The Expendables films are refreshing and have an old-school action vibe. In a world where many action movies rely heavily on CGI, the Sylvester Stallone franchise has proven its worth (and raked in a whopping $789 million).
The Expendables franchise brings action stars from different eras. It’s like a dream team of action heroes which includes actors like — Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins, and Mel Gibson.
In the list of Stallone’s crew, one such actor was Steve Austin. There was a time when the wrestler-turned-actor panicked more than anyone else when, in a film sequence, he broke Stallone’s neck. The injury was no small matter, as Stallone had to undergo surgery.
Sylvester Stallone’s Serious Injury During The Expendables Filming Panicked Steve Austin
Sylvester Stallone has been injured many times while filming on sets, and one such incident occurred during the filming of The Expendables.
Things got a bit too real in a fight sequence between Stallone and Steve Austin, where Stallone was injured and got a hairline fracture. The altercation was so bad that Sly eventually required surgery to recover. The actor said in an interview with The Guardian (via FHM Magazine):
“Actually, my fight with Stone Cold Steve Austin was so vicious that I ended up getting a hairline fracture in my neck. I’m not joking. I haven’t told anyone this, but I had to have a very serious operation afterwards. I now have a metal plate in my neck.”
Austin recalled that he was concerned about what he did to Stallone after receiving a call about his situation. He said (via Contact Music):
“I was sitting in a deer stand in my ranch in south Texas and my phone started blowing up,” Austin recalled. “I was getting people telling me I’d broken his neck. I was like, ‘Oh my God! What did I do?’”
But later, it was confirmed that Stallone’s injuries weren’t as severe as his co-star believed. Even Sly left a message to Austin saying, “It was all cool.”
Sylvester Stallone Faces Mishaps in The Expendables Franchise
The whole Expendables franchise came as a series of mishaps to Sly. His fight with Austin wasn’t the only time he was injured. Even in the franchise’s third installment (The Expendables 3), the action star faced another mishap.
The 68-year-old actor explained his injuries at a press conference in London promoting the third film in the action series with fellow cast members Jason Statham, Antonio Banderas, Kellan Lutz, and Wesley Snipes (via Yahoo):
“When I do The Expendables I break my neck, my spine, and dislocate shoulders. I fell on my back and had to put some metal in there, so if I’m squeaky, then deal with it, it’s not my shoe, it’s my back”.
It’s no surprise that such intense physical roles come with their fair share of injuries and wear and tear.
Source: The Guardian, Contact Music, Yahoo
