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The 411 Wrestling Top 5: The Top 5 Matches That Need a Comeback

April 10, 2015 | Posted by Larry Csonka

The 411 Wrestling Top 5: Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling’s Top 5 List. We take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to participate and give us their Top 5 on said topic. So, onto this week’s topic…

Week 303 – The Top 5 Matches That Need a Comeback

What famous match stipulations from the past need a reinvention or need to make a comeback to the world of current day wrestling?.

Jeremy Lambert
5. World War 3 – Yes, I liked this. I love multiple ring matches and WCW WW3 95 was the first PPV I ever attended live, so this match holds a special place in my heart. The matches are never good, but three rings make for a cool visual and WWE loves the concept of getting everyone on every show. This is a pretty easy way to do just that.

4. Strap Match – I just watched Sting vs. Vader so this is higher on my list than it probably would’ve been if this Top 5 happened a week ago. Sheamus and Mark Henry had a strap match not too long ago, but it sucked. A good strap match isn’t hard to do and the story leading up to it is pretty simple.

3. Iron Man Match – Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania 12 is one of my favorite matches of all-time. A lot of people don’t like the Iron Man concept because it involves multiple pinfalls, but when done right, it can be a thing of beauty. The last Iron Man Match in WWE was back in 2009. It certainly seems like they’re overdue for another one.

2. War Games – This is the obvious one. I loved War Games growing up, mainly because I was a sucker for anything involving more than one ring. TNA has done this with Lethal Lockdown, but it’s just not the same. It’s a great way to group a couple of feuds together, blow-off stable feuds, and extend one-on-one feuds.

1. Best of Seven Series – Remember when Chris Benoit and Booker T had that awesome best of seven series in WCW? How come that hasn’t been done since? TNA did a fun series of matches between Team 3-D, the Hardyz, and The Wolves but I can’t recall a good best of seven series since Benoit vs. Booker. Maybe it’s been done on the independent scene, but I don’t watch much Indy wrestling so I can’t comment on that. WWE should definitely bring it back and use it as a way to elevate the IC title into something meaningful again.

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Ryan Byers
5. Piranha Deathmatch – Some people just aren’t right in the head. One of those people is Mitsuhiro Matsunaga, affectionately known as “Mr. Danger.” He proved his questionable mental status on August 19, 1996, when he went head-to-head with Kendo Nagasaki in the world’s first and perhaps only Piranha Deathmatch, in which the winner would be the first man to dunk his opponent in a tank full of the flesh-eating fish. The reason that I list Matsunaga as the crazy one and not Nagasaki is that Matsunaga is the one who decided to actually take a bump into the water, after he had already spilled about a quart of his own blood into it. Granted, you probably couldn’t get away with something like this in a WWE or even a TNA in 2015, but can you imagine the buzz that an independent promotion would get for itself by staging something like this? Granted, they’d probably also draw some pretty strong protests from PETA, but you can’t succeed without taking some risks, right?

4. 5 Referee Match – It is often said that, if a professional wrestling referee is doing his or her job properly, you won’t notice that he or she is there. Yet, at the same time, so much can be added to a match by good refereeing and so much can be taken away from a match by bad refereeing. In a way, that makes our fair officials the unsung heroes of the professional wrestling world. What better way to pay tribute to these working men and women who don the stripes than to book just one match in which they are the focal point? That’s exactly what happened in 2010 in the Sapporo Wrestling Festival’s five referee match. Five zebras simultaneously officiated the contest between GENTARO and former referee Yukihiro Abe, and all five had to agree on a result before a winner of the match was declared. WWE recently did something similar in a match in which both Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble simultaneously served as special guest referees for a match, but, in my opinion, you should go big or go home . . . so book a five referee match if you’re going to book a two referee match, WWE.

