The People’s Elbow Was A Rib On The Undertaker?

It had to start somewhere. There are some wrestling moves that are so closely associated with some wrestlers that it feels strange to see anyone else do them. At the same time, there are some that are so popular that someone else might use their own version in what is clearly a tribute/knockoff. Those moves have to start somewhere, and one of the most famous started as a joke.

There may never be a bigger star in wrestling than the Rock. While he has gone on to dominate Hollywood, he got his start in professional wrestling and a big part of him getting that over came from the People’s Elbow. It was such an over the top move and something so ridiculous that it became iconic and has several similar moves to this day. But how did it get started?

In an interview with TMZ Sports, Triple H said that the People’s Elbow was invented as a way to make the Undertaker break character. Triple H talked about a variety of matches that took place during live events where the wrestlers would do their best to make Undertaker laugh. The People’s Elbow was one of the attempts, and while it did not make Undertaker break character, it became a popular move and Rock began using it regularly.

It’s quite the story. Check out Triple H’s explanation and some famous People’s Elbows:

Opinion: That’s a great story but I’m not sure if it lines up with history. Rock was doing versions of the People’s Elbow in 1997 on Monday Night Raw, before Kane, who was mentioned in the story, even debuted on the main roster. Maybe Triple H is talking about a different version of the move (which just evolved over the years) or he has gotten a little confused over something that happened over twenty plus years ago. Either way, it’s a funny story and I’m sure there is some truth to it in there somewhere, which is what matters.

What do you think of the story? Did you like the People’s Elbow? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books. Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for “GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES” to sign up. Thank you for reading!