While repeatedly chucking octopi against a hard surface probably works great, Food TV's Iron Chef had one very memorable moment in Battle Octopus, with Iron Chef Masahiko Kobe battling challenger Hiromichi Yoneda.
Kobe coated a live octopus in rice bran, chopped off the head (supposedly this also aids the tenderizing), and proceeded to beat the poor dying tentacles with a huge, two foot long Daikon Radish.
This was one of the first Iron Chef episodes I saw, and something about watching a malevolent Asian chef in a costume and oversized toque beat a writhing eight-legged mollusk with a huge and foreign root vegetable convinced me that this show totally kicks ass.
Kobe went on to marinate the octopus in champagne and win the match, 75-70.