Watching the ring break is one of the most exciting things a fan can see if the WWE.
This iconic moment has only happened a few times in WWE history, and is a real treat if you get to view it live in person.
In all of wrestling, there is only ever one constant – the ring itself. The four sides of the ring (unless you are TNA’s six sides ring) are the staple of any event, and while wrestlers come and go, the four sides remain absolute.
Because of this, seeing the ring collapse and break hits differently. It’s something you will never expect, and remains an iconic moment in the history of professional wrestling.
As we said, this has only happened a select few times in WWE history, and as such is talked about for years after it happens.
So, let’s have a look at all the times that wrestlers have broke the WWE ring.
Brock Lesnar vs Big Show
The first time fans saw the ring collapse in the WWE was during a now-legendary episode of Smackdown.
The 2003 match is one of the most replayed moments in WWE history, and shocked fans at the time, who thought that the ring buckled under both men’s weight by accident.
Brock Lesnar hit Big Show with a Superplex from the top rope, and both men came crashing to the ground, with their near 800lb combined hitting hard onto the ring.
Upon impact, the ring posts disconnected from the ring, and the entire thing collapsed around them. The match thrown out, and the fans sat in shock and bewilderment at what they’d just seen.
Big Show vs Mark Henry
At Vengeance 2011, the main event of the show saw Mark Henry defend his World Heavyweight Championship against The Big Show.
As this pair would not normally go on last, this match had to be a big one, with a few surprises in store.
It did just that.
Similar to the Brock Lesnar match, Mark Henry suplexed the giant off the top rope, and the ring imploded as the pair landed on the matt.
With a 900lb combined weight, this was definitely the most force the ring had taken in history, and the destruction caused to the ring was evidence of that.
The match was called off, dubbed a “no contest”, due to the lack of ring left to compete in. While it was a historic moment, the similarities to the Lesnar match dragged it down a notch.
Braun Strowman vs Big Show
The entire way through this match, you were just waiting for the ring to break. Despite not being claimed before the match, everybody in the arena was waiting for the two giants bodies to slam into the mat and collapse the ring.
The actual match before was a welcome surprise. The two giants actually began chain wrestling, something we’d never seen Braun Strowman ever do anything close to before.
The whole match built up to the big Superplex spot, and fans waited with bated breath to see the two 400lb behemoths climb to the top rope.
Expecting something huge, they were overjoyed as the pair came crashing down, and the ring with it – sending referee Charles Robinson flying into the air.
During a 2015 interview on the Talk is Jericho podcast, The Big Show explained how the process worked, during a previous time he’d done this particular spot:
“WWE’s then Stunt Coordinator had airbags under the ring. So they had lifted the ring a couple inches. When I’m standing on that top corner, that ring is like standing on marbles. Because it’s moving. Of course now I’ve got my fat ass up in the air, 500 pounds on a not very stable surface. So then the ring broke. You don’t know how the stunt is going to look,”
The Nexus Tear Down The Ring
A different time when the entire ring was destroyed in the WWE was when the Nexus made their debut in the company.
Led by NXT Season 1 winner Wade Barrett, this 8-man crew interrupted the main event of the June 7, 2010 episode of Raw. They ran in during a match between John Cena and CM Punk, attacking everyone involved.
This included both competitors, the referee and even ring announcer Justin Roberts. The Nexs then began to dismantle the ring, as instructed by Vince McMahon prior to the event.
This destruction of the ring kicked off the biggest angle of the summer, and launched the Nexus as a main event heel faction from the get go.
This attack led to Daniel Bryan being fired from the WWE. He choked Justin Roberts with his own tie, which was something banned by WWE at the time.
Daniel Bryan was unaware of this, and was rehired months later to compete at Summerslam 2010 – ironically, against The Nexus.
Braun Strowman & The Fiend Tear Down The Ring
The last time the WWE ring collapsed in front of the fans eyes was the same match where Roman Reigns began his 1000+ day reign as the Universal Champion.
In a triple threat match at Payback 2020, The Fiend (Bray Wyatt) defending his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns.
The match had the lot – hard-hitting brawls, weapons, chairs, stairs and even more. It even saw the WWE ring break, the last time this has been done in the company.
Due to the pandemic, no fans were in attendance for this event, but no matter – it was still one of the most shocking moments of the year.
Braun Strowman hit The Fiend with a Superplex (as these things go), causing the ring to break and all three men to collapse around it.