3. Bread Eating Deathmatch – Let’s face it, there are a lot of obese people who go to professional wrestling shows in the United States. What makes Americans obese? There are a lot of contributing factors, but one of the biggies is a diet heavy in carbohydrates. In other words, we are a nation of people who love bread. Yet, surprisingly, Japan beat us to the punch in designing a match that was based around the beloved food group. In the Bread Eating Deathmatch, first promoted by Union Pro Wrestling in 2010, combatants Tsuyoshi Kikuchi and Ken Ohka went at it in a contest in which bread of all varieties was strung up at different levels across the wrestling ring. The two of them would have a limited amount of time in which to consume as many loafs as possible, with only limited breaks for fluid consumption in the form of milk. The match got over fairly well in front of a Japanese audience, and bread isn’t even as big there as it is here. So, if you transported this match to the U.S. of A., I’m sure that fans would . . . eat it up.

2. Quiz Ladder Match – Wrestling has often been described as the thinking man’s sport, and this match takes that concept to another level. At first it seems like your standard ladder match, but then you realize that there aren’t title belts or briefcases hanging from the ceiling of the arena. Instead, there are slips of paper. The purpose of the match is for the wrestlers to climb the ladder and retrieve one of the slips of paper, after which it is handed over to the referee. Written on the paper is a trivia question, which is asked of the wrestler who retrieved the paper. If he or she answers the question correctly, he or she is victorious and the match comes to an end. If the wrestler cannot give the right answer to the question, the match resumes and continues until somebody can finally pull down a question and get it right. TNA has already made an attempt to incorporate elements of game shows like “Deal or No Deal” into wrestling through its annual “Fest or Fired” competition, and it seems like a Quiz Ladder Match in the United States would be the next logical extension of that idea.

1. Bathhouse Deathmatch – This is perhaps the single most unique type of professional wrestling match that I have ever seen. Not taking place in front of a live audience, it was taped for a home video release by the independent promotion IWA Japan in August 1995. The rules go a little something like this: Two tag teams do battle inside of a Japanese bathhouse. One member of each team wrestles on a mat set up in the middle of the bathhouse floor, while their partners sit in hot tubs, which they can tag in and out of. The temperature on the hot tubs gets progressively hotter and, if you leave your hot tub without tagging, your team is assessed a yellow card. If you get three yellow cards and have a subsequent infraction, your team gets a red card and is disqualified. The men who are not in the hot tubs are wrestling and, when one of them scores a pinfall, he has an opportunity to drag his opponent into another room with its own set of hot tubs, where he has to successfully hold his opponent’s head under the water for the referee’s five count in order to win the match. Oh, and did I mention that, while the matches are going on, the bathhouse is still in use by some of its normal patrons? (That’s why I’m not imbedding the video here . . . there’s a LOT of nudity. You can find it on YouTube if you want it.) The two incarnations of this match that are on the commercial tape are absolutely insane and feature things like shampoo being used as a weapon, what may have been the invention of the stinkface as wrestlers rub their opponents’ faces on naked women’s behinds, and four-way brawls that may as well have the Benny Hill theme song playing in the background. Though WWE would obviously have to tone some of the aspects of this match down in order to give it a “PG” rating, if the company has truly given up on its status as serious professional wrestling and is now kiddy-friendly sports entertainment, it would be fun for them to embrace completely over-the-top match styles like this one. I’d certainly rather see it than a six man ladder match for the worthless Intercontinental Title.


Kevin Pantoja

5. Iron Man Match – This match has always kind of split viewers. Some hate the idea of a match going for an hour and others think it can be art work. While I find the Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels one to be overrated, the Rock/Triple H and Brock/Angle ones were fantastic. I’m sure there are more I’m forgetting about but when done right the Iron Man match can indeed be excellent.

4. First Blood – I’m not a barbarian who needs blood to enjoy his wrestling, but I used to think this was a cool match type. Now, we get Hardcore, Extreme Rules and Street Fights, which all mean the same thing. This was similar but only ended when one man was busted open. Obviously, I see the reason why it’s gone as athletes don’t need to blade, but it was fun while it lasted.

3. Ultimate X – Granted, I’ve only just gotten back into TNA when they moved to Destination America, so I’m not completely sure if this match is gone but I haven’t really heard anything about it for a long time. Ultimate X is obviously a match for high spots but it was so much fun and part of what made me interested in TNA in the first place. It made them different and is something they never should have gone away from.

2. Best of Series – Whether it’s a Best of Five or a Best of Seven, things like this can do wonders for the prestige of a title or a feud between two guys trying to prove who’s better. Booker T and Christ Benoit had a classic series in WCW and I remember TNA doing one with Beer Money and the Motor City Machine Guns. Hell, the WWE tends to book a million rematches anyway, why not have some be a series? It would give them more meaning. I would have rather watched a series of the Usos vs. Miz and Mizdow instead of rematch after rematch.

1. War Games – I know that there are a lot of things the WWE doesn’t want to use from WCW, but War Games is one they should have. The concept of War Games was always cool. The two ring part can be tough as some arenas can’t really fit it, but this could work in the Hell in a Cell environment. It would have worked multiple times since WCW closed, most recently right after WrestleMania XXX. I think the Shield and Daniel Bryan vs. the Authority would have been fantastic.

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Alex Crowder
5. Dumpster Match – There are a few other matches I wanted to put on here including True Street Fights where both participants wear street clothes. The Steel Cage match is no longer done as it was intended either, and I think it could be argued. There are others like the Chain and Strap matches that should be mentioned. However, I ended up going with the underrated Dumpster Match. I think the Dumpster match has unique brutality and a certain novelty few other matches have. The Dumpster itself might not seem menacing, but the bump tag teams took in the Dumpster always made me cringe. The dumpster was a brutal weapon too. I would not use it a lot. I think for special tag team feuds, it might be a match worth bringing back on rare occasion. The Casket Match and Last Man Standing matches are constantly overdone. Even Buried Alive is used more frequently than a Dumpster match. That is why I think this match is worthwhile. It also has a uniqueness to it that could be reserved for tag teams alone.

4. Falls Count Anywhere – I do not like the Randy Savage vs. Crush variety with constant falls. Instead, I like the simple Falls Count Anywhere match. A Falls Count Anywhere match is fantastic when it is simply what the title says. I think a Falls Count Anywhere match should actually be more brutal than a Street Fight. A Street Fight for some reason needs a pinfall in the ring. Falls Count Anywhere match can go anywhere and everywhere. The falls anywhere rule makes the match no disqualification. Dude Love and Steve Austin had an awesome Falls Count Anywhere match that made for a brutal brawl, most forget. This match can be applied to comedy like the Hardcore championship; at the same time, this match can apply to a heated feud. This match can be both goofy and brutal. We get constant false Street Fights, Last Man Standing matches, and No Holds Barred matches. Where are the Falls Count Anywhere matches? The Hardcore division made its name on these matches, and Cactus Jack made his name on his matches whether it was with Sting or Stone Cold.

3. Scramble Match – I may be in the minority, but I loved the Scramble matches WWE did. These matches were so chaotic and felt extremely unpredictable. Whoever thought you would see a match where The Brian Kendrick is considered the World Champion for any amount of time. The surprise Entrant in Chris Jericho was a great moment too that made the match even more chaotic. Both matches were solid and easy to watch. I would not mind seeing one every so often. This is the kind of simple match that can be used to start new feuds or establish a new star without having him win. This match can make booking easy if utilized correctly. The match itself is nothing astounding or extraordinary. Sometimes, simplicity works best. WWE has used the beat the clock challenge and Elimination Chamber quite frequently. This concept makes the best use of time by making it unpredictable and chaotic.

