Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "
gimmick
A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...
matches" in the
jargon of the business, are performed in
professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a
storyline. Throughout professional wrestling's
decades long history, some gimmick matches have spawned many variations of the core concept.
Singles match
The singles match is the most common of all professional wrestling matches, which involves only two competitors competing for one
fall. A victory is obtained by
pinfall,
submission,
knockout
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
,
countout, or
disqualification. Some of the most common variations on the singles match is to restrict the possible means for victory.
Duchess of Queensbury Rules match
A Duchess of Queensbury Rules match is a singles match contested under specific, often disclosed rules is replaced by a title usually meant to sound traditional for one combatant. A wrestler challenging another wrestler to a match to be contested under some kind of rules without going into any detail, then making up rules in their favor as the match progresses and feeding them to the ring announcer. This match type was first occurred at
Backlash (2001) pay-per-view between
Chris Jericho vs.
William Regal, which Regal won.
No Count-Out match
A No Count-Out match is a singles match in which both competitors can stay outside of the ring without being counted out. A well known example is at
Vengeance (2003) between
Stephanie McMahon and
Sable
The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaza ...
, which Sable won.
One Sided Rules match
A One Sided Rules match is a singles match where one of the competitors cannot be disqualified or counted out, while the other opponent can. This stipulation can give the other opponent a serious disadvantage to win. One example of this match took place at
The Horror Show at Extreme Rules in 2020 between
Dolph Ziggler and
Drew McIntyre, in which the latter won despite having the disadvantage. Another example was
Carlito vs.
Triple H at
2007's Unforgiven in a no disqualification match where the no-disqualification rule applied only to Carlito where, despite this advantage, Carlito lost.
Pinfall match
A Pinfall match (also known as Pinfall Only) is a singles match where any wrestler can only achieve a pinfall inside the ring to gain the victory. There are no submissions, no disqualifications and no count-outs (or sometimes count-outs) in this match.
Pure Wrestling Rules match
A Pure Wrestling Rules match most commonly appeared in
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
(ROH). It is a singles match where each wrestler is allowed only three rope breaks. Once they are all used up, the wrestler cannot use the ropes to escape pins or submissions. Closed fists are illegal, and using them will cause the wrestler to be penalized a rope break – if they are out of rope breaks, they will be disqualified. This match can be won by pinfall or submission.
Time Limit match
A time limit match is a singles match contested in a set time limit until any wrestler achieves a victory or the time reaches zero, resulted as an official draw. Sometimes, a match that ends in an draw will ruled as a "no contest" if both competitors receive an disqualification or getting counted out. The match can be won by pinfall, submission, disqualification or count-out.
Special Challenge match
A special challenge match often used in WCW to refer to a singles match in which the champion is not defending the title so the title doesn’t change hands if the champion loses the match. It can be announced by name, as a non-title match or as a singles match. It was also used in a tag team format.
World TV Champion Arn Anderson vs
Paul Orndorff at
Clash of the Champions XI was one example. Orndorff won the match however Anderson remained champion.
Attire-based variations
Some matches are based on different attire where competitors must wear specific outfits, reduced clothing, or blindfolds.
Blindfold match
In a Blindfold match, the two participants must wear a blindfold over their eyes for the entire duration of the match. A well-known example of this match is the
WrestleMania VII match between
Jake "The Snake" Roberts and
Rick Martel.
Reduced clothing
Women's match types include those in which women wrestle in less clothing. This may include bikinis (Bikini match), lingerie (Lingerie match), wet clothing (Wet and Wild match), or no clothing (matches in the
Naked Women's Wrestling League).
Trading Places match
In a Trading Places match, the two participants must dress up as each other. In addition to dressing up as the other, a participant also uses the other's entrance theme as his own.
Battle royale-based variations
The battle royale is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until only one is left. Typical battle royales begin with 20 or more participants all in the ring at the same time, who are then eliminated by being thrown over the top rope and having both feet touch the venue floor.
Battlebowl
The Battlebowl is a two-ring variation on a battle royale, the wrestlers start in one ring and try to throw wrestlers into the second ring, after which they can be eliminated by being thrown out of that ring. The last remaining wrestler in the first ring can rest until only one wrestler is left in the second ring, after which they fight in both rings until one is eliminated and a winner is declared, in similar fashion to a
double elimination tournament. This was held by World Championship Wrestling at the 1991
Starrcade event, but future Battlebowl matches were contested under normal battle royale rules.
