Hardcore moments and matches that really made you cringe

[The Australian Rage]

Was just on YouTube watching hardcore matches. And the people from the old ECW, FMW, BJPW and other federations really took the use of everyday things and the more common weapons to a new level

Barbwire, sheets of glass, weed whackers, cheese graters, explosives, boards of nails, thumbtacks, hell even scissors. To this day I still wonder how people put themselves through the pain.

Some that really stand out in my mind include

Terry Funk vs Sabu in their Barb wire match- When it comes to pain, these 2 were masters in inflicting and taking it to full lengths. Spot of the match is without a doubt 'Air Sabu' into the barbwire, slicing his bicep open. What's almost as violent as the match is when they try to cut them both free after the match.

Gedoh and Jedoh vs. Kanemura and Nakamaki- The 'Scramble Fire Tag Death Match' The ropes surrounding the ring were lit ablaze (every match needs fire, right?). This spot of the match occurs near then end spot as Gedoh pours gasoline into a big pool in the center of the ring. One powerbomb later and Kanemura's backside and head ignite, and he runs from the ring completely engulfed in flames. The extent of the burns had later revealed that his wrestling gear had burned into his back.

Terry Funk vs. Cactus Jack- IWA 1995 King Of The Death Match Tournament- This is the finals match featuring boards covered in barbed wire that have double packed C-4 explosives attached. Whenever one of these guys hits the boards, the C-4 explodes. Brutal.

So what matches and moments made you cringe?

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

Shane McMahon getting suplexed through a window was pretty awesome in his KOTR street fight with Kurt Angle in 2001. It wasn't so much the suplex through the window that made me cringe, but the suplexes where the window didn't break and Shane just bounced off the wall and landed head first on the concrete floor that did it.

Also, the First Blood match between Taker and Mr Kennedy. I choose this match, because the chair shot Taker gave Kennedy after the match was probably one of the most brutal chairshots i've ever seen. Announcers like to use the line 'that sounded like a gun going off' in order to hype the spot. Well this chair shot actually did.

Foley and Flair's I Quit match, made me cringe every time Foley rammed a board covered in barbed wire into Flair's face at full pelt (which was frequently)

Foley and Edge's Hardcore match at WM22 was awesome as well, mainly for the spear through the flaming table.

And finally just about any match i've seen between Masato Tanaka and Mike Awesome. If you want an example, ONS '05 where Awesome delivers a running powerbomb on Tanaka from the ring apron, through a table that was suspended at a 45 degree angle. Instead of going through the middle of the table, Tanaka's head landed directly above the metal table legs that were sticking up, and he was very lucky not to break his neck right there. Seconds later, in the final spot of the match Tanaka gets powerbombed over the top rope through a table, and Awesome then dives over the top rope delivering a splash to Tanaka whose on the arena floor, lying amongst a shattered table.

Rhyno goring the shopping cart just made me laugh for the sheer stupidity of the spot. Why would he try and gore Raven into a shopping cart anyway?

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Triple H and Foley's Hell In A Cell match from No Way Out 2000 hast to be at the top of my list. There were so many holy shit moments in this match, but of course the one that sticks out, is when HHH dropped Foley through the top of the cell, and he fell through the mat. I can still remember freaking out when I saw that on ppv live.

Another one would have to be HBK's elbow drop on to Vince in their match at Wrestlemania 22. Not only was this match entertaining as hell, but that moment was just an awesome sight. To see HBK coming down off the ladder while all those flashes from the many cameras were going off, was just such a breath taking sight.

 

[LascoX]

I know this is tame compared to what has come about since the dawn of the hardcore age but the first match that ever made me cringe was when I saw Maniac Mark Lewin take on Abdula the butcher in a match at the Omni in Atlanta in the early eighties. The Maniac came in with a pen and Abdula came armed with ice pick and the two proceeded to turn each other into blood covered masses rolling around the ring as they tried to maim each other.

 

[zion]

gerald brisco vs pat patterson hardcore title evening gown match kotr 2000. That was really cringe worthy and hard to watch, two middle aged retired wrestlers in drag beating up and trying to strip each other, there is no last man standing , hell in a cell, or death match that could make me cringe worse than that.

