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WWE banned unprotected chair shots in the modern era, but it was not so in the past. Here are ten of the sickest, most agonizing chair shots in company history.
Modern knowledge of post-concussion syndrome and the lingering after-effects of head trauma have greatly altered sports as we know them.
The NFL has been leading the charge, taking measures to both prevent head trauma and to ensure that the athletes receive proper care after enduring an injury. But other sports have followed suit, including the world of sports entertainment.
WWE has taken measures to prevent the type of injuries that result in post-concussive syndrome. One of the things the company has done is to ban all unprotected chair shots to the head. The WWE also frowns on chair shots to the head in general, even if they are protected - meaning the wrestler has their hands and/or arms up to block most of the hit--and only allows their use sparingly by select Superstars.
So you're not likely to see the types of brutal chair shots of times past, especially in the Ruthless Aggression era, where hardcore wrestling fandom was at its peak and seemingly everyone wanted to get in on the chair swinging act.
With that in mind, here are ten of the most brutal chair shots to the head in WWE history.
#1: Undertaker blasts Shawn Michaels - Hell in a Cell, Bad Blood 1997.
For our first brutal chair shot in WWE history, we jump into the way back machine and return to 1997, a banner year in pro wrestling. Steve Austin was just beginning his babyface turn, the Monday Night War was in full swing with Hulk Hogan vs. Sting being teased for the end of the year at Starrcade, and WWE featured its first-ever Hell in a Cell match.
Shawn Michaels had sparked the feud with Undertaker by striking him with a steel chair during a WWE championship bout between the deadman and Bret Hart. Though the initial shot was an accident, HBK doubled down and destroyed the Deadman.
Naturally, Undertaker wanted payback. He got his chance at Bad Blood 1997, in the first-ever Hell in a Cell match.
It's hard to pick out just one brutal moment in their match. The entire bout plays out like a violent ballet, with both Taker and HBK taking nasty bumps throughout. But at one point Undertaker picks up a chair and smashes it across Shawn's head with such force, the crowd can be heard wincing in sympathy - and HBK was working as a heel at the time.
The two men set the stage for what was to come in the next decade of WWE.
#2. The Rock bludgeons Ken Shamrock - Raw March 17, 1998
Back in 1997, perennial Ultimate Fighting Championship star Ken Shamrock made the transition to sports entertainment. Not one to rest on his laurels, Shamrock wanted very much to be seen as a man who 'paid his dues' in the industry.
One of the ways Shamrock paid his dues was by heading up to Canada and training with Bret Hart in the infamous Hart family dungeon. Shamrock picked up several scientific, technical wrestling moves, including the huracanrana and belly to belly suplex.
Shamrock was also a little bit eager to prove how tough he was. So when the Rock was scripted to hit the UFC star with a chair shot, Shamrock elected to egg on the Great One to higher levels of brutality.
The Rock is an obliging sort, and proceeded to smash Shamrock right in his face. Twenty years later this chair shot still stands out for its sheer violence.
#3. The Rock demolishes Mankind - Royal Rumble 1999
The Rock may be the hero of millions today, and the highest-paid movie star on the planet, but back in 1999, he was one of the most hated heels in all of wrestling.
His arrogant attitude and propensity to refer to himself in the third person didn't endear him to the WWE Universe in those days. When he engaged in a feud with fan favorite Mankind, everyone figured that Rock would eventually go over Mankind to elevate the Samoan star.
However, no one could have anticipated the sheer heights of brutality that would go down between the two men at their I Quit match at Royal Rumble 1999. After handcuffing Mankind, the Rock proceeded to strike him with a steel chair - over and over again.
The unprotected shots horrified Mankind's wife and children, who were watching in the arena. It made Mick Foley reconsider his hardcore wrestling career, and make him more comfortable playing comedy characters for the sake of his health.
#4. Undertaker demolishes Maven - Royal Rumble 2002
Back in 2002, WWE had just bought out major rival WCW and was looking to capitalize on their dominance of the pro wrestling market.
To that end, they developed the Tough Enough reality show competition, which aired on the MTV network. The eventual winner of the competition, Maven, was awarded a WWE contract.
Maven surprised the whole locker room by working extremely hard on both his physique and his in-ring skills. He earned the respect of The Undertaker, who was booked into a program with the rookie upstart.
Maven managed to do the impossible: He eliminated The Undertaker at the Royal Rumble match in 2002. Incensed at the embarrassing moment, Taker proceeded to destroy Maven with steel chair shots outside the ring. If you had any doubts that Maven paid his dues in the WWE, just take a look at what happens to him courtesy of the Dead Man.
