Often Questions About Wrestling (Long Read But Worth It)

[Mark=Excellence]

ARE THE RING STEPS AND RING POSTS REALLY MADE OF STEEL?

Both of these are indeed made of steel. The steps however are much lighter than the commentators say they are. Being hit with the steps is not really painful. In most cases, you will notice that the triangle part of the steps (i.e. the V-shaped part cut out of the steps to allow them to be placed against with the ringpost) is what is supposedly making contact with the wrestler. If the steps are rammed into an opponent’s head, the opponent gets his hand up to protect himself. If a wrestler is laying on the second, lower part of the steps, and his opponent throws stairs into him, look carefully and you will see that the opponent usually throws the corner of the steps into the lower part of the steps, not into the opponent.

The ring posts are a much more solid and potentially dangerous piece of equipment. Again, the wrestlers are not usually hurt by the posts. From inside the ring, wrestlers can go shoulder first into the post if their opponent moves out of the way. If you watch closely, you will see that they never actually make contact with the post. As well, when wrestlers are “crotched” by the post, their crotches never actually make contact with the steel. Being whipped into the posts on the outside is a little more realistic as legitimate contact is made with the post. Again watch closely and you will see that the wrestlers normally get their hands up before their shoulders hit the post. This of course lessens the impact.

IS THE BARBED WIRE THEY USE REAL?

The WWF uses both real and fake (capped) barbed wire. Barbed wire matches don't happen very often in the WWF but when it is used, the wrestlers often switch between the real and capped barbed wire during a match. The match between Mick Foley and Triple H at No Way Out is a perfect example. When it was time for the wrestlers to be “busted wide open”, they switched the fake wire for the real wire. They did so behind the announce table. “Capped” barbed wire is just as it sounds: the sharp and jagged pieces of the wire are capped so as to prevent being cut.

HOW DO WRESTLERS FALL OFF LADDERS, LAND ON LADDERS AND DO MOVES OFF THEM?

The reason wrestlers don't get hurt when they go through a table or when they use a ladder in the ring is because they went to a wrestling school and learned how to do it properly. That is why people who are not trained shouldn't do things you see on TV.

HOW DO THEY GET DRIVEN THROUGH TABLES?

The tables used in a wrestling match are thin and cheap, and break easily. They are not pre-cut or rigged in any way, however they are made of poor quality materials. Also, they almost always go through the centre of the table, where no metal is present.

HOW DO WRESTLERS HIT EACH OTHER WITH SLEDGEHAMMERS WITHOUT GETTING HURT?

When the wrestlers use a sledgehammer, it is either a fake or plastic hammer used, or the wrestler "pulls" to lessen the blow. Pulling means that he doesn't hit the person as hard as he can, and pulls back on the movement of the sledgehammer.

WHAT ABOUT LEAD OR STEEL PIPES?

When you see wrestlers using a "lead pipe" it is usually a plastic or aluminum pipe. It is near impossible to get a lead pipe anyway - they aren't used anymore because of lead poisoning. The "steel" pipes aren't actually made of steel.

ARE THE THUMBTACKS THAT THEY SOMETIMES USE REAL?

Yes. These are real thumbtacks and they hurt when they puncture the skin. When you seen any of them stuck to a wrestler's (such as Cactus Jack's) skin they hurt. However, the wrestler's boots, knee pads and elbow pads block out most of the tacks. The ones you seen in the wrestler's face and body definitely do hurt.

HOW DO WRESTLERS HIT EACH OTHER WITH CHAIRS WITHOUT GETTING HURT?

All of the fold-up chairs the wrestlers use are designed to take most of the impact of a blow and most of the time, wrestlers don't hit their opponents very hard, which reduces the risk of injury. Be warned: Regular folding chairs won't take most of the impact (as if you didn't already know) and will end up actually injuring your opponent. By the way, if you were wondering, the chairs ARE made of steel.

HOW DO WRESTLERS BLEED?

