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WWE’s weekly in-ring action on Raw, SmackDown and NXT usually revolves around one-on-one matches and tag team matches.
However, every once in a while, Superstars will compete in specialty matches, such as Tables matches or Ladder matches, as well as the annual Royal Rumble and WrestleMania Battle Royal.
When pay-per-views take place, certain events are based around a specific type of match (Elimination Chamber, Money In The Bank, TLC etc), while larger shows like WrestleMania often include high-profile gimmick matches (e.g. The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon in Hell In A Cell).
Throughout the years, the aforementioned match types have successfully become a regular part of WWE programming. Other match ideas, meanwhile, have not stuck around as long or, even worse, they did not even get a chance to appear on television.
In this article, let’s take a look at three unique WWE gimmick matches that made it to TV and two ideas for match concepts that were rejected.
Honourable mention: WarGames
Following the demise of WCW, it was often speculated whether WWE would begin using the WarGames concept on its programming. Other WCW names and ideas, such as Great American Bash and Starrcade, have since been used by the company, so it did not seem too far-fetched that Vince McMahon could approve the use of the steel structure at a WWE PPV.
Speaking to Wrestling Inc. in 2017, former WWE writer Court Bauer revealed that McMahon always used to reject the idea of WarGames and he had no intention of ever introducing it.
“We had some good brawlers and I thought well we could build to something with this. We were just talking out loud and [Vince McMahon] turned down WarGames, he always does and always will.”
The reason why, presumably, is that WWE has its own variations of matches inside a steel structure (Hell In A Cell and Elimination Chamber), so there was no need to introduce another similar match type.
Of course, since Bauer’s comments, Triple H has brought back the WarGames concept in NXT, so this could technically belong in both of our 'Rejected' and 'Made it to TV' categories.
#5 Made it to TV: Kennel from Hell
One of the biggest matches of Al Snow’s WWE career came at Unforgiven 1999 when he faced Big Boss Man in a Kennel from Hell match for the Hardcore Championship.
The storyline revolved around Boss Man stealing Snow’s dog Pepper and then feeding the animal to his rival without his knowledge. Naturally, there was only one logical way that the two men could settle this feud: inside a steel cage, placed inside a Hell In A Cell, with dogs surrounding the ringside area.
This was essentially a glorified steel cage match, as rules stated that the first person who escaped the cage and the cell would be declared the winner.
Sadly, the match was overshadowed by the dogs, who were supposed to act viciously towards the Superstars but ended up relieving themselves all over ringside.
Snow, the winner of the match, later told Wrestle Zone that the unique encounter was doomed due to the involvement of animals.
"You definitely do not work with animals unless they are highly trained animals. You literally have a situation where you make the entire story about the animals. Then you bring in animals that aren’t trained at all and then you wonder why it didn’t succeed."
#4 Rejected idea: Tanning Bed match
Sheamus is no stranger to being made fun of by the WWE Universe. In 2015 alone, the Irishman had to put up with chants of “You look stupid!” from fans after he showed off his new mohawk hairstyle, while he was also on the receiving end of shouts of “Tater tots! Tater tots!” following an insult from Roman Reigns.
The former World Champion has even poked fun at himself -- his pale skin, specifically -- by taking part in a commercial with Ric Flair which required him to receive a new look under a tanning bed.
Speaking on X-Pac’s 12360 podcast in 2017, former WWE Superstar John Morrison revealed that he often pitched unique match ideas, including a Tanning Bed match against Sheamus, but Vince McMahon rejected them.
“I pitched the tanning bed idea to Vince and he laughed at it. I don’t know if he even thought I was serious. ‘Ha ha ha Sheamus is pale ha.’ I wanted him [Sheamus] to come out looking like Brother Love covered in that red stuff.”
Sadly, this bizarre gimmick match never happened, and Morrison went on to mention that his WWE exit was partly due to people not listening to his ideas.
#3 Made it to TV: Kendo stick-on-a-pole
WWE’s women’s divisions revolved around Raw Women’s Champion Bayley and SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss in the first few months of 2017, so it was only natural that the company booked a rivalry between the two women following Bliss’ move to Raw in the Superstar Shake-Up.
Bayley had just defeated Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax at WrestleMania 33 to retain her Raw Women’s Championship, while Bliss lost her SmackDown Women’s Championship to Naomi at the same event in a Six-Pack Challenge match.
Given that “The Hugger” had momentum at the time, it was a surprise when she lost her title against “Little Miss Bliss” in her hometown of San Jose, California at the Payback pay-per-view in April 2017.
Then, following a much-criticised ‘This Is Your Life’ segment the following month on Raw, Bliss defeated Bayley in a Kendo stick-on-a-pole match at Extreme Rules to retain Raw’s top female title.
The match lasted just 5 minutes and 10 seconds, making it the shortest on the show, and Bayley’s promise to unleash her inner Tommy Dreamer and Sandman at Extreme Rules never came to fruition.
In the end, in a strange way, this peculiar match type was a fitting end to what turned out to be one of the most underwhelming feuds of 2017.
#2 Rejected idea: Porta Potty match
In 2018, Braun Strowman sent a unique message to long-term rival Kevin Owens by locking him inside a porta-potty before throwing him off the side of the Raw stage.
Several years earlier, John Morrison wanted to go one step further than Strowman by taking part in a never-before-seen match against his former tag team partner, The Miz, with the loser being knocked over whilst being inside a porta potty.
“I wanted to have a Porta Potty match with The Miz. To win you have to close someone in the Porta Potty and knock it over. I pitched these. I pitched all these ideas.”
The former allies first faced off in a high-profile PPV match at Bragging Rights 2009, with The Miz defeating Morrison, and both men went on to feature in matches for the World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena in 2011.
Morrison’s Tanning Bed match idea sounded interesting, but would people really have wanted to see him face The Miz in a porta potty match? As we’ve learned throughout this article, some crazy gimmick matches have made it to TV throughout the years. Thankfully, this one did not!
#1 Made it to TV: Brawl For All
The 1998 Brawl For All competition is widely viewed as one of the worst match concepts in WWE history.
On the same shows that featured WWE matches with pre-determined outcomes, Vince McMahon allowed his own Superstars to combine wrestling and boxing by facing each other in legitimate fights.
The 16-man tournament featured an early surprise when the favourite to win the whole thing, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, was knocked out by eventual winner Bart Gunn, who defeated Bradshaw in the final.
The conclusion to the Brawl For All came at WrestleMania XV, where professional fighter Eric “Butterbean” Esch knocked out Bart Gunn in 35 seconds. This, needless to say, was not a good advert for the real-life toughness of WWE Superstars, and the tournament was soon forgotten about.
When you consider that Steve Williams, The Godfather, Steve Blackman, Road Warrior Hawk, Savio Vega and Brakkus all suffered injuries competing in the tournament, it is no wonder there has never been a Brawl For All II!
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