Everything you wanted to know about WWE weapons

Wrestling is one of the biggest sports in the industry and has played a major role in in the development of other combat sports that have branched out from it.

WWE is one of the biggest companies which is leading from the front and has revolutionized the wrestling industry by taking it further and making it a huge part of sports entertainment.

Even those who had never watched wrestling before has been glued to their TV screens to watch the next episode of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live in order to ensure that they don’t miss a storyline.

However, almost everything that is performed in the WWE is purely for entertainment, and therefore, done in kayfabe. This has resulted in the wrestling industry as a whole receive some heat from other combat sports, yet it has become the largest branch of combat sports.

Similarly, not just the storylines are scripted, but the action that takes place in the middle of the ring is also performed after years of practice and is staged in a manner that ensures that the wrestlers take the least amount of damage possible and are protected from injuries.

During many matches, we’ve seen wrestlers use various weapons against their opponents to gain either a fair or an unfair advantage over them. These weapons too are not of usual standards and most are constructed in a special way for the WWE.

Let’s take a look at the most widely used weapons in the WWE and the hidden secrets behind them.

#7 Kendo Sticks

Kendo Sticks are one of the most common weapons that wrestlers use in the ring in the WWE. Kendo sticks are probably the lightest weapons that wrestlers use too, making it very easy for them to control their strikes.

Kendo sticks are entirely made out of hollow wood. This is noticeable when the stick breaks right after a couple of shots. The stick is reinforced with tape from both ends in order to ensure that the ends don’t split after a shot and cause the wrestlers any cuts or penetrating injuries.

Kendo sticks are easily breakable too and are also used as a method to demonstrate a wrestlers’ strength when they easily break it in half.

Nonetheless, the weapon can cause a lot of pain and injuries too, but it’s nothing compared to what wrestlers can withstand.

Tommy Dreamer is the most notable wrestler who has always used the tool to his benefit and even has had special gimmick matches based on the weapon. A popular bout between Brock Lesnar and Dreamer on Raw in 2002 saw the two compete in a Singapore Cane Match. Lesnar did not use the weapon even once in the match in order to stamp his authority as The Beast who didn’t require a weapon.

The most forgettable use of the kendo stick was between former Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and Bayley when Kurt Angle booked a Kendo stick Pole match between the two for Extreme Rules pay-per-view in 2017.

#6 Garbage cans

The garbage can is another favorite when it comes to foreign objects. Even though we have garbage cans of many different materials being used at homes and around the city, the ones used in the WWE is quite different.

The garbage cans used in the WWE is made entirely out of aluminium and tin. The components are reinforced to ensure it doesn’t split from anywhere and is no thicker than a regular soda can. This ensures that the garbage cans do not cause too much damage upon impact, and do not split on impact to cause any cuts or injuries to wrestlers.

The cans are extremely light and bend easily during contact which ensures that they do not hurt too much. Many times, we see wrestlers cover their opponents with the cans to perform a high-flying move on them, which usually helps reduce the impact of the move rather than increase it while looking extremely painful.

Shane McMahon has used the weapon many times to deliver the famous Coast to Coast and make it look all the more impactful.

#5 Tables

The tables in the WWE give away a lot by the way they look. They are far flimsier than any other weapon that is used during a wrestling match.

The tables are made from really thin chipboard which is held by an evenly thin fame of pipe. The tables can barely take the weight of a fully-grown man, and therefore there have been some instances when the tables have broken either before they’ve been set up properly, or while wrestlers laid on them waiting for their opponent to jump on them.

Tables can be termed as one of the safest weapons to use, as they do not add much more to the pain for a wrestler unless they are probably speared through them. Being jumped on while laying on a table probably does not add too much to the pain of the move.

The main trick is to make sure the opponent is in the center of the table because that is the weakest. The Dudley Boyz are extremely famous for using tables to their advantage, and their most famous finishing move also requires the use of a wooden table.

During a Survivor Series title match in 1995, Diesel knocked Bret Hart off the apron causing him to fall into the announcers' table. That was the initial instance that made the announcer table smashing famous, and has been used by wrestlers such as Big Show and Kane to deliver chokeslams since.

#4 Sledgehammer

A sledgehammer used in the WWE is as real as it can get. Therefore, only a couple of wrestlers are allowed to use the weapon as they do so safely. Triple H is probably the most notable wrestler who has his trustee sledgehammer by his side.

