Joe Kerr
09-04-2004, 12:31 PM
#1: Ultimate X - NWATNA
Four large beams are attached to the corner posts, then two large cables are attached to the tops forming an "X", a title is placed in the intersection, which is suspended above the middle of the ring. In order to win, a wrestler must shimmy along the wire to the middle of the ring and grab the title, bringing it down. This match has been a staple of the X Division and hasn't been done anywhere else. What I enjoy about this match is that it's borrowing on an old concept- the ladder match, but it also improves on it. The cables above the ring allow the wrestlers to do higher high-spots than usual, and some really cool looking moves, but it also takes away some of the danger of jumping off of a high, unstable piece of metal. It also doesn't hurt that some of the competitors thus far have been some extremely talented lightweights. I see this concept being 'ahem' "borrowed" by other companies in the future, by far one of the best ideas to come out of the TNA think tank.
#2: Cage Match - Lotsa Feds
(includes scramble cage.)
Alright, I know that I included two different types under one category because they both have the same relative concept. Four sides of a metal structure are placed flush with the ring apron, usually 10-15 feet tall, some with a door, some not. In the case of the Scramble Cage, there are four platforms on each corner of the cage. Victory can be attained by pinfall, submission, climbing out of the cage, or going out through the door, depending on the match. The cage match has been done for a very, very long time, usually as a culmination to long, bitter feuds in which there was a lot of interference or relative cheating heel, they were almost always bloody, and the cage was used as weaponry more than it was climbed, usually. Nowadays, a cage match is more or less an excuse for high spots, A.K.A. diving off the cage, and to give the fans something different (ESPECIALLY in the case of the Scramble Cage). The cage match was one of the first real Gimmick matches, and while maybe a little overused and overshadowed by bigger more death-defying matches today, it still always seems to get a reaction. This oldie has stood the test of time, and I think that it's a match that will be around as long as wrestling itself.
#3: World War 3 - WCW
And what more fitting of a number three choice than World War 3? A spin on the Battle Royal concept. Sixty, yes, sixty men, start off in three separate rings, and from there it's like your conventional Battle Royal. Toss guys over the top rope, and the winner gets a World Title Shot. This is another new spin on an old classic. The reason I enjoyed this so much was for two reasons. Number one, it was a great way to utilize the ridiculous sized roster that WCW had, as well as put some new independent talent on the air, and number two, it gave this really great feeling of chaos that was given by having so many people on screen at once, they needed three announce teams and multiple camera crews to get all the action. It was this fun, wild, mess of a match that never ceased to entertain me, and when it got down to small numbers, brawling through all three rings was not uncommon, which also added a nice dynamic and furthered the element of spontaneity and chaos.
#4: Ladder Match - Lotsa Feds
(includes TLC.)
A title (or titles) is suspended high above the ring, and the only way to win is to climb a ladder and take the title(s) down. In about the ten or so years ladder matches have been around, they have put on some of the most memorable matches- and craziest spots, ever. Ladder matches are synonymous with excitement, danger, and some of the highest of high spots seen anywhere. Immortalized by Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon facing off at Wrestlemania X, there have been many legendary encounters since. One of the best things about ladder matches is that you almost always need to have some very solid workers to make a ladder match work, so no Hulk Hogan/El Gigante snoozefests. This is one type of match that rarely disappoints.
#5: Hell in a Cell - WWF
A concept that was originally attached to the Undertaker (you know, as an aside, this guy has had a lot of Gimmick matches attached to feuds of his; Hell in a Cell, Casket Matches, Boiler Room Brawls, Inferno Matches, Buried Alive Matches, sheesh. A large metal cage surrounds the ringside area, it is covered by a roof on top, roughly 20 feet off the ground, the doors are supposedly chained shut so there's no escape, but almost every HIAC match has been taken to the outside. The Undertaker first faced off in this structure against Shawn Michaels (who has debuted his fair share of gimmick matches, too, come to think of it.), and was a very, very good match. However, is would vastly topped by The 'Taker against the completely out of his mind Mankind. Where he was tossed off the roof of the cage through a table in without question the most memorable wrestling moment ever, then later through the cage. These two matches were fantastic, and the latter is considered legendary, however, the unfortunate side effect of this is that no other HIAC match has met the super, SUPER high standard those two set, and while it's still dusted off as a culmination to a grueling feud, a-la the cage match. It has been used less and less due to the dangerous nature of the match and the fact that it can't top the originals short of someone being killed. (The infamous "Daffy Duck Bump" .).