95% percent of the time, a wrestler bleeds by "blading" himself, and not by using a blood capsule. Here's how it works: A wrestler rolls out of the ring and hides himself from the view of the audience. He then pulls out a small blade (usually concealed in a taped-up wrist or finger, or given to him by a referee when the ref is checking on him to see if he is "hurt") and quickly cuts his forehead. Cutting anywhere else is very dangerous and is rarely ever attempted. However, cutting the forehead is somewhat dangerous, because you can hit a major artery if you cut too deep. You will notice that 9 times out of 10, the camera will cut away from a blading wrestler so as not to spoil the illusion. A small cut is all that is needed as the blood quickly mixes with sweat and produces a great effect.

Some ‘pretty boy’ types refuse to cut themselves. In these cases, the wrestler will use a blood bag or packet. Chris Jericho comes to mind here. The wrestler will duck out of camera range and break the bag, filled with a red liquid that looks like blood.

HOW ARE SOME OF THE COOL MOVES DONE?

When you see the Undertaker, Kane or someone else hit a chokeslam, this is how it's done. The chokeslam takes a lot of help from the person who is receiving it. First of all the wrestler who is receiving will place their hand on the shoulder of the Undertaker etc. Then when the Undertaker (or someone else) lifts them up the person receiving the chokeslam then tucks their body up to seem like they are high off the ground. You may remember when the Rock had two refs as tag team partners. One of the refs got a chokeslam but it didn't work for Kane, because the ref didn't tuck up, so it didn't look like he was very high off the ground. When you see a piledriver, which is very rare in the WWF, the wrestler lifts up his opponent. He then puts his opponent's head so that it is just above the crotch area. The wrestler drops to his knees so it looks like the opponent is getting his head smashed into the mat, but in fact, he still has his head a couple of inches off the ground. Piledrivers are incredibly dangerous and are very rarely attempted now. When was the last time you saw Kane give someone a Tombstone Piledriver?

IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THE RING?

The ring is built so that underneath it is sprung. You may see this when the curtain gets raised up. Wrestlers say that it is most like a bouncing castle. When wrestlers take huge jumps in the ring it takes a lot of the impact away. There are a few layers of soft wood under the mat, to take away the force of impact. Also, there is often a microphone under the ring to make big moves sound more dangerous.

[JUSA]

Nice post. I guess this is part of a face turn for you?

[HardGainer82]

Yeah...Jericho never blades

[Alex Cooper]

Well this clearly was from 2000.

[ProWrestler]

Where did you get all that info? I dont think ANYONE on here didnt already know all of of those things.

[HardGainer82]

I tend to discredit this post on the basis that it implies that wrestlers use "special" chairs.

[chisle94]

It was pretty much common knowledge about all this. Triple H has stated he used a real sledgehammer all the time, the one exception at WM 17 against the UT, because he thought the weight of him plus the sledgehammer would cause for a unbalance.

The tables have no reason to be pre cut and hell, they don't need to be made of 'cheap materials'. if you throw a 240 lb guy through the table it will break. Especially in the middle.

I also don't believe, like HG said about the special made chairs. I was watching a TNA X Division Gaunlet match (LA Parka used it at Victory Road 04) and the chair does look like it's not the normal thing.

[chisle94]

It was pretty much common knowledge about all this. Triple H has stated he used a real sledgehammer all the time, the one exception at WM 17 against the UT, because he thought the weight of him plus the sledgehammer would cause for a unbalance.

The tables have no reason to be pre cut and hell, they don't need to be made of 'cheap materials'. if you throw a 240 lb guy through the table it will break. Especially in the middle.

I also don't believe, like HG said about the special made chairs. I was watching a TNA X Division Gaunlet match (LA Parka used it at Victory Road 04) and the chair does look like it's not the normal thing.

[Mark=Excellence]

Originally Posted by chisle94

It was pretty much common knowledge about all this. Triple H has stated he used a real sledgehammer all the time, the one exception at WM 17 against the UT, because he thought the weight of him plus the sledgehammer would cause for a unbalance.

The tables have no reason to be pre cut and hell, they don't need to be made of 'cheap materials'. if you throw a 240 lb guy through the table it will break. Especially in the middle.

