”The following match is scheduled for one fall.....” doesn’t really excite you every time , does it? That’s why there are matches with unique and exciting stipulations to keep you on the edge of your seat. Matches like these were made especially for WWE Pay Per Views. However, matches like Hell in a Cell, Steel Cage and even Casket Match have happened on the weekly episodes.
Everybody loves watching matches with unique stipulations. These slobber-knockers can only feature in PPV. With the Asylum Match at Extreme Rules coming up, check out these special matches that were made for PPVs.
#1 Money in the Bank
Ladder match rules apply. There’s just one difference, instead of the title, a briefcase is hung. The winner of the match can “cash in” his briefcase at any moment, at any show for a shot at the title. The first Money in the Bank match took place at WrestleMania 21, in 2005.
Apparently, the match was the brainchild of Chris Jericho, who pitched it to Eric Bishcoff. the participants of the first ever MITB match were – Chris Jericho, Christian, Chris Benoit, Edge, Kane, and Shelton Benjamin. Edge climbed the ladder and grabbed and briefcase.
The next MITB was held at the next WrestleMania after series of qualifying matches on both RAW and SmackDown. This time. Rob Van Dam emerged victorious. The next MITB match, which was held at WrestleMania 23 in continuance with the tradition, saw participation from the ECW brand as well. Mr. Kennedy clinched the contract this time.
This tradition continued until 2010, which saw three MITB matches, one at WrestleMania XXVI and two, the very first Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View,
Since then, MITB matches have been held at it’s namesake PPV.
#2 Three Stages of Hell
The aptly named matches consist of three falls. Three dangerous falls. It is a radical version of the two-out of three falls stipulation. It is only held between wrestlers who have had the most intense and personal feuds. The very first Three Stages of Hell match was held between Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin was run over by car driven by Rikishi and it turned out that it was orchestrated by Triple H. Austin retaliated by dropping a car Triple H was in from 20 feet in air with a forklift.
The two clashed at No Way Out 2001, where Triple H won the match after winning the second(after hitting Austin in the head with his favourite weapon and delivering the Pedigree and third(after the Rattlesnake and the Game hit each other with a barbed wire 2x4 and a sledgehammer respectively and HHH fell on Austin and won by pinfall) falls .
The next Three Stages of Hells match was held between Triple H and Shawn Michaels who had one of most intense, violent and bloody feuds in wrestling history. Following Shawn Michaels’ return, Triple H and Shawn Michaels reformed D-X and Triple H immediately turned heel and pedigreed Shawn Michaels right in the middle of the ring just after they did the “suck it” routine.
After an Unsanctioned Street Fight and a match at Survivor Series, the two clashed in a brutal Three Stages of Hell match. Triple H finally managed to get the better off Shawn Michaels after failing the previous two times. The next one was between Triple H and Randy Orton, after the latter started targeting Triple H’s family. Orton won this Three Stages of Hell Match.
The latest one was between John Cena and Ryback. Any guesses as to who won it?
#3 Punjabi Prison Match
A lot of people think this was a really bad idea. I, personally think if you put the right wrestlers in there, you’d get on heck of a match. There are two enclosures made of bamboo, as opposed to steel in this match. The outer one is 20ft high and the inner one is four feet high. To win, a wrestler has to get out of both enclosures and have both feet touch the ground. The inner cage has four doors which can be opened only once each a wrestlers request for only 60 seconds, after which they cannot be used to escape. The first Punjabi Prison match was to be held between The Great Khali and The Undertaker. But The Big Show replaced Khali as he wasn’t fit to compete. Undertaker won this match after Big Show inadvertently threw The Undertaker through the outer cage and both of the latter’s feet touched the ground. The second Punjabi Prison match was held between Batista and The Great Khali in which in The Animal defeated Khali.
#4 Elimination Chamber
Another dastardly match type. The Elimination Chamber features a steel chain linked structure, with four enclosures at the four corners. Involving, 6 wrestlers, two begin fighting while one wrestler in released every 5 minutes. The idea is to be the last surviving wrestler.
The very first Elimination Chamber match took place at Survivor Series, 2002 and included Triple H, Kane, Booker T, Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam, and Shawn Michaels. In the end, the Heart Break Kid pinned the Triple H to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Since then there have been fifteen Elimination Chamber matches, each as brutal, if not more, as the previous.
The last Elimination Chamber match took place at it’s namesake PPV, which saw CM. Punk, John Morrison, King Sheamus, Randy Orton, R-Truth and John Cena battle it out. Again, no points for guessing who won this match.
#5 Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is one of the biggest matches of the year and this match too takes place on it’s namesake PPV. The rules are simple, there is only one way to eliminate your opponent, by tossing him over the top rope and making sure that both his feet touch the ground. A wrestler enters the ring every 90 seconds and the last man standing after all other opponents have been eliminated is adjudged as the winner and generally goes on to main-event the biggest PPV of the year – WrestleMania.
The very first WrestleMania took place way back in 1988, which was won by Hacksaw Jim Duggan, which had 20 participants. Triple H won the last Royal Rumble. In the 2011 Royal Rumble, 40 wrestlers competed, the highest ever in WWE history, in which Alberto Del Rio emerged victorious.
Fun Fact – Stone Cold Steve Austin still holds the record of having won the most number of Royal Rumbles at 3 (1997, 1998, and 2001) Not so fun fact – The Rock’s cousin holds the record of most number of eliminations in a single match at 12, breaking the Big Red Machine’s record of 11 eliminations from Royal Rumble 2001.
But hey, Kane still holds the record of most number of cumulative eliminations at 44.
