Chuck Norris' Most Epic Fights In Walker, Texas Ranger

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There's a reason Chuck Norris' name has become the centerpiece of the most epic tough guy jokes of our time. He is a tried and true action sensation, and he brought all of his one-on-one battle skills to bear in his award-winning role as the title star of TV's hit show "Walker, Texas Ranger." The beloved western procedural features Norris as Cordell Walker, a Texas ranger who, alongside his trusty partner James Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr.), serves the people of Northeast Texas by putting a dramatic stop to so many crimes in progress.

Throughout the series, which ran for nine seasons and was a true household favorite, Walker delivers a lot of Lone Star-style justice, often with his bare hands. As a result, the series features a ton of unforgettable fight scenes still get fans' adrenaline pumping to this day. So to celebrate the still-popular series, here's a look at some of Chuck Norris' most epic fights ever on "Walker, Texas Ranger."

"Walker, Texas Ranger" wastes no time getting audiences invested in its hero's ability to tangle with some very, very bad guys. In the series' pilot, Walker loses his partner in a bank robbery in Fort Worth and is newly matched with Trivette, with whom he must work to untangle the truth of what happened during that tragic encounter — and what it means for future crimes.

Eventually, Walker discovers that the first deadly robbery incident is just a trial run for something much bigger: a simultaneous heist spree across multiple banks. As the explosive plan unfolds, chaos looms large on the streets, leaving all of the rangers — both current and retired — tied up dealing with all of the bandits. But Walker remains laser focused on finding the guy who started it all — and who cost him his original partner.

Amid a series of car crashes, explosions, and street chases, Walker manages to set his sights on the signature spider tattoo that identifies the nefarious brains of the operation, and he takes his target down with his own two hands — and a nice roundhouse kick from his feet, of course. Here, Walker's speed, calm composure, and nimble takedown maneuvers make it short work for him to apprehend the suspect and deliver some ice cold (and watery) revenge.

The third episode of the series is also as stylish as they come. Walker finds himself on a bit of a protection detail when a local congressman is suddenly ensnared in an international crime syndicate's revenge scheme after his assistant kills the director of the Yakuza in Japan. As members of the Yakuza make their way to the States to come after the politician, Walker has to use his homegrown investigative skills to stop the mob from reaching their mark. And after proving his martial arts mettle in a dramatic dojo showdown, Walker discovers that the danger is much closer to home than he would've ever imagined. As it turns out, an old friend is still quite connected to this criminal underbelly — and worse, the congressman is in on it, too.

In one of the series' all-time greatest fight scenes, Walker has to take his friend down, and it proves to be a lot more work than what he's used to, since his buddy is quite skilled at martial arts himself. With a few of his best blocks and backhands, Walker ultimately manages to subdue his new nemesis, but that's when things get even more lethal. When the congressman arrives and threatens Walker with a gun, it's his former friend who steps up to distract the shooter long enough for Walker to execute a nifty flip and disarm him with nothing more than those reliable iron fists.

No foe is too tough for Walker, and he confirms that undeniable fact once again in Season 2's epic "Night of the Gladiator" episode. In the segment, Walker poses as a street fighter to infiltrate an underground (and illegal) fighting ring that has captured Trivette's former flame, and he has to face a number of opponents to climb the ladder of this seedy ring. What results is a full-on series of awesome action sequences, including a memorable practice bout between Walker and Trivette. It's when Walker squares up with the so-called "Giant" that things reach the apotheosis of awesomeness, though.

While the Giant might have a clear size advantage, Walker's fast feet and powerful punches more than make up for it as he delivers one thumping after another to his face, legs, and arms, even taunting him about how bad it must hurt to take such a licking. And when Walker reaches back to deliver yet another blow with both hands, the Giant saves him the trouble by just keeling over in involuntary surrender.

Speaking of Walker's very effective handiwork, his lightning fast reflexes also come quite in handy during a very memorable encounter in Season 2's "The Reunion." The episode features eventual "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" standout Jonathan Banks as a talented assassin named Valentine, who plots to kill a U.S. senator in broad daylight. The rangers manage to uncover the plan before it sets into motion, though, and Walker sneaks up on Valentine just in time to stop him from finishing his malicious mission.

Valentine is well-armed, but Walker manages to outrun several speeding bullets to make their battle a closer one. And after he manages to deprive Valentine of his knife, they roll around for some good old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat, until Valentine suggests they pull out their holstered sidearms for a quickfire duel. Valentine might be a skilled shooter, but he simply doesn't have an edge on Walker when it comes to speed, as he learns the hard way in this scene.

Though Walker and his fellow rangers were consummate lawmen, not everyone who wore a badge on the show deserved to do so. In Season 3's premiere episode, "Badge of Honor," Walker and Trivette head through a small town for a transport detail and are unfortunately confronted by a racist sheriff and his crony deputies who decide to push Trivette for the color of his skin.

However, Walker refuses to sit idly by while his partner is imprisoned by these ignorant insults to the law. So he slyly sneaks onto the scene and silently alerts Trivette to his presence. Thanks to a well-timed distraction from CD Parker (Noble Winningham) outside, Walker and Trivette manage to get the upper hand against an entire department full of deputies. Unfortunately, the biggest baddie is hiding in the hay and surprises Walker and his team by emerging with a shotgun. Of course, no amount of firepower is quite enough to neutralize Walker's unstoppable roundhouse kick, and it's the sheriff who soon finds himself in handcuffs.

