In a recent episode of his podcast “Off the Top”, professional wresting retiree Rikishi shared some of his experiences from the ring, specifically regarding the use of chair shots during his tenure in WWE. He noted,
“I’d have to say The Destruction Brothers, Brothers of Destruction [gave the stiffest chair shots.] ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, The Rock. I’m naming all of those from [the] Attitude Era. That’s how we conducted ourselves. If you hit me with a chair shot, with full power? Be certain there’s retaliation coming.”
During the 2000s, WWE made the decision to eliminate chair shots to the head in response to increasing concerns about the potential for concussions and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). However, chairs are still occasionally used as a prop in the ring.
Though they are not employed as frequently as in the past, chair shots to the head still make occasional appearances in mainstream wrestling, particularly in AEW. One instance of this was during AEW All Out 2024, when ‘Hangman’ Page delivered a fierce chair shot to Swerve Strickland during their brutal main event match.
Additionally, Rikishi has recently voiced criticisms of the chair shots delivered by Nia Jax from the WWE Survivor Series: WarGames. Follow this link to find out what he had to say.
Check out the excerpt from his podcast below to further explore this discussion on chair shots in wrestling. [embedded YouTube link]