THIS. JUST. HAPPENED! #Raw @BraunStrowman @WWETheBigShow
During the main event of Monday Night Raw this week, the WWE ring collapsed.
This came during a match between Big Show and Braun Strowman; combined, these two weigh nearly 800 pounds. In the final spot, Braun Strowman grabbed hold of Big Show while both men were standing on the ropes. Strowman performed a super-plex, sending Big Show flying over his head and onto the mat, with both Strowman and Big show landing in the ring.
As the two landed, the entire WWE ring collapsed, and a referee who was standing on the edge of the ring fell backwards onto the floor.
Obviously, this was a planned event and not a spontaneous moment in which the ring legitimately collapsed unexpectedly due to the sheer weight of the two performers.
The WWE on many occasions has had the ring collapse at the conclusion of a match. One famous instance also involved Big Show; it occurred at the end of a SmackDown match against Brock Lesnar.
Big Show later explained how it was that this effect was accomplished.
“…[WWE Stunt Coordinator] Ellis [Edwards] had airbags under the ring,” Big Show said on Talk is Jericho, according to Sports Illustrated. “So they had lifted the ring a couple inches. So now, 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. I just remember when it happened because … you don’t know how the stunt is going to look. But man, it was so perfectly timed the way we did it and Ellis did a great job of setting up. That thing collapsed and everybody they bought it so long.”