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 falls at the end of that time named the victor.[1] On the 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 falls in that time as possible. The wrestler who has the most decisions at the end of the match is then the winner.
Some Iron Man matches have an interval between falls. In 2009 a match between John Cena and Randy Orton had a 30-second rest period after each fall, in part due to that Iron Man match being "anything goes" (only pinfalls and submissions counted as falls which can also be done outside the ring, but not count outs or disqualifications). The 2003 match between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar had a 15-second rest period after each fall, regardless of how it occurred.
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. After Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle tied 2–2 in a 30-minute iron-man match, 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.
Sudden deaths are especially common in the event of a title match. This is because, in the event of a draw, the champion will always retain the title, meaning that sudden death is the only way to truly determine a winner. Commissioner Gorilla Monsoon ordered sudden death (after onscreen President Rowdy Roddy Piper had stated that there "must be a winner") after Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart failed to score a decision at Wrestlemania XII, and Christopher Daniels requested sudden death against AJ Styles at TNA Against All Odds 2005.
Iron Man matches are almost always two-sided (that is, no more than two sides, such as 1v1 or tag team, as opposed to triple-threat or fatal-four-way). However, it is possible for there to be a Triple Threat Iron Man, with the wrestler scoring the plurality of decisions being the winner.
The "Ultimate Submission" match is a variation of the Iron Man match where only submissions are counted for scoring.
Iron Man match history
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Several Iron Man matches have taken place at house shows. The Rockers faced off against The Rougeau Brothers throughout much of 1989. Bret Hart wrestled two from 1993-1994 against Ric Flair and his brother Owen. John Cena faced off against Seth Rollins for Cena's WWE United States Championship at house shows in October 2015. Kevin Owens and A.J. Styles faced off in a 30-minute Iron Man match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at a house show in March 2016.[3]
| # | Match (Length) | Title | Score | Event, Date and Location | Arena |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bret Hart (c) defeated Ric Flair (1:00:00) | WWF World Heavyweight Championship | 3–2 | WWE Live event January 9, 1993, Boston, Massachusetts |
Boston Garden |
| 2 | Bret Hart (c) defeated Owen Hart (1:00:00) | WWF World Heavyweight Championship | 3–2 | WWE Live event July 8, 1994, East Rutherford, New Jersey |
Brendan Byrne Arena |
| 3 | Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart (c) (1:01:56) Overtime | WWF World Heavyweight Championship | 1–0 | WrestleMania XII March 31, 1996, Anaheim, CA |
Arrowhead Pond |
| 4 | Triple H defeated The Rock (c) (1:00:00) | WWF Championship | 6–5 | Judgment Day May 21, 2000, Louisville, KY |
Freedom Hall |
| 5 | Chris Benoit defeated Kurt Angle (31:51) Overtime "Ultimate Submission match" |
None | 4–3 | Backlash April 29, 2001, Rosemont, IL |
Allstate Arena |
| 6 | Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle (c) (1:00:00) | WWE Championship | 5–4 | SmackDown September 18, 2003, Raleigh, NC |
RBC Center |
| 7 | Chris Benoit (c) defeated Triple H (1:00:00) | World Heavyweight Championship | 4–3 | Raw July 26, 2004, Pittsburgh, PA |
Mellon Arena |
| 8 | MNM (Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury) (c) defeated Charlie Haas and Hardcore Holly (15:00) | WWE Tag Team Championship | 2-1 | SmackDown June 2, 2005, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
Rexall Place |
| 9 | Kurt Angle drew with Shawn Michaels (30:00) | None | 2–2 | Raw October 3, 2005, Dallas, TX |
American Airlines Center |
| 10 | John Morrison and The Miz (c) drew with Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore (15:00) "Fifteen Minutes of Fame Match" |
WWE Tag Team Championship | 1–1 | ECW January 8, 2008, Philadelphia, PA |
Wachovia Center |
| 11 | John Cena defeated Randy Orton (c) (1:00:00) "Anything Goes Ironman match" |
WWE Championship | 6–5 | Bragging Rights October 25, 2009, Pittsburgh, PA |
Mellon Arena |
| 12 | Bayley (c) defeated Sasha Banks (30:00)[4] | NXT Women's Championship | 3–2 | NXT TakeOver: Respect October 7, 2015, Winter Park, FL |
Full Sail University |
| 13 | Kevin Owens (c) defeated AJ Styles (30:00) | WWE Intercontinental Championship | 2–1 | WWE Live Event March 12, 2016, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
