Ten-bell salute

In professional wrestling, a ten-bell salute is given to honor a wrestler that has died, especially when that wrestler is a current member of the promotion or a distinguished former member of the promotion.

It is typically given at the beginning of a card, with the current members of the promotion either in the entranceway, in the ring or around the ring. Both wrestlers and audience observe a moment of silence during the tolling of the bell.

Honorees

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

In World Wrestling Entertainment (and its predecessor, the World Wrestling Federation), several such salutes have been televised over the past ten years. Some of the honorees have included:

* André the Giant (1993, heart failure).
* Brian Pillman (1997, 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).
* Chris Benoit (2007, alleged murder-suicide; the show during which he received the salute occurred before the facts of the murder-suicide were definitely known).

A ten-bell salute was also given at WWF events following the September 11, 2001 attacks, to honor those who were killed in the attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C..

While ten-bell salutes have typically been reserved for real-life deaths, it has been used in kayfabe at least thrice in WWE history. The most recent instance was in June 2007 for Mr. McMahon (as part of an angle where he was inside a limosuine that exploded, and was presumed dead). In 1998, Paul Bearer and Kane tolled the bell 10 times in ring to mock the (kayfabe) dead Undertaker, whom Kane had supposedly killed when he set ablaze to the casket in which the Undertaker was forced into at the 1998 Royal Rumble. In 1988, Harley Race was also "honored" with ten bells as part of a promo by Bobby "the Brain" Heenan, wherein Heenan accused Hulk Hogan of causing ultimately fatal injuries to Race; this angle grew out of a match where Race was legitimately injured during a match vs. Hogan, due to a mistimed move.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

The most remembered instance of this honor in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is the salute given to Chris Candido at TNA Hard Justice in May 2005. He had died of a blood clot, a complication of leg surgery, on April 28 of that year.

Extreme Championship Wrestling

In ECW, at their Cyber Slam 1998 event, the ten-bell salute was given in remembrance of Louie Spicolli, who died from an accidental drug overdose on February 15, 1998.

In boxing

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