5 secrets you didn't know about hardcore spots in pro wrestling

You're always going to have the doubters who believe that every single thing in professional wrestling is fake. While a great deal of it is scripted and predetermined, there is still so much that is real and needs to be taken seriously.

Everything those men and women do in the ring can be dangerous, and many of the bumps are real.

That danger is elevated even more when a hardcore or extreme stipulation is put into a match, but there are still ways to keep it safe.

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#5 Tables

Get the tables!

The Dudley Boyz are synonymous with using tables in their matches, but they are far from the only people to put others through them. While it looks awesome and makes a great sound when superstars crash through them, they aren't taking the full brunt of the punishment that could come from it.

You're not going to find a dining room table being used in a wrestling match, and that means those being used are weaker. Not only are they made of thin (usually) plywood, but they are also scored and cut so they will break a bit easier upon impact.

Whether someone is getting slammed through one or speared through one set up in a corner, that table is not going to take a ton of force to break it. Wrestlers still need to be careful, though, as the metal legs and braces could do some big-time damage if hit wrong.

#4 Ladders and Chairs

Don't hit him with the corner... DON'T HIT HIM WITH THE CORNER!

Where there are tables, there are usually ladders and chairs.

Chairs are one of the most iconic weapons in wrestling history, and that is even with many promotions ruling out all chairshots to the head. Superstars still use them to the body of their opponents, but they do it in a safe way.

If someone hits someone in the gut with the chair, they usually have their hand over the end of it or their opponent jumps back to take very little of the hit. When a wrestler hits someone on the back with a chair, they use as much of the flat part of the chair as possible and do everything not to hit at an angle.

The same can be said with ladders and hitting someone with one of those. When someone goes to hit someone in the face with a ladder, the hit-taker raises their hands at the last second to shield the blow from their head.

Also, the ladders and chairs used in wrestling are usually made from a lighter, softer metal while also being hollow. That is why the chairs bend so easily and the ladders usually end up buckling with very little force.

#3 Kendo sticks

Dean Ambrose looking lovingly at his kendo stick

If you were a fan of ECW, you know that The Sandman never went anywhere without his trust kendo stick, and they're still being used to this very day. They make an incredibly awesome and loud noise when hitting someone, but they're not as bad as they could be.

Kendo sticks make that incredible "CLACK" noise when smacking against someone's skin, and they will sting and leave a nasty welt, but the hollow nature of them helps with the pain. They're not solid sticks and the wood is usually quite thin as well.

That's why you'll normally see a kendo stick splinter after just one or two hits.

#2 Barricades around the ringside area

Mark Henry speared through a barricade

Back when the metal bar barricades used to surround the ring, you never saw anyone speared or thrown through them. That was due to the fact that they weren't going to have any give way and there was no way to make them safely break.

Rings, such as those in WWE, are now surrounded by black barricades which are still incredibly sturdy, but not nearly as strong. Any metal inside of them is used more for bracing and it is quite thin, which wouldn't necessarily hurt the superstars when they are thrown into them.

On top of that, the black pads surrounding them are made of foam which makes for even more protection when someone is being put through them quite forcefully.

#1 Bats and Sledgehammers

The bat vs. the sledgehammer could bring the pain, but they try to take it easy

Sting carried a baseball bat with him to the ring for the remainder of his career after transforming into the "Crow" version of his character. Many in WCW and WWE felt the wrath of that bat, but they didn't feel the full force that could come with a grown man swinging it at you.

Much like with some chairshots, if Sting used the bat to hit someone in the stomach or face, he would usually put his hand over the end of it. The same was done by Triple H with his iconic sledgehammer and it never actually made contact with someone's face or body.

With the bat, Sting would sometimes swing it at someone's back, but he'd know how to deliver a hit and pull back at the very last moment. If anything made contact with his opponent, it was the skinny end of the bat and it was a very light blow.

That's not really something that was feasible with a sledgehammer which is why you never really saw Triple H swing it at someone after pulling it back over his head.