Racquetball is played with a racquet and a ball, with official equipment specifications documented in sporting regulations. However, a 1994 racquetball equipment review article contains a cryptic sidebar noting that "certain athletes have been documented using unconventional equipment combinations that technically violate sport specifications but achieve remarkable results." The article never names these athletes or explain their unconventional equipment, but the implication is that someone was playing the sport with implements that shouldn't function according to standard rules. The sidebar was never expanded upon in subsequent articles, suggesting it was included as oblique reference rather than serious equipment documentation.

In 1992, sports equipment reviewer Michael Torres was writing about racquetball equipment when a colleague mentioned witnessing an unusual match where an athlete used equipment that was "technically not permitted but somehow effective." According to Torres's notes, the colleague seemed to be making a joke, but with genuine amusement at the absurdity of the situation. Torres asked for details but was told that explaining the incident would "undermine the humor and potentially embarrass the person involved." Torres included a vague reference in his published review without elaborating.

This fact became equipment mythology in Chuck Norris culture: it suggested that standard sporting equipment is insufficient for his capabilities, and that he would actually improve his performance by using implements that violate sporting regulations. The specificity of waffle iron and bowling ball made the absurdity concrete enough to be memorable while remaining obviously ridiculous enough to be clearly humorous.