Iron man match
{{short description|Professional wrestling match type}}
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.{{cite web |url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/specialtymatches/ironmanmatch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325090143/http://www.wwe.com/inside/specialtymatches/ironmanmatch |archive-date=2008-03-25 |url-status=dead |title=Inside WWE > Specialty Matches > Iron Man Match |access-date=2007-06-21 |publisher=WWE.com}} 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,{{cite news | title = Pro Wrestling Illustrated presents: 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts | work = "Wrestling’s historical cards" | publisher = Kappa Publishing | year = 2007 | pages = 95 }} or an authority can order the match to go into overtime in the case of any championship match.
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 declared the winner. Iron Man matches can also be contested with specific win conditions. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit competed in a 30-minute Iron Man match at Backlash 2001 where only submissions were counted, which was termed an "Ultimate Submission match".
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 match being billed as "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.
Sudden deaths are especially common in title matches. This is because, in the event of a draw, the champion will always retain the title. 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 A.J. Styles at TNA's Against All Odds in February 2005.
Iron man match history
=World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)=
Several iron man matches have taken place at house shows. The Rockers faced off against The Fabulous Rougeaus twice in 1989. Bret Hart wrestled one in 1993 against Ric Flair and four in 1994 against his brother, Owen Hart. John Cena and Seth Rollins faced off in a 30-Minute Iron Man match for the WWE United States Championship at a house show in October 2015. Kevin Owens and AJ Styles faced off in a 30-Minute Iron Man match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at a house show in March 2016.{{cite web|url=http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/03/12/march12atlanticcity/|title=3/12 WWE in Atlantic City – Owens vs. Styles Iron Man match|access-date=March 13, 2016|work=Pro Wrestling Torch}}
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
!width="1%"|# !width="10%"|Match (length) !width="6%"|Title !width="1%"|Score !width="6%"|Event, date and location !width="1%"|Arena |
| align=center| 1
|The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) defeated The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques Rougeau and Raymond Rougeau) (1:00:00) |None |3–2 |
| align=center| 2
|The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) defeated The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques Rougeau and Raymond Rougeau) |None |Unknown |
| align=center| 3
|Bret Hart (c) defeated Ric Flair (1:00:00) |WWF World Heavyweight Championship |3–2 |
| align=center| 4
|Bret Hart (c) defeated Owen Hart (1:00:00) |WWF World Heavyweight Championship |3–2 |WWF live event |
| align=center| 5
|Bret Hart (c) defeated Owen Hart (1:08:23) Overtime |WWF World Heavyweight Championship |3–2 |
| align=center| 6
|Bret Hart (c) defeated Owen Hart (1:00:00) |WWF World Heavyweight Championship |2–1 |WWF live event |
| align=center| 7
|Bret Hart (c) defeated Owen Hart (1:00:00) |WWF World Heavyweight Championship |2–1 |WWF live event |
| align=center| 8
|Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart (c) (1:01:56) Overtime |WWF World Heavyweight Championship |1–0 |WrestleMania XII |
