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The Iron Man Match remains one of the rarest match-types in WWE. In the history of the company, there have only been 12 bouts all-told, and have featured some of the greatest matchups in the history of the company.
It is a gruelling sort of bout, where the wrestlers have to continue wrestling until the timer runs out. At the end of the assigned time, the wrestler with the most pinfalls, submissions, or victories of any other nature to his or her name, wins the match.
The bout usually takes place between two capable competitors who hate each other and want to end their feud conclusively.
So, when WWE announced that at Extreme Rules, Seth Rollins would have one more opportunity to regain his Intercontinental Championship, in a 30-Minute Iron Man Match with Dolph Ziggler, the fans were naturally excited.
Both Ziggler and Rollins are known for being workhorses, with Rollins even holding the record for being the longest performance in a match, which he secured earlier this year in the Raw Gauntlet Match.
With Extreme Rules and the Intercontinental Championship Iron Man Match hours away, here are five of the best Iron Man Matches in WWE history.
Without any further ado, let's get into it.
#5 Triple H vs The Rock (Judgement Day)
The Rock is perhaps the most successful and well-known WWE Superstar of all time. Back in 2000, after Vince McMahon betrayed him, The Rock took it upon himself to go after the McMahon-Helmsley Faction.
At the time, Triple H was the WWE (then the WWF) Champion. The Rock was able to win the title from him at BackLash and then defended it in the following pay-per-view successfully.
The People's Champion found himself confronted by an even tougher challenge when Triple H brought back the 60-Minute Iron Man Match for the Judgement Day pay-per-view.
The bout was an exciting one, with both men picking up numerous falls and match being tied late on at 5-5. Add to that the fact that Shawn Michaels was the referee, and it remains one of the best matches of the Attitude Era.
You can watch clips from the match here:
The reason the bout is not higher on the list is how it came to an end.
A returning Undertaker came out to stop the interference from Road Dogg and X-Pac. He then went on to hit Triple H with the Chokeslam followed by a Tombstone Piledriver. Unfortunately for the Rock, this meant that he was disqualified, and Triple H picked up the last fall by disqualification, winning the Championship.
#4 Sasha Banks vs Bayley (NXT Takeover: Respect)
The feud between Sasha Banks and Bayley on the main roster has been one of the most long drawn out feuds with little to no pay-off. The two may be set to face each other at SummerSlam, but it is too little too late. The fans are tired of their never-ending argument and have stopped caring.
The feud between the two when they were in NXT was something else altogether. Bayley had defeated Banks at Takeover: Brooklyn to win the NXT Women's Championship. Two months later, they finally faced each other again at Takeover: Respect. The bout was the first-ever Iron Woman Match, and the two NXT women did it more than justice.
Banks had the advantage throughout, picking up two falls, but the Women's Champion kept on trying to work her way back into the fray. Bayley picked up the win when she was able to lock Sasha Banks into a modified armbar by countering a Banks Statement.
You can see the ending moments of the bout here:
The 30-Minute Iron Woman Match came to an end within seconds of Banks tapping out, handing Bayley the win and the Championship.
What made the moment even better was the women hugged it out after the bout as a sign of respect.
#3 Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit (BackLash)
Chris Benoit has become an unspeakable name in professional wrestling due to his actions in the last moment of his life. His actions at that moment have marred his wrestling legacy forever.
If that can be put aside, however, then his in-ring ability still made him one of the best performers in WWE back in the early 2000's.
Put him together with Kurt Angle, and the result was guaranteed to be tremendous.
The two faced each other in a 'Submission only' 30-Minute Iron Man Match. Benoit looked the obvious favourite to win it when he picked up the lead. At one point in the match, he was leading 3-1. Kurt Angle came back strong and picked up two submissions with his famous Ankle Lock.
You can see Angle face another great Attitude Era personality, Stone Cold Steve Austin here:
The match went into sudden death. The fans did not have to wait too long for a conclusion though, as soon after Benoit locked in the Crippler Crossface and picked up the winning submission.
#2 Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart (WrestleMania XII)
One of the matches for which the Iron Man Match became famous, this bout remains in WWE Legend. Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart always had the most heated rivalry and heading into this bout there was a lot of anger and hate from both sides.
The match is now called slow and safe by many fans, but at that time it was unbelievable for what the stars put their bodies through for a full 60 minutes.
The entire match went without a single fall, a decision which may seem crazy, but was a bold one. It appeared as if the bout would end in a draw, but it was announced that it would continue until either of the stars picked up the win.
You can see the final moments of the match here:
Soon after, Michaels did the unthinkable and picked up the win by hitting Hart with a Superkick. The following scene is another one in WWE legend, with Michaels' celebrating his 'Boyhood Dream' coming true.
#1 Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar (SmackDown)
A match which is considered to be one of the greatest of all time, Angle and Brock Lesnar's Iron Man Match on SmackDown remains the best such bout of all time.
New fans of WWE who have only seen him as the General Manager of Raw, and are not aware of Kurt Angle's in-ring career will not be able to comprehend the level at which Angle wrestled back in the day.
His in-ring abilities were beyond par, and when confronted by a fresh young Lesnar, he put on a show no one can forget.
The storytelling in this bout made it all the more compelling. The two faced each other for the full 60 minutes.
Lesnar had taken an early lead after sacrificing a fall by hitting Angle with a chair. But he then picked up back to back falls making up for it.
You can also watch the two face each other at WrestleMania here:
In the final moments of the match, Lesnar was leading by one fall, at 5-4. Angle locked in the Ankle Lock and wrenched away till it looked like Lesnar's foot would come off in his hands. But, Lesnar did not tap.
In the heartbreaking finish, Lesnar picked up the win along with the WWE Championship.
Will the Ironman match between Rollins and Ziggler live up to these classics? Sound off your opinions in the comments section below!
