies was in his 60's]], his actual wrestling appearances are pretty limited and he's mainly the manager of Wrestling/DarbyAllin. Sting announced his true retirement in early 2024, and had [[GrandFinale his last hurrah on his own terms]] at the AEW ''Revolution'' PPV.

** Wrestling/{{Sting}}'s neck was injured by a bucklebomb delivered by Wrestling/SethRollins[[note]]Who wasn't the first victim of a Rollins bucklebomb, Wrestling/FinnBalor spent 6 months on the shelf after a botch at ''[=SummerSlam=]'' 2014, leading some fans to call Rollins a dangerous worker and pretty much ''everyone'' asking why WWE hasn't outright banned the move, especially when several female wrestlers have also been injured by it (none of whom were caused by Rollins, obviously)[[/note]], he retired a few months later. However, the injury wasn't as serious as first thought, and he elected to try and rehab it rather than get would would definitely be a career ending surgery (the retirement was believed to be more over issues with WWE's creative than the injury). It worked and Sting would return to wrestling with Wrestling/{{AEW}} in 2021, though given that Sting is '''64 years old''' his actual wrestling appearances are pretty limited and he's mainly the manager of Wrestling/DarbyAllin. Sting has said he will retire for real at the AEW ''Revolution'' PPV, to be held sometime in the spring of 2024.

* In ''Literature/{{Changes}}'', there seems to be one when [[spoiler:Harry breaks his back]], but then he gets PowerAtAPrice from [[spoiler:Queen Mab]] and is healed, among other things. We see later in ''Literature/GhostStory'' that the choice wasn't exactly fair since [[spoiler:a fallen angel]] interfered.

* The popular FightingGame ''[[VideoGame/DefJamSeries Def Jam: Fight for New York]]'' managed to integrate this strategy into their gameplay mechanics. Characters who specialized in the ''submission'' fighting style were able to target their opponents' limbs, and their overall durability was represented by a separate life meter. If the opposing player used a weakened limb to punch or kick, then the damage would '''greatly''' be reduced. These mechanics are likewise carried over into the ''Kurohyō'' spin-offs of the ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' series, developed by the same company responsible for ''Def Jam''. When [[spoiler:Crow stabs you in the back after you storm his joint]], you start the battle off with half health.

* The opening scene of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' has this happen to Bruce Wayne when his bad heart (and his deteriorating physical state in general, from [[DentedIron all the injuries he'd sustained over his years as Batman]]) finally catches up to him during a fight with some kidnappers and [[BatmanGrabsAGun he is forced to use a gun]] to make the last attacker step down.[[note]]It should be noted that it's the fact that he caught himself actually resorting to drawing a firearm that convinces him to hang up his cowl, rather than his evident health problems as would be normal for this trope.[[/note]]

** Similarly, in ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' Bond sustains two shots to his chest and shoulder. [[spoiler:He loses his iconic aim with the Walther PPK due to these injuries, and he never recovers them by the end of the movie. Also, M is hit with the thug's gunfire in a non-lethal area [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome but]] due to her age, she dies from the injury due to bleeding out.]]

* In ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'', a character can be crippled by wounds to different parts of the body. For example, broken arms can leave someone unable to wield weapons or shields, a severed motor nerve in the leg can leave someone unable to stand, eye injuries cause blindness, etc. Fortunately, multiple weapons and shields can be equipped to the same hand, and crutches can be used to regain standing ability, albeit at the cost of a speed penalty. That is, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome if they can survive not only the blood loss from the injury but also whatever caused it in the first place]].

* Inverted in ''Film/{{Serenity}}''. Hero Mal Reynolds [[spoiler: was able to withstand a pressure point strike made by The Operative as he lacked the necessary patch of nerves in the vital area to be paralyzed by the attack]].

* Sherlock Holmes has suffered several injuries, mainly one to his shoulder in ''Film/SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows'' which Moriarty [[spoiler:takes advantage of in their theorized fight]] but [[spoiler:Sherlock subverts it by [[TakeAThirdOption taking a third option]]]].
* Emperor Commodus in ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' stabs Maximus right before their final duel to give himself an unfair advantage. Maximus is too much of a {{Determinator}} to let that stop him from kicking the Emperor's ass. [[spoiler:[[DoubleSubversion Though he still dies from the stabbing]].]]
* Used as a ChekhovsGun ''twice'' in ''Film/PointBreak1991'' when Creator/KeanuReeves's [[InformedAbility Informed Disability]] (a literal Game-Breaking Injury from his character's football career) prevents him from capturing Patrick Swayze's BigBad.

