I’ve always loved the “Hollywood Chop”. One whack to the shoulder or thereabouts and the character lays unconscious for as long as the plot requires and they wake up with minimal symptoms. That plot device was often used in the 70’s and 80’s. As a kid I dreamed of learning Kung Fu and I was particularly excited about learning how to knock someone out like that.

I noticed The Chop more recently on Game of Thrones. It happens a few times in the show, but I can only remember specifically when Aria Stark is being a pain when first on the road with The Hound so he Chops her to get some peace.

Karate chop or not, what's amazing is how many concussions in general our old-time heroes suffered. Rockford, Mannix, James West...all got conked weekly in what today would have required a month-long concussion protocol! Even our favorite cop Columbo got kicked in the face big-time in "Undercover."

Perhaps the all-time record probably belongs to Peter Gunn. I think he averaged more than one knock-out per 30 minute episode.

Don't you folks watch pro wrestling? Referees are the most fragile people on the planet. Fart in their general direction and they're unconscious.