10 Surprising Wrestling Inspirations
8. Wade Barrett (Cactus Jack)
More "BANG BANG!" than "BOOM!" for a change, Wade Barrett's evoking of Mick Foley's most violent alter ego snuck out during an otherwise indistinguishable Monday Night Raw match with The Miz in April 2013.
"Indistinguishable" might be a little harsh, actually. This happened to be a fairly famous post-WrestleMania edition of the flagship, with the sold out Izod Center hosting the rowdy remains of the 'Show Of Shows' crowd. They booed the sh*t out of a corny retelling of John Cena and The Rock's mutual respect from one night prior, turned a Sheamus/Randy Orton snoozer into a cavalcade of disconnected silliness, and briefly ensured that Dolph Ziggler and Fandango were to be received as the biggest stars in the world.
They also enjoyed old stuff more than new, which is perhaps why Barrett deployed the legendary Cactus Jack elbow to the floor during the reclamation of an Intercontinental Championship he'd only lost 24 hours earlier.
The crowd were already against 'The A Lister', to such an extent that the elbow and finger-guns pose beforehand felt like a reward to travelling Brits chanting "Let's Go Barrett" for the bulk of the contest.