Iron man match
An Iron Man match is a professional wrestling match type that is set to go a specific amount of time, usually 30 or 60 minutes, with the competitor with the most decisions at the end of that time named the victor.[1] On the rare occasions of a draw, a sudden death "final fall" may be requested by either side, with the other able to accept or decline, [2] or a legal authority can order the match to go into overtime in the case of any championship match if there is a draw.
Rules
Iron Man matches generally operate under the same rules as any other professional wrestling bout, but instead of the match having to be over before a time limit is up, the Iron Man match goes the full length of the allotted time, with each wrestler attempting to score as many decisions in that time as possible. The wrestler who has the most decisions at the end of the match is then the winner. A Decision is a Pin Fall, Submission, Count Out or a Disqualification.
Should the match result in a tie, sudden death overtime may be requested by either wrestler as a plot device, and it is accepted or rejected by either an opponent or an authority figure. One note of rejection of the sudden death overtime was when Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels tied 2-2 in a 30-minute iron-man match. Shawn Michaels begged Angle to go sudden death, but Angle walked off, to the heavy boos of the audience who wanted to see how it would end.
Reception
Because of the fixed time limit, Iron Man matches have a tendency to lose their audience in the middle of a match, with a quick flurry of action near the end. Often, an Iron Man match will have the wrestlers tied or holding a one-point advantage going into the final minutes, with one wrestler attempting to make a tying or winning pin.
Match Examples
WrestleMania XII, Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship: 60 minutes. Neither man scored a fall in the first 60 minutes. Gorilla Monsoon ordered the match into overtime and Michaels scored a fall 2 minutes in to win the WWE title.
Judgement Day 2000, The Rock vs. Triple H for the WWE Championship: 60 minutes. Shawn Michaels is the Special Guest Referee. With the scores tied at 5-5 with only a minute or so remaining, The Undertaker makes his in ring return after an eight month absence. He goes onto attack Triple H, X-Pac and Road Dogg but is spotted by Michaels who disqualifies The Rock, making the score 6-5 in Triple H's favour. Thus making Triple H the new WWE Champion.
WWE SmackDown!, September 18, 2003, Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship; 60 minutes. First of two 60 minute Iron Man Matches on free to air TV (in the other Chris Benoit defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Triple H). Lesnar gets a huge lead 5-2 with 15 minutes remaining but Angle fights back with 2 more falls. Angle slapped on the Ankle Lock with 20 seconds remaining, but Lesnar didn't tap. Brock Lesnar wins the WWE title.
TNA Final Resolution 2007, Samoa Joe vs Kurt Angle; 30 minutes. Kurt Angle was up 3-2 near the end. Samoa Joe locked in Kurt's Ankle lock, but could not get Kurt Angle to tap out before the time ran out. As a result, Kurt Angle won the match and became the number one contender for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Ironman Match history
| No | Match (Length) | Score | Event, Date and Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Ricky Steamboat defeated Rick Rude (30:00) | 4-3 | Beach Blast 1992 June 20 1992 Mobile, AL | ||
| II | Dustin Rhodes and Rick Rude fought to a draw for the vacant WCW United States Championship (30:00) | 1-1 | Beach Blast 1993 July 18 1993 Biloxi, MS | ||
| No | Match (Length) | Score | Event, Date and Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart to win the WWF Championship (1:01:52) | 1-0 | WrestleMania XII March 31 1996 Anaheim, CA | ||
| II | Triple H defeated The Rock to win the WWF Championship (1:00:08) | 6-5 | Judgment Day 2000 May 21 2000 Louisville, KY | ||
| III | Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle to win the WWE Championship (1:00:00) | 5-4 | SmackDown September 18 2003 Raleigh, NC | ||
| IV | Chris Benoit defeated Triple H to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (1:00:00) | 4-3 | Raw July 26 2004 Pittsburgh, PA | ||
| V | Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle fought to a draw (30:00) | 2-2 | RAW Homecoming October 3 2005 Dallas, TX | ||
| No | Match (Length) | Score | Event, Date and Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A.J. Styles defeated Christopher Daniels to retain the TNA X Division Championship (31:37) | 2-1 | Against All Odds 2005 February 13 2005 Orlando, FL | ||
| II | A.J. Styles defeated Christopher Daniels to retain the TNA X Division Championship (30:00) | 1-0 | Bound For Glory 2005 October 23 2005 Orlando, FL | ||
| III | Kurt Angle defeated Samoa Joe to be #1 Contender for NWA World Heavyweight Championship (30:00) | 3-2 | Final Resolution 2007 January 14 2007 Orlando, FL | ||
References
- ^ "Inside WWE > Specialty Matches > Iron Man Match". WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
- ^ PWI Staff (2007). "Pro Wrestling Illustrated presents: 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts". "Wrestling’s historical cards". Kappa Publishing. p. 95.