Ten-bell salute: Difference between revisions

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In

WWE (formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation and the World Wrestling Entertainment) has included several ten-bell salutes in its television broadcasts. Some of the honorees include:

• André the Giant (1993, heart failure).
• Brian Pillman (1997, heart failure).
• Rick Rude (1999, heart failure).
• Owen Hart (1999, ring accident).
• Gorilla Monsoon (1999, heart failure).
• "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith (2002, heart attack).
• Lord Alfred Hayes
  (2005, complications from a stroke).
• Eddie Guerrero (2005, heart failure).
• The Fabulous Moolah (2007, natural causes).
• Paul Bearer (2013, heart attack).
• The Ultimate Warrior (2014, heart attack).
• Verne Gagne (2015, natural causes).
• Dusty Rhodes
  (2015, kidney failure).
• Roddy Piper (2015, heart attack).

A ten-bell salute was also given at WWF events following the

On May 23, 2011, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, who had died three days prior of a suspected heart attack, was given a tribute on Raw, but it did not include a salute.

On December 16, 2012, a 26-bell salute was given at the beginning of WWE's TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view in tribute to the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that had taken place two days earlier in WWE's home state of Connecticut.

Ten-bell salutes within WWF/WWE storylines

While ten-bell salutes have typically been reserved for real-life deaths, it has been used in kayfabe at least thrice in WWE history (see worked shoot). The most recent instance was in June 2007 for Mr. McMahon (WWE chairman Vince McMahon's on-screen persona), as part of an angle where he was inside a limousine that exploded, and was presumed dead.

In 1988,

On a Raw Is War broadcast shortly after the Royal Rumble in January 1998, Paul Bearer and Kane rang the bell ten times in ring to mock The Undertaker, with whom they were feuding at the time. Their actions grew from an incident at the Royal Rumble where, in the storyline, Kane and Bearer had locked The Undertaker in a casket and set it ablaze, presumably killing Undertaker. However, that failed when Undertaker returned and accepted Kane's challenge for a fight, setting up the stage for WrestleMania XIV.

In 1999, a ten-bell salute was given to Big Show's father, who was said to have died of cancer as part of a storyline. In reality, he had died of stomach cancer in 1992.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Arguably the best-known ten-bell salute in

There was also a ten-bell salute at a TNA event in Amsterdam, New York on May 20, 2011, in honor of "Macho Man" Randy Savage, who had died that morning.^[1]

Usage in other promotions

In

On the morning of June 18, 2010, Trent Acid was found dead at his Philadelphia home by his mother.^[2][3] It was later determined that he had died because of a drug overdose.^[4] At a Ring of Honor show in Buffalo, New York that night, a ten-bell salute was given to Acid.^[5]

Richard "Rick" Wilson committed suicide on February 23, 1999.^[6][7] He was 33 years old. His death was announced eight days later on Nitro, where he was honored with an "In Memory..." graphic at the beginning of the show and given a ten-bell salute.^[8]

On April 14, 2000,

On December 15, 2001, Combat Zone Wrestling's Cage of Death 3 show had a ten bell salute for Russ Haas, with some wrestlers wearing black armbands, and others taping "RH" on their wrestling boots.^[10]

At

The ten-bell salute is also used in boxing to honor deceased boxers, where it is also known as the "final ten-count".

See also

• 21-gun salute
• Three-volley salute

References