Monster's Ball match
A Monster's Ball match is a professional wrestling, hardcore match staged by Impact Wrestling. The key premise of the match was that all contenders are sequestered alone in a locked room without light, food or water for twenty-four hours before the match. This stipulation is intended to induce extreme feelings of aggression in the competitors. Once released, the wrestlers fight one another in a no disqualification match, with the usage of weapons encouraged. Victory can be achieved by pinfall or submission, with the match ending as soon as one wrestler is pinned or submits (there is no elimination format). The locked away stipulation was simply forgotten about, however, and not mentioned since the sixth one. It is now simply a Street Fight, as the match has to end inside the Ring.
Due to the hardcore nature of the match, the Monster's Ball typically features numerous high spots. There have been 48 matches taking place under TNA, as well as several unaffiliated independent promotions hosting the match. The match has almost always featured Abyss in some capacity, wrestling in 46 of 48 and managing in one, it is his signature match. There are various weapons frequently used in the match, including Thumb tacks, "Janice" (A board filled with nails, Abyss's signature weapon) and a bed of barbed wires.
Match history
| # | Event, Date and Location | Match | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victory Road November 7, 2004 Orlando, Florida | Monty Brown defeated Raven and Abyss | Brown pinned Raven after a Pounce through a table. |
| 2 | Bound for Glory October 23, 2005 Orlando, Florida | Rhino defeated Abyss, Sabu and Jeff Hardy | Rhino pinned Hardy after a Rhino Driver off the middle rope. |
| 3 | House show June 10, 2006 Wayne, New Jersey | Samoa Joe defeated Abyss and Rhino | (unofficial) Joe forced Rhino to submit with the Coquina Clutch. |
| 4 | House show September 29, 2006 Richmond, Virginia | Rhino defeated Abyss[1][2] | |
| 5 | Bound for Glory October 22, 2006 Plymouth Township, Michigan | Samoa Joe defeated Brother Runt, Raven and Abyss | Joe pinned Raven after a Muscle buster. |
| 6 | Bound for Glory October 14, 2007 Duluth, Georgia | Abyss defeated Raven, Black Reign and Rhino | Abyss pinned Raven after a Black Hole Slam onto a pile of broken glass and thumbtacks. |
| 7 | Bound for Glory IV October 12, 2008 Hoffman Estates, Illinois | Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode & James Storm) (w/ Jacqueline) (c) defeated Abyss and Matt Morgan, Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) and The Latin American Xchange (Homicide & Hernandez) to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship | Beer Money, Inc. won when James Storm pinned Hernandez after Team 3D put him through a table with thumb tacks on top. |
| 8 | Sacrifice May 24, 2009 Orlando, Florida | Taylor Wilde defeated Daffney (w/ Abyss and Dr. Stevie) | Wilde pinned Daffney after slamming her with a fireman's carry takeover on top of a garbage can.
First ever Knockouts Monster's Ball match. |
| 9 | Slammiversary June 21, 2009 Auburn Hills, Michigan | Abyss and Taylor Wilde defeated Raven and Daffney (w/ Dr. Stevie) | Abyss pinned Raven after Black Hole Slamming him onto a pile of thumbtacks.
First ever mixed tag team Monster's Ball match. |
| 10 | Bound for Glory October 18, 2009 Irvine, California | Abyss defeated Mick Foley | Abyss pinned Foley after chokeslamming him onto a barbed wire board.
Dr. Stevie was the special guest referee for the match. |
| 11 | House show November 9, 2009 Nashville, Tennessee | Abyss defeated Rhino | |
| 12 | TNA Impact! May 3, 2010 Orlando, Florida | A.J. Styles defeated Abyss | |
| 13 | Slammiversary VIII June 13, 2010 Orlando, Florida | Abyss defeated Desmond Wolfe | |
| 14 | House show July 2, 2010 Brooklyn, New York | Jeff Hardy defeated Abyss[3] | |
| 15 | House show July 23, 2010 Bloomington, Illinois | Jeff Hardy defeated Abyss[4] | |
| 16 | House show July 24, 2010 LaPorte, Indiana | Jeff Hardy defeated Abyss[5][6] | |
| 17 | House show August 13, 2010 Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Jeff Hardy defeated Abyss[7] | |