* In ''Film/OngBak2'', the protagonist gets into a massive battle royal against a large group of mooks. He eventually gets wounded by a sword slash to his gut, which he proceeds to bandage quickly to get back into the fight. Later, an assassin who took note of this proceeds to [[CombatPragmatist target the wounded area with clawing attacks]].
* Anguirus, Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'s close ally, is as ferocious in battle as Godzilla himself. [[Film/GodzillaVsMechagodzilla Doesn't mean he's impervious to getting his jaw broken, though...]]
* ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'': During the climax of ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', Batman/Bruce Wayne injures his leg in the same fall that kills Harvey Dent. By the time of ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' eight years later, the cartilage in his knee has deteriorated to the extent that he requires either a cane or bionic leg brace to walk. He [[ThrowingOffTheDisability gets the ability to walk unassisted back]] after reconditioning himself in [[HellholePrison the Pit]].
* Hans Gruber arranges for one in ''Film/DieHard''. After noticing that John [=McClane=] is walking around with no shoes on (long story), he orders his men to "Shoot the glass" in a firefight, forcing John to flee across broken glass on bare feet. He spends the rest of the film limping.

** The cumulative effect of many less serious back and neck injures eventually led to a diagnosis of spinal stenosis for Wrestling/{{Edge}}, who was forced to retire after his match with Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio at ''[=WrestleMania=] XXVII'' (where he inexplicably retained the World Heavyweight Championship), and would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the following year. After years of R&R Edge made his shocking return at the 2020 ''Royal Rumble'' (and won it in 2021), and as of this writing is still an active full time wrester, leaving WWE to wrestle in Wrestling/{{AEW}} under his real name of Adam Copeland in October 2023.
** Wrestling/{{Sting}}'s neck was injured by a bucklebomb delivered by Wrestling/SethRollins[[note]]Who wasn't the first victim of a Rollins bucklebomb, Wrestling/FinnBalor spent 6 months on the shelf after a botch at ''[=SummerSlam=]'' 2014, leading some fans to call Rollins a dangerous worker and pretty much ''everyone'' asking why WWE hasn't outright banned the move, especially when several female wrestlers have also been injured by it (none of whom were caused by Rollins, obviously)[[/note]], he retired a few months later. However, the injury wasn't as serious as first thought, and he elected to try and rehab it rather than get would would definitely be a career ending surgery (the retirement was believed to be more over issues with WWE's creative than the injury). It worked and Sting would return to wrestling with Wrestling/{{AEW}} in 2021, though given that Sting is '''64 years old''' his actual wrestling appearances are pretty limited and he's mainly the manager of Wrestling/DarbyAllin.

** The cumulative effect of many less serious back and neck injures eventually led to a diagnosis of spinal stenosis for Wrestling/{{Edge}}, who was forced to retire after his match with Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio at ''[=WrestleMania=] XXVII'' (where he inexplicably retained the World Heavyweight Championship), and would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the following year. After years of R&R Edge made his shocking return at the 2020 ''Royal Rumble'', and as of this writing is still an active full time wrestler in WWE.
** Wrestling/{{Sting}}'s neck was injured by a bucklebomb delivered by Wrestling/SethRollins[[note]]Who wasn't the first victim of a Rollins bucklebomb, Wrestling/FinnBalor spent 6 months on the shelf after a botch at ''[=SummerSlam=]'' 2014, leading some fans to call Rollins a dangerous worker and pretty much ''everyone'' asking why WWE hasn't outright banned the move[[/note]], he retired a few months later. However, the injury wasn't as serious as first thought, and he elected to try and rehab it rather than get would would definitely be a career ending surgery (the retirement was believed to be more over issues with WWE's creative than the injury). It worked and Sting would return to wrestling with Wrestling/{{AEW}} in 2021, though given that Sting is '''64 years old''' his actual wrestling appearances are pretty limited and he's mainly the manager of Wrestling/DarbyAllin.

->''"Think of all the knees, twisted, bent and broken''\\
''Think of all the words about knee injuries that are spoken''\\
''You may want to play football 'till your dying day,''\\
''But if your knee has had the gong, there is no running away!"''

* The v1.13 GameMod for ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance2'' added mechanics for simulating this. A hit to [[SubsystemDamage an arm or leg]] causes a merc or enemy to suffer a penalty to their Dexterity and movement speed respectively, and if they take a hit to the head that's ''not'' a OneHitKill (more common than you might think because even the absolute bottom-tier helmets you start off with offer enough damage reduction that a non-CriticalHit from an equally bottom-tier firearm isn't a guaranteed kill) will lose Wisdom points. These stat losses are permanent unless you have a very skilled medic and expend a ''lot'' of medical supplies.

* In week 16 of the 2022-23 NFL season, the game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals had Bills safety Damar Hamlin suddenly suffer a cardiac arrest after making a tackle. He was given CPR on the field and was immediately hospitalized, forcing the NFL to declare the game a "no-contest".

** In 2015, Kyle Busch missed several races after suffering a broken leg in the Xfinity Series opener at Daytona. NASCAR ruled that even if he won a race when he returned, he'd have to compete in a certain number of races and accumulate a certain number of points before qualifying for the Chase. Busch came back and won several races to qualify with ease despite the restrictions. He then managed to survive all the way to Homestead on points alone (no small feat) and ended up winning the Championship by 3 seconds over defending champion Kevin Harvick.