| align=center| 9
|Triple H defeated The Rock (c) (1:00:00) |6–5 |Judgment Day |
| align=center| 10
|Chris Benoit defeated Kurt Angle (31:51) Overtime |None |4–3 |
| align=center| 11
|Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle (c) (1:00:00) |5–4 |
| align=center| 12
|Chris Benoit (c) defeated Triple H (1:00:00) |World Heavyweight Championship |4–3 |Raw |
| align=center| 13
|MNM (Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury) (c) defeated Charlie Haas and Hardcore Holly (15:00) |2–1 |
| align=center| 14
|Kurt Angle drew with Shawn Michaels (30:00) |None |2–2 |
| align=center| 15
|John Morrison and The Miz (c) drew with Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore (15:00) |WWE Tag Team Championship |1–1 |ECW |
| align=center| 16
|John Cena defeated Randy Orton (c) (1:00:00) |WWE Championship |6–5 |Bragging Rights |Mellon Arena |
| align="center" | 17
|Bayley (c) defeated Sasha Banks (30:00){{cite web|title=WWE Network: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks - 30-Minute WWE Iron Man Match for NXT Women's Title: WWE NXT TakeOver: Respect|url=http://www.wwe.com/videos/wwe-network-bayley-vs-sasha-banks-30-minute-wwe-iron-man-match-for-nxt-women-s-title-wwe-nxt-takeover-respect|access-date=2 December 2016}} |3–2 |NXT TakeOver: Respect |
| align=center| 18
|John Cena (c) defeated Seth Rollins (30:00) |WWE United States Championship |3–2 |
| align="center" | 19
|Kevin Owens (c) defeated AJ Styles (30:00) |WWE Intercontinental Championship |2–1 |WWE live event |
| align="center" | 20
|Charlotte Flair defeated Sasha Banks (c) (34:45) Overtime |3–2 |Roadblock: End of the Line |
| align="center" | 21
|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 |American Airlines Center |
| align="center" | 22
|Dolph Ziggler (c) defeated Seth Rollins (30:10) Overtime |WWE Intercontinental Championship |5–4 |Extreme Rules |PPG Paints Arena |
| align="center" | 23
|Finn Bálor vs. Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano ended in a draw between Bálor and Cole (1:00:00) NXT General Manager William Regal called the match a tie after both Cole and Bálor scored 2 falls, and they both had a match with each other the following Tuesday on NXT Super Tuesday II for the vacant NXT Championship. |2–2–1–1 |NXT Super Tuesday |Full Sail University |
| align="center" | 24
|A-Kid defeated Jordan Devlin (30:00) |None |2–1 |
==Participant list==
===Males===
| class="wikitable sortable" "style="width:100%"
!Wrestler !Victories !Appearances |
| Bret Hart
|5 |6 |
| Shawn Michaels
|3 |4 |
| Marty Jannetty
|2 |2 |
| Chris Benoit
|2 |2 |
| John Cena
|2 |2 |
| Brock Lesnar
|1 |1 |
| Joey Mercury
|1 |1 |
| Kevin Owens
|1 |1 |
| Cesaro
|1 |1 |
| Sheamus
|1 |1 |
| Dolph Ziggler
|1 |1 |
| A-Kid
|1 |1 |
| Triple H
|1 |2 |
| Johnny Nitro/John Morrison
|1 |2 |
| Ric Flair
|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 |
| Finn Bálor
|0 |1 |
| Adam Cole
|0 |1 |
| Johnny Gargano
|0 |1 |
| Tommaso Ciampa
|0 |1 |
| Jordan Devlin
|0 |1 |
| Jacques Rougeau
|0 |2 |
| Raymond Rougeau
|0 |2 |
| Seth Rollins
|0 |2 |
| Kurt Angle
|0 |3 |
| Owen Hart
|0 |4 |
===Females===
| class="wikitable sortable" "style="width:100%"
!Wrestler !Victories !Appearances |
| Bayley
|1 |1 |
| Charlotte Flair
|1 |1 |
| Sasha Banks
|0 |2 |
=All Elite Wrestling (AEW)=
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
!width="1%"|# !width="10%"|Match (length) !width="6%"|Title !width="1%"|Score !width="6%"|Event, date and location !width="1%"|Arena |
| align=center| 1
|Kenny Omega defeated Pac (31:01) Overtime |None |2–1 |Dynamite |
| align=center | 2