Battle Zone
The battle zone features any number of men in one ring over the top rope elimination. Typical battle royale, except this one features tables covered with barbed wire, thumbtacks, and light bulbs on the outside of the ring, which may catch wrestlers as they are thrown out of the ring.
Bunkhouse Stampede
The
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Founded in 1948, the NWA ...
's (NWA) Bunkhouse Stampede involved wrestlers wearing what was described as "bunkhouse gear"—cowboy boots,
jeans
Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and paten ...
, T-shirts—instead of their normal wrestling tights and not only allowed but encouraged the bringing of
weapons. In 1988 the NWA named a pay-per-view after the
Bunkhouse Stampede
The Bunkhouse Stampede was a professional wrestling tournament/show held annually by Jim Crockett Promotions from 1985 through 1988.
History Concept
In 1985, the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions came up with a new match to increase the fans' interest ...
, headlined by a Bunkhouse Stampede match held inside a
cage.
Fulfill Your Fantasy battle royale
The Fulfill Your Fantasy is a women's battle royale with the addition of fetish outfits, such as a French maid, lingerie, nurse, schoolgirl, etc. Often the type of outfit is chosen by an audience poll. This match may allow women to be eliminated by being thrown through the ropes, under the ropes, or over the top rope as stipulations.
Hardcore battle royale
A battle royale with hardcore rules (no disqualifications and no count-outs) involving several competitors in the ring at the same time. The match could last for either 15 or 20 minutes. All participants are not eliminated by being thrown out of the ring and both feet touching the floor. Pinning or forcing to submit whomever was current Hardcore champion would result in the victorious participant becoming the interim champion. Whoever the person
held the title at end of the time limit would be declared the winner of the match and the official champion.
Last Blood battle royale
A Last Blood battle royale is essentially a multi-competitor
First Blood match. All competitors start at the same time and wrestlers are eliminated when they start bleeding. The winner is the last wrestler in the match not bleeding. This match was held in the Tri-State Wrestling Association, a predecessor to
Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Reverse battle royale
Generally used in
TNA TNA may refer to:
Organisations
* Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka
* The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya
* The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body
* Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...
/
Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
, a reverse battle royale begins with wrestlers surrounding the ring instead of inside it. At the start of the match they battle for half of them to get into the ring, at which point a standard last person standing wins the battle royale.
The Cage Reverse Battle Royale is another TNA variation of this match type. This actually has three stages; It begins the first stage as an inside-out battle royale with 15 or more wrestlers involved. The first seven to enter the ring over the top cage will advance to the second stage which is a Gauntlet Match. When it gets down to the final stage, only two wrestlers will battle in a singles match which is decided by pinfall or submission.
Semi-final battle royale
A semi-final battle royale consists of a battle royale where when a specific number of wrestlers are remaining, the match ends, and those that remain are placed in a standard wrestling match for the prize at stake.
In
All Elite Wrestling, it is known as a ''Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale'', as twelve competitors compete until it is reduced to two, and there is a subsequent episode where the final two compete, in this case, "AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring".
In
New Japan Pro-Wrestling, the 2021 New Japan Rumble at
Wrestle Kingdom 15 was conducted as a semi-final battle royale.
Chase Owens,
Bad Luck Fale,
Tetsuya Bushi, and
Toru Yano were the final four that competed in a championship match the next day.
Tag Team battle royale
The tag team battle royale consist of designated tag teams of wrestlers, (usually) two members on the team. This match uses the normal battle royale rules, teams may be eliminated when either one or both partners are thrown over the top rope, depending on the stipulation. This match is conducted similarly to a battle royale. In most cases both wrestlers are considered active at the same time and there are no tags, as in a tornado tag team match.
Another variation of the tag team battle royale was used during the
2011 WWE Draft on April 25, 2011; where the wrestler's team has to eliminate all members of the opposing team, much like an elimination tag team match where the losing wrestler of a team, who just got thrown over the ring ropes with both feet on the floor, must return to his locker room.
Thunderbowl
The Thunderbowl is another variation of Battlebowl, involving 100 wrestlers split into 50 in two rings. The only way to be eliminated is to be thrown over the ropes. No matter how and where you hit, whether its apron, floor or barricade you are also eliminated. When 25 wrestlers are left in each ring, stage two begins. This second stage is when all 50 wrestlers get into one ring and there is no elimination. After a five-minute period, the match turns into a Battle Royale where elimination is gained by throwing your opponent over the ropes and to the floor. When five wrestlers remain, stage three begins. This third stage then turns into a five-way match where pinfall and submission will eliminate an opponent. When two wrestlers are left, the match turns into a last man standing where KO is legal.
TNA Knockout Makeover battle royale
The TNA Knockout Makeover will begin as the multi-women over-the-top elimination battle royale. They are eliminated from the match if they are thrown over the top rope and both feet land on the floor, until the final two competitors are left. The final two competitors will face each other in a ladder match, where the winner will receive a
TNA Knockout Championship
The Impact Knockouts World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship owned by Impact Wrestling. It is primarily contested for in Impact's women's division, known as the Impact Knockouts. The championship debuted on Octob ...
match, while the runner-up
will have her head shaved.
Women's battle royale
A
women's or
divas battle royale which only features female competitors. Some stipulations of this match may allow women to be eliminated by being thrown through the ropes, under the ropes, or over the top rope; As stated by
Jonathan Coachman on February 20, 2006, edition of RAW, during the #1 contender's battle royale, but since the WWE Divas Division was rebranded as the WWE Women's Division in April 2016, the rules are the same as the men's battle royale with the competitors being eliminated by being thrown over the rope.
World War 3
Created by
World Championship Wrestling in 1995, the World War 3 battle royale involved a three-ring setup and 60 competitors; 20 wrestlers started in each of the three rings in which they would wrestle under regular battle royale rules. Once there were 30 competitors remaining (except in 1997, where the number was 20), all competitors would enter the center ring and continue under regular rules until only one wrestler was left standing.
Cinematic match
A cinematic match is not technically a match type itself, but rather, it is a term used to refer to matches that are produced with various
cinematic techniques. The rules vary from match to match, but generally have a basis in hardcore wrestling. Unlike a normal wrestling match, which is done in
one take
A one-shot cinema (also one-take film, single-take film, or continuous shot feature film) is a full-length movie filmed in one long take by a single camera, or manufactured to give the impression it was.
Use and theory
In a 2019 article, discus ...
and typically in front of a live audience, cinematic matches are shot over several hours with various scenes filmed, similar to filmmaking, with higher-budget production involved. The final product (the complete match) generally lasts from 20 to 40 minutes and
airs at a later time, typically for a pay-per-view event. They are also usually filmed on-location or at a custom built set.
[
While not considered a cinematic match at the time, the Hollywood Backlot Brawl between ]Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and actor.
In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for hi ...
and Goldust at WrestleMania XII in 1996 is considered an early cinematic match by the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), as it used techniques now featured in cinematic matches. Unlike future cinematic matches (which typically air during one segment), the match aired during several segments in between matches inside the ring, and featured both pre-taped segments outside the Arrowhead Pond
The Honda Center (formerly known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) is an indoor arena located in Anaheim, California. The arena is home to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League.
Originally named the Anaheim Arena during construction, i ...
of the two fighting as well as Piper "chasing" Goldust's solid gold Cadillac
The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...
in a white Ford Bronco in an obvious reference to the then-ongoing O. J. Simpson murder case. ( Vince McMahon mentioned on commentary without completely breaking kayfabe that the "footage looked awfully familiar"; in reality, repurposed footage of Simpson's infamous Bronco chase was actually used as part of the match.) The match eventually ended in the ring live, when Piper stripped Goldust down to women's lingerie and kissed him as part of "making him a man". WrestleMania XII featured a second cinematic match between "The Huckster
Billionaire Ted is a series of comedic sketches that ran on World Wrestling Federation (WWF) programming in 1996. They were created to parody media mogul Ted Turner, who owned rival World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and several WCW wrestlers. ...
" and " Nacho Man".
At SummerSlam 1996, The Undertaker faced Mankind in a "Boiler Room Brawl
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
" that was largely pre-taped, incorporating props and unorthodox camera angles.
In 2016, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, now Impact Wrestling) held a match entitled the "Final Deletion" between brothers Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy for the July 5 episode of ''Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
'', which was filmed at Matt Hardy's compound. It was a hardcore wrestling match with falls count anywhere. The sequel was a brawl between The Broken Hardys and Decay titled "Delete or Decay". The Broken Hardys and Decay continued their feud at Bound for Glory, where Decay lost their TNA World Tag Team Championship to The Hardys in "The Great War". The Hardys issued an open tag team invitational at their compound on the December 15 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', titled Total Nonstop Deletion. The main event was the "Tag Team Apocalypto" where The Hardys last defeated Decay.
Although not contested as a match, WWE followed this up shortly after and filmed a cinematic-style brawl between The New Day (Big E Big E may refer to:
* Capital letter "E"
People
* Big E (wrestler) (born 1986), American professional wrestler, born Ettore Ewen, formerly known as "Big E Langston"
* Elvin Hayes (born 1945; nicknamed "Big E"), American basketball player and r ...
, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) and The Wyatt Family ( Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, and Braun Strowman) that was held at The Wyatt Family Compound and shown on the July 11, 2016 episode of '' WWE Raw''. WWE then taped their own cinematic match for their 2017 pay-per-view Payback, called a House of Horrors match between Randy Orton
Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. H ...
and Bray Wyatt. Similar to the "Final Deletion" match in TNA, this one was held at an abandoned house, but instead of falls count anywhere, this match had to end in the ring in the arena that the event was held in (the House of Horrors scenes were pre-taped, while the in-ring portion was live). The next cinematic match would occur on the March 19, 2018 episode of ''Raw'', which featured Matt Hardy, who had returned to WWE and became "Woken" Matt Hardy, against Bray Wyatt and was called the "Ultimate Deletion;" this was just like the "Final Deletion," including being held at Matt's compound.
Cinematic matches became more frequent in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; the pandemic began affecting the professional wrestling industry in March that year, forcing promotions to hold events behind closed doors. WWE would hold several cinematic matches at their pay-per-views between March and August, being highly praised for the two that occurred at WrestleMania 36; a Boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles, which was a Buried Alive match held at a custom built cemetery set in the Orlando area, and a Firefly Fun House match between John Cena and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt. (Although the match ended with The Fiend pinning Cena in a ring, the match itself was a dream-like sequence of Cena's career, showing his perceived character flaws; the various segments were filmed at WWE's Titan Towers headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
). Following this, cinematic matches occurred at Money in the Bank in May, which was the event's eponymous ladder matches that occurred at WWE's headquarters, a Backlot Brawl between Adam Cole and Velveteen Dream in the parking lot of Full Sail University at NXT TakeOver: In Your House in June, a cinematically produced singles match between Edge and Randy Orton
Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. H ...
at Backlash also in June, and a Wyatt Swamp Fight between Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules in July. Since the introduction of the WWE ThunderDome and Capitol Wrestling Center (CWC) staging arenas in August and October, respectively, the use of cinematic matches were greatly reduced, as these new staging arenas allowed fans to attend the events virtually. To go with the Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
-theme at NXT: Halloween Havoc in October, a Haunted House of Terrors match was held between Dexter Lumis and Cameron Grimes, which was similar to the House of Horrors match from Payback 2017. Matches involving Randy Orton, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt, and Alexa Bliss have also used cinematic techniques, such as the Firefly Inferno match between Orton and The Fiend at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December, where Orton set The Fiend's entire body on fire, and an intergender match between Orton and Bliss at Fastlane in March 2021, where Bliss used supernatural powers. Since the resumption of live touring in July 2021, WWE has ceased producing cinematic matches.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) also incorporated cinematic matches during pandemic restrictions in 2020 to 2021, most notably the Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing 2020, which was a 5v5 empty arena match in the TIAA Bank Field stadium. During that period, AEW featured at least one cinematic match at each of their PPVs: a "Tooth and Nail match" at All Out 2020 between Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.
Brittany Baker (born April 23, 1991) is an American professional wrestler and dentist. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Britt Baker where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. Born in Punxsut ...
and Big Swole at Baker's real-life dental office, a match entitled "The Elite Deletion" at Full Gear 2020, featuring Matt Hardy against Sammy Guevara and similar to the other "Deletion" matches involving Hardy, and a tag team street fight pitting Darby Allin and Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
against Team Taz ( Brian Cage and Ricky Starks) at Revolution 2021, which was held at an abandoned warehouse somewhere in Atlanta, Georgia. At Double or Nothing 2021 the Stadium Stampede match was a hybrid cinematic match with the first half recorded at TIAA Bank Field. then concluding live at Daily's Place. The audience in attendance watched the first half of the match on video screens before the action spilled into the amphitheater. This would be AEW's final cinematic match produced before the company resumed live touring in July that year.
Impact Wrestling would also return to producing cinematic matches in 2021 when Ethan Page wrestled his alter ego "The Karate Man" at Hard to Kill
''Hard to Kill'' is a 1990 American action thriller film directed by Bruce Malmuth, starring Steven Seagal, Kelly LeBrock, William Sadler and Frederick Coffin. Seagal's second film after '' Above the Law'', it features him as Mason Storm, a d ...
in a ''Mortal Kombat
''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a v ...
''–style cinematic match that saw The Karate Man "kill" Page in what would be Page's last appearance with Impact before leaving for AEW.
Container-based variations
Some matches have a container stationed in or near the ring, with the object of the match being to trap the opposing wrestler in it. All of these matches are fought under hardcore rules, and many of these matches take the name of the container, such as Ambulance match and the Casket match. A similar type of match aims to restrain opposing wrestlers somehow, and the match often takes the name of the restraining device – for example, the Stretcher. None of these matches can end in a pinfall, submission, countout, or disqualification.
Common containers used for these matches are caskets
A casket jewelry box is a container that is usually smaller than a chest, and in the past were typically decorated. Whereas cremation jewelry is a small container, usually in the shape of a pendant or bracelet, to hold a small amount of ashes.
...
(connected to The Undertaker's Deadman persona, either using a typical coffin or a double-deep, double-wide casket, sometimes specially designed for specific opponents The Undertaker takes on), ambulances, dumpsters, hearses (known as a "Last Ride match", also connected to The Undertaker gimmick), and stretchers.
Ambulance match
An Ambulance match is fought under hardcore rules, no pinfalls, no submissions, no disqualifications, no countouts and the only way to win is for one wrestler to force their opponent into the back of an ambulance and close the door. The first ambulance match took place at Survivor Series 2003
The 2003 Survivor Series was the 17th annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown! brand divisions. The e ...
where Kane defeated Shane McMahon. The second one took place at Elimination Chamber (2012) which also involved Kane as one of the competitors. His opponent was John Cena, who won the match, where an additional rule was added in that the ambulance has to leave to win. The third Ambulance match was part of Three Stages of Hell match at WWE Payback on June 16, 2013, in Rosemont, Illinois between John Cena and Ryback for the WWE Championship. The most recent was at NXT Halloween Havoc in October 2022, between Julius Creed
The Creed Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Brutus Creed (Drew Kasper; born May 13, 1996) and Julius Creed (Jacob Kasper; born October 3, 1994). They are currently working for the professional wrestl ...
and Damon Kemp.
Buried Alive match
A Buried Alive match is in which the object is for one wrestler to throw his opponent into a grave dug out of a large mound of soil placed outside the ring. Once in the grave, the wrestler must bury his opponent in dirt and soil to the referee's discretion. Equipment ranging from shovels and wheelbarrows to bulldozer
A bulldozer or dozer (also called a crawler) is a large, motorized machine equipped with a metal blade to the front for pushing material: soil, sand, snow, rubble, or rock during construction work. It travels most commonly on continuous track ...
s are often made available to completely bury the opponent. The Buried Alive match is one of three of The Undertaker's signature matches (the Casket and Last Ride matches being the others).
A cinematic Buried Alive match was held between The Undertaker and AJ Styles for WrestleMania 36, referred to as a "Boneyard match" . The match took place outdoors in a cemetery-like setting near an abandoned warehouse, rather than in a traditional ring.
Casket match
The casket match (originally known as the coffin match) has a casket near the ring, with the objective of the match being to trap the opposing wrestler inside. The casket match began its life as a one-off coffin match in the 1970s fought between Dusty Rhodes and Ivan Koloff. The coffin match was revived as one of The Undertaker's signature matches and first appeared on television at the Survivor Series as the coffin match against Kamala
Kamala refers to:
People
* Kamala (name), given name and surname, includes list of people and characters with the name
** Kamala Harris, the 49th and current Vice President of the United States
* Kamala (wrestler) (1950–2020), American profe ...
