Top 5 Wrestling Match Stipulations

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we each share our top five wrestling match stipulations.

David Gibb’s Favorite Wrestling Match Stipulations

Cage

If you asked someone with no knowledge of pro wrestling to talk about it in a stream-of-consciousness fashion, they would probably say some variation of “cage match” in the first three sentences. The cage is the perfect visual metaphor for the violent catharsis of wrestling and, when executed correctly, the ultimate battlefield for a mostly fair fight.

Babyface Gets 5 Minutes with Heel’s Manager

This one is dated, but I’m ranking it high because it’s brilliant and could work again. A manager with actual heat taking 1-3 bumps is still the ultimate expression of wrestling satisfaction. Plus, there are so many different directions you can go to help the heels keep their heat or transition the hero to their next opponent.

2 Out of 3 Falls

Title matches should still be two-out-of-three falls on a regular basis. While wrestlers capturing first falls on moves that don’t generally even get a long two-count and roll-ups you can see from a mile away both stink (and, let’s face it, that’s the way these matches have been presented for 15+ years), there’s still a way to do this right that tells a dramatic multi-act story.

First Blood

Obviously doing a first blood match with a guy in a mask following a match where another guy took the two most impressive bumps of all time is a bad idea. Unfortunately, KOTR 98 has turned the whole first blood concept into something people laugh about. The idea of hitting someone you hate until they bleed is viscerally human, though, and a finish where the crowd sees blood, but the ref doesn’t, has the potential for incredible heat, when executed correctly.

Dog Collar

There’s something so realistically dangerous about two people joined at the neck fighting each other that you can’t help but get drawn in during these matches. When you add in the chain as a weapon, you have the recipe for the ultimate in wrestling brutality.

Juan Bautista’s Favorite Wrestling Match Stipulations

Texas Bullrope

Opponents are tied together at the wrist and have to touch all four turnbuckles in succession. When done right, the match is amazing. Eddie Guerrero vs. JBL at Great American Bash 2004 comes to mind.

Ultimate X

At the height of the X-Division, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Elix Skipper and others put this match on the map. There was a time that TNA raised the height of the structure, which produced that devastating fall by Daniels, but thankfully, it’s since lowered to its original, yet still dangerous position.

War Games

Whether you enjoy WWE’s interpretation of the concept or the classic WCW version, War Games is great. The roof creates more brutal possibilities like Lex Luger squashing folks with a military press. Each team member entering one by one also produces fun moments like Candice LeRae betraying her partners.

2 Out of 3 Falls

It can be a test of endurance, such as Omega and Okada going over an hour. This match also has the ability to cement a top guy. MVP swept Chris Benoit to win the United States Championship, establishing his credibility in just one match.

Money in the Bank

This has taken the ladder match as far as it can go. It’s probably a couple years before needing a tweak, but the action is still insane. It’s usually six to eight individuals risking it all for a chance at immortality. Despite never retrieving the briefcase, Shelton Benjamin used the match for his highlight reel.

John Corrigan’s Favorite Wrestling Match Stipulations

Royal Rumble

Pat Patterson earned lifelong employment with this creation. Even the years when the winner is guaranteed, it’s still exciting to watch. In recent years, my friends and I have did a pool where we draw numbers out of a hat and if the guy (or girl) who wins entered at your number, you win the pot. Even people who never watch wrestling can get in on the fun (and usually win the pot…).

Survivor Series Elimination

Forget the battle for brand supremacy. I’m talking the old-school “teams of five strive to survive” or even the four-man teams with captains and funny names like the Rude Brood and Foreign Fanatics.

Parking Lot Brawl

I can only remember two, but they were both thrilling. Eddie Guerrero vs. John Cena on SmackDown, which prompted the match-type in Raw Vs. SmackDown video games, and Steven Regal vs. the Belfast Brawler on Nitro.