#5. The Hardy Boyz take turns bashing Brock Lesnar - Raw, April 8 2002
In what would be Brock Lesnar's second televised appearance on the WWE main roster, he ran afoul of the Hardy Boyz.
The two Hardys repeatedly attacked the Beast Incarnate with steel chairs. Brock Lesnar endured multiple, unprotected chair shots to the cranium, but refused to stay down.
This was in the early days of Brock's push in the WWE, and he ran roughshod on everybody in the locker room, up to and including The Rock himself. However, you have to wonder if Lesnar were paying his dues a little bit during this segment, because the Hardys didn't hold back one iota. To this day it's unbelievable the amount of punishment the Beast was able to endure at the hands of one of WWE's most celebrated tag teams.
#6. Undertaker rattles Lesnar's skull - Unforgiven 2002
The Undertaker is one of the most feared men in the WWE locker room, and rightfully so. Standing at just under seven feet tall, and possessed of incredible athletic ability. Not only that, but he also trains in mixed martial arts.
So you'd think making him upset would be the last thing you'd want to do. But Brock Lesnar in 2002 was cocky, young, and headstrong. He did the unthinkable, and put his hand on Undertaker's pregnant wife's belly. While Brock didn't do anything to physically harm Taker's wife Sara, he enraged the Dead Man to new heights.
What followed was one of the most brutal matches Lesnar has ever been involved in, the highlight of which is Undertaker smashing the Beast with a resounding chair shot that has the back row wincing in sympathy.
#7. Brock Lesnar destroys the one-legged Zach Gowen
It takes enormous courage to be a pro wrestler. You have to be willing to perform stunts that could injure or cripple you if not done perfectly. You also have to be willing to put your body in the hands of another person and trust that they will take care of you.
It takes even more courage to get into a wrestling ring when you only have one leg. But that's exactly what Zach Gowen did. Having lost his leg as a child to cancer, Gowen never gave up on his dream to be a pro wrestler.
He even had the courage to step into the ring with Brock Lesnar. The Beast Incarnate not only defeated Gowen with ease, but he also made an example of him by delivering a brutal chair shot that is all the more sickening given the physical differences between the two wrestlers.
#8. Sabu hurls a chair right into Rey Misterio's face - ECW One Night Stand, 2006
In the world of pro wrestling, anyone can pick up a steel chair and start swinging it. However, it takes a rare talent to truly master the art of steel chair combat.
One such master is Sabu, the son of the original Sheik, who often describes himself as 'homicidal, suicidal, genocidal.' Sabu doesn't just swing chairs, he tosses them at his opponents, uses them as a platform to launch himself at his foes - including for his finisher, the triple jump moonsault - and sets them up so he can drop his unwary enemies upon their unforgiving steel frames.
During the short-lived ECW revival in WWE, Sabu faced off against ECW alumni Rey Mysterio Jr. Sabu hurled a chair into Rey's face during the match with such impact, even the jaded ECW audience cringes.
#9. Mike Awesome rattles Masato Tanaka's brain cells - ECW One Night Stand, 2006
Back in the 1990s, Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka both worked for the Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling promotion in Japan.
FMW's main attraction was hardcore matches - the more brutal and bloody, the better. During its heyday, the promotion created a number of stars, including Hayabusa.
In their heavyweight division, two men emerged to battle for dominance. One was American Gladiator Mike Awesome, and the other was Masato Tanaka. The two men engaged in a series of brutal matches which are still not for the squeamish twenty years later.
The two rivals faced off one more time at ECW One Night Stand in 2006. Mike Awesome, sporting short hair for the first time in his career, landed one of the stiffest chair shots in WWE history.
#10. Shawn Michaels smashes his boss Vince McMahon - Wrestlemania 22
For our final entry on the countdown, it is perhaps apropos and fitting that the WWE's CEO Vince McMahon is involved.
Vince McMahon was never one to shy away from taking punishing bumps in the ring to get his opponents over. That was certainly the case when he and Shawn Michaels engaged in a hardcore match at Wrestlemania 22.
The brutal chair shot Shawn lays onto the boss is just the icing on the cake here. Vince is put through tables, smashed with garbage cans, and eats a ladder all courtesy of HBK. If you hate Vince McMahon and like watching him suffer, then this is the match for you.
There you have it; Ten of the most brutal chair shots in WWE history. Questions, or comments? Please leave them after the article and as always thanks for reading!