. Prior to that, at a house show
A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...
on July 14, 1991, the Ultimate Warrior defeated the Undertaker in a casket match in St. Louis, Missouri at Busch Stadium. There have been 17 casket matches, 11 of which have been won by The Undertaker. The 20th edition was held at Halloween Havoc and the first following the retirement of The Undertaker involving Grayson Waller
Matthew Farrelly (born 21 March 1990) is an Australian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Grayson Waller. Before signing to WWE, he previously wrestled on the independen ...
vs. Apollo Crews in which Crews won.
In addition to WWE, the casket match has recently been adopted for use in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Lucha Underground
Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists Media Group. Partly owned by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured c ...
, with Lucha Underground denominating it as the Grave Consequences (subsequently Graver Consequences) match. Another toned-down version of the Casket Match is when a victory is not obtained by placing the opponent in the coffin but by pinfall or submission. However, the defeated wrestler is then placed into the coffin.
Last Rites match
The Last Rites match is a TNA variation where a casket is lowered into the center of the ring, and the objective is to get your opponent into the casket, which is raised to the ceiling following the match. Only one Last Rites match was done, between Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
and Abyss. Vince Russo came up with this match, the match was perceived to be a disaster because neither wrestler could work properly due the placement of the casket in the center of the ring, which limited and obstructed their work space. The match went over so badly that during the match, the enraged crowd screamed "Fire Russo!" so loudly that the commentators had to yell into their microphones to be heard.
Dumpster match
A dumpster match is a no-disqualification, no-submission, no-countout, no-fall hardcore match which is the only objective to win by forcing your opponent into a dumpster and closing the lid. The first match occurred was at WrestleMania XIV, pitting The New Age Outlaws
The New Age Outlaws were an American professional wrestling tag team in World Wrestling Federation (WWF) made up of "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn. The duo became popular in the late 1990s as members of the second incarnation ...
against Cactus Jack Cactus Jack may refer to:
People with the nickname
* Mick Foley (born 1965), American actor, writer, professional wrestler, and color commentator
* John Nance Garner (1868–1967), American politician
* Jack Wells (sportscaster) (1911–1999), Ca ...
and Chainsaw Charlie.
Last Ride match
A Last Ride match is a hardcore match similar to an Ambulance match, in which the victory condition is for one wrestler to force their opponent into the back of a hearse, close the door, and drive it out of the arena. This is one of The Undertaker’s 3 specialty matches. The first match of this type occurred at No Mercy when Undertaker challenged John "Bradshaw" Layfield for the WWE Championship, although a match was held previously with similar stipulations. The second match of this type occurred at Armageddon when The Undertaker challenged Mr Kennedy and defeated him.
Stretcher match
In the stretcher match, one wrestler must incapacitate their opponent to such an extent that they are able to get them onto a stretcher and roll them to the finish line for the victory; usually past a line at the top of the entrance ramp. The first match of this type was different as a wrestler lost if after being pushed out of the ring, four medics were able to load him on a "carry" stretcher, pick him up all the way, and start walking out with him.
Enclosure-based variations
Some matches take place in specific enclosed environments. Although the majority of these enclosures are set up either in or around the ring, some of them are placed apart from it. In all cases, the structure itself is considered "in play" and most enclosure-based matches are decided by pinfall or submission unless specific other stipulations are made beforehand.
Steel Cage match
Steel cages are one of the oldest form of enclosures used in professional wrestling. The earliest known "steel cage matches" of any kind took place on January 9, 1936, in Caruthersville
Caruthersville is a city in and the county seat of Pemiscot County, Missouri, United States, located along the Mississippi River in the Bootheel region of the state's far southeast. The population was 5,562, according to the 2020 census.
Histo ...
, Missouri, in a card that included two such "chicken wire fence" matches between Jez and Otto Ludwig, and Joe Dillman vs. Charles Sinkey. These matches took place in a ring surrounded by chicken wire, to keep the athletes inside, and prevent any potential interference. They have evolved a great deal over time, changing from chicken wire to steel bars to chain-link fencing (the latter is now the standard, due to it being cheaper to manufacture, lighter to transport, and more flexible and thus safer for the wrestlers).
