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Sid Vicious breaking his leg in WCW still remains one of the most graphic injuries sustained in the squared circle, however at an NXT live event in Omaha, Nebraska last night, referee Tom Castor may have matched that and more!

NXT’s road schedule led to Omaha last night. The biggest story going into the event was “Prince Pretty” Tyler Breeze’s return to the NXT circuit but sadly going out of the event, NXT referee Tom Castor turned out to be the talk of the show.

The highly respected WWE NXT official was calling the main event between Velveteen Dream and Tyler Breeze when in the midst of the action Castor found himself on the receiving end of a botched superkick. As a result, he fell awkwardly and broke his leg.

Fellow NXT referee Drake Wuertz ran in to continue calling the match but got caught by Breeze’s “Beauty Shot” finisher, leaving it down to Tom Castor to recover and call the finish — with one of his legs pointing in the opposite direction.

When Drake realized the severity of what happened, he threw up the dreaded ‘X’ signal to alert medical staff and officials that Castor was legitimately injured.

Despite the painful injury, Tom Castor showed huge amounts of resilience and dedication to his job at the conclusion of the match.

Video: The moment NXT Referee Tom Castor breaks his leg but finishes the match

Wuertz, who happens to be good friends with Castor, shared a touching moment that took place between the two of them after the match.

“When he was on the stretcher he squeezed my hand and proudly said ‘Drake, I love the Business’

“We love you Tom!” Wuertz shared.

The outpouring of respect flooded feeds across social media.

“There aren’t too many that ‘love the business’ left. He’s one. Tell him to let me know how I can help. Gotta TRY to keep the love alive.” Scott Dawson tweeted out.

One of RAW’s newest acquisitions, Ricochet, showed his respect by saying, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do!”

From the main roster to across the pond to NXT UK, love was shown for the brave official.

“Feel better and heal up quick Tom. Top man!” said NXT UK talent Jordan Devlin.

It’s an unusual position for a referee. Their job is one that requires them to not be in the spotlight and leave the fans to focus on the wrestlers in the ring. But on this occasion, it was impossible to ignore Tom Castor’s great courage. Even fans in attendance were inspired by him.

“I was there,” Twitter user @TheCoachAdair wrote after the show. “It was the most insane, gutsy thing I’ve ever seen. And in the main event! What a legend! Tom, rest up. We love you and will be there for you when you get back.”

And another fan in attendance under the Twitter handle @TheRealMikeD23 posted the following picture to show support.

Although Drake Wuertz threw up the ‘X’ sign for Tom Castor, former WWE referee and current producer Scott Armstrong noted that Castor was in control of the situation under the circumstances and threw up the ‘X’ for himself! He wrote:

“Our @NXT @WWE Ref @tomcastorWWE broke his leg last night, still counted 3 and then threw up the “X” for himself!!! Shout out to Tom for being a true Pro and keeping his focus! #ReffinAintEasy! #SpeedyRecoveryTom”

Omaha had it tough last night. Castor wasn’t the only one who suffered an injury on the NXT live event. In the video that shows Tom Castor bravely counting three, a member of the audience can be heard saying “this town is cursed.”

That was in reference to NXT superstar Raul Mendoza who also sustained an injury at the event.

Raul, who most notably competed in 2016’s Cruiserweight Classic, injured what appears to be his ankle against a member of The Forgotten Sons, Jaxson Ryker. The dreaded ‘X’ was also thrown up here and the match was canceled. There is no further word on the diagnosis of the injury but Raul thanked fans for their support, showing he’s in good spirits.

“It doesn’t matter if you call it sports entertainment… This is Real!”

We here at Pro Wrestling Stories wish both Tom Castor and Raul Mendoza the best in their recoveries.

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