This Sunday marks one of the most highly anticipated pay-per-view events of the WWE calendar year: Survivor Series, live from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The biggest storyline headed into the event is a triple threat match for the WWE Championship between CM Punk, John Cena, and Ryback.
In anticipation of Survivor Series 2012, we're ranking our 13 favorite wrestling props of all time, from Hacksaw Jim Duggan's 2x4 to Mick Foley's barbed wire bat... and beyond.
13. Hacksaw Jim Duggan's 2x4
Used to clobber opponents by the most America-loving wrestling badass of all time. Hacksaw Jim Duggan's Hall of Fame WWE career wouldn't be the same without his iconic 2x4. I'd love to see another blue coller character introduced to the WWE with a similar zeal for flag-flying patriotism.
12. The Steel Briefcase
Do wrestlers really have so many important documents that they need seemingly-bulletproof magnum steel briefcases? I guess so. It's been a common prop since Vince McManhon started using it in the Attitude Era of the late '90s. More recently, the occasional Money in the Bank matches have dominated its use as a weapon.
11. Triple H's Sledgehammer
Back when Triple H earned his WWE brass as a member of D-Generation X, he didn't need a prop. Then it became a staple in his arsenal after attacked Shawn Michaels as part of an "Unsanctioned Street Fight" at SummerSlam in 2002. Over the last decade, some of the WWE's biggest stars have suffered at the wrath of Triple H's sledgehammer, including Rick Flair, John Cena, Randy Orton, Kevin Nash, and Vince McMahon.
10. Brass Knuckles
We can thank William Regal, a.k.a. "The British Brawler," for the widespread introduction of brass knuckles into the WWE over the last 10 years. Since a pair is so easy to conceal, it's practically a lights-out cheap shot.
9. Barbed Wire
I envy the business contracted to supply the WWE with the tens of thousands of square feet of chain-link fencing and miles of barbed wire over the years. It's been EVERYWHERE and someone's made a small fortune off it over the years: Mick Foley's famous barbed wire baseball bat, no rope barbed wire matches, no rope explosive bared wire matches, barbed wire steel cage matches, the occasional barbed wire 2x4s, etc. There's been enough barbed wire used in WWE matches to fortify a small military base.
8. The Announcer Table
The best endings of Monday Night Raw are almost always when Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler have to flee the announcer's table because it's being used as a prop to corkscrew someone through. I can hear Michael Cole's voice now: "Absolute pandemonium here on Monday Night Raw!" right before a cut to a commercial. Why the announcers never call a match from further back in the area is a mystery that will have to go unsolved.
