Terrible gimmick, great match

[NintendoLogic]

The Hansen/Colon bullrope match got me thinking about matches that are awesome despite featuring a gimmick that tends to inhibit match quality. Other than the aforementioned, the best example I can think of is the Texas death match between Terry Gordy and Killer Khan? What others?

[Dylan Waco]

What is inhibiting about Texas Death stip? LMS is basically extension of Texas Death stip and is probably the single gimmick match most likely to result in quality match.

[soup23]

I wouldn't call it a great match per say but Cornette vs. Heyman from GAB 89 is about the best possible match they could have had together given the gimmick and abilities of the competitors.

[Dylan Waco]

Fire Match is a gimmick with obvious limitations. Colon v. Ayala was as good a fire match as you could possibly have.

 

Coal Miner's Glove is a match that can present problems. Not sure it is innately inhibiting, but there are easy ways to badly botch it. Hennig v. Assassin had a really good one in Portland especially when you consider how short the pole they were using was.

 

Scaffold Match is usually dreaded. Greene/Jarrett is a good one as is Ware/Dundee (really good one). Chicky Starr v. Invader 3 is a great one.

[JerryvonKramer]

Isn't a bullrope match basically a strap match / Russian chain match with a cowbell in the middle of the rope? There are loads of good matches with that stip.

 

I feel like any variant of the "on a pole" match (including the aforementioned Coal Miner's Glove) tends to feel anti-climactic. I can think of many examples of bad ones.

[Dylan Waco]

Bullrope is one of many "touch the four corners" matches. What you often see in those matches is some fun stuff, some violent spots, et. but an incomplete match because most guys aren't clever enough to come up with interesting ways to make the "touch the four corners" gimmick look good. I can think of plenty of matches like that with decent enough bodies and weak/boring finishes that don't fit the rest of the match. What is unique about Colon/Hansen is that they work with the gimmick to the point where it adds to the match.

[JerryvonKramer]

There are others though: Sting/Vader most obviously, Piper/Valentine (pinfall finish?), Hansen/Luger (Starrcade 90, been a while, but wasn't bad), errr ... Austin vs. Savio Vega. Rock vs. HHH even?

 

I mean sure there are plenty of bad ones too, but I don't think it's awful as match gimmicks go and it can be done right on occasion. Guys like Wahoo and Ivan Koloff must have some good strap matches somewhere too.

[Dylan Waco]

I'm not saying it's uniformly bad gimmick. I'm saying it's a gimmick that many guys struggle with, particularly in finding good ways to integrate the "four corner" stip into the match in a way that adds to it.

[Loss]

What is inhibiting about Texas Death stip? LMS is basically extension of Texas Death stip and is probably the single gimmick match most likely to result in quality match.

The problem with Texas Death Matches for me has always been that the pinfalls come too easy.

[Grimmas]

The Iron Man match often produces shitty matches, however the Steamboat-Rude one is one amazing match!

[khawk20]

What is inhibiting about Texas Death stip? LMS is basically extension of Texas Death stip and is probably the single gimmick match most likely to result in quality match.

The problem with Texas Death Matches for me has always been that the pinfalls come too easy.

 

Good point.

 

If someone scores the first pin at, say, the ten-minute mark, instead of the 2 minute mark, the match would proably fall into place so much easier.

[Jimmy Redman]

I feel like any variant of the "on a pole" match (including the aforementioned Coal Miner's Glove) tends to feel anti-climactic. I can think of many examples of bad ones.

Tyson Kidd vs Yoshi Tatsu from NXT 2011 was a good pole match. Possibly the only one.

[Tim Evans]

What about the Dutch Mantel/Jeff Jarrett match that took place in a orchestra pit? I don't know if I would call it a great match but it was good.

[Chess Knight]

What is inhibiting about Texas Death stip? LMS is basically extension of Texas Death stip and is probably the single gimmick match most likely to result in quality match.

The problem with Texas Death Matches for me has always been that the pinfalls come too easy.

 

I always take that as the wrestler not bothering to kick out because the match still continues after that and it isn't a loss. From a kayfabe point they're probably fully able to kick out.

[Phil Schneider]

I feel like any variant of the "on a pole" match (including the aforementioned Coal Miner's Glove) tends to feel anti-climactic. I can think of many examples of bad ones.

Tyson Kidd vs Yoshi Tatsu from NXT 2011 was a good pole match. Possibly the only one.

 

Jeff Jarrett v. Billy Joe Travis Guitar on a pole was really good

[Death From Above]

Falls Count Anywhere often breaks down into "walking around in a headlock with people around you" for long stretches, but now and again it works.

[Jimmy Redman]

Chairs matches are usually tough.

 

I thought Sheamus/Show from December was good, and the Cena/Barrett one was good too in a stuntfest kind of way.

[ohtani's jacket]

Has there ever been a great Battle Royal? (Rumbles aside.)

[Dylan Waco]

Has there ever been a great Battle Royal? (Rumbles aside.)

There was an early 06 Battle Royal on SD to crown a champion that was really, really good

[Jimmy Redman]

Yeah that is probably the best example.

 

I seem to remember the Battle Royal Santino won to get into the Elimination Chamber last year being pretty good. Was that the one with I think Primo and Drew going to town?

[Johnny Sorrow]

I don't know about how "great" it is, but I have a soft spot for the Mania 2 battle royal with the football players. And the battle royal from 84 at MSG that Inoki won is a pleasant childhood memory. Ron Shaw, motherfuckas.

[Chess Knight]

The battle royal which Lawler won in 2011 was really good. It had like six people but yeah.

[khawk20]

Has there ever been a great Battle Royal? (Rumbles aside.)

The AWA had some really fun ones in the early 80's. Everyone used to be in the ring for about 15 minutes before the first elimination happened. and you would get some spots during that time frame. I enjoyed most of them as whole matches.

[khawk20]

I always take that as the wrestler not bothering to kick out because the match still continues after that and it isn't a loss. From a kayfabe point they're probably fully able to kick out.

I can get behind this but from the same kayfabe perspective, it's like a gimmick match where pinfalls don't count but the guys start covering each other later in the match anyways due to exhaustion/punishment. It's automatic, as is the kick-out attempt.

 

In theory, they wouldn't be able to stop themselves from kicking out, so it looks funny when they don't so early on.

[Matt D]

Is there any advantage at all to a Texas Death Match over a Last Man Standing match?