Travicity
01-15-2011, 12:31 AM
Is there anything wrestlers won’t use to gain an advantage in the ring? Find out the best items to use when clobbering your opponent!
Al Snow’s Head
Al Snow cultivated a long career, wrestling in multiple promotions under numerous different gimmicks, including Leif Cassidy, Shinobi and even the superhero Avatar. He found the most success in ECW, however, when he started bringing a mannequin head to the ring with him.
With the words “Help Me” written backwards on the head, this foreign object became an integral part of Snow’s gimmick as a schizophrenic, which bought him success in both ECW as well as WWE. Additionally, it gave audiences a perfect excuse to scream, “We want head!” at the top of their lungs.
Paul E. Dangerously’s Mobile Phone
Though he’s best known as the mad genius behind ECW, Paul Heyman first came to prominence as the scheming manager Paul E. Dangerously. As Dangerously, Heyman would subject his enemies to his brash New York attitude as well as shots from his omnipresent mobile phone.
Younger fans might not understand how anyone could suffer from being hit with a cell phone, but this wasn’t the sleek, efficient device of 2010. In the 1980s, mobile phones were gigantic, clunky affairs, perfectly suited for not only discussing the newest WHAM! album, but also braining your opponents.
Regal’s Brass Knuckles
William Regal began honing his craft at the young age of 15 by wrestling in carnivals across England. Since then, he’s become known as both a skilled chain wrestler and brawler. And with his trusty brass knuckles, Regal’s already dangerous strikes become downright lethal.
While Regal doesn’t need his brass knuckles to defeat opponents, they lend a distinct advantage to The British Brawler, as he’s used them to lay out countless opponents, and even fought for them in a Brass Knuckles on a Pole Match. Easily concealed and devastatingly effective, Regal’s brass knuckles are an asset in any match.
Kane’s Hook
He’s 7-foot tall, a veteran of in-ring combat, the brother of The Undertaker, and has even displayed an ability to control fire. Kane is dangerous enough completely unarmed, making The Big Red Monster truly terrifying when he started carrying a massive hook to the ring with him.
Mirroring the actions of his character, Jacob Goodnight, from See No Evil, Kane began lugging around a long chain with a deadly sharp hook on the end. It’s impressive whenever a wrestler arms himself for battle, but when the wrestler is as monstrous as Kane and the weapon as potentially damaging as a giant hook, it’s that much more memorable.
James Storm’s Beer Bottle
As Beer Money, Inc., Robert Roode and James Storm have made a career out of being the meanest, toughest couple of jerks you’d ever run afoul of in a bar. But as any local tough worth his weight in pub mix knows, it ain’t a barfight until someone breaks a bottle.
Storm always comes to the ring with a beer bottle, ostensibly to slake the tag team specialist’s mighty thirst. But the bottle also serves another important purpose, as more often than not, it ends up smashed on the skull of one of Beer Money’s unfortunate opponents
Jimmy Hart’s Megaphone
They don’t call Jimmy Hart “The Mouth of The South” for nothing, as the proud son of Dixie served as one of professional wrestling’s most recognizable and entertaining mouthpieces. Hart took his vocalizations to the next level, however, with the use of his signature megaphone.
The primary purpose of Hart’s megaphone is to amplify his already considerable voice, making his instructions and encouragements to his wrestlers that much clearer. Hart would often use the device for more malicious means, however, antagonizing rivals and even using the megaphone as a weapon.
The Original Sheik’s Pencil
Before The Iron Sheik was humbling opponents, there was another wrestler who used that noble title. As one of the originators of what would become hardcore wrestling, The Original Sheik was known for his brutal offense, which often involved the use of a sharpened pencil he smuggled into matches.
When the in-ring action became heated, The Sheik would produce a pencil and go to work on his opponent with the sharpened object. Gouging and digging into his foes’ flesh, The Sheik would unleash torrents of blood, shocking audiences through the use of what in less diabolical hands, is nothing more than a writing instrument.
