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This is a list of match types seen in professional wrestling.
Variations of singles matches
One Fall
The standard wrestling match. All normal rules apply.
No Disqualification Match Normal rules apply other than there are no disqualifications.
Best Two [out] of Three falls To win you must score two falls on your opponent before he can score two on you. Sometimes each of the falls is fought under different stipulations (called Three Stages of Hell), such as one pinfall, one submissions only fall and one no disqualification fall. This type of match is almost always booked to go to the third fall.
Submission Match The first man to make his opponent submit wins.
Falls Count Anywhere Match This match has pinfalls anywhere in the arena. Otherwise, normal rules apply.
Iron Man Match This match is a contest with a fixed time limit, usually sixty minutes (or one hour), and the wrestler with the most amount of pinfalls, submissions, opponent disqualifications, and opponent count-outs is the winner.
Death-Do-Us-Part Match
A match where the winner will marry the bride.
Ultimate Submission Match This match is a variation of an Iron Man Match. The variation is that the wrestler with the most submissions at the end of the match is the winner.
Handicap Match This match usually pits one individual against a team of two wrestlers. In most such matches, the team competes under normal tag team rules. Occasionally, a handicap match will involve two tag teams that are unequal in numbers (ex. two vs. three) or rarely one man against three. Sometimes in the case of a one-on-two or one-on-three match, elimination rules apply. A variation of this match is called a Tornado Handicap Match in which all of the wrestlers that are in the match are allowed in the ring at the same time.
Steel Cage Match Possibly one of the most famous stipulation matches, this match takes place inside a steel cage, usually about fifteen feet high with an open top. There are two types of cage matches. The traditional cage match, known as a shark cage match, is won by being the first wrestler to escape the cage and have both feet touch the floor. The other variation is basically a one fall match inside a cage. Sometimes a cage match incorporates both escape and pinfalls or submission, permitting either to end the match. There are no disqualifications.
Lumberjack Match A match where the ring is surrounded by a group of "lumberjacks", normally fellow wrestlers. When one participant in the match leaves the ring for any reason, the lumberjacks are supposed to return him to the ring as soon as possible. The lumberjacks are generally a combination of faces and heels, who sometimes fight among themselves outside the ring. Sometimes, as part of a storyline, a face will wrestle a heel with a group of lumberjacks consisting entirely of heels. A variation of this match is called a Canadian Lumberjack Match, in which there are only four wrestlers outside of the ring. Usually a gimmick match.
Street Fight This match cannot end in a disqualification. All other normal rules apply. A variation of this match is called a Southside Scuffle in which two wrestlers fight in a back alley with either sides blocked off by other wrestlers. Another variation of this match is called a Harbor Brawl in which the wrestlers battle near or on a dock. The first wrestler to either win by knockout or throw their opponent in the water is declared the winner.
Hardcore Match This match has no disqualifications, no count-outs and no holds barred. Pinfalls count anywhere. There was also a championship belt denoting the most hardcore person in the WWF/E.
Ladder Match A match between two or more wrestlers where the winner is the one who climbs the ladder and grabs a reward (usually a championship belt). There is also another variation called a Stairway to Hell Match in which there is barbed wire as the reward and the wrestler can use it on his opponent; only way to win is by submission.
Table Match This match has wrestlers against each other with provided tables. First wrestler to put their opponents through a table is declared the winner. There are no disqualifications.
Chairs Match This match has steel chairs as legal weapons. No disqualifications but other rules apply.
Same rules as a ladder match except that tables and chairs are readily available as weapons. Usually this match features tag-teams of wrestlers (but no tag rules apply).
Triple Threat Match See also: Three Way Dance This is a one fall match where three wrestlers fight instead of two. The winner of this match is the first wrestler to get a pin fall or submission. There is usually no disqualfication or count-out. If a championship is on the line, the champion does not have to be pinned or submitted for the title to change hