Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Jackass Forever
The new cup test stunt in Jackass 4 is not only hilarious, but it also pays homage to two classic Johnny Knoxville moments. The fourth main installment in the Jackass film series, Jackass Forever is scheduled for a highly-anticipated February 4, 2022, theatrical release by Paramount Pictures. Jackass Forever marks the end of many Jackass stalwart's careers, with leading man Johnny Knoxville himself hanging up his proverbial gloves after one final, injury-fuelled outing. Given this context, it's unsurprising that the movie references other iconic incidents from the franchise.
Alongside Knoxville; Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Wee Man, Danger Ehren, and Preston Lacy all return for their final Jackass cast appearances in Jackass 4. In this way, Jackass Forever also marks the passing of the torch to a new generation of willing pain recipients, with celebrities such as Jasper Dolphin and Eric Andre taking on greater roles in the latest franchise entry. Other guest appearances for the film include Shaquille O'Neal, Machine Gun Kelly, and Tyler, The Creator, who have been especially keen to create stunts with the inaugural, iconic Jackass team one last time. Although many of these stunts have been kept under wraps ahead of the film's release, several cringe-worthy clips make up the final Jackass Forever trailer.
The best of these stunt homages is the "Cup Test," in which Cameroonian mixed martial artist Francis Ngannou punches Ehren McGhehey full pelt in the groin. While this stunt is riotous viewing alone, it also acts as a perfect homage to two classic Johnny Knoxville stunts, the first of which was Knoxville's own original"Cup Test back in 2001 for season 2, episode 1 of the Jackass TV show. The second classic stunt wrinkle is the inclusion of Ngannou, whose title as the world's hardest recorded puncher carries more than a shade of Jackass: The Movie's "Department Store Boxing," in which the (then) record-holder for fastest heavyweight boxing knockout was brought in to pummel Knoxville repeatedly in the head.
While Danger Ehren has taken some brutal hits across Jackass' history, such as splitting his skull in Jackass 3D after the "Lamborghini Tooth Pull" fiasco, it was Johnny Knoxville who first made the Cup Test famous in 2001. Knoxville kicks off season 2 of MTV's Jackass with a series of strikes from other Jackass members to the groin while wearing a cup. As a result, Jackass Forever's new cup stunt pays homage to Knoxville's original antics that marked the MTV series upping the proverbial ante after the breakout success of season 1.
Yet beyond Knoxville's painful stunt ideas, Jackass Forever's new "Cup Test" is loaded with sentimentality due to the personnel setup of the stunt itself. Hardest recorded puncher in the world Francis Ngannou steps up this time to strike the cup, evoking memories of when Jackass: The Movie invited Butterbean (real name Eric Scott Esch) to box against Knoville in a department store ring. In 2002, Butterbean held the world record for quickest heavyweight division knockout, meaning these Jackass Forever scenes are mirroring its forebear by bringing back one of the most feared athletes in the world to do damage to the crew. In the most twisted-yet-poetic way possible, Jackass 4's Cup Test, therefore, acts as the perfect homage to Johnny Knoxville's early Jackass stunts.