Finlay’s Shillelagh
Finlay is known as The Belfast Brawler, and with good reason. After over three decades as an active competitor, Finlay has delivered countless Irish-themed beatdowns, much of them with his trusty shillelagh.
The shillelagh is an important part of Irish culture, as it was traditionally used for men to settle their disputes, as in dueling. Additionally, it has become a powerful symbol of proud Irish identity. Finlay proudly continues this tradition by braining his opponents with the knotty stick.
Abyss’ Nail Board
It’s not unusual for wrestlers to have a valet. A beautiful lady in your corner can instill confidence, impress your fans, or even provide needed distractions during your matches. Abyss’ old lady Janice is a little different, however. Mainly because she’s a black 2x4 with gads of nails sticking out of it.
Abyss is no stranger to foreign objects, as he has terrorized opponents with a number of different weapons, including his infamous bag of thumbtacks. Recently, however, Abyss has taken things to another level, finding a way to make planks of wood and long sharp nails even more dangerous than they already are.
Bruiser Brody’s Chain
Billed at 6 ft 8 in and 285 lb, Bruiser Brody was a terrifying presence by anyone’s standards. But in Japan, his ring entrance was even more intense, as the hirsute grappler stomped the ring, swinging a heavy chain around as the sounds of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” pulsed through the arena.
Not that the legendary Brody needed any help brutalizing his opponents, but sometimes he’d make sadistic use of his chain nonetheless. Brody put the device to good use, wailing on his opponents and even using it to choke the poor saps unlucky enough to step into the ring with him.
Mr. Fuji’s Salt
Though he is primarily known for providing managerial services to wrestlers including Yokozuna and Demolition, Mr. Fuji was also an accomplished in-ring competitor in his own right. In addition to his physical prowess, he would also tip the scales in his favor through the use of his favorite seasoning: Salt.
Everyone knows salt is dangerous – it can lead to high blood pressure and lazy Angelina Jolie vehicles. But Fuji used the tabletop mainstay in a different manner, tossing it into the eyes of his opponents to blind them and give him a crucial advantage, a tactic he would continue to employ during his time as a manager.
Honky Tonk Man’s Guitar
As an arrogant Elvis impersonator, The Honky Tonk Man had one of professional wrestling’s all-time great and ridiculous gimmicks. Honky Tonk would go on to become one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all time courtesy of his swinging neckbreaker known as the Shake, Rattle and Roll, and a series of trusty guitars.
While some guitar players treat their instruments as sacred objects to be protected and cared for, Honky Tonk took a different approach. Wrestlers on the wrong side of the Elvis impersonator would quickly find themselves on the wrong side of the most vicious guitar shots this side of El Kabong.
Sandman’s Singapore Cane
In 1994, the country was obsessed with the story of Michael Fay, an American student studying abroad in Singapore, who was charged with vandalism and sentenced to caning for the offense. Shortly afterward, ECW wrestler The Sandman latched on to the story by wielding a Singapore Cane of his own.
Though the “Cane” was actually a kendo stick, don’t let that fool you into thinking the weapon caused anything but excruciating pain. Throughout his tenure both in the original ECW as well as WWE’s relaunched version, the sight of The Sandman, with his Singapore Cane raised above his head, was one that struck terror in countless opponents.
Paul Bearer’s Urn
Foreign objects in professional wrestling are always good for attacking your opponent, but some items work on another level as well. One such accessory is Paul Bearer’s urn, which was not only the manager’s weapon of choice, but also served as the source of The Undertaker’s considerable powers.
The Undertaker’s ghoulish manager, Paul Bearer, would often use the urn to help his client gain advantages in the ring. However, The Undertaker eventually found himself on the wrong side of the urn’s powers, as Bearer betrayed The Deadman by clocking him with the foreign object.
The Original Sheik’s Fireball
Eagle-eyed readers will notice that this is The Original Sheik’s second time appearing on this list. Added recognition for this Syrian wild man is more than called for, since in addition to innovating the type of bloody, violent matches that are now commonplace, he would literally throw fire at his opponents.
