Stone Cold Blows Up DX Express and the Most Outlandish Stunts in WWE History

WWE CEO Vince McMahon has never shied away from emphasizing the entertainment element of professional wrestling, realizing that hooking in audiences through larger-than-life stories and feats is as important as the in-ring action. 

As a result, WWE has been home to some of the most unforgettable stunts in wrestling history. From vehicular assaults to jaw-dropping displays of strength, fans have witnessed unprecedented examples of over-the-top storytelling featuring some of the most prominent, popular and celebrated Superstars of all time.

In celebration of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's destruction of the DX Express 20 years ago this past Monday, relive the most explosive, destructive and unforgettable stunts in the long and illustrious history of sports entertainment's most successful promotion, ranked according to their historical significance and overall awesomeness.

10. Braun Strowman Demolishes a Production Truck

Braun Strowman is really big and really strong.

If you didn't already know that, WWE Creative was hellbent on reminding you on the April 10, 2017, episode of Raw. Having savagely attacked Roman Reigns, he headed backstage to the arena's parking garage and proceeded to tip over the ambulance The Big Dog had been put in.

It was the first display of his rage-fueled power, but not the last.

That moment, which established The Monster Among Men as a legitimate main event maniac, was proceeded by the demolition of a TV production truck the following year and the tipping of Mr. McMahon's limousine in January 2019.

In hindsight, it appears as though every time Strowman needs to be heated up, he pushes over some sort of massive vehicle. It works, thus the repeated return of that particular angle.

Still, it all started with that vital moment in the Strowman-Reigns storyline, one that upped the intensity and ensured fans would accept the monstrous competitor in that role.

9. Big Show Tears Down the Titan Tron

Shane McMahon made the mistake of taunting "Stone Cold" Steve Austin with his Smoking Skull WWE Championship, putting a picture of it on the Titan Tron on the April 5, 1999, episode of Raw. Infuriated by the constant reminder that the Boy Wonder had his title, Austin directed The Big Show to tear down the massive Titan Tron.

And The World's Largest Athlete did just that.

Grabbing it by the lower edge, he pulled the screen down to the ground before Austin slashed and stomped through it.

It was the latest example of WWE emphasizing Big Show's strength and size, a super-sized followup to his debut just two months earlier at St. Valentine's Day Massacre. It worked and, for a moment, helped him to rebound from some questionable booking decisions.

8. Concrete Crypt Match

Credit: WWE.com

So it turns out burying someone in a concrete crypt may not be the best example of an outrageous WWE stunt.

The headliner of the 2004 Great American Bash pay-per-view, hardly one of the better entries in that storied event's lineage, saw The Undertaker battle the Dudley Boyz in a Concrete Crypt Match. If the Deadman failed to "do the right thing," according to Paul Heyman, his legendary manager Paul Bearer would be buried alive in hundreds of pounds of concrete.

If the idea of a glorified Handicap Match main-eventing a pay-per-view in any year was not appealing, neither was the suggestion that a murder may occur on live television.

Predictably, Undertaker did not do what was right and defeated his opponents in a relatively simple fashion. From there, he stalked up the ramp and proceeded to pull the lever that buried his friend and manager. Something about eliminating a weakness.

The stunt was undoubtedly an attempt to drum up interest for a pay-per-view that did not have a ton of it to start with and, in reality, was little more than another reason to roll your eyes at the lengths to which a WWE in transition was willing to go in order to drum up any intrigue.

7. Big Show Chokeslams Undertaker Through the Ring

Big Show was lost by the time the June 7, 1999, episode of Raw rolled around.

A big-money free agent, he had debuted at February's St. Valentine's Day Massacre pay-per-view and already undergone a heel-to-babyface turn. He was thrown into The Union faction alongside Test, Ken Shamrock and Mankind, but the group failed to set the world on fire.

Then came a prime-time main event against WWE champion The Undertaker.

In a major opportunity to find himself as a performer in WWE, he battled The Deadman in a hard-hitting big-man brawl that culminated with a big, nasty, pissed-off giant finally unleashing his rage and chokeslamming his opponent through the ring.

The audience watched in awe as Big Show emerged from the hole he left his opponent in, having never seen anything like it on a national scale. That it was Undertaker, a character as protected as any in WWE history, only elevated the significance of it and made Big Show look like a total badass.

He needed that moment, and while booking inconsistencies would continue to plague him throughout the next two years, he at least found his footing at a time when his role with the company had yet to be defined.

6. NWO Runs Down The Rock

The New World Order debuted in WWE at No Way Out on February 17, 2002, bringing their normal array of insincerity and chaos to proceedings. The very next night, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan came face-to-face with The Rock in a segment that ended with an iconic match being made official for WrestleMania X-8 and a brutal assault by The Hulkster, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.