Ladder

I became a fan in the middle of the Dudleyz-Hardyz-Edge & Christian rivalry, so tables, ladders and chairs captivated me from youth. Of course, the ladder match has evolved into Money in the Bank and other wacky combinations. The older I get, though, the more dangerous ladder matches seem to be. When you’re a kid, Edge spearing Jeff Hardy mid-air is cool. When you’re in your late 20s, you’re like, Jesus Christ, how are they not paralyzed?

Career on the Line

Call it a retirement match, loser leaves town, whatever you wish. But whenever a wrestler puts his career on the line, I’m intrigued. It’s an easy story to get swept up in, and the accompanying video package is a fun stroll down memory lane. Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels is the gold standard, followed by Michaels vs. Undertaker. Ironically, we knew the winner of both matches before the bell rang, but that somehow added even more gravitas.

Steven Jackson’s Favorite Wrestling Match Stipulations

Ladder

Spectacle always helps to elevate any entertainment. And in the case of ladder matches, the spectacle is always taken to the max. While in recent times you can argue wrestling has oversaturated the stipulation, ladder matches still excite in some way or another. They are also some of the most re-watchable matches.

Texas Death

While the Last Man Standing match is more known to mainstream fans, it actually evolved from the fascinating (and scary) Texas Death match. Brutal, barbaric and rare!

Submission

The submission match is basically an I Quit match. But is it? I Quit matches regularly involve various shenanigans, irrelevant storyline elements and that annoying microphone! Submission matches have a more physical and heated psychology to them, making them more fun to watch.

Mask vs. …

Any match which involves the wager of a wrestler’s mask is always going to get me to watch. I recommend reading my retrospective on AAA When Worlds Collide and how the Mask vs. Hair Tag Team match stands on a high pedestal. Emotional, career-changing and historic, Mask vs. … matches are in a league of their own.

2 Out of 3 Falls

They used to be the norm. When the public’s attention span shrank, all matches became one fall to a finish. Much like Mask vs. … matches, 2 out of 3 falls are rollercoasters of emotion, drama and psychology. That’s what I love the most. The past influencing the future. It’s such a simple stipulation, but it adds so many layers to a contest.

Chad Gelfand’s Favorite Wrestling Match Stipulations

Ladder

I have this ranked over TLC because it’s the original ladder match stipulation, and while TLC may be more exciting, regular ladder matches have had the better stories told in them. My favorite is Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels at No Mercy 2008.

TLC

If there’s one match that’s guaranteed to be exciting, it’s TLC. How can it not be when there’s tables, ladders and chairs involved? The standard-bearer for these matches is still TLC II at WrestleMania X-7.

Hell in a Cell

This used to be my favorite match stipulation, but when it became a regular PPV, the stipulation lost a lot of luster. Hell in the Cell matches should only occur when a feud calls for it, not just shoehorned in because that’s the next PPV. There have been many fantastic Hell in the Cell matches with my favorite being Edge vs. The Undertaker at SummerSlam 2008.

I Quit

This is a fun match because it usually culminates a long feud. What lengths will both competitors go to make their opponent say “I Quit.” The Rock and Mankind at the 1999 Royal Rumble is one of my favorites, but also a match that should never be duplicated again due to the excessive chair shots to Mankind’s head.

Elimination Chamber

When this match first came into existence at Survivor Series 2002, it seemed like the most dangerous match in WWE. The grate outside the ring looked devastating to land on, the glass pods sliced up competitors. Even with the recent renovations to the Chamber, we still have gotten classic moments such as Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan’s epic showdown at the 2019 PPV.