Though other wrestlers have used the trick since, The Original Sheik was the first to brutally burn his opponents’ faces with a fireball. But the Sheik’s fireball wasn’t just limited to inside the squared circle, as he was even known to produce the flaming projectile when confronted on the street.
Mankind’s Mr. Socko
Any fan will tell you that Mick Foley’s Mandible Claw is one of the greatest submission maneuvers in the history of professional wrestling, as it can be applied extremely quickly while delivering an unbelievable amount of pain. But as Mankind, Foley added insult to injury by bringing Mr. Socko into the mix.
Mr. Socko was ostensibly a handpuppet, but really was just one of Mankind’s sweaty old socks. As if it wasn’t bad enough having that psychotic individual shove his paw into your mouth and apply an excruciating nervehold, with Mr. Socko, Mankind started delivering the move by way of a pungent piece of footwear.
Triple H’s Sledgehammer
As a thirteen-time World Champion, a former member of two well-known stables, and a fixture on WWE’s main event scene for the past decade, Triple H is firmly entrenched as one of the promotion’s top stars. But The Game’s climb to the top of the heap was made a lot easier through the use of his trusty sledgehammer.
While many weapons on this list are capable of dazing an opponent or putting them out for the count, with the sledgehammer, Triple H can put an opponent out for months. There’s nothing funny, pretty or elegant about the massive weapon or the way The Game swings it around, but you can’t argue with results.
Abdullah’s Fork
Abdullah the Butcher is terrifying for countless reasons: His violent-sounding name, his profound girth and size, and the bizarre scars on top of his head, just to name a few. Thus, while other wrestlers might not be able to get away with attacking their rivals with a fork, no one in their right mind would point that out to The Madman from the Sudan.
Having competed since 1958 and still going strong, Abdullah is renowned worldwide for his hardcore, bloody matches. While he’s been known to use pretty much anything lying around the ring on his unfortunate opponents, his old standby is a humble-looking fork that The Madman delights in stabbing into his rivals’ flesh.
Team 3D’s Tables
As 23-time World Tag Team Champions, Team 3D (or The Dudley Boyz) are one of the most decorated tag teams in professional wrestling history. But while they’re recognized for their title reigns, what they’re remembered for is making tables an important part of mainstream wrestling.
Since their early days in ECW, Brother Ray and Brother Devon have had no problem putting anyone and everyone, including women, through tables without compunction. When the duo came to WWE they brought their tables along with them, culminating in a series of matches against The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian, including numerous Tables Ladders & Chairs Matches.
The Great Muta’s Asian Mist
Just like Samoan professional wrestlers are always massive and British ones tend to be bare-knuckle boxers, pretty much every Japanese wrestler in America can spew a debilitating mist out of their mouths at will. The wrestler who used this move the best, however, is The Great Muta.
Over a career that spanned numerous promotions and continents, The Great Muta made use of numerous colors of Asian Mist, including red, blue, yellow and even black. However, the most common and popular variety was the green one, which could blind any opponent unlucky enough to get a facefull of it.
Jake "the Snake’s" Snakes
Jake Roberts is recognized for his intimidating size, his incredible promos and for inventing the DDT wrestling maneuver. But throughout his career, Roberts was primarily known for his nickname, “the Snake,” and the vicious serpents he would bring with him to the ring.
Originally, Roberts would bring his pet python, Damien, along with him, laying the snake across the chest of defeated opponents. But after the snake was squashed by the humongous Earthquake, Roberts traded up to a larger python named Lucifer, and even once brought a cobra to the ring, goading it into repeatedly biting Randy Savag
Steel Chairs
They’re in good supply at wrestling matches, they’re light enough to swing around, but heavy enough to do serious damage, and they make a hell of a racket on impact. It’s no wonder that steel chairs are professional wrestling’s best and most enduring foreign object.
Whether it’s Edge & Christian conducting a Con-chair-to, Balls Mahoney lugging a customized one to the ring, Rob Van Dam hitting Van Terminator, or the late, great Eddie Guerrero tossing one to his opponent before playing opossum, steel chairs have a revered place in professional wrestling, and are bar none, the best thing to smash into an opponent’s skull.