In need of an ambulance after suffering a hammer shot to the back of the head, Rock was wheeled out of the arena on a stretcher to be transported to the hospital.

Then it happened.

The NWO, in a display of savagery, stopped the ambulance. From there, Hogan rammed an 18-wheeler into the side of it. The actions of the faction reminded fans that Hogan was, in fact, the heel in the feud—even if the fans in Toronto had other plans come The Showcase of the Immortals. 

5. Triple H's Last Ride...Down an Escalator

WWE's Shotgun Saturday Night was, in hindsight, the first indicator of the direction Vince McMahon hoped to take his company in. A show with edgier content, the first few weeks took place in popular nightclubs or bars. The grittiness of it made the show unique.

Perhaps the most memorable episode emanated from the legendary Penn Station in New York City in 1997, with the main event of Undertaker vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

The fight spilled out of the ring and upstairs before The Deadman delivered a Tombstone Piledriver at the top of an escalator, on which the unconscious Triple H rode back down to the ringside area.

The originality of it was indisputable, and the outside-the-box nature of it was welcome at that particular point in WWE history. Unfortunately, the practicality of it all led to it being overshadowed by the higher-profile stunts and underappreciated by fans.

4. Zamboni 3:16

The September 28, 1998, episode of Raw featured Vince McMahon at his celebratory best.

Just 24 hours after a Breakdown: In Your House pay-per-view that saw Undertaker and Kane pin Steve Austin to relieve The Texas Rattlesnake of the WWE Championship, he stood in the middle of the ring on a red carpet, with the title displayed on a podium. 

Happy to have his precious belt off the waist of his biggest rival, he addressed the fans in a way only he could. Spewing bravado, he thought he had triumphed in his war with ol' Stone Cold. That's until Austin tore his way to the ring on a Zamboni, popping the hockey-loving fans in Detroit. He whooped the evil billionaire's ass and was hauled out in handcuffs but not before creating another moment of hell-raising magic.

3. Mr. McMahon Stages His Own Limousine Explosion

Mr. McMahon, despondent after losing the ECW Championship and what was an unflattering look at his character on Raw, thanked the fans and made the long walk from the arena and through the backstage area. Paul London's smile notwithstanding, he was greeted by a somber mood as he headed to the parking lot.

Opening the door to his white limousine, he paused, looked back at the arena and closed his door.

And the limo exploded.

The moment was intended to jumpstart a whodunnit storyline that started the following SmackDown and continued into Raw.

The Chris Benoit double-murder suicide altered the course of WWE history forever, though, and led to the scratching of the program. In the wake of the tragedy, it was revealed that McMahon had faked his own demise.

2. Brock Lesnar and Big Show Bring Down the Ring

The June 12, 2003, episode of SmackDown saw WWE champion Brock Lesnar battle The Big Show in a titanic clash between two of the blue brand's biggest, nastiest big men. It was the latest chapter in their lengthy rivalry and, as such, demanded a definitive conclusion. It deserved an exclamation point, and they provided it.

In one of the most unforgettable finales to a match or episode of WWE TV, Lesnar caught Big Show on the top rope and proceeded to deliver a superplex that broke the ring.

The images of the squared circle jerking, referee Mike Chioda bouncing up and down and the bodies of the competitors lying flat remain incredibly powerful.

So effective was it that WWE would replicate it not once, but twice. First, when Big Show challenged Mark Henry for the world title at Vengeance 2011 and again on the April 17, 2017, episode of Raw, when the giant battled Braun Strowman.

Neither of those instances remains as vivid as the original, jaw-dropping stunt.

1. Stone Cold Blows Up the DX Express

The greatest stunt in WWE history is Austin's demolition of the DX Express. 

First, Stone Cold sent a message to The McMahon-Helmsley Regime that hyped up the forthcoming Backlash pay-per-view. Second, there was a cinematic feel to the explosion, like something right out of a film. Third, it was the first time the company had attempted a stunt of that magnitude and the fact that it was executed so well is astonishing.

The heels' reactions were perfect, astonished that their luxury bus had been destroyed above and beyond worrying about Triple H losing his title to The Rock at the upcoming extravaganza.

There is a reason the boom dropping on the bus is still played in "Best of SmackDown" video packages and on Austin's highlight reels. It is enduring. It takes us back to when wrestling was off-the-wall wild without the over-produced, over-polished feel. It was raw and, above all else, exactly the type of thing the Texas Rattlesnake would do to screw with a foe.