Over the years, millions of 'spots' have taken place within a wrestling ring. Some have taken our breath away, others haven't had quite the same effect. Some of which will be replayed forever. And I was at work today, bored out of my mind, and was thinking over some classic 'spots' from years ago. And two that really stood out in my mind were Mick Foley being thrown from Hell in a Cell at King of the Ring 1998 and Shane McMahon's death-drop at Backlash 2001.
I'm sure many people will disagree with me but these two spots truly stand-out, purely down the physical sacrifice that was undertaken to pull them off. Both are amazing in their own way, but I believe their legacy is influenced by the time period they were done. Let me explain.
When Mick Foley was thrown off the top of Hell in a Cell, this was (at the time) probably the most ridiclous 'spot' of all time. It came at a time where this sort of high-risk wrestling wasn't nearly as rare as it is now. It paved the way for the risk-takers of today, and people getting thrown off the top of Ladders through a half dozen tables is actually fairly standard now. Not in 1998. Sure, wrestling had become more dangerous with the inclusion of more 'extreme' weapons but this set the standard. It remains one of the most replayed moments in wrestling history.
Now this is where Shane McMahon's death drop comes into play. In terms of height, McMahon's fall blows Mick's out of the water. That had to be at least 50 feet he fell. The sight of Shane falling from the top of the set remains one an 'oh my god, what the fuck!' moment of the past 20 years. Awe-inspiring, and done by a guy who in all due respect, shouldn't ever need to do it. The balls Shane McMahon had when he was a wrestler is actually in my opinion almost second to none. That spot at Backlash was simply a 50 foot drop onto a wooden flooring. That would break most people in half but Shane pulled that off and lived to tell the tale. But the problem is, people hardly remember this moment. Because in 2001, people putting their bodies on the line was a standard part of any match. It almost meant nothing when someone got thrown off a 20 foot ladder, and crashed landed through several wooden tables. Whilst in 1998 as I have said, this sort of thing was extremely rare (if infact none-existent).
These two spots, obviously are amazing, dangerous and in many respects life threatening. Even with a softened (to an extent) landing, the eternal injuries that both Mick and Shane could of attained were huge. You don't just fall from a height, onto wood, without hurting yourself badly (as Mick proved). So which do you think is the better spot? For me, personally, whilst Shane jumping off the top of the set was insane, for sheer 'innovation' so to speak, Mick Foley's spot at King of the Ring is one of the my favourite bumps ever. Literally, it just screams violence. The sheer brutality on the body would of looked more at home in a blockbuster action flick, not live on PPV where 10 year old kids could watch and think they could do the same. Simply unreal.
I'm sure many people will disagree with me but these two spots truly stand-out, purely down the physical sacrifice that was undertaken to pull them off. Both are amazing in their own way, but I believe their legacy is influenced by the time period they were done. Let me explain.
When Mick Foley was thrown off the top of Hell in a Cell, this was (at the time) probably the most ridiclous 'spot' of all time. It came at a time where this sort of high-risk wrestling wasn't nearly as rare as it is now. It paved the way for the risk-takers of today, and people getting thrown off the top of Ladders through a half dozen tables is actually fairly standard now. Not in 1998. Sure, wrestling had become more dangerous with the inclusion of more 'extreme' weapons but this set the standard. It remains one of the most replayed moments in wrestling history.
Now this is where Shane McMahon's death drop comes into play. In terms of height, McMahon's fall blows Mick's out of the water. That had to be at least 50 feet he fell. The sight of Shane falling from the top of the set remains one an 'oh my god, what the fuck!' moment of the past 20 years. Awe-inspiring, and done by a guy who in all due respect, shouldn't ever need to do it. The balls Shane McMahon had when he was a wrestler is actually in my opinion almost second to none. That spot at Backlash was simply a 50 foot drop onto a wooden flooring. That would break most people in half but Shane pulled that off and lived to tell the tale. But the problem is, people hardly remember this moment. Because in 2001, people putting their bodies on the line was a standard part of any match. It almost meant nothing when someone got thrown off a 20 foot ladder, and crashed landed through several wooden tables. Whilst in 1998 as I have said, this sort of thing was extremely rare (if infact none-existent).
These two spots, obviously are amazing, dangerous and in many respects life threatening. Even with a softened (to an extent) landing, the eternal injuries that both Mick and Shane could of attained were huge. You don't just fall from a height, onto wood, without hurting yourself badly (as Mick proved). So which do you think is the better spot? For me, personally, whilst Shane jumping off the top of the set was insane, for sheer 'innovation' so to speak, Mick Foley's spot at King of the Ring is one of the my favourite bumps ever. Literally, it just screams violence. The sheer brutality on the body would of looked more at home in a blockbuster action flick, not live on PPV where 10 year old kids could watch and think they could do the same. Simply unreal.