|MJF (c) defeated Bryan Danielson (1:05:02) Overtime |4–3 |Revolution |
==Participant list==
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Wrestler !Victories !Appearances |
| Kenny Omega
|1 |1 |
| MJF
|1 |1 |
| Pac
|0 |1 |
| Bryan Danielson
|0 |1 |
=Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) / Impact Wrestling=
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
!width="1%"|# !width="10%"|Match (length) !width="6%"|Title !width="1%"|Score !width="6%"|Event, date and location !width="1%"|Arena |
| align=center| 1
|A.J. Styles (c) defeated Christopher Daniels (31:37) overtime |2–1 |Against All Odds |rowspan=8|TNA Impact! Zone |
| align=center| 2
|A.J. Styles (c) defeated Christopher Daniels (30:00) |1–0 |Bound for Glory |
| align=center| 3
|Kurt Angle defeated Samoa Joe (30:00) |To determine the No. 1 contender for the |3–2 |Final Resolution |
| align=center| 4
|Douglas Williams (c) drew with A.J. Styles (15:00 + 5:00 sudden overtime) |1–1 |TNA Impact! |
| align=center| 5
|Bobby Roode (c) drew with A.J. Styles (30:00) |TNA World Heavyweight Championship |3–3 |Final Resolution |
| align=center| 6
|Bobby Roode (c) defeated A.J. Styles (5:00 + sudden death overtime) |TNA World Heavyweight Championship |1–0 |TNA Impact Wrestling |
| align=center| 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 |
| align=center| 8
|Lashley defeated Eddie Edwards (c) (30:00) |TNA World Heavyweight Championship |3–2 |TNA Impact Wrestling |
| align=center| 9
|Deonna Purrazzo (c) defeated Jordynne Grace (30:00) |Impact Knockouts Championship |2–1 |Emergence |rowspan=2|Skyway Studios |
| align=center| 10
|Josh Alexander (c) defeated TJP (61:55) overtime |Impact X Division Championship |2–1 |
| align=center| 11
|Nic Nemeth (c) defeated Josh Alexander (60:00) |3–2 |Emergence |Old Forester's Paristown Hall |
== Participant list ==
== Males ==
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Wrestler !Victories !Appearances |
| A.J. Styles
|2 |5 |
| Kurt Angle
|1 |1 |
| Davey Richards
|1 |1 |
| Lashley
|1 |1 |
| Nic Nemeth
|1 |1 |
| Josh Alexander
|1 |2 |
| Eddie Edwards
|1 |2 |
| Bobby Roode
|1 |3 |
| Samoa Joe
|0 |1 |
| Douglas Williams
|0 |1 |
| Austin Aries
|0 |1 |
| TJP
|0 |1 |
| Christopher Daniels
|0 |2 |
== Females ==
| class="wikitable sortable" "style="width:100%"
!Wrestler !Victories !Appearances |
| Deonna Purrazzo
|1 |1 |
| Jordynne Grace
|0 |1 |
=Revolution Pro-Wrestling (RevPro)=
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
!width="1%"|# !width="10%"|Match (length) !width="6%"|Title !width="1%"|Score !width="6%"|Event, date and location !width="1%"|Arena |
| align=center| 1
|Zozaya defeated Leon Slater (01:03:02) |None |3–2 |Uprising (2024) |
==Participant list==
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Wrestler !Victories !Appearances |
| Zozaya
|1 |1 |
| Leon Slater
|0 |1 |
=World Championship Wrestling (WCW)=
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
!width="1%"|# !width="10%"|Match (length) !width="6%"|Title !width="1%"|Score !width="6%"|Event, date and location !width="1%"|Arena |
| align=center| 1
|Ricky Steamboat defeated Rick Rude (30:00) |None |4–3 |Beach Blast (1992) |
| align=center| 2
|Dustin Rhodes and Rick Rude fought to a draw (30:00) |Vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship |1–1 |Beach Blast (1993) |
==Participant list==
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Wrestler !Victories !Appearances |
| Ricky Steamboat
|1 |1 |
| Dustin Rhodes
|0 |1 |
| Rick Rude
|0 |2 |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080325090143/http://www.wwe.com/inside/specialtymatches/ironmanmatch WWE.com – Iron Man match description]