The key to using a sledgehammer safely is to cover its head with your hand before striking the opponent. Therefore, the metal of the sledgehammer’s head never comes in contact with the opponent and causes lesser damage.

Triple H has used the weapon many times legally and illegally during his matches and has been shown to be the master of the sledgehammer.

The first notable use of the weapon by Triple H was during a Casket Match on Raw in 1999. Triple H locked The Rock in the casket and then smashed it with a sledgehammer, breaking Rock’s arm and bloodying him.

#3 Thumbtacks

These can get real painful, real quick — These can get

Thumbtacks in the WWE too, just like sledgehammers, are the real deal and are no different from the thumbtacks you or I use.

The tacks are extremely painful once they go through the skin, and wrestlers can be seen being left with cuts and bruises after they take a fall on these unforgiving little weapons.

The thumbtacks have been Mick Foley’s best friends for a long time. He has been using the weapons for as long as one can remember, and Cactus Jack has managed to inflict a lot of pain on his opponents and even himself using thumbtacks.

However, in one of his autobiographies, Mick Foley stated that the tacks do not hurt as much as most would believe as long as the performer lands on a large surface area such as the back to spread out the pain. Even though he meant to explain that really well, it is still hard to believe that the little spiky objects do not leave the performers in regret after they land on them.

The 2000 Royal Rumble saw Foley take a Pedigree from Triple H on the tacks. The move seemed so brutal that it was hard to believe that Foley made out of it without any injuries. It was revealed that tacks were removed from Foley’s arms, legs, chest, stomach, waist, and even from his face in the aftermath.

#2 Ladders

The Hardy Boyz are the kings of the ladder

Ladders are usually used by wrestlers to climb on to perform a move or to jump off them. The ladders are actually made of steel and can be very dangerous.

However, ladders are also used as weapons to strike the opponents which are actually very dangerous. But there is a catch when it comes to ladders in the WWE.

Unlike regular steel ladders, the ones used for wrestling is actually made of hollow steel rather than solid steel to significantly reduce the weight and the impact.

This can be seen from the fact that ladders bounce off the ropes when they fall on them rather than push the ropes down. It is also why they shake a lot when a wrestler who weighs more than average climbs up on it.

The center of some of the ladders is also made flimsier so that a wrestler can lay on them just like a table and once they are jumped on then the ladder breaks right from the center.

No matter what, ladders are actually one of the most dangerous weapons, and therefore wrestlers throw up their arms to take most of the shots to their hands and arms rather than their faces and sternum. We’ve seen many injuries occur on screen due to the use of ladders with the most famous one being to Joey Mercury.

The Hardy Boyz are the Kings of the Ladder as they have competed in several matches purely based on ladders and come out on top more often than not. The stunts and moves they pull off using ladders are breathtaking.

One of the most memorable Ladder matches came during WrestleMania 33 when a three-way Tag Team match for the Raw Tag Team Titles between Cesaro and Sheamus, Enzo Amore and Big Cass, and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson turned into a fatal-4 way with the inclusion of the returning Hardy Boyz who won the titles after an epic battle.

#1 Steal Chairs

Chair shots to the head are almost completely banned now

Steel Chairs are probably the most commonly used weapons during wrestling matches. The black steel chairs are extremely solid and intimidating and can take even the biggest wrestlers off their feet.

The chairs in the WWE are just normal folding chairs with the main difference being that they’ve had the rivets broken. This allows the metal of the chair to collapse more often than not on impact. The attacker usually hits the chair against a few hard objects before the wrestler in a bid to shake up the frame a bit too and weaken it.

Initially, wrestlers used to take chair shots to the head which was extremely dangerous but was done in the best interest of the business. Now wrestlers are only allowed to take chair shots to their chest, sternum, and most commonly their back which is relatively safer.

No matter what you think or what anyone tells you, chair shots do hurt just like they should. The only difference is that the shots are delivered by trained professionals to other trained professionals.

Unforgiven 2002 saw The Undertaker take on Brock Lesnar after Lesnar took personal shots at The Deadman. The match saw The Undertaker deliver some brutal shots to Lesnar during the match in order to express his anger. After the shots to the head, one could see the completely bent and crumpled chair in Undertaker’s hands. Lesnar hasn’t been the only one to be at the receiving end of The Undertaker’s chair shots, as the Deadman has delivered it to dozens of his opponents over the years.