I also don't believe, like HG said about the special made chairs. I was watching a TNA X Division Gaunlet match (LA Parka used it at Victory Road 04) and the chair does look like it's not the normal thing.

they need to make the chair look as realistic as possible, so that people like me and you think that the things they use are real.

[ProWrestler]

Originally Posted by chisle94

It was pretty much common knowledge about all this. Triple H has stated he used a real sledgehammer all the time, the one exception at WM 17 against the UT, because he thought the weight of him plus the sledgehammer would cause for a unbalance.

The tables have no reason to be pre cut and hell, they don't need to be made of 'cheap materials'. if you throw a 240 lb guy through the table it will break. Especially in the middle.

I also don't believe, like HG said about the special made chairs. I was watching a TNA X Division Gaunlet match (LA Parka used it at Victory Road 04) and the chair does look like it's not the normal thing.

Actually Trips used a rubber headed sledge hammer at Summerslam 02 against HBK in their "unsanctioned street fight" if you watch closely there is a part in the match where HHH is on the ground and he grabs the sledge and plants it on the mat and uses it as a crutch to get to his feet and the head of the sledge bends and you see it fold and wrinkle a little and then he goes on to actually hit HBK with the hammer in the back instead of putting his hand over it or "pulling" I laughed my ass off when I first noticed it.

[azhardcore24]

Originally Posted by Mark=Excellence

ARE THE RING STEPS AND RING POSTS REALLY MADE OF STEEL?

Both of these are indeed made of steel. The steps however are much lighter than the commentators say they are. Being hit with the steps is not really painful. In most cases, you will notice that the triangle part of the steps (i.e. the V-shaped part cut out of the steps to allow them to be placed against with the ringpost) is what is supposedly making contact with the wrestler. If the steps are rammed into an opponent’s head, the opponent gets his hand up to protect himself. If a wrestler is laying on the second, lower part of the steps, and his opponent throws stairs into him, look carefully and you will see that the opponent usually throws the corner of the steps into the lower part of the steps, not into the opponent.

The ring posts are a much more solid and potentially dangerous piece of equipment. Again, the wrestlers are not usually hurt by the posts. From inside the ring, wrestlers can go shoulder first into the post if their opponent moves out of the way. If you watch closely, you will see that they never actually make contact with the post. As well, when wrestlers are “crotched” by the post, their crotches never actually make contact with the steel. Being whipped into the posts on the outside is a little more realistic as legitimate contact is made with the post. Again watch closely and you will see that the wrestlers normally get their hands up before their shoulders hit the post. This of course lessens the impact.

IS THE BARBED WIRE THEY USE REAL?

The WWF uses both real and fake (capped) barbed wire. Barbed wire matches don't happen very often in the WWF but when it is used, the wrestlers often switch between the real and capped barbed wire during a match. The match between Mick Foley and Triple H at No Way Out is a perfect example. When it was time for the wrestlers to be “busted wide open”, they switched the fake wire for the real wire. They did so behind the announce table. “Capped” barbed wire is just as it sounds: the sharp and jagged pieces of the wire are capped so as to prevent being cut.

HOW DO WRESTLERS FALL OFF LADDERS, LAND ON LADDERS AND DO MOVES OFF THEM?

The reason wrestlers don't get hurt when they go through a table or when they use a ladder in the ring is because they went to a wrestling school and learned how to do it properly. That is why people who are not trained shouldn't do things you see on TV.

HOW DO THEY GET DRIVEN THROUGH TABLES?

The tables used in a wrestling match are thin and cheap, and break easily. They are not pre-cut or rigged in any way, however they are made of poor quality materials. Also, they almost always go through the centre of the table, where no metal is present.

HOW DO WRESTLERS HIT EACH OTHER WITH SLEDGEHAMMERS WITHOUT GETTING HURT?

When the wrestlers use a sledgehammer, it is either a fake or plastic hammer used, or the wrestler "pulls" to lessen the blow. Pulling means that he doesn't hit the person as hard as he can, and pulls back on the movement of the sledgehammer.

WHAT ABOUT LEAD OR STEEL PIPES?

