Specialized matches are standard WWE. Some of them are classics: Hell’s Cell, Royal Rumble, Exclusion Room, etc. There are also some quirky one-off fights, such as abandoning men in the water and using stairs as weapons. Some matches are frankly awful, including the Punjab prison blunder. But WWE often finds creative new spins in wrestling matches.
Of course, there is a chance that you can copy yourself in wrestling. It’s not just about the game set in the car park, or variations of No-DQ and ladder fights. These match-type pairs look a little different, but they are interesting as they have the same basic rules as the other pairs. WWE is excellent at these alternative gimmicks.
Iron Survivor combines two gimmicks
A great mix of Iron Man and Scramble
- The first WWE Ironman match was Bret Hart vs Rick Flare in 1993
- Bailey and Sasha Banks held their first Iron Woman Match in 2015 with NXT Takeover: Respect
- Unforgiven 2008 boasts three scramble matches
One of NXT’s more unique gimmick battles, The Iron Survivor is a mix of classic Iron Man matches and the underrated Championship Scramble. The former, of course, is about who can get the most falls at a certain time limit. The other is that there are wrestlers who go into matches every five minutes with time limits, and those who win the final pin before it goes away are the champions.
Iron survivors combine them well, and new wrestlers enter and those who fall are awarded points. The pinned wrestler element has been added, and you have to spend time on the penalty box and have a chance at more points. Anyone who scores the most points on a title shot. When combining special match regulations works, it’s a rare opportunity.
Jailhouse Street Fight/Alive
It’s always packing people into a small space
- First he was in the house of humanity with the Undertaker: Living and buried in 1996
- The last one was Kane, who defeated the Undertaker in 2010.
- Jailhouse Street Fight debuted at Road Block 2023
Well, this may sound like a reach, but when you think about it, it links. The buried Alive Match was a well-known match for the Undertaker and made sense to his character. The goal was to defeat the man and eventually put him in the hole and cover him with dirt. Interestingly, the Undertaker actually lost some of them.
At 2023’s obstacles, Tony D’Angelo and D’Jack went to it in a non-barked brawl in a small cage by the Lampway. The goal was to throw the opponent into the cage and lock it up to win. Dangelo pulls it apart as each match unfolds in one way or another, taking his opponent to a small spot, and is buried in losses.
The waterfall counts everywhere/The last man stands
Each one is about who will last longer
- Randy Savage defeated Beat Crush at WrestleMania 10
- The first official final man in WWE stands was Undertaker vs. Executor of Your House 12
- Asuka and Nikki Cross had their first final female standing match on NXT in 2017
It’s a bit complicated to make them different, as they can be almost interchangeable. WWE first used it in a prominent way with the WrestleMania 10, with Randy Savage and Crush Fighting in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. After locking the crash behind the scenes, Savage tied his legs and left him hanging, so the crash couldn’t return to the ring before the 10 count.
Since then, WWE has used it as its final man standing match. These are hardcore brawls, and objects are about preventing your opponent from reaching their feet (or at least the ring) before 10 counts. It had the fun of a winning spin where John Cena had to taper Batista to the ring post to win and become the person who could stand in the end.
Tuxedo/Bra & Panties
Everything about undressing
- Hilly Billy Jim defeated some Fuji
- Howard Finkel beat Harvey Whippleman in 1995
- Rita defeated Trish in her first bra and panties match in 2000
Women’s wrestling has come a long way from the “diva” era in WWE. For too long, fans were given a quick “match” where only women flaunted what they looked like. The bra and panties match was constant with excuses that only throw women into their underwear to win. Surprisingly, some titles changed their hands for this.
However, this was just an evolution of the old tuxedo matches that WWE had used several times. Depriving the man in a flashy suit was not a bad idea. We got wild things from Mr. Fuji to Howard Finkel.
Pole Night Stick/Chain
Once, the pole match was good
- Big Bossman defeated Nailtz in a night stick match in the 1992 Survivor Series
- Brock Lesnar defeated Undertaker in a chain match in No Mercy 2003
- Edge and William Regal fought brass knuckles on the pole in 2002
“Objects on poles” matches are often a messy issue. WWE hasn’t sunk to the outrageous level that Vince Russo did in WCW, but many of Paul’s matches were bad. The exception was the idea that objects on the poles are weapons that can be used against opponents. So grabbing it gave someone a great advantage.
