5 WWE Superstars who were thrown into dumpsters (and what happened next)

If you were to ask any WWE fan about their favorite gimmick match, it would probably involve a cell or a ladder. But before those special match types became regular occurrences with pay-per-view titles attached to them, another unique match would often be contested on WWE programming: a dumpster match.

In a far cry from the in-ring excellence that many fans crave with today’s WWE product, the aim of the match would be for one competitor to throw the other inside a dumpster before closing the lid. Much like a casket match, the referee would then call for the bell and the person locked inside the dumpster would lose the match.

There have been occasions when the rules have been altered (e.g. the lid did not need to be closed in the Braun Strowman vs. Kalisto match in 2017), while dumpsters have also been used during No Holds Barred and Hardcore Championship encounters when brawls have continued into the backstage area.

With the use of dumpsters making a comeback in WWE over the last couple of years, let’s take a look at five Superstars/teams who were thrown into the trash.

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#5 Sami Zayn

The inspiration for this article comes from the May 6 episode of Raw, which saw Sami Zayn perform his usual shtick of insulting the audience and claiming that they complain too much.

On this occasion, Braun Strowman decided that he had heard enough from the former NXT champion, so he began to chase him through the crowd and into the backstage area.

Zayn retaliated by throwing anything he could find at “The Monster Among Men”, but he soon found himself in a tricky position when a garage door would not open and he was forced to stand face-to-face with his much larger rival.

Strowman proceeded to launch Zayn into a dumpster with his trademark powerslam technique, while a garbage truck happened to arrive at just the right moment to empty the contents of the dumpster into the vehicle.

One night later, it appeared as though Zayn escaped without injury as he competed for the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat match against Kofi Kingston and AJ Styles on SmackDown Live.

#4 Kalisto

One week on from breaking the ring with The Big Show, Braun Strowman was surprisingly defeated by Kalisto on an April 2017 episode of Raw when the high-flyer kicked the shins of his monstrous opponent on the ring apron, causing him to lose balance and land in a dumpster at ringside.

Per the rules of the match, the person whose feet touched the bottom of the dumpster first would be the loser (dumpster matches are usually won when the lid is closed).

Needless to say, Strowman did not take too kindly to losing a match against a cruiserweight, so he locked Kalisto inside the dumpster and wheeled him back up the ramp before throwing him off the stage area.

The former United States champion was then placed on a stretcher and taken away in an ambulance, while Strowman went on to defeat Roman Reigns in the main event of the Payback pay-per-view six days later.

#3 The New Age Outlaws

Cactus Jack launched himself off the titantron and into a dumpster whilst landing an elbow drop on Chainsaw Charlie during an episode of Raw in February 1998.

This led the New Age Outlaws to appear and throw the hardcore legends off the edge of the stage, setting up a rivalry which would go on to last several months.

Jack and Charlie, aka Mick Foley and Terry Funk, gained their revenge at WrestleMania XIV when they defeated Road Dogg and Billy Gunn in a dumpster match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship, with Charlie using a forklift to throw their opponents into the dumpster in the backstage area.

One night later, the up-and-coming Dogg and Gunn had the last laugh when they reclaimed the titles during a Steel Cage main event on Raw, courtesy of help from Triple H, Chyna and X-Pac. This was also the night that they officially became members of D-Generation X.

#2 Mick Foley

Following the end of his short-lived tag title reign with Chainsaw Charlie, Mick Foley transitioned from Cactus Jack into Mankind and formed an unusual alliance with Kane, leading to them winning the Tag Team titles on two occasions in the summer of 1998.

As well as the time that he was launched off the stage in a dumpster by the New Age Outlaws, the WWE Hall of Famer also found himself being thrown into the trash at ringside after he lost the Tag Team titles against Road Dogg and Billy Gunn in a 2-on-1 handicap match at SummerSlam 1998.

Mankind’s partner at the time, Kane, decided not to take part in the match, meaning he essentially forfeited his title. However, it turned out that not only was he in the arena for the event, but he was at ringside inside the dumpster for the entirety of the match.

The post-match segment ended with Kane taking out Mankind with a sledgehammer before wheeling the dumpster backstage.

#1 Kane

One of the craziest WWE moments of 2003 came on the August 25 episode of Raw when Shane McMahon kicked Kane in the chest during a brawl outside the arena and sent him flying backwards into a fire-filled dumpster.

A week later, the 7-footer gained his revenge by attacking McMahon from behind during a promo segment with Eric Bischoff on Raw. He then handcuffed his rival to the ring post on the outside of the ring before electrocuting his genitals (yes, this really happened) with jumper cables.

This incident came at a time shortly after Kane had been unmasked for the first time, so the demonic “Big Red Machine” character was more ruthless than ever.

Rob Van Dam ran down to ringside to attack his former tag partner-turned-rival with a steel chair, allowing McMahon to escape from one of the most torturous situations that has ever been shown on WWE television.