When you see wrestlers using a "lead pipe" it is usually a plastic or aluminum pipe. It is near impossible to get a lead pipe anyway - they aren't used anymore because of lead poisoning. The "steel" pipes aren't actually made of steel.

ARE THE THUMBTACKS THAT THEY SOMETIMES USE REAL?

Yes. These are real thumbtacks and they hurt when they puncture the skin. When you seen any of them stuck to a wrestler's (such as Cactus Jack's) skin they hurt. However, the wrestler's boots, knee pads and elbow pads block out most of the tacks. The ones you seen in the wrestler's face and body definitely do hurt.

HOW DO WRESTLERS HIT EACH OTHER WITH CHAIRS WITHOUT GETTING HURT?

All of the fold-up chairs the wrestlers use are designed to take most of the impact of a blow and most of the time, wrestlers don't hit their opponents very hard, which reduces the risk of injury. Be warned: Regular folding chairs won't take most of the impact (as if you didn't already know) and will end up actually injuring your opponent. By the way, if you were wondering, the chairs ARE made of steel.

HOW DO WRESTLERS BLEED?

95% percent of the time, a wrestler bleeds by "blading" himself, and not by using a blood capsule. Here's how it works: A wrestler rolls out of the ring and hides himself from the view of the audience. He then pulls out a small blade (usually concealed in a taped-up wrist or finger, or given to him by a referee when the ref is checking on him to see if he is "hurt") and quickly cuts his forehead. Cutting anywhere else is very dangerous and is rarely ever attempted. However, cutting the forehead is somewhat dangerous, because you can hit a major artery if you cut too deep. You will notice that 9 times out of 10, the camera will cut away from a blading wrestler so as not to spoil the illusion. A small cut is all that is needed as the blood quickly mixes with sweat and produces a great effect.

Some ‘pretty boy’ types refuse to cut themselves. In these cases, the wrestler will use a blood bag or packet. Chris Jericho comes to mind here. The wrestler will duck out of camera range and break the bag, filled with a red liquid that looks like blood.

HOW ARE SOME OF THE COOL MOVES DONE?

When you see the Undertaker, Kane or someone else hit a chokeslam, this is how it's done. The chokeslam takes a lot of help from the person who is receiving it. First of all the wrestler who is receiving will place their hand on the shoulder of the Undertaker etc. Then when the Undertaker (or someone else) lifts them up the person receiving the chokeslam then tucks their body up to seem like they are high off the ground. You may remember when the Rock had two refs as tag team partners. One of the refs got a chokeslam but it didn't work for Kane, because the ref didn't tuck up, so it didn't look like he was very high off the ground. When you see a piledriver, which is very rare in the WWF, the wrestler lifts up his opponent. He then puts his opponent's head so that it is just above the crotch area. The wrestler drops to his knees so it looks like the opponent is getting his head smashed into the mat, but in fact, he still has his head a couple of inches off the ground. Piledrivers are incredibly dangerous and are very rarely attempted now. When was the last time you saw Kane give someone a Tombstone Piledriver?

IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THE RING?

The ring is built so that underneath it is sprung. You may see this when the curtain gets raised up. Wrestlers say that it is most like a bouncing castle. When wrestlers take huge jumps in the ring it takes a lot of the impact away. There are a few layers of soft wood under the mat, to take away the force of impact. Also, there is often a microphone under the ring to make big moves sound more dangerous.

great post, interesting read. answered some of my questions i always wondered about. reps

[John Elway]

This is a good post for the people who come in here and ask dumb questions every once in a while. Good sticky-level thread and information RandyRules.

[DevenMichaels]

From a wrestlers point of view I think that this thread is uncalled for. I can except the fact that there are smart marks out there that know some of the secrets, but the secrets should not be common knowledge. I don't understand why some people insist on telling the whole world how wrestlers do the things they do.

[BigAssBulker]

Originally Posted by ProWrestler

Actually Trips used a rubber headed sledge hammer at Summerslam 02 against HBK in their "unsanctioned street fight" if you watch closely there is a part in the match where HHH is on the ground and he grabs the sledge and plants it on the mat and uses it as a crutch to get to his feet and the head of the sledge bends and you see it fold and wrinkle a little and then he goes on to actually hit HBK with the hammer in the back instead of putting his hand over it or "pulling" I laughed my ass off when I first noticed it.