A good example was in the 1992 Survivor Series when Big Bossman and Nailtz fought over the Night Stick on poles. In 2003, Undertaker and Brock Lesnar fought wildly for the motorcycle chain on the pole. Surprisingly, this is one of the better reasons why guys climb poles, so it’s not used much.
Samoan Strap/Texas Bullfighting
It’s important to touch the corners
- CM Punk beat Umaga in Samoa’s strap match in Extreme Rules 2009
- JBL won Eddy Guerrero’s WWE title in a bull rope match at the Great American Bash 2004
- There was a Brahma Bull rope match on the rocks.
“Strap Match” is a true classic of wrestling with variations such as dog collar matches. WWE used it from time to time. Often with someone who is tied up to each other and slams them with straps/whips/chains before making pins.
Others are classic bits where you need to drag your opponents and touch all four ring posts to win. The same match is the name/theme from Samoan straps to Texas bullishness. Rightly, it’s a desperate battle and always thrills the crowd well.
Fighting Pit/Lion’s Nest Impact of MMA
The UFC clearly influenced these
- Ken Shamrock fought in the lion’s nest at Summer Slam in 1998/99
- In May 2020, I saw Matt Riddle defeat Timothy Thatcher in the Fight Pit
- Extreme Rules 2022 had Riddle Seth Rollins in the Pitt
Ken Shamrock may have been a little ahead of his time in WWE. The MMA and UFC were just attracting attention in 1997, so it didn’t have much of an impact on wrestling. It made it even more impressive when Shamrock broke the Lion’s nest, a UFC-style cage ring, and fought the man in the only way he wins by submitting.
WWE, surprisingly, did not use it on Bobby Lashley or Brock Lesnar, but it revives the concept of fight pit matches a bit. This was a cool visual for the platform in the cage, and the same idea could only be won by submission or knockout. WWE always shows that it was trying to steal some of the UFC’s lightning.
Nigerian drum/pedigree rules are not DQ
There are many such matches
- Big fought Apollo’s crew at WrestleMania 37 in a Nigerian drum fight
- Bloodline rules were held by Roman Reigns
- Other variants include extreme rules
Frankly, this whole list is nothing more than a variation of the NO-DQ match. Some can play around with the concept a bit, but they all came down to a full-fledged brawl. The battle of pedigree rules with Roman rule is the latest variation, with everything in conflict with ample interference, fighting in the crowd, and so on.
Nigerian drum matches are one of the more unique turns as the instruments spread around ringside, which can be used as weapons. These crazy no-DQ fights show that at the end of the day there are many lives, even if they are the same match under different names.
cas/dumpster match
Don’t throw it away either
- Dusty Rhodes and Ivankolov played their first cas match in the 1970s
- Undertaker debuted it against the Ultimate Warrior in 1991
- The first trash can match was between New Age Outlaw and Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie from WrestleMania 14.
When The Undertaker debuted in 1990, fans were taken to his sinister look, and WWE placed it thickly with his “undead” persona. His body bag match was good, but the cas match was much better. There he had a great vision of the Undertaker rolling the man into a cas, covering it and pounding it to win. Kane will use WWE even if it pulls back from there.
Dumpstar Match was the most blatant copy and variations. It throws a man into a giant trash can at ringside, closing the lid used on Chelsea Green and sewing machines by New Age outlaws against Mick Foley and Chainsaw Charlie. Either way, closing the lid makes it the perfect visual to envelop wild battles.
Last Ride/Ambulance match
It’s packing people for a ride
- The final ride match was No Mercy 2004 between the Undertaker and JBL
- The first ambulance match was Shane McMahon vs Kane from the 2003 Survivor Series
- Ridge Holland and Andre Chase played an ambulance match at Halloween Havoc 2024
The final ride was a match that suited the Undertaker. After beating the man, the Undertaker eventually put him behind the spirit hearse, and sometimes in his own bag/ffin. It created a cool visual and psychological aspect of the man taken to the final ride.
Not only WWE, but ambulance matches were on the same line. It was again about a very brutal brawl, so the man was not only on a stretcher, but also in an ambulance. The fun additional provision was that the match wasn’t over until the ambulance left the arena and gave the opponent the chance to escape. Both are fun in how you need a vehicle to win a fight.