Four large beams are attached to the corner posts, then two large cables are attached to the tops forming an "X", a title is placed in the intersection, which is suspended above the middle of the ring. In order to win, a wrestler must shimmy along the wire to the middle of the ring and grab the title, bringing it down. This match has been a staple of the X Division and hasn't been done anywhere else. What I enjoy about this match is that it's borrowing on an old concept- the ladder match, but it also improves on it. The cables above the ring allow the wrestlers to do higher high-spots than usual, and some really cool looking moves, but it also takes away some of the danger of jumping off of a high, unstable piece of metal. It also doesn't hurt that some of the competitors thus far have been some extremely talented lightweights. I see this concept being 'ahem' "borrowed" by other companies in the future, by far one of the best ideas to come out of the TNA think tank.
#2: Cage Match - Lotsa Feds
(includes scramble cage.)
Alright, I know that I included two different types under one category because they both have the same relative concept. Four sides of a metal structure are placed flush with the ring apron, usually 10-15 feet tall, some with a door, some not. In the case of the Scramble Cage, there are four platforms on each corner of the cage. Victory can be attained by pinfall, submission, climbing out of the cage, or going out through the door, depending on the match. The cage match has been done for a very, very long time, usually as a culmination to long, bitter feuds in which there was a lot of interference or relative cheating heel, they were almost always bloody, and the cage was used as weaponry more than it was climbed, usually. Nowadays, a cage match is more or less an excuse for high spots, A.K.A. diving off the cage, and to give the fans something different (ESPECIALLY in the case of the Scramble Cage). The cage match was one of the first real Gimmick matches, and while maybe a little overused and overshadowed by bigger more death-defying matches today, it still always seems to get a reaction. This oldie has stood the test of time, and I think that it's a match that will be around as long as wrestling itself.
#3: World War 3 - WCW
And what more fitting of a number three choice than World War 3? A spin on the Battle Royal concept. Sixty, yes, sixty men, start off in three separate rings, and from there it's like your conventional Battle Royal. Toss guys over the top rope, and the winner gets a World Title Shot. This is another new spin on an old classic. The reason I enjoyed this so much was for two reasons. Number one, it was a great way to utilize the ridiculous sized roster that WCW had, as well as put some new independent talent on the air, and number two, it gave this really great feeling of chaos that was given by having so many people on screen at once, they needed three announce teams and multiple camera crews to get all the action. It was this fun, wild, mess of a match that never ceased to entertain me, and when it got down to small numbers, brawling through all three rings was not uncommon, which also added a nice dynamic and furthered the element of spontaneity and chaos.
#4: Ladder Match - Lotsa Feds
(includes TLC.)
A title (or titles) is suspended high above the ring, and the only way to win is to climb a ladder and take the title(s) down. In about the ten or so years ladder matches have been around, they have put on some of the most memorable matches- and craziest spots, ever. Ladder matches are synonymous with excitement, danger, and some of the highest of high spots seen anywhere. Immortalized by Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon facing off at Wrestlemania X, there have been many legendary encounters since. One of the best things about ladder matches is that you almost always need to have some very solid workers to make a ladder match work, so no Hulk Hogan/El Gigante snoozefests. This is one type of match that rarely disappoints.
#5: Hell in a Cell - WWF
A concept that was originally attached to the Undertaker (you know, as an aside, this guy has had a lot of Gimmick matches attached to feuds of his; Hell in a Cell, Casket Matches, Boiler Room Brawls, Inferno Matches, Buried Alive Matches, sheesh. A large metal cage surrounds the ringside area, it is covered by a roof on top, roughly 20 feet off the ground, the doors are supposedly chained shut so there's no escape, but almost every HIAC match has been taken to the outside. The Undertaker first faced off in this structure against Shawn Michaels (who has debuted his fair share of gimmick matches, too, come to think of it.), and was a very, very good match. However, is would vastly topped by The 'Taker against the completely out of his mind Mankind. Where he was tossed off the roof of the cage through a table in without question the most memorable wrestling moment ever, then later through the cage. These two matches were fantastic, and the latter is considered legendary, however, the unfortunate side effect of this is that no other HIAC match has met the super, SUPER high standard those two set, and while it's still dusted off as a culmination to a grueling feud, a-la the cage match. It has been used less and less due to the dangerous nature of the match and the fact that it can't top the originals short of someone being killed. (The infamous "Daffy Duck Bump" .).