History Main / CripplingTheCompetition

* In the finale of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', [[spoiler:Aang uses Spiritbending to rob [[BigBad Firelord Ozai]] of his firebending ability, taking away the threat he poses to the world without breaking Aang's ThouShaltNotKill policy.]]

* Subverted in a ''Series/LawAndOrder'' episode based on the Tonya-Nancy saga. When a tennis player's wrist is broken, suspicion falls on her rival. It turns out that the girls were actually friends and arranged the attack because she wanted to quit but knew that her [[StageMom Stage Dad]] wouldn't let her otherwise.

* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': In "The Studio Job", an unscrupulous record producer breaks both hands of a songwriter so he can never play an instrument again.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S1E3MrDentonOnDoomsday Mr. Denton on Doomsday]]", the title character Al Denton, a washed-up RetiredGunfighter faces off against a young wannabee named Pete Grant in a duel, both using a potion granting quick draw abilities. Both men manage to inflict hand injuries preventing each other from ever using guns again. Denton sees this as a blessing, as it will prevent either from engaging in any more reckless duels.

** In "Wilkommen", Nora tries to Clinton to disable Dennis so she could be the one who will be noticed by the big time celebrity agent who will be in the audience. Clinton refuses, but Lyle overhears the plan and goes through with it so he can replace Dennis. He instead kills Dennis.

* A reference is made to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_of_Nancy_Kerrigan Nancy Kerrigan incident]] in the 'Real Life' folder below in a sidequest in ''VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon'', in which a polar bear with a [[CanadaEh Canadian accent]] named Nancy is attacked by Rhynoc hockey players as she attempts to rehearse for an ice dancing performance, and enlists Spyro to protect her from them. It's not clear if the Rhynocs were doing this on behalf of another dancer or if they were just being bullies, however.

* Figure skater Tonya Harding's then-husband Jeff Gillooly hired someone to attack her rival Nancy Kerrigan with a metal police baton. The extent of Harding's own involvement remains debatable.
* A journalist asked former UsefulNotes/{{Tennis}} player Rod Laver (a contender for the Greatest of All Time title) how he would go about beating current player Roger Federer (another contender) if they had been professional at the same time. Laver replied, "Hit him over the head with a tennis raquette."

* Twenty-seven members of the New Zealand national rugby team developed food poisoning two days before the grand final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, where they were to play host nation South Africa. Legend has it, it was a deliberate act by a mysterious waitress called "Suzie".

* Also during the Cold War, specifically the Summit Series between the Soviet Union's Red Army hockey team and the NHL's top Canadian stars, Bobby Clarke famously broke Soviet star player Valeri Kharlomov's ankle with a slash. An Assistant Coach had called Clarke to the bench prior and suggested Kharlamov "needs a tap on the ankle."

* A famous example of this backfiring was in the 1989 [[UsefulNotes/AustralianRulesFootball VFL]] Grand Final. At the start of the game, Geelong's Mark Yeates charged Hawthorn's Dermott Brereton, knocking him down and puncturing his lung, in what Geelong coach Malcolm Blight later admitted was a premeditated plan. However, Brereton ''[[MadeOfIron got back up]] [[{{Determinator}} and played on]]'', inspiring his team. Hawthorn ended up winning.

* Not exactly a Western, but the same philosophy is shown in the film version ''Film/StarshipTroopers''.

* Mr. Washington does this to the anti-heroine Alex in ''Film/{{Momentum|2015}}''. Realising just how badass this particular ActionGirl is, Washington stabs her in the leg to prevent her running or fighting effectively. The wound leaves Alex physically crippled to the extent she's left with a limp. Washington's mistake [[spoiler: is underestimating Alex's mental capacity - and since she's TheChessmaster extraordinaire that proves to be fatal.]]

* In ''Film/TheQuickAndTheDead'', Ratsy breaks Cort's right hand before his gunfight with Herod, forcing him to fight with his left hand.[[note]]In a small twist, Herod did not order Ratsy to do this, and gets PISSED when he finds out, declaring that Ratsy has ruined the gunfighting competition and then shooting him dead.[[/note]]

* Figure skater Tonya Harding's then-husband Jeff Gillooly hired someone to attack her rival, Nancy Kerrigan, with a metal police baton. The extent of Harding's own involvement remains debatable.

* ''ComicBook/ElfesEtNains'': In the GladiatorGames where the winner is declared Runelord, Rom has Redwin stabbed in the belly not long before the games, nearly killing him but still heavily crippling him too because he fears Redwin.

* In ''Webcomic/CuantaVida'', this turns out to be the [[spoiler:modus operandi of the BigBad, Rojo]].

* An early episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' "The Flame Pokèmon-Athon" depicted such a scenario; to increase his chances of winning an upcoming Pokémon race, a man named Dario hires Team Rocket to do this to his rival Lara Laramie, which they do by spooking her Ponyta, causing it to throw her off and break her arm. Ash is left to win the race in her stead, with Ponyta evolving into Rapidash in the process.

** His first mission tasks Huang to find a champion racer's car and sabotage it so that his flashy, but terrible, car can get an advantage in an upcoming race.
** In the following mission, Huang has to ram the other opposing racers so that Chan can win the 1st place as, despite the champion racer's demise, he is too sloshed to even race properly. Huang paraphrases this best during the respective mission's replay description.

* In ''Anime/YuGiOh'', before reaching Pegasus's island. Insector Haga/Weevil Underwood throws Yugi's Exodia cards off the ship to sabotage his chances of winning. He also does this to Jonouchi/Joey in the Battle City arc, sneaking a Parasite Paracide card into his deck. The latter becomes [[spoiler:an [[InvertedTrope inversion]], as Jonouchi/Joey defeats Haga/Weevil's Insect Queen, his strongest monster, by attacking it with that Parasite Paracide.]]

-->''"Chan's idea of fair play is, 'anything goes, so long as he wins'."''

* In ''Anime/YuGiOh'', before reaching Pegasus's island. Insector Haga/Weevil Underwood throws Yugi's Exodia cards off the ship to sabotage his chances of winning. He also does this to Jonouchi/Joey in the Battle City arc, sneaking a Parasite Paracide card into his deck.

* An early episode of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' "The Flame Pokèmon-Athon" depicted such a scenario; to increase his chances of winning an upcoming Pokémon race, a man named Dario hires Team Rocket to do this to his rival Lara Laramie, which they do by spooking her Ponyta, causing it to throw her off and break her arm, leaving Ash to win the race in her stead.

[[caption-width-right:349:"[[Film/TheBigLebowski This is bowling.]] There are ''no'' rules."]]

* In the film version of ''Film/{{Daredevil}}'', Bulls Eye's hands are injured in the climactic battle with Daredevil, and he says, "You took away my hands! Show mercy!"

* ''Film/KungFuHustle'': the Harpist manages to cut the palms of Donut, whose specialty is with [[SimpleStaff staffs]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' episode ''[[Recap/KimPossibleS3E5ShowdownAtTheCrookedD Showdown at the Crooked D]]'', Dr. Drakken envies the intelligence of the world's leading scientists, so he invents [[PhlebotinumInducedStupidity Silly Hats for them to wear that make them act like doofuses]].

->''"Once there was this girl who swore that one day she would be a figure skating champion\\
And when she finally made it, she saw some other girl who was better\\
And so she hired some guy to club her in the knee cap."''

* In the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "Next of Pin", Stan shivs Steve in the ankle to prevent him from beating him in a bowling competition.
** Stan wasn’t competing in the bowling tournament, he was afraid that if Steve won they would grow further apart.