Jack Goodwillie’s Favorite Wrestling Match Stipulations

I Quit

There was a time where maybe something like the Elimination Chamber would top my favorite match stipulation, but overexposure killed the cat, as they say. Or was it curiosity? Either way, we only really get one I Quit match per year and it’s an excellent way to blow off a feud. The nature of the match – being the one to make your opponent say “I Quit” into a microphone for the world to hear – makes for about a thousand ways to reach a conclusion. Because of that, it keeps you on your toes as a fan, as you’re never really quite sure how it’s going to go down. My favorite I Quit match is probably The Rock vs. Mankind (1999) or John Cena vs. JBL (2005), and with hindsight being 20-20, this is one stipulation that would have been perfect for Edge and Randy Orton and would have cooled the negative reaction and “gay porn” stereotypes (shoutout Howard Stern). Two guys fighting for 40 minutes and refusing to shoulder the embarrassment of saying I Quit is MUCH more effective than two guys repeatedly kicking out at two.

First Blood

The rest of my stipulations aren’t necessarily in order, but the First Blood match is a lost art. This match type sort of went away with blading, but like the I Quit match, there’s so many creative ways to do the finish. Take Austin vs. Kane for example. Undertaker comes in looking to head hunt Kane with a chair, cracks Austin instead, and the referee seeing Austin on the floor busted open like a stuck pig awards Kane with his first WWE Championship. You could also go the traditional route, or better yet have a babyface beat a heel so bad that the heel’s blood actually coats the face’s own…well, face. The referee, getting a look at the babyface first, awards the heel with the screwjob victory. Any stipulation where there’s space for creative booking will always be a favorite of mine.

Iron Man/Best-of-Seven Series

Once again, a great way to blow off a feud, and once again a match that allows for several creative ways to go with a finish. I’ve seen it done well in the 30- and 60-minute variants, but I doubt people have the patience anymore for a 60-minute match…wait! You’re saying the Okada-Omega time limit draw got SEVEN stars?

I jest, but I love open-ended drawn out matches like this where there’s so many ways the guys and gals can go with it. You can have two wrestlers trade falls back and forth or have one wrestler pull off a dramatic comeback. You can also have one wrestler sacrifice a fall by getting himself disqualified, only to pick up two or three more falls for himself because of how badly he maimed his opponent. People are always going to point to the Bret Hart-Shawn Michaels match at XII as one of the greatest Iron Man matches of all time, and it is, but one I feel doesn’t get talked about enough is Triple H vs. Chris Benoit from Raw in 2005. Those guys just beat the piss out of each other 60 minutes and was fun to watch even with commercial breaks included. I also included the best-of-seven series here because it doesn’t necessarily fit under a singular match stipulation but is absolutely underutilized in 2020.

Ultimate X

The ultimate (pun-intended) match for the high-flying wrestler. The unique set of rules in play allowed for wrestlers to strategize differently based on how many people were in the match, thus making for better psychology in most cases. However, the rules can get confusing as there are so many variants of it. It’s been done with three wrestlers, four wrestlers, six-man tag, three-way tag, six-man every man for himself, five-man every man for himself and in one case up to 10 wrestlers in a single match. Then there’s Elevation X, but that might just be its own stipulation. This was one of the two signature matches to come from TNA, and gave way to several star-making performances from X-Division stars like Christopher Daniels, who beat AJ Styles, Ron “The Truth” Killings and Elix Skipper to win his first X-Division Championship at Destination X 2005 in one of the more memorable matches of its kind.

Traditional Survivor Series Elimination

This one is pretty simple. Take two captains who have a personal issue, or some greater stakes to vie for, take three or four more of the baddest dudes on the roster and add them to each team, and let them duke it out to see whose team is the greater force of nature. The elimination component makes this match very open-ended from a booking standpoint. Thanks to WWE over the years, these matches are synonymous with Thanksgiving weekend. You’ve got football to look forward to on Turkey Day of course, but in the back of your mind, maybe you’ll catch yourself thinking, “I wonder which team is going to gain control of Raw on Sunday'” or “I wonder which up and comer is gonna have the star-making performance?” The standard has been lowered in recent times, but that doesn’t hurt the match type. Overexposure would, but knowing you’ll only see this match in late November makes it sort of timeless.