Barbed Wire in Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn Elimination Chamber Match Was 100% Real

If you thought the barbed wire steel chair in Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn’s unsanctioned match at WWE Elimination Chamber was a gimmick, Logan Paul has some news for you—it wasn’t.

Speaking on Impaulsive, Paul revealed that he personally inspected the chair before the match and was shocked to learn that the barbed wire was completely real.

“Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. That match at Elimination Chamber, and the barbed wire around the chair. That was real fucking barbed wire. I felt it beforehand. I saw the chair and was like, ‘No way.’ Tap, tap, tap. It’s sharp. It’s insane. Fake is not the word,” Paul said.

Paul also recalled the moment he first stepped into a WWE ring, expecting the mat to be softer than it actually was.

“I remember so vividly coming into my first WWE session. I was working with The Miz. I’m touching the mat and I’m like, ‘This is crazy. Is the bouncy one during the actual match?’ He goes, ‘No, this is the ring. It’s the same ring.’ ‘Yeah, but on TV, it’s bouncy. How are you landing like that?’ ‘No, dude.’ Every celebrity I see come in there to do a match or a spot, the same reaction. They feel the edge of it and are like, ‘Bro, this isn’t fucking moving.’ ‘Yeah, been there.’ The chairs. They show me the metal chair. ‘Okay, where is the fake (one)? Where is the plastic chair?’ No plastic fucking chair.”

It was previously reported that the word backstage was that the barbed wire used in the match was not gimmicked or shaved down—a decision made at the request of at least one of the competitors.

Owens ultimately walked away victorious in the brutal war, but the match left fans stunned at just how violent and personal it got.