| 18 | House show August 14, 2010 Thibodaux, Louisiana | Jeff Hardy defeated Abyss[8] | Mick Foley was the special guest referee |
| 19 | House show September 16, 2010 York, Pennsylvania | Jeff Hardy defeated Abyss[9] | |
| 20 | House show September 17, 2010 Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | Jeff Hardy defeated Abyss[10] | |
| 21 | House show September 23, 2010 New York City, New York | Tommy Dreamer defeated Abyss[11] | Mick Foley was the special guest referee |
| 22 | House show September 25, 2010 Rahway, New Jersey | Abyss defeated Tommy Dreamer[12] | |
| 23 | Bound for Glory October 10, 2010 Daytona Beach, Florida | Rob Van Dam defeated Abyss[13] | |
| 24 | House show October 15, 2010 Racine, Wisconsin | Tommy Dreamer defeated Abyss[14] | |
| 25 | House show October 16, 2010 Dubuque, Iowa | Tommy Dreamer defeated Abyss[15] | |
| 26 | House show October 17, 2010 Hoffman Estates, Illinois | Tommy Dreamer defeated Abyss[16] | Mick Foley was the special guest referee. |
| 27 | House show October 21, 2010 Grand Rapids, Michigan | Abyss defeated Sabu[17] | |
| 28 | House show October 22, 2010 Cadillac, Michigan | Abyss defeated Sabu[18] | |
| 29 | House show October 23, 2010 Saginaw, Michigan | Abyss defeated Sabu[19] | |
| 30 | House show October 24, 2010 Port Huron, Michigan | Abyss defeated Sabu[20] | |
| 31 | House show April 9, 2011 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Abyss defeated Tommy Dreamer[21] | |
| 32 | Genesis January 8, 2012 Orlando, Florida | Abyss defeated Bully Ray | As per stipulation of the match, had Abyss lost, he would have had to rejoin Immortal. |
| 33 | One Night Only: Hardcore Justice 2 July 5, 2013 Orlando, Florida | Joseph Park defeated Judas Mesias (w/ James Mitchell) | |
| 34 | Impact Wrestling December 26, 2013 Orlando, Florida | Joseph Park defeated Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels & Kazarian) | |
| 35 | One Night Only: #OldSchool February 7, 2014 Poughkeepsie, New York | Jeff Hardy defeated Abyss | |
| 36 | Impact Wrestling February 6, 2014 Glasgow, Scotland | Abyss defeated Eric Young | |
| 37 | Impact Wrestling April 17, 2014 Orlando, Florida | Eric Young (c) defeated Abyss | The TNA World Heavyweight Championship was on the line (the match marked first time that the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was defended in a Monster's Ball match). |
| 38 | Impact Wrestling June 26, 2014 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | Magnus and Bram defeated Abyss and Willow | |
| 39 | Impact Wrestling August 7, 2014 New York, New York | Bram defeated Abyss | |
| 40 | One Night Only: Turning Point January 9, 2015 Charlottesville, Virginia | Bram defeated Abyss | |
| 41 | One Night Only: Rivals February 6, 2015 Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina | Eric Young defeated Abyss | |
| 42 | Impact Wrestling January 30, 2015 New York, New York | Jeff Hardy defeated Abyss | |
| 43 | One Night Only: Hardcore Justice 2015 February 13, 2015 Orlando, Florida | Matt Hardy defeated Abyss | |
| 44 | One Night Only: Live! January 8, 2016 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | Abyss defeated Grado | |
| 45 | Impact Wrestling February 16, 2016 Manchester, England | The Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) (c) defeated Decay (Crazzy Steve & Abyss) (w/ Rosemary) | Match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. |
| 46 | Impact Wrestling July 28, 2016 Orlando, Florida | Decay (Abyss & Crazzy Steve) (c) (w/ Rosemary) defeated The BroMans (Robbie E & Jessie Godderz) (w/ Raquel) | Match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. |
| 47 | Impact Wrestling: Genesis January 26, 2017 Orlando, Florida | Rosemary (c) defeated Jade | Match for the TNA Knockouts Championship. |
| 48 | Impact Wrestling: Bound for Glory 2017 November 5, 2017 Ottawa, Canada | Abyss (w/ James Mitchell) defeated Grado | As part of the story line, since Grado lost, his work visa is terminated and must leave the U.S. |
Participant List
32 wrestlers took part in a Monster's Ball matches, and two knockouts competed in a monster ball match. Abyss holds the record for most participation in a monster ball match having competed in 47 matches, and holds the record for most victories 19.