He also used one in his WHC defence against RVD, where Flair hit RCD in the misection with the sledgehammer. You can tell from the same reason as at SummerSlam 02.

Originally Posted by John Elway

This is a good post for the people who come in here and ask dumb questions every once in a while. Good sticky-level thread and information RandyRules.

Sticky-level thread?

[John Elway]

Originally Posted by BigAssBulker

He also used one in his WHC defence against RVD, where Flair hit RCD in the misection with the sledgehammer. You can tell from the same reason as at SummerSlam 02.



Sticky-level thread?

Well yeah I think it honestly is. I mean, look at the people who come in here who haven't watched wrestling or something, they ask questions like these. You can have your own opinion, but don't try to make me look dumb for stating mine.

[BigAssBulker]

Originally Posted by John Elway

Well yeah I think it honestly is. I mean, look at the people who come in here who haven't watched wrestling or something, they ask questions like these. You can have your own opinion, but don't try to make me look dumb for stating mine.

The people who come in here asking dumb questions like "omg is the blood real" are 99% of the time trolls. Thats why its not a sticky-level thread. Thats not "opinion".....thats fact.

[John Elway]

Originally Posted by BigAssBulker

The people who come in here asking dumb questions like "omg is the blood real" are 99% of the time trolls. Thats why its not a sticky-level thread. Thats not "opinion".....thats fact.

No it's not a fact. I still have the opinion that this is a sticky level thread written by RandyRules.

[BigAssBulker]

Originally Posted by John Elway

No it's not a fact. I still have the opinion that this is a sticky level thread written by RandyRules.

Well you keep your "facts" to yourself.......

[John Elway]

Originally Posted by BigAssBulker

Well you keep your "facts" to yourself.......

What? I didn't say anything about "facts". You did. I will let you know what my opinion is though, because that's what this forum is for...

[chisle94]

Originally Posted by ProWrestler

Actually Trips used a rubber headed sledge hammer at Summerslam 02 against HBK in their "unsanctioned street fight" if you watch closely there is a part in the match where HHH is on the ground and he grabs the sledge and plants it on the mat and uses it as a crutch to get to his feet and the head of the sledge bends and you see it fold and wrinkle a little and then he goes on to actually hit HBK with the hammer in the back instead of putting his hand over it or "pulling" I laughed my ass off when I first noticed it.

You're right on that account - my bad.

[ProWrestler]

Originally Posted by chisle94

You're right on that account - my bad.

oh no problem, I wasnt trying to correct you(if thats how it came off) I was just trying to say "hey, in case you didn't notice, you should watch that match again, its pretty funny when you see it" So no its not your bad

[El Gilbro]

Originally Posted by HardGainer82

I tend to discredit this post on the basis that it implies that wrestlers use "special" chairs.

I agree on the "special" chairs. I have a "ring used" chair (Steve Blackman used it in a hardcore title defense) that has a huge dent in the seat. Trust me, it's real. If you take notice, the top side of the seat that you sit on is what makes contact with the wrestler. You can always tell when the Big Show is going to punch a chair back into somebody's face, or when Kurt Angle is going to miss the guy and have the chair bounce of the top rope and hit himself, by which direction the chair seat facing.

The chairs they use are the same ones you and I can buy at Wal-Mart. Same goes for the tables. As chisle94 pointed out, it's simple physics that a heavy object (the wrestler) landing in the middle of a six-foot long wooden table is going to cause the table to break.

Remember when Tori was in DX? She came off the top rope with a splash to try and put somebody through a table. She overshot her mark and didn't land it squarely. With her not weighing all that much, the table didn't break. She got back on the top rope and this time Road Dogg and X-pac guided her so that she landed squarely on the table, this time it broke.

[HardGainer82]

Originally Posted by DevenMichaels

From a wrestlers point of view I think that this thread is uncalled for. I can except the fact that there are smart marks out there that know some of the secrets, but the secrets should not be common knowledge. I don't understand why some people insist on telling the whole world how wrestlers do the things they do.

