Between evil authority figures conspiring like Wile E. Coyote attempting to rid the WWE Universe of the Road Runner that is Daniel Bryan and Kane resorting to abduction and hellfire to become the World Heavyweight Champion, it would appear as though WWE has rebooted 1998's favorite storyline tropes in an attempt to re-create Daniel Bryan as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The latest in this line of out-sized and completely absurd developments came on Sunday night as in his title match at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, Bryan used a forklift with attached pallet to carry an unconscious Kane back to ringside (from backstage where they had been brawling). As the pallet was lifted ten feet into the air and Kane was dropped to the mat, Bryan then mounted the forklift, stood atop the now empty pallet and executed a swan dive headbutt onto the "Devil's Favorite Demon." However, if you think that this is the first time that a vehicle has been used in the midst of a professional wrestling match, that's where you would be wrong. Vehicles have a long and storied history of being involved in matches, so much so that if we were to list a top 10, this would come in somewhere around number nine (number 10 is the Dustin Rhodes vs. Blacktop Bully "King of the Road" Match from WCW's Uncensored in 1995), meaning that there are eight better moments! Intrigued as to what they are? Well keep reading.
8. Ken Shamrock Versus Steve Blackman - Iron Circle Match - WWF Fully Loaded 1999
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x74dcy_wwe-fully-loaded-1999-ken-shamrock_sport By 1999, the World Wrestling Federation career of the one-time former UFC Heavyweight Champion, WWF Intercontinental Champion and "World's Most Dangerous Man" was at its creative nadir. Just like a TV show failing in the ratings, the company introduced a girl - his storyline sister Ryan Shamrock - to his character. Ryan did little to nothing to freshen things up, so, like all wrestlers who were lacking creatively in the Attitude Era, Shamrock devolved into a stalwart of the Hardcore division. His most intriguing hardcore match was with fellow mixed martial artist "The Lethal Weapon" Steve Blackman. Blackman was ideal for the Hardcore division as well, he had been bringing a bag of karate-friendly weapons to the ring with him since he debuted in the company. How did these two end up fighting in a match where they were surrounded by WWF superstars and automobiles? Well, it was Ken Shamrock's idea after he had been repeatedly attacked by Blackman and his kendo sticks. See, when kendo sticks on a pole isn't enough, the time comes to embarrass your opponent in front of their fellow wrestlers AND THEIR CARS. Contested in a parking garage, the winner of the "Iron Circle Match was the first wrestler to escape the circle of parked automobiles. Shamrock and Blackman fight, and Blackman, unsure of how to use a steel chain and tire iron misses when he swings both. Comparatively, Shamrock uses a trashcan and the same steel chain wrapped around his hand with success as car horns blared in the background. The match thankfully ends as Shamrock chokes out Blackman with the steel chain to win.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
