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10 most brutal chair shots in WWE history

Triple H blasts a masked Kane with a steel chair
Triple H blasts a masked Kane with a steel chair

WWE banned unprotected chair shots in the modern era, but it was not so in the past. Here are ten of the sickest, most agonizing chair shots in company history.

Modern knowledge of post-concussion syndrome and the lingering after-effects of head trauma have greatly altered sports as we know them.

The NFL has been leading the charge, taking measures to both prevent head trauma and to ensure that the athletes receive proper care after enduring an injury. But other sports have followed suit, including the world of sports entertainment.

WWE has taken measures to prevent the type of injuries that result in post-concussive syndrome. One of the things the company has done is to ban all unprotected chair shots to the head. The WWE also frowns on chair shots to the head in general, even if they are protected - meaning the wrestler has their hands and/or arms up to block most of the hit--and only allows their use sparingly by select Superstars.

So you're not likely to see the types of brutal chair shots of times past, especially in the Ruthless Aggression era, where hardcore wrestling fandom was at its peak and seemingly everyone wanted to get in on the chair swinging act.

With that in mind, here are ten of the most brutal chair shots to the head in WWE history.

#1: Undertaker blasts Shawn Michaels - Hell in a Cell, Bad Blood 1997.

The Undertaker mashes HBK's noggin with a brutal chair shot.
The Undertaker mashes HBK's noggin with a brutal chair shot.

For our first brutal chair shot in WWE history, we jump into the way back machine and return to 1997, a banner year in pro wrestling. Steve Austin was just beginning his babyface turn, the Monday Night War was in full swing with Hulk Hogan vs. Sting being teased for the end of the year at Starrcade, and WWE featured its first-ever Hell in a Cell match.

Shawn Michaels had sparked the feud with Undertaker by striking him with a steel chair during a WWE championship bout between the deadman and Bret Hart. Though the initial shot was an accident, HBK doubled down and destroyed the Deadman.

Naturally, Undertaker wanted payback. He got his chance at Bad Blood 1997, in the first-ever Hell in a Cell match.

It's hard to pick out just one brutal moment in their match. The entire bout plays out like a violent ballet, with both Taker and HBK taking nasty bumps throughout. But at one point Undertaker picks up a chair and smashes it across Shawn's head with such force, the crowd can be heard wincing in sympathy - and HBK was working as a heel at the time.

The two men set the stage for what was to come in the next decade of WWE.

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