10 Wrestling Matches That Started Riots

1. Ernie Ladd Vs. Johnny Powers - January 1974

The video of this footage may actually list it as taking place in the 1960s, but the truth is that this particular match is from 1974. To be precise, it's from 31 January 1974's Steel Belt Wrestling show out of Cleveland, Ohio.

Likely the most infamous wrestling riot in history, the source of this all-out insanity was a man who wasn't even involved in the match. As Ernie Ladd took on Johnny Powers with the aim of breaking Powers' patented Powerlock submission and winning $5,000 in the process, Ox Baker joined the action and cemented his spot as one of the most heat-inducing villains in all of wrestling.

Just when Ladd looked to be escaping Powers' grip, Baker hit the ring and nailed the Big Cat with six devastating Heart Punches - a move that fans of the day believed could genuinely bring on a heart attack, after two wrestlers suffered just such a horror mere days after taking the move.

So over was Ernie Ladd, you can hear the sheer shrieks of terror from the watching crowd as they fear the worst for their beloved hero. But as a result of that adoration for Ladd, that meant that the crowd turned riotous - to the point that you actually got to see Johnny Powers legitimately running for his life.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.