UGO
Al Snow’s Head
Al Snow cultivated a long career, wrestling in multiple promotions under numerous different gimmicks, including Leif Cassidy, Shinobi and even the superhero Avatar. He found the most success in ECW, however, when he started bringing a mannequin head to the ring with him.
With the words “Help Me” written backwards on the head, this foreign object became an integral part of Snow’s gimmick as a schizophrenic, which bought him success in both ECW as well as WWE. Additionally, it gave audiences a perfect excuse to scream, “We want head!” at the top of their lungs.
Paul E. Dangerously’s Mobile Phone
Though he’s best known as the mad genius behind ECW, Paul Heyman first came to prominence as the scheming manager Paul E. Dangerously. As Dangerously, Heyman would subject his enemies to his brash New York attitude as well as shots from his omnipresent mobile phone.
Younger fans might not understand how anyone could suffer from being hit with a cell phone, but this wasn’t the sleek, efficient device of 2010. In the 1980s, mobile phones were gigantic, clunky affairs, perfectly suited for not only discussing the newest WHAM! album, but also braining your opponents.
Regal’s Brass Knuckles
William Regal began honing his craft at the young age of 15 by wrestling in carnivals across England. Since then, he’s become known as both a skilled chain wrestler and brawler. And with his trusty brass knuckles, Regal’s already dangerous strikes become downright lethal.
While Regal doesn’t need his brass knuckles to defeat opponents, they lend a distinct advantage to The British Brawler, as he’s used them to lay out countless opponents, and even fought for them in a Brass Knuckles on a Pole Match. Easily concealed and devastatingly effective, Regal’s brass knuckles are an asset in any match.
Kane’s Hook
He’s 7-foot tall, a veteran of in-ring combat, the brother of The Undertaker, and has even displayed an ability to control fire. Kane is dangerous enough completely unarmed, making The Big Red Monster truly terrifying when he started carrying a massive hook to the ring with him.
Mirroring the actions of his character, Jacob Goodnight, from See No Evil, Kane began lugging around a long chain with a deadly sharp hook on the end. It’s impressive whenever a wrestler arms himself for battle, but when the wrestler is as monstrous as Kane and the weapon as potentially damaging as a giant hook, it’s that much more memorable.
James Storm’s Beer Bottle
As Beer Money, Inc., Robert Roode and James Storm have made a career out of being the meanest, toughest couple of jerks you’d ever run afoul of in a bar. But as any local tough worth his weight in pub mix knows, it ain’t a barfight until someone breaks a bottle.
Storm always comes to the ring with a beer bottle, ostensibly to slake the tag team specialist’s mighty thirst. But the bottle also serves another important purpose, as more often than not, it ends up smashed on the skull of one of Beer Money’s unfortunate opponents
Jimmy Hart’s Megaphone
They don’t call Jimmy Hart “The Mouth of The South” for nothing, as the proud son of Dixie served as one of professional wrestling’s most recognizable and entertaining mouthpieces. Hart took his vocalizations to the next level, however, with the use of his signature megaphone.
The primary purpose of Hart’s megaphone is to amplify his already considerable voice, making his instructions and encouragements to his wrestlers that much clearer. Hart would often use the device for more malicious means, however, antagonizing rivals and even using the megaphone as a weapon.
The Original Sheik’s Pencil
Before The Iron Sheik was humbling opponents, there was another wrestler who used that noble title. As one of the originators of what would become hardcore wrestling, The Original Sheik was known for his brutal offense, which often involved the use of a sharpened pencil he smuggled into matches.
When the in-ring action became heated, The Sheik would produce a pencil and go to work on his opponent with the sharpened object. Gouging and digging into his foes’ flesh, The Sheik would unleash torrents of blood, shocking audiences through the use of what in less diabolical hands, is nothing more than a writing instrument.
Finlay’s Shillelagh
Finlay is known as The Belfast Brawler, and with good reason. After over three decades as an active competitor, Finlay has delivered countless Irish-themed beatdowns, much of them with his trusty shillelagh.
The shillelagh is an important part of Irish culture, as it was traditionally used for men to settle their disputes, as in dueling. Additionally, it has become a powerful symbol of proud Irish identity. Finlay proudly continues this tradition by braining his opponents with the knotty stick.
Abyss’ Nail Board
It’s not unusual for wrestlers to have a valet. A beautiful lady in your corner can instill confidence, impress your fans, or even provide needed distractions during your matches. Abyss’ old lady Janice is a little different, however. Mainly because she’s a black 2x4 with gads of nails sticking out of it.
Abyss is no stranger to foreign objects, as he has terrorized opponents with a number of different weapons, including his infamous bag of thumbtacks. Recently, however, Abyss has taken things to another level, finding a way to make planks of wood and long sharp nails even more dangerous than they already are.
Bruiser Brody’s Chain
Billed at 6 ft 8 in and 285 lb, Bruiser Brody was a terrifying presence by anyone’s standards. But in Japan, his ring entrance was even more intense, as the hirsute grappler stomped the ring, swinging a heavy chain around as the sounds of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” pulsed through the arena.
Not that the legendary Brody needed any help brutalizing his opponents, but sometimes he’d make sadistic use of his chain nonetheless. Brody put the device to good use, wailing on his opponents and even using it to choke the poor saps unlucky enough to step into the ring with him.
Mr. Fuji’s Salt
Though he is primarily known for providing managerial services to wrestlers including Yokozuna and Demolition, Mr. Fuji was also an accomplished in-ring competitor in his own right. In addition to his physical prowess, he would also tip the scales in his favor through the use of his favorite seasoning: Salt.
Everyone knows salt is dangerous – it can lead to high blood pressure and lazy Angelina Jolie vehicles. But Fuji used the tabletop mainstay in a different manner, tossing it into the eyes of his opponents to blind them and give him a crucial advantage, a tactic he would continue to employ during his time as a manager.
Honky Tonk Man’s Guitar
As an arrogant Elvis impersonator, The Honky Tonk Man had one of professional wrestling’s all-time great and ridiculous gimmicks. Honky Tonk would go on to become one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all time courtesy of his swinging neckbreaker known as the Shake, Rattle and Roll, and a series of trusty guitars.
While some guitar players treat their instruments as sacred objects to be protected and cared for, Honky Tonk took a different approach. Wrestlers on the wrong side of the Elvis impersonator would quickly find themselves on the wrong side of the most vicious guitar shots this side of El Kabong.
Sandman’s Singapore Cane
In 1994, the country was obsessed with the story of Michael Fay, an American student studying abroad in Singapore, who was charged with vandalism and sentenced to caning for the offense. Shortly afterward, ECW wrestler The Sandman latched on to the story by wielding a Singapore Cane of his own.
Though the “Cane” was actually a kendo stick, don’t let that fool you into thinking the weapon caused anything but excruciating pain. Throughout his tenure both in the original ECW as well as WWE’s relaunched version, the sight of The Sandman, with his Singapore Cane raised above his head, was one that struck terror in countless opponents.
Paul Bearer’s Urn
Foreign objects in professional wrestling are always good for attacking your opponent, but some items work on another level as well. One such accessory is Paul Bearer’s urn, which was not only the manager’s weapon of choice, but also served as the source of The Undertaker’s considerable powers.
The Undertaker’s ghoulish manager, Paul Bearer, would often use the urn to help his client gain advantages in the ring. However, The Undertaker eventually found himself on the wrong side of the urn’s powers, as Bearer betrayed The Deadman by clocking him with the foreign object.
The Original Sheik’s Fireball
Eagle-eyed readers will notice that this is The Original Sheik’s second time appearing on this list. Added recognition for this Syrian wild man is more than called for, since in addition to innovating the type of bloody, violent matches that are now commonplace, he would literally throw fire at his opponents.
Though other wrestlers have used the trick since, The Original Sheik was the first to brutally burn his opponents’ faces with a fireball. But the Sheik’s fireball wasn’t just limited to inside the squared circle, as he was even known to produce the flaming projectile when confronted on the street.
