10 Weapon Fails That Totally Ruined Wrestling Matches

4. WWE: A Tonal (And Near-Total) Disaster

Hardyz Table Fail
WWE

The comedy plunder match can be done well, as long as the tone is pitched correctly.

It is not the time for deranged head drops through a pane of glass. It is not a grudge match; it's a dumb, irreverent spectacle that should pop the crowd with moments of slapstick. Stadium Stampede is probably the exception - the fun and violence were complementary, and the action had to be physically committed since it was the headline attraction of a premium pay-per-view - but as a general rule of thumb, it's probably not a good idea to unleash concussive brutality in a dumb TV undercard match named after a Megadeth song.

Another general rule of thumb in wrestling is "actually gimmick the weapons because that way it is significantly more safe".

These people don't bump on oak tables. That would be stupid. That would really, really hurt. The tables are made of compressed sawdust for the express purpose of protecting the wrestlers from serious injury.

In the Braun Strowman & Elias Vs. Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura Symphony of Destruction match, held in February 2020, WWE barely gimmicked a piano. The thing didn't even budge when Shinsuke Nakamura was smashed on top of it via Strowman body slam. It was difficult to remember it as the silly fun it almost was when Nakamura had to hold his bleeding head together.

Hey, maybe next time WWE will erect an actual brick wall around ringside and get Roman Reigns to spear somebody through it.

This facetious scenario really isn't too dissimilar.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!