While I respect your desire to maintain kayfabe, be serious. Everyone knows that stuff already, or at least everyone on this board does. Vince has been exposing the business for years.

[pumpkinlicker]

Originally Posted by HardGainer82

While I respect your desire to maintain kayfabe, be serious. Everyone knows that stuff already, or at least everyone on this board does. Vince has been exposing the business for years.

EXACTLY. HG is a wrestling stud and knows what he's talking about guys.

And there is no such thing as a "special chair."

[DevenMichaels]

Originally Posted by HardGainer82

While I respect your desire to maintain kayfabe, be serious. Everyone knows that stuff already, or at least everyone on this board does. Vince has been exposing the business for years.

I disagree, every one doesn't know the tricks and secrets. I agree that most people do, but not every one. You ask just about any kid if its real of fake and they'll swear to it that every thing is 100% legite. The only thing Vince has ever done is change the name to sports entertainment. One of the reasons that wrestling is the way it is today is because there are to many smart marks revealing secrets. Wrestling is more exciting when you don't really know whats real and what isn't. Its just like watching David Copperfield making a spaceship disaapear. Seeing it being done is a lot more impressive if you don't know how he does it. One of the things that really disgust me, and I see it all the time, is when other wrestlers are confiriming what the smart marks are saying. If the wrestlers wouldn't agree with the smart marks no one would really know for sure. Oh well, I think I'm done ranting for now. What it all boils down to is that I miss the old school days.

[HardGainer82]

Originally Posted by DevenMichaels

I disagree, every one doesn't know the tricks and secrets. I agree that most people do, but not every one. You ask just about any kid if its real of fake and they'll swear to it that every thing is 100% legite. The only thing Vince has ever done is change the name to sports entertainment. One of the reasons that wrestling is the way it is today is because there are to many smart marks revealing secrets. Wrestling is more exciting when you don't really know whats real and what isn't. Its just like watching David Copperfield making a spaceship disaapear. Seeing it being done is a lot more impressive if you don't know how he does it. One of the things that really disgust me, and I see it all the time, is when other wrestlers are confiriming what the smart marks are saying. If the wrestlers wouldn't agree with the smart marks no one would really know for sure. Oh well, I think I'm done ranting for now. What it all boils down to is that I miss the old school days.

A big part of my point is that those "kids" you refer to are most likely not reading this website. Everyone in this forum knows that wrestling is worked. And yes, Vince did publicly admit it was worked.

[DevenMichaels]

I see your point. I'm not really trting to argue with you, its just that this is a subject that i like to rant about. What amazes me is that even at the shows I work you'd be suprised how many older people that still believe. And thats the point of wrestling. People pay to see us so they can forget about thier life for a couple of hours. They want to get lost in the moment. I just think that destroying the illusion takes away some of the thrill for the fans. I never knew that Vince actually said that wrestling was actually a work. Think about it, how many people would enjoy watching football and boxing if they knew that those 2 sports were just as much as a work.

[El Gilbro]

Originally Posted by DevenMichaels

What amazes me is that even at the shows I work you'd be suprised how many older people that still believe.

Who do you work for and where? I live in PA and would be interested in checking it out sometime.

[HardGainer82]

Originally Posted by DevenMichaels

I see your point. I'm not really trting to argue with you, its just that this is a subject that i like to rant about. What amazes me is that even at the shows I work you'd be suprised how many older people that still believe. And thats the point of wrestling. People pay to see us so they can forget about thier life for a couple of hours. They want to get lost in the moment. I just think that destroying the illusion takes away some of the thrill for the fans. I never knew that Vince actually said that wrestling was actually a work. Think about it, how many people would enjoy watching football and boxing if they knew that those 2 sports were just as much as a work.

Same here, really. I didn't want to argue either. I personally like to suspend my disbelief and pretend it's all real. I just wish WWE and TNA didn't make it so difficult to do that nowadays.

[Mark=Excellence]

i understand everyone, but i think it was a pretty good post overall, dont ya think?