The Origins Of Wrestling’s 6 Favourite Foreign Objects
1. Steel Chairs
Invention:
Archaeological investigations have unearthed folding chairs/stools in the Mediterranean area, which date back from between the 15th-13th century BC. The folding chair received a boost in popularity during the Middle Ages, when it became a fashionable piece of furniture.
The modern folding chair, the type used as a foreign object, was created by Fredric Arnold in 1947. They began being mass produced in 1957 by the Fredric Arnold Company of Brooklyn, New York.
Innovation:
The first wrestler on record to use the steel chair to his advantage was ‘Wild’ Bill Curry during his ‘40s run. The brutal attack was popularised by Dory Funk Sr. who used chairs during his infamous Texas Death Matches.
Today, steel/folding chairs are synonymous with professional wrestling. This has come at the cost of lessening its impact. Added to this is the banning of chair shots to the head following the Benoit Tragedy, and the use of lighter “steel” chairs. Like many staples of hardcore wrestling, modern usage of chairs is understandably more conservative.
Innovator:
Though Edge and Christian staked a claim on steel chairs during their tag team run, it would be near impossible to name a wrestler who hasn’t wielded a steel chair during their career.