| Superstar | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Abyss / Joseph Park* | 19 | 47 |
| Jeff Hardy / Willow* | 9 | 11 |
| Tommy Dreamer | 4 | 6 |
| Bram | 3 | 3 |
| Samoa Joe | 2 | 2 |
| Taylor Wilde | 2 | 2 |
| Eric Young | 2 | 3 |
| Rhino | 2 | 5 |
| Monty Brown | 1 | 1 |
| Robert Roode | 1 | 1 |
| James Storm | 1 | 1 |
| A.J. Styles | 1 | 1 |
| Rob Van Dam | 1 | 1 |
| Magnus | 1 | 1 |
| Matt Hardy | 1 | 1 |
| Davey Richards | 1 | 1 |
| Eddie Edwards | 1 | 1 |
| Rosemary | 1 | 1 |
| Crazzy Steve | 1 | 2 |
| Brother Runt | 0 | 1 |
| Black Reign | 0 | 1 |
| Mick Foley | 0 | 1 |
| Hernandez | 0 | 1 |
| Homicide | 0 | 1 |
| Matt Morgan | 0 | 1 |
| Brother Devon | 0 | 1 |
| Desmond Wolfe | 0 | 1 |
| Judas Mesias | 0 | 1 |
| Jade | 0 | 1 |
| Kazarian | 0 | 1 |
| Christopher Daniels | 0 | 1 |
| Robbie E | 0 | 1 |
| Jessie Godderz | 0 | 1 |
| Daffney | 0 | 2 |
| Brother Ray / Bully Ray* | 0 | 2 |
| Grado | 0 | 2 |
| Raven | 0 | 4 |
| Sabu | 0 | 4 |
- Abyss competed as Joseph Park in two Monster's Ball matches, while the rest as Abyss
- Jeff Hardy competed as Willow in one monster ball match, while the rest as Jeff Hardy
- Bully Ray competed as Brother Ray in one match, the other as Bully Ray
Non-TNA Monster's Ball
The twelfth Monster's Ball match (although not a "real" Monster's Ball match as it was unassociated with TNA) was announced by John Cena Sr. (father of John Cena), president of the Massachusetts-based Millennium Wrestling Federation on its MWF Xtra online show to take place at their Night of Champions show (eight days prior to WWE's PPV of the same title) on June 21, 2008 at Good Time Emporium in Somerville, Massachusetts. Todd Hanson, who replaced Makua in the match, defeated Abyss, Rick Fuller and Brian Milonas to win the match and retain his MWF Heavyweight Championship.[22][23] Through TNA's working relationship with Mexican promotion AAA, Verano de Escándalo on July 31, 2011, hosted a Monster's Ball match, where Chessman defeated Abyss, Extreme Tiger and Joe Líder. On June 7, 2014 at House of Hardcore V, Abyss defeated Tommy Dreamer in a Monster's Ball match. On November 14, 2015, Abyss would face off against Sabu in a Monster's Ball match at House of Hardcore 11 in a losing effort. Abyss has brought the Monster's Ball match to several other independent promotions throughout the world.
In June 2018 Abyss is scheduled ti face Jimmy Havock in Melbourne, Australia in a Monsters Ball match at World Series Wrestling.
References
- ↑ "TNA Live Events (2006)". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
- ↑ "Profile Abyss". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
- ↑ Gerweck, Steve (2010-07-02). "7/2 TNA Results: Brooklyn, NY". Wrestleview. Retrieved 2010-07-03.
- ↑ Gerweck, Steve (2010-07-24). "7/23 TNA Results: Bloomington, Illinois". Wrestleview. Retrieved 2010-07-24.
- ↑ Gerweck, Steve (2010-07-25). "7/24 TNA Results: LaPorte, Indiana". Wrestleview. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
- ↑ "7/24 TNA results in LaPorte, Ind.: Interesting night with rain at outdoor venue, Abyss vs. Hardy, Nash works around injury". Pro Wrestling Torch. 2010-07-25. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
- ↑ Donlon, Jamie (2010-08-13). "8/13 TNA results in Baton Rouge, La.: Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss, Morgan vs. Pope, Nash vs. Jarrett". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
- ↑ G., Kyle (2010-08-14). "8/14 TNA results in Louisiana: Monster's Ball, Jarrett vs. Nash comedy match, Lethal vs. Styles". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
- ↑ Kurtz, Greg (2010-09-17). "9/16 TNA results in York, Pa.: Samoa Joe vs. Kaz, Hardy vs. Abyss Monster's Ball, matches in the rain". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2010-09-17.
- ↑ Hale, Jack (2010-09-18). "9/17 TNA results in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.: Hardy vs. Abyss, Machineguns vs. Ink, Inc., Joe, Jarrett, Styles". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
- ↑ Gerweck, Steve (2010-09-24). "9/23 TNA Results: New York City". WrestleView. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ↑ Martin, Adam (2010-09-26). "9/25 TNA Results: Rahway, New Jersey". WrestleView. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
- ↑ Caldwell, James (2010-10-10). "Caldwell's TNA Bound for Glory PPV results 10-10-10: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV - Angle vs. Anderson vs. Hardy, "they" reveal". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- ↑ Croyle, Joel C. (2010-10-16). "10/15 TNA Results from Racine, WI". PWInsider. Retrieved 2010-10-16.
- ↑ Martin, Adam (2010-10-17). "10/16 TNA Results: Dubuque, Iowa (Photos inside)". WrestleView. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ↑ Gerweck, Steve (2010-10-19). "10/17 TNA Results: Hoffman Estates, IL". Wrestleview. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ↑ Martin, Adam (2010-10-22). "10/21 TNA Results: Grand Rapids, Michigan". Wrestleview. Retrieved 2010-10-22.
- ↑ Ryan (2010-10-24). "10/22 TNA results in Cadillac, Mich.: Styles vs. RVD main event, Machineguns vs. GenMe, Monster's Ball, three TNA titles defended". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ↑ Gerweck, Steve (2010-10-24). "10/23 TNA Results: Saginaw, MI". Wrestleview. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ↑ Gerweck, Steve (2010-10-25). "10/24 TNA Results: Port Huron, Michigan". Wrestleview. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
- ↑ Wellek, William (2011-04-09). "4/9 TNA in Pittsburgh, Pa. Quick results on Angle vs. Jarrett in Angle's hometown, Monster's Ball match, Kazarian & Traci". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- ↑ "Independent Wrestling Results - June 2008 - June 21, 2008- Millenium Wrestling Federation - Night of Champions". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
- ↑ "Abyss profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2010-10-24.