Variety may be the spice of life, but in wrestling, the spice to anything often ends up being a weapon. Weapons have been a part of professional wrestling since its early days, evolving from how a hated heel would win the day into an entire style of wrestling on its own.

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Throughout the years, some wrestling weapons have held an almost sacred position as exciting and vicious additions to matches, while others have not deserved the attention they have received for one reason or another. Let's take a look at 5 wrestling weapons that are synonymous with the sport, and 5 that should be forgotten completely.

10 Classic: Ladder

The ladder began its life in wrestling as a novel approach to the standard singles match and exists today as a venerated match type and brutal weapon. From its early days in Stampede Wrestling to its rise to fame in the 1990s, the ladder match quickly gained steam for its level of violence and high-flying spots. In places like ECW, names like The Sandman and Terry Funk would use the ladder more offensively, showing how it could be just as dangerous as any other steel weapon. The ladder has even taken on the properties of a table in recent years as something to put wrestlers through, with the added "fun" of being plunged through steel. The ladder's legacy is as long as its size, and it's an indelible part of modern wrestling.

9 Terrible: Steel Steps

As big and as heavy as they appear to be, there's only so much you can do with these things. Steel steps are a normal part of the ring, but they are sometimes used either as weapons or as the base for devastating maneuvers. The problem is, these things are very big and don't make for a terrific weapon besides the noise they make. What's more, some of them end up looking flimsier than they may actually be, given that most are basically hollow inside. In a match, time is usually better spent putting someone through a table or using a steel chair because trying to marry the two together ends up more disappointing than anything.

8 Classic: Thumbtacks

One of the later additions to wrestling fame on this list was one made popular in the 1990s. Wrestlers like Mick Foley and organizations like ECW popularized the use of thumbtacks as a weapon, with competitors taking hellacious bumps and getting stuck like pincushions as a result.

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After making their way to WWE, thumbtacks did become somewhat passe. But their influence can be seen in modern independent wrestling matches when such devastating items like LEGO bricks or even Gummi bears are used. Some of the most immortal images of hardcore wrestling are thanks to a body stuck with tacks, and it's a guaranteed squirm from your audience when someone takes a dive into them.

7 Terrible: Staple Gun

Another staple of modern hardcore wrestling that doesn't have quite the sway of something like thumbtacks. While using a staple gun on someone's skin can get a reaction from fans, it has been over-used by some overzealous competitors almost to the point of comedy. For example, Jimmy Havoc in AEW. What's more, it's hard to not see how a staple gun can be faked after a while, which is fine for a wrestler's health but ends up taking your mind off the viciousness of the act after a while. Even in a match without rules, the staple gun instead doesn't add much to a crowded weapon landscape.

6 Classic: Table

It's a weapon so popular among wrestling fans that it even has its own chant. It's not often that fans request a specific foreign object, but every once in a while you'll hear "We Want Tables" in a no disqualification setting. The crash made by a good table break is an immensely satisfying sound, and wrestlers like the Dudley Boyz/Team 3D have made their living putting people through the wood.

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Tables matches are still a popular stipulation today, and when you're looking to amplify the pain factor of any particular move, adding a table to the mix is a surefire way to do so.

5 Terrible: Trash Can

Another weapon that, while it makes a good sound, doesn't seem to do all that much. The trash can made waves in ECW before being accepted as a fairly common weapon in mainstream wrestling. That said, the ways it is typically used are not terribly impressive. It can be used as a table-like way to amp up the power of a move but doesn't have the crushing oomph of a destroyed table. Wrestlers also love to use it to cover up someone and hit them with other objects, but oftentimes it seems to protect the wrestler from these blows more than making them hurt more. It's another attempt to mix striking potential with splash damage, but comes up short in both regards and merely breaks even.

4 Classic: Barbed Wire

All around the world, barbed wire has been used to signify that a match is as dangerous as can be. From the no-rope barbed wire matches of Japan to its rare uses in hardcore promotions like ECW and CZW, barbed wire is an incredible and violent image any time it is used.

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Whether on a wooden board, as part of a cage structure, or entwined in the ropes, audiences can rightly expect to see blood and torn skin when this weapon makes the scene. The fact that it has been seldom used in a place like WWE adds to its mystique, and it still holds the distinction of being one of the most dangerous weapons in professional wrestling worldwide.

3 Terrible: Chainsaw

This one seems so cool on paper, but its rare and frankly pathetic appearances in wrestling exemplify its uselessness. Outside of some backyard promotions, wrestling fans are most familiar with figures like Chainsaw Charlie (Terry Funk) and Dean Ambrose wielding a chainsaw, but ultimately not really using them. That's because the threat of using a chainsaw in a wrestling match is ultimately hollow, as the implement is far too dangerous to be used in anything but a cautious and controlled manner. It would have been better if chainsaws were never introduced into the world of wrestling because it only stands as a promise to the audience that no sane performer wants to keep. It's as empty a threat as you're likely to find in any hardcore wrestling environment.

2 Classic: Steel Chair

The quintessential wrestling weapon, and one that crosses barriers from fans to non-fans. When anyone thinks of weapons in wrestling, they immediately think of the chair, an easily swung device that makes a loud noise and looks like it hurts. It may as well be wrestling's equivalent of a sword, as clashes of this kind are so common they sometimes devolve into literal chair duels. Although dangerous when used without care or in an unprotected manner, it is the staple of wrestling weapons and is as much a trademark of the sport as it is the best example of a foreign object that we have as wrestling fans.

1 Terrible: Fire Extinguisher

Audiences usually respond well to someone using a fire extinguisher, but all it's really good for is one small pop and little else. Wrestlers so rarely use the part of the object that hurts and opt to go for the optics of a cloud of smoke. Given that wrestling has so many blinding tactics (salt, mist, fire), the extinguisher feels more unwieldy than some of its more interesting counterparts. It's also a flourish than one would rarely consider in a fight, and comes off like a kid-friendly weapon with not much edge to it. This one does not have a lot going for it, and its lack of meaningful uses in wrestling (save perhaps for Roddy Piper's) means it doesn't have a good place in the wrestling landscape.

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