Speaking of twisted individuals that Walker gets the personal pleasure of taking down, in Season 3's "Mean Streets," he discovers that there's a group of masked assailants who have been systematically attacking homeless people around town and filming it just for kicks. They even put a baby's life in danger as a result of their crime spree. So, to grapple with this scourge of senseless violence, Walker goes undercover as an unhoused individual himself, and he soon finds himself surrounded by the masked brutes, who he discovers to actually be affluent teens with a mean streak.

These bullies may have some nice cars and cameras, but their money doesn't make them a match for Walker, who chases down the leader of the pack. He finally manages to corner the coward in his own home, as he attempts to flee the consequences of his actions, and Walker ensures he'll be brought to justice by holding him beneath the water in his own indoor pool until the guy finally has no choice but to relent. We don't know how long Walker can actually hold his breath under water, but he doesn't so much as breathe heavily even as the perp begins coughing up a barrel of water.

Another of Walker's splashiest undercover operations comes in Season 4's "Deep Cover," which finds Walker teaming up with Miami's own Officer Cousins (guest star Kathy Long) to infiltrate a notorious drug kingpin's mansion and rescue her fellow detective, who has been captured after her cover is blown. To gain access to the elusive estate, Walker must pose as a cavalier cocaine dealer, and, eventually, the conflict becomes physical as the duo raid the compound before the captive officer can be further harmed.

The operation is extremely dangerous, but Walker and Cousins manage to outsmart and outmaneuver most of the drug lord's goons. However, Walker does meet his match when he faces a man who's two times his size. Despite some savvy punching and kicking, he seems to be in a bit of trouble before Cousins literally leaps into action and distracts the guard long enough for Walker to get him into the pool. That's when he once again gains the upper hand and submerges his subject into submission. As if that isn't radical enough, he then manages to stop the dealer from making his big escape by kicking him in the neck through the man's windshield. That's the opposite of a clean getaway, we'd say.

One character whose job always puts her right in the thick of trouble throughout the entirety of "Walker, Texas Ranger" is Alex Cahill (Sheree J. Wilson), the assistant district attorney who works closely with the rangers and develops a deep personal connection to Walker throughout the series. Alex is routinely targeted by some of the scariest people in society, thanks to her professional and personal connections. And one of her most harrowing ordeals of all happens in Season 7's "Survival," when she finds herself in the clutches of a group of malicious mountain men called the Trammels who abduct and abuse her during a hiking trip in Colorado.

However, before the Trammels can inflict too much damage on Alex, Walker and Trivette storm into the compound to rescue her. First, Walker must engage one of the mountaineers in a knife fight, and he easily outmaneuvers his first foe. But then he has to go head to head with the most sniveling creep of the bunch, and Walker has his hands full with the guy, thanks to his surprisingly tough chin and ability to lift Walker above his head. However, it takes more than a few bear hugs and grunts to bring Walker down, and with a couple of well-placed heels, elbows, and headbutts, Walker manages to get the man into a sleeper hold and put a stop to the backwoods madness once and for all. As a bonus, Alex herself gets to deliver a nice fist to her attacker's ugly mug as a bit of a goodbye gift.

Walker's knack for entertaining entrances to save Alex comes in handy in another standout Season 4 arc in the back-to-back "Whitewater" episodes. Here, a simple white-water rafting excursion goes terribly awry when a fellow vacationer is mysteriously murdered during the getaway. Little do either of them know, there's something much bigger in motion in this scenic spot, as a group of escaped convicts have taken over the place. Usually, Walker's stealth is enough to take unsuspecting folks by surprise, but in this case, he gets seriously injured when one of the convicts puts a knife in his side.

It's not enough to stop Walker from continuing to fight, of course. After he's left for dead and Alex is kidnapped, Walker has to work hard to catch up with the convicts, so he uses a zipline to sling himself onto the scene and turn the tide on the perp that's holding everyone hostage. The action soon moves onto shore, and even though the villain tries to hit Walker where it hurts — his still-agonized stab wound — he simply doesn't stand a chance once Walker's signature kicks come into play during their soaking wet rumble session.

We are definitely closing on a high note by turning to the high octane fight scene from Season 8's "The Day of Cleansing." The episode finds Walker transporting a dangerous terrorist named Cliff Eagleton (guest star David Keith) to Texas from Los Angeles, but it's a dangerous mission indeed, as the guy has a lot of well-armed minions who will do anything to spring him from custody. After a hair-raising highway escape with a helicopter, Walker decides to take to the skies himself to track down this evil boss — and that's when things really get hectic.

Alongside L.A. officer Sammo Law (Sammo Hung), Walker literally leaps into action, jumping from mid-air and crashing into Eagleton's crew on the ground, who are engaged in a brawl with undercover rookie ranger Francis Gage (Judson Mills). Francis was severely outmuscled when they first arrived to the scene, but thanks to some epic spin kicks and excellent defensive maneuvering from Sammo, the trio manage to fight their way out of this melee long enough for backup to arrive on the scene. Three men versus 20 might be a mess for anyone else, but Walker's sheer might tips the scales in their favor as soon as his boots hit the ground.