Boardwalk Hall |
| 14 | Charlotte Flair defeated Sasha Banks (c) (34:45) Overtime | WWE Raw Women's Championship | 3–2 | Roadblock: End of the Line December 18, 2016, Pittsburgh, PA |
PPG Paints Arena |
| 15 | Cesaro and Sheamus (c) defeated The Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) (30:00) | WWE Raw Tag Team Championship | 4–3 | Great Balls of Fire July 9, 2017, Dallas, TX |
American Airlines Center |
| 16 | Dolph Ziggler (c) defeated Seth Rollins (30:10) Overtime | WWE Intercontinental Championship | 5–4 | Extreme Rules July, 15, 2018, Pittsburgh, PA |
PPG Paints Arena |
Males
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Benoit | 2 | 2 |
| Bret Hart | 2 | 3 |
| Brock Lesnar | 1 | 1 |
| Joey Mercury | 1 | 1 |
| John Cena | 1 | 1 |
| Kevin Owens | 1 | 1 |
| Cesaro | 1 | 1 |
| Sheamus | 1 | 1 |
| Dolph Ziggler | 1 | 1 |
| Triple H | 1 | 2 |
| Shawn Michaels | 1 | 2 |
| Johnny Nitro/John Morrison | 1 | 2 |
| Ric Flair | 0 | 1 |
| Owen Hart | 0 | 1 |
| The Rock | 0 | 1 |
| Charlie Haas | 0 | 1 |
| Hardcore Holly | 0 | 1 |
| The Miz | 0 | 1 |
| Jimmy Wang Yang | 0 | 1 |
| Shannon Moore | 0 | 1 |
| Randy Orton | 0 | 1 |
| AJ Styles | 0 | 1 |
| Jeff Hardy | 0 | 1 |
| Matt Hardy | 0 | 1 |
| Seth Rollins | 0 | 1 |
| Kurt Angle | 0 | 3 |
Females
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Bayley | 1 | 1 |
| Charlotte Flair | 1 | 1 |
| Sasha Banks | 0 | 2 |
World Championship Wrestling (WCW)
| # | Match (Length) | Title | Score | Event, Date and Location | Arena |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ricky Steamboat defeated Rick Rude (30:00) | None | 4–3 | Beach Blast 1992 June 20, 1992, Mobile, AL |
Mobile Civic Center |
| 2 | Dustin Rhodes and Rick Rude fought to a draw (30:00) | Vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship | 1–1 | Beach Blast 1993 July 18, 1993, Biloxi, MS |
Mississippi Coast Coliseum |
Participant list
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Ricky Steamboat | 1 | 1 |
| Dustin Rhodes | 0 | 1 |
| Rick Rude | 0 | 2 |
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)
| # | Match (Length) | Title | Score | Event, Date and Location | Arena |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A.J. Styles (c) defeated Christopher Daniels (31:37) Overtime | TNA X Division Championship | 2–1 | Against All Odds February 13, 2005, Orlando, Florida |
TNA Impact! Zone |
| 2 | A.J. Styles (c) defeated Christopher Daniels (30:00) | TNA X Division Championship | 1–0 | Bound for Glory October 23, 2005, Orlando, Florida |
TNA Impact! Zone |
| 3 | Kurt Angle defeated Samoa Joe (30:00) | To determine the #1 contender for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
3–2 | Final Resolution January 14, 2007, Orlando, Florida |
TNA Impact! Zone |
| 4 | Douglas Williams (c) drew with A.J. Styles (15:00 + 5:00 Sudden Overtime) | TNA Television Championship | 1–1 | TNA Impact! December 23, 2010, Orlando, Florida |
TNA Impact! Zone |
| 5 | Bobby Roode (c) drew with A.J. Styles (30:00) | TNA World Heavyweight Championship | 3–3 | Final Resolution December 11, 2011, Orlando, Florida |
Impact Wrestling Zone |
| 6 | Bobby Roode (c) defeated A.J. Styles (5:00 + Sudden Death Overtime) | TNA World Heavyweight Championship | 1–0 | TNA Impact Wrestling December 15, 2011, Orlando, Florida |
Impact Wrestling Zone |
| 7 | The Wolves (Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards) defeated Dirty Heels (Austin Aries and Bobby Roode) (30:00) | Vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship | 2–1 | TNA Impact Wrestling July 1, 2015, Orlando, Florida |
Impact Wrestling Zone |
| 8 | Lashley defeated Eddie Edwards (c) (30:00) | TNA World Heavyweight Championship | 3–2 | TNA Impact Wrestling January 26, 2017, Orlando, Florida |
Impact Wrestling Zone |
Participant list
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| A.J. Styles | 2 | 5 |
| Kurt Angle | 1 | 1 |
| Davey Richards | 1 | 1 |
| Lashley | 1 | 1 |
| Eddie Edwards | 1 | 2 |
| Bobby Roode | 1 | 3 |
| Samoa Joe | 0 | 1 |
| Douglas Williams | 0 | 1 |
| Austin Aries | 0 | 1 |
| Christopher Daniels | 0 | 2 |
References
- ↑ "Inside WWE > Specialty Matches > Iron Man Match". WWE.com. Archived from the original on 2008-03-25. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
- ↑ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated presents: 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts". "Wrestling’s historical cards". Kappa Publishing. 2007. p. 95.
- ↑ "3/12 WWE in Atlantic City – Owens vs. Styles Iron Man match". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ↑ "WWE Network: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks - 30-Minute WWE Iron Man Match for NXT Women's Title: WWE NXT TakeOver: Respect". Retrieved 2 December 2016.