A steel cage match is a match fought within a cage formed by placing sheets of mesh metal around, in, or against the edges of the wrestling ring. The most common way of winning is by simply escaping the cage, either over the top of the cage wall and having both feet touch the arena floor, or by escaping through the cage door with both feet touching the arena floor. The other occasional ways to win a steel cage match are by pinfall or by submission.
It is also possible to have one wrestler attempting to escape over the top of the cage wall while another tries to escape through the cage door. In Mexico, steel cage matches are won by just climbing to the top of the cage wall. In Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
's past, the matches were often called six sides of steel as the cage surrounded their six-sided ring. WWE also used the classic blue cage during the heights of the Attitude Era.
Asylum match
The Asylum match is the name given to two different types of matches, both involving a chain link cage in the shape of a circle placed in the middle of the ring.
The first Asylum match type was a match created by Scott Steiner in WCW, held within a small chain link cage in the shape of a circle placed in the middle of the ring. Victory occurred only by submission.
On May 16, 2016, a second type of Asylum match was introduced and scheduled between Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho at Extreme Rules, a variation to the steel cage match where weapons are suspended above the cage and escaping the cage is not a means of victory, leaving only pinfall or submission.
On August 10, 2019, a third type of Asylum match, which also included a barbed wire steel cage stipulation (a type of match where the steel cage door is locked with chains and a padlock) was introduced after Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano tied one to one after a normal match and a no holds barred match at NXT TakeOver: Toronto (2019) where weapons are connected to the steel cage and barbed wire on the top.
Barbed Wire Steel Cage match
A barbed wire steel cage match is a match that uses strands of barbed wire
A close-up view of a barbed wire
Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is t ...
in a steel cage match in some capacity, usually around the top of the cage. Simply using barbed wire in an otherwise regular steel cage match does ''not'' make the match a barbed wire steel cage match; the barbed wire must be part of the cage's design. This type of match is one where escape from the cage is almost impossible, because in addition to the barbed wire preventing escape over the top of the cage, the cage's door is also locked with chains and a padlock, like a Hell in a Cell match. One particular example was John "Bradshaw" Layfield vs. Big Show at No Way Out 2005 where in addition to the barbed wire there was also razor wire wrapped around the top of the cage in a circular fashion; and another example was Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano at NXT TakeOver: Toronto 2019 where in addition to the barbed wire and the chain-locked door, various weapons were made available at the top of the cage; this cage however did not have razor wire.
Razor Wire Steel Cage match
Other variations are the razor wire steel cage match, a similar concept to that of the barbed wire cage match, however the barbed wire is replaced by larger and thicker razor wire and is wrapped around the top, corners, and walls of the cage, and barbed wire razor wire steel cage match is the same as the barbed wire cage match, however the top, corners, and walls of the cage are covered with barbed wire, then also further covered with razor wire. There are also boards in the ring that are covered in razor wire.
Cage of Death match
The Cage of Death match is type of steel cage match with various weapons littered in the cage, such as electrified cage walls, cacti, tables, light tubes, glass, thumbtacks, baseball bats, barbed wire and numerous other weapons and objects have been used in it. This match always features as the main event of CZW's biggest show, Cage of Death. Some of these matches have been done under WarGames style rules with two rings being used.
Chamber match
In TNA TNA may refer to:
Organisations
* Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka
* The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya
* The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body
* Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...
, The Chamber match starts off between two wrestlers (or up to six) fighting inside a chamber. Wrestlers who were not involved in the match surrounded the chamber. About five minutes into the match, the outside wrestlers throw weapons into the chamber. This match only ends when one wrestler knocks out his opponent.
Chamber of Extreme match
The Chamber of Extreme match, came from Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW), in which the 8-feet-high steel cage which surrounds the ringside area with the top wrapped in barbed wire and "extreme" weapons scattered around the ring and ringside area. Disqualifications, count-outs and rope-breaks do not apply. The winner is decided by pinfall, submission or being unable to stand up at 10-count.
Chamber of Horrors match
A Chamber of Horrors match was an enclosed steel cage match between two teams of four men. In the middle of the cage there was a smaller cage with an electric chair connected