Mankind’s Mr. Socko
Any fan will tell you that Mick Foley’s Mandible Claw is one of the greatest submission maneuvers in the history of professional wrestling, as it can be applied extremely quickly while delivering an unbelievable amount of pain. But as Mankind, Foley added insult to injury by bringing Mr. Socko into the mix.
Mr. Socko was ostensibly a handpuppet, but really was just one of Mankind’s sweaty old socks. As if it wasn’t bad enough having that psychotic individual shove his paw into your mouth and apply an excruciating nervehold, with Mr. Socko, Mankind started delivering the move by way of a pungent piece of footwear.
Triple H’s Sledgehammer
As a thirteen-time World Champion, a former member of two well-known stables, and a fixture on WWE’s main event scene for the past decade, Triple H is firmly entrenched as one of the promotion’s top stars. But The Game’s climb to the top of the heap was made a lot easier through the use of his trusty sledgehammer.
While many weapons on this list are capable of dazing an opponent or putting them out for the count, with the sledgehammer, Triple H can put an opponent out for months. There’s nothing funny, pretty or elegant about the massive weapon or the way The Game swings it around, but you can’t argue with results.
Abdullah’s Fork
Abdullah the Butcher is terrifying for countless reasons: His violent-sounding name, his profound girth and size, and the bizarre scars on top of his head, just to name a few. Thus, while other wrestlers might not be able to get away with attacking their rivals with a fork, no one in their right mind would point that out to The Madman from the Sudan.
Having competed since 1958 and still going strong, Abdullah is renowned worldwide for his hardcore, bloody matches. While he’s been known to use pretty much anything lying around the ring on his unfortunate opponents, his old standby is a humble-looking fork that The Madman delights in stabbing into his rivals’ flesh.
Team 3D’s Tables
As 23-time World Tag Team Champions, Team 3D (or The Dudley Boyz) are one of the most decorated tag teams in professional wrestling history. But while they’re recognized for their title reigns, what they’re remembered for is making tables an important part of mainstream wrestling.
Since their early days in ECW, Brother Ray and Brother Devon have had no problem putting anyone and everyone, including women, through tables without compunction. When the duo came to WWE they brought their tables along with them, culminating in a series of matches against The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian, including numerous Tables Ladders & Chairs Matches.
The Great Muta’s Asian Mist
Just like Samoan professional wrestlers are always massive and British ones tend to be bare-knuckle boxers, pretty much every Japanese wrestler in America can spew a debilitating mist out of their mouths at will. The wrestler who used this move the best, however, is The Great Muta.
Over a career that spanned numerous promotions and continents, The Great Muta made use of numerous colors of Asian Mist, including red, blue, yellow and even black. However, the most common and popular variety was the green one, which could blind any opponent unlucky enough to get a facefull of it.
Jake "the Snake’s" Snakes
Jake Roberts is recognized for his intimidating size, his incredible promos and for inventing the DDT wrestling maneuver. But throughout his career, Roberts was primarily known for his nickname, “the Snake,” and the vicious serpents he would bring with him to the ring.
Originally, Roberts would bring his pet python, Damien, along with him, laying the snake across the chest of defeated opponents. But after the snake was squashed by the humongous Earthquake, Roberts traded up to a larger python named Lucifer, and even once brought a cobra to the ring, goading it into repeatedly biting Randy Savag
Steel Chairs
They’re in good supply at wrestling matches, they’re light enough to swing around, but heavy enough to do serious damage, and they make a hell of a racket on impact. It’s no wonder that steel chairs are professional wrestling’s best and most enduring foreign object.
Whether it’s Edge & Christian conducting a Con-chair-to, Balls Mahoney lugging a customized one to the ring, Rob Van Dam hitting Van Terminator, or the late, great Eddie Guerrero tossing one to his opponent before playing opossum, steel chairs have a revered place in professional wrestling, and are bar none, the best thing to smash into an opponent’s skull.
UGO