Gimmick matches in pro-wrestling often occurs to end a long running feud or to show case a major PPV. Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber and TLC matches are speciality matches of the WWE where as the War Games concept was pretty unique to WCW.
Among the current promotions, TNA has the Ultimate X and Elevation X matches, both of which have been hugely popular.
But what about those stipulation filled matches that seem too weird to be true?? Well, here are five of the absolute best (worst).
1. The Alligator Deathmatch
The Deathmatch,as it is, is bad enough – with barbed wire boards, baseball bats and if you are in Japan – C4 explosives and electrified rings.
It is no surprise that the match that added another scary dimension to the normal Deathmatch occurred in the land of rising sun itself – The Alligator Deathmatch. The stipulation is simple – two guys beat the hell out of each other in a Deathmatch and the loser gets to face a real life alligator in the ring!! – Let me emphasise it – an ALLIGATOR!!!
Mitsuhiro Matsunaga lost his Death Match to Shadow W X in Japanese promotion BJW and proceeded to fight against the real life alligator that was brought into the ring. The alligator seemed to be in a good mood and despite Matsunaga lifting its tail and throwing it in a coffin placed in the ring, the reptile refused to fight back, rendering Matsunaga the supposed winner of the Alligator Death Match.
But I guess the viewers were the real losers there!!
2. 445 Light tubes Deathmatch
Another horrifying gem from Japan and BJW – The most recent installment of this match had Abdullah Kobayashi and Yuko Miyamoto battle each other in a ring filled with 445 fluorescent light tubes.
Despite the fact that toxins are released when a fluorescent bulb breaks, the blood-thirsty promotion was overjoyed at the prospect of a match that has easily breakable glasses and the resulting explosions.
The end of the match would invariably see none of the 445 light bulbs intact – thankfully nobody got seriously hurt in the matches. Small wonder!!!
3. King of the Road match
This monstrosity happened once in WCW as far back as 1995. Dustin Rhodes and the Blacktop Bully took on each other on the flat bed of a moving semi-trailer truck with the truck running at a speed of 55 Mph.
The objective was to advance along the flat bed and reach a bullhorn placed on the end of it. The first person to blow the bullhorn wins the match.
It is a wonder that nobody was thrown off the truck and it is weirder how anybody thought that two wrestlers could fight atop a moving vehicle.
4. Football Classic match
As reported in prowrestling.wikia, the Football Classic match has two cages placed at ringside, inside each of which is locked a manager with a weapon. The key for each cage is fastened to a football.
Two teams of wrestlers must try and gain possession of the football and take it over to their manager's cage, use the key to unlock the cage, then use the manager's weapon to attack the other team. To get the ball to the cage, the wrestlers must pass it between themselves and attack any opposing wrestlers who have possession of the ball.
In his autobiography, Mick Foley describes the match as "A fun, fan-inclusive cross between keep away, monkey in the middle, and kill the guy with the ball."
5. Anus explosion match
Yes, this happened and you guessed it – in Japan. In a Japanese promotion called Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling in 1998 at the famous Korakuen Hall, Gannosuke and H faced each other in a match with the stipulation being that you win the match by inserting a fire cracker in to your opponents rectum and have it explode!!!!
No words to describe this one!!!!!
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
