Random Thought #1: "The Iron Man"

[Xero]

Would a gimmick where someone only wrestles every other PPV/big show in only 60 minute Iron Man matches work? And, more importantly, who could pull off such a gimmick?

The idea I have is that he'll never wrestle, but will promo on TV. This also means no tag matches.

I think this would be a great "realistic" gimmick in that he'll train for his next opponent, and you don't have to worry about burning the fans out with him. Plus it would give his matches actual builds and make them feel more epic other than "match --> match --> beatdown --> "I hate you" promo --> match --> blowoff match".

I suppose this would have to be on someone who is already established. Honestly I'd like to see Angle in this gimmick. Especially if he ever came back to WWE, he would have a MUCH better schedule, even better than TNA's.

Yeah, that's just a random thought I had while thinking about something Cena-related.

[Loose Cannon]

this would never get over with the American audience. they would eat this up in Japan or maybe if this was 1940, but it will tire very quickly in America today. There's a reason you don't see Iron Man matches too often. Few wrestlers are probably even capable of going 60 minutes anyway. Pro wrestling has been built on staying away from these kinds of matches as it just doesn't sell.

Personally, it would bore the hell out of me if I had to sit through a 60 minute match on even every other PPV.

[Loose Cannon]

To counter that, I think a gimmick where a wrestler doesn't train at all and talks up a huge game and says he could win every match within 5 minutes and does every time would get over. It would have to be a heel of course.

actually, it would just be a heel version of Goldberg/Warrior booking

[dablackguy]

You mean to say the young audience WWE targets doesnt have the attention span for it

Part of it, for me, is the allure of it, you see iron man matches every 4 or 5 years and its cool

Kinda like you used to see the HIAC every few years, now its usually once a year or so, takes away its allure

[Mr. Nerfect]

"The Iron Man" was pretty much Rob Conway's gimmick in OVW. To my understanding, he idolized Shawn Michaels, and sort of used him as inspiration for the gimmick. He was a lot different from his "Con Man" gimmick in the WWE, but was pretty much the same egomaniac, who applied himself in the ring rather than in being 98% fat free.

It's not exactly the same thing, but Rob Conway was the first guy who sprung to mind reading your idea, obviously. If the WWE re-hired him, I think it would be a great character for him. He refuses to wrestle unless people are paying to see him do it, because he is "The Iron Man," and always puts on a classic. When it comes time to turn him face, he keeps the "Iron Man" moniker, and just changes his philosophy from "paying to see me put on classics" to "being good enough to put on classics on any night of the week."

You need someone good enough on the mic and in the ring to pull this character off. MVP is a possiblity, but he's too well established in his current role, in my opinion. Nick Dinsmore could be re-hired and theoretically pull something like this off. Mr. Kennedy is another guy that I can see getting the ego of a guy that only works PPVs down.

[Fox]

This would be a good idea for a Brock Lesnar return, and only have him face top names that he's never wrestled before (on a grand scale) like Cena, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton.

I'd make it 30 minute Iron Man matches though. Audiences these days would tire quickly of seeing 60 minute matches that regularly.