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2. Elimination Matches – ECW always had the right rules for triple threat matches and fatal four ways. Those sorts of matches should always be elimination style. I know it makes it harder to protect talents since multiple people take the fall. That is not really a problem in today’s world with the constant 50/50 booking. An elimination style match brings a decisive winner. Plus, it can lead to unexpected results. Anyone that watched ECW remembers when Taz lost the title and was eliminated rather quickly in a triple threat match. That was a great moment because of the elimination rules. That result to me was kind of stunning and made the match more interesting. I imagine this would have made the WrestleMania 2000 main event better too. Another great thing is it eliminates the need for people to disappear throughout matches. Some matches pull off the current formula well, but the majority is forgettable. This reminds me of when we got the topic top 5 triple threat matches. I was racking my brain trying to remember the best triple threat matches. Most of them are forgettable because the dead spots and disappearing acts. The elimination rule can apply to all kinds of matches. This rule could apply to tornado tag matches, triple threat, six pack challenges, Armageddon hell in a cells, fatal four ways, triple threat tag matches, and probably more. This also makes the winner of these matches that much stronger for surviving the elimination rules.

1. War Games – Easy number 1 for me. I chose War Games without a second thought. Even the worst War Games matches are fun to watch. War Games are a special event and probably the most unique match in wrestling (excluding the Ganjiryu Death match). These matches always feel completely brutal. I love that these matches end in submission. War Games takes the best concept of tag team matches with the heat segments/hot tags and transforms them into something else. Anyone can get behind a good tag team match. All of the sudden, you add in two cages to amp up the brutality. After that, you bring the timer into play. The War Games match from 1998 does not count, because the formula is different. I believe War Games could fill out a top 5 best match list that is how great these matches tend to be. WWE seems to be onto something with their 6 man tag formula. I can only imagine for all their faults, how awesome a War Games match would be with their talent. The fact is we have not seen a War Games match since the 80’s. Wrestling has evolved since then and it might make the match even better in today’s environment. Sadly, it seems we will never find out what a 2000’s War Games match is like. If WWE wants a license to print money, bring back War Games. War Games are the ultimate feud ender. A War Games match could end a stable feud, a tag team feud, a singles feud, and even a manager feud in one simple match. The Authority could be gone for good after a grueling War Games match.


MICHAEL WEYER
5. Scramble I’m with Alex on this as this really is a fun concept: Folks entering a match one by one with the point that when someone scores a pin, they’re the champion but can be pinned themselves to pass that along. Whoever has the last pin when the time limit runs out wins the match and the belt. It’s a great idea, seeing the “new” titleholders trying to keep to the win, the pace fast and the momentum shifting back and forth, it’s truly exciting to watch. Bring it back for the IC or US belts and it’ll energize a crowd nicely, a fun concept that really deserves a comeback.

4. Iron Man It’s ironic that the Michaels/Hart battle from WMXII is the most famous Iron Man match but misses the damn point: How many falls can be scored in sixty minutes. When done properly (think Angle/Lesnar in 2003), it’s a terrific concept, two guys going at it hard, trying to get as many falls as they can, brutal shots and pulling fans along for the entire time is a feat in itself. Even a shortened version (the Styles/Daniels 30-minute clashes in TNA in 2005) can still be great, give guys a chance to tell a story along with the bout itself and the back and forth of trading falls adds fun tension that a lot of feuds can certainly use.

3. Strap/Dog Collar There have been some now and then but it’s a match usually fallen by the wayside. And that’s a shame as it can be something great when done right. Two guys joined by a strap or a chain, long enough to use well but still connecting them together. It was basically just an excuse to beat the other guy bloody if need be or slap them silly with nasty shots. The Piper/Valentine match from Starrcade ’83 is still the one to top but many other great ones over the years. The point to keep is that the only way to win is to slap all four corner posts while dragging your opponent around. That can be the tricky part to work right but still something for a fun stand-out battle that can brighten a nasty feud in good ways.

2. Ultimate X When the X Division ruled TNA, they pushed it well as something truly daring and different. Ultimate X was the pinnacle of that, taking the simple idea of a ladder match with no ladder and elevating it nicely. You had guys doing sick bumps around the ring, flying off the cables, taking huge risks and such to get the prize at the middle, it was a showcase for everything the X Division did right. It’s a bout they really should bring back to make things mean more as it always brought the best out in the X Division guys and would be great seeing more of those great bumps and shots amid the wild action that made TNA stand out so well.

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1. War Games A pretty obvious choice for many. Even WWE has noted it this as the best match concept WCW ever came up with and it still kicks ass. Two rings completely covered by a cage, a flip of the coin deciding which team would have a two-minute advantage and a guy racing in at that period to shift things up. The fact that the point was that there were no pinfalls or such, the point was to just brutalize the other team as much as you could until everyone was in. From there, anything goes to keep things up, bloody each other as much you wanted before forcing someone to quit. It was always fantastic as a blow-off to big feuds and home to some truly brutal affairs. TNA has tried it now and then but not the same with just one ring (not to mention them making the mistake of having a face team win the coin toss) and something WWE can use today to push a big feud more. That was always a great spectacle and more than ready to bring back today to make fans excited about things again.


Andrew Shillinglaw
5. Punjabi Prison – These are some of the worst matches of all time and I loved every minute of them. Bring them back. And bring Great Khali back too. I miss him and his great Instagram account.

4. No Ropes Barbed Wire – Look, I get it. This match will never appear in a mainstream television product ever again. ECW was a once in a lifetime type deal. However, if you want REAL visceral violence then this is the absolute only way to go. If you have a feud where the hate reaches a true boiling point, then you can’t get a more definitive ending than NRBW. It’s way too violent for a PG product, and I couldn’t even see Impact doing something like it. It’s probably destined to forever sit in feds like CZW, and I don’t even know when the last time they did one was. However, in my opinion, they’re a great gruesome spectacle. I wouldn’t want them to happen often, but I do want them to happen.

3. Lucha de Apuestas – This is sort of cheating because mask vs. mask/mask vs. hair/hair vs. hair matches happen pretty frequently in Mexico. However, they’ve kind of fallen to the wayside in mainstream America. Rockstar Spud and ECIII just had the hair vs. hair match as a capstone to their feud and it worked great. I do think that the match is more effective when a mask is involved, however any way they do it is fine by me. These matches are great because they add immediate gravity to a basic singles match. And then if someone loses their hair you get the inevitable month and a half of them wearing stupid wigs, and who doesn’t love that?!

2. Battlebowl – Battlebowl is another thing I mark huge for. A random draw one night only tag tournament where all the winners get added to a battle royal at the end of the night. The random draw tag tournament is just a great idea to begin with. It’s such an easy way to further feuds and stories. Have two guys that hate each other? Just have them get randomly matched up and watch the shenanigans ensue! Want to form a tag team? Have two guys work SUPER well together and decide that they want to take their relationship to the next level! Plus, who doesn’t love a good old fashioned high stakes battle royal? It’s a great one night only gimmick and it needs to be used more frequently. TNA did something very similar with their Joker’s Wild One Night Only Special and more companies should absolutely follow suit.

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1. War Games – I get it. Laying out an arena with two rings is annoying. You lose seats, it’s probably some sort of secret logistical nightmare, and it takes more time to set up. However, I don’t care. I want War Games and I want them now! There are so many all time classic War Games matches, and with some of the wrestlers that are on the WWE roster right now, you could have tons of classics in the making. I want to see Daniel Bryan in War Games. I want to see Cesaro in War Games. I want to see Dolph Ziggler in War Games. This is the ultimate thing that is missing from the WWE. BRING IT BACK!


YOUR TURN KNOW IT ALLS

List your Top Five for this week’s topic in the comment section using the following format:

5. CHOICE: Explanation
4. CHOICE: Explanation
3. CHOICE: Explanation
2. CHOICE: Explanation
1. CHOICE: Explanation