 

[robocop]

new jack throwing vic grimes off the scaffolding

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fK-ndArV1c&feature=related

 

[martin]

Aw man theres so many you could choose from.

Mines has got to be Sabu and Terry Funk in the barbed wire rope match. When the ring crew try to cut the wire off Sabu's body after the match and its cutting his bicep and ripped holes in his attire.

Another one would be a vid I watched on Youtube few days ago of Japanese women's wrestling with one girl jumping off a balcony and landing feet first onto another's ribs, instant break I think so. I'll look for the video again.

Raw in 2003 when La Resistance were gonna put Spike Dudley over the ropes through a table on the floor and he clipped his neck off the table.

As said above, Undertaker and Mr. Kennedy's first blood match in 2005 aswell made me cringe.

 

[Jonnie Walker]

One of them would probably be when Punk suplexed Jeff onto that ladder at Summerslam. I cringed just imagining what it would really feel like.

New Jack throwing Vic Grimes of the scaffolding. Look at the link in robocop's post.

Another one would definitely be when Foley went through/off the cell. Any time works.

I gotta pick Sabu jumping at the barbed wire. Ouch.

Edge spearing Jeff off the ladder

Edge spearing Jeff off the announce table at Armageddon

Edge spearing Foley through the flaming table

Edge spearing Undertaker through the cage

Goldberg spearing Jericho through the elimination chamber glass

Cena FU'ing Edge through the tables in TLC

Shelton going through the ladder at WM 24

Wow. There are really way too many, but those definitely come to mind right now, and I don't care enough to type all 200 others

 

[Stuntz]

Undertaker / Foley hell in a cell...I honestly thought Foley was dead after going off the top of the cell and through the announce table....lest I recall he doesnt remember anything after that point in the match which watching it again makes me cringe even more.

Rocky / Foley where Foley took way to many chair shots busting him wide open on the top of his head....I started cringing after the 3rd or fourth shot....That man can take a beating then again look at him now he can barely walk a straight line or talk straight anymore.

 

[INDYjon22]

The barbed wire match between Sabu and Terry Funk comes to mind right away. That match was brutal as hell. Watching Sabu's arm get ripped open was sickening and the to see him yell at Fonzie to get athletic tape so that he could tape his arm up was pretty much the epitomy of hardcore for me. That match was two tough fucking dudes beat the shit out of each other with barbed wire and I loved it.

Also, the XPW scaffold match between Vic Grimes and New Jack made me cringe. The match itself was nothing special but the ending was crazy. New Jack threw Grimes off of the scaffold and instead of hitting the mat Grimes hit the ropes and bounced back up. When he finally landed on the mat he landed head first and I thought for sure he was dead or at the very least his career was over. Easily the sickest bump I have ever seen.

 

[Remix]

For me it's the multi tagteam ladder match from a few years ago where Joey Mercury got a broken face courtesy of the Hardy Boyz. I know it was a botch but the result of ladder meeting face looked nasty. I havent seen many uberhardcore bouts, but the amount of blood on Joey's face combined with the swelling produced by that botch makes for one hell of a cringeworthy spot.

 

[ABMorales787]

The Invader I vs Savio Vega in a Retirement Street Fight. I saw that one live and damn was it brutal. Seeing both men up close with all sorts of crazy weapons is truly something I will never forget. A true mixture of violence and emotion as they were like Triple H and Ric Flair in story. I'll never forget The Invader's red face as he said goodbye.

 

[Tougie]

Taker vs. Mankind hell in a cell, the ultimate cringe match in WWE imo

Foley vs. HHH HIAC from No way out

Foley vs. Edge WM 22, part one of some awesome hardcore matches put on by foley that year, part two also on this list would be ONS 06 Foley & Edge vs. Dreamer and Funk, and Foley vs. Flair @ Summerslam

Edge spearing Jeff off the ladder at WM 17

Man there are just too many to name

 

[The Australian Rage]

There was some sort of incident once in CZW where John Zandig was hung by his back with meathooks. If anyone can tell me if it looks as fucked up as it sounds then there's another hardcore moment for you.