10 Wrestlers Who Risked Absolutely Everything

9. Elix Skipper

Darby Allin
ImpactWrestling.com

One of the greatest spots in TNA history not just for how dangerous it looked but for how that danger could be directly related to the company's appeal compared to WWE at the time, Elix Skipper's cage-walk hurricanrana was chaotic enough to briefly become the talk of the entire industry.

Coming at the crescendo of a bout between Triple X and America's Most Wanted at Turning Point 2004 that stipulated that the losing team must disband, Skipper's kayfabe risk was deemed as justified as the real one. Unfortunately for the former WCW star, the latter paid off slightly more than the former. AMW were victorious despite this iconic spot, but Skipper etched himself in Impact Wrestling lore for years as a result.

The spot served as TNA's King Of The Ring 1998 moment - a replay it was impossible to tire of watching regardless of context, crucially and succinctly capturing both athleticism and drama in equal amounts.

 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett