10 Insane WWE Stunts That Were Totally Pointless
4. A Cripple Effect
Any mention of Chris Benoit in a list only brings closer to home the realities of his life's tragic end, but his alarming selling during an unadvertised Tables, Ladders and Chairs match that took place in May 2001 will forever be rendered dormant thanks to the rightful quietening of 'The Crippler's back catalogue.
The inaugural four-team variant of the chaotic stipulation during a post-boom period in which WWE began to add panic to their palette, Benoit's inclusion alongside Tag Team Championship partner Chris Jericho added an additional dimension to the well-worn Hardy Boyz/Dudley Boyz/Edge & Christian formula.
Worryingly, the usual array of death-defying stunts that had tragically become the norm at the tail-end of the Attitude Era, with the list of frightening moments in this match reading like a routine shipping list for the era - the match saw a leapfrog leg-drop from a giant ladder by Jeff Hardy through Bubba Ray Dudley and a table, a spear to Jericho from Edge from the top of a ladder, and the match-defining diving headbutt by Benoit from the ringpost to the arena floor through a table after intended target Matt Hardy rolled out of the way.
Though it went criminally under-appreciated in the aftermath, the bump thankfully wasn't without worth on the night. A stretcher job saw Jericho flying solo in his defence of the straps until 'The Rabid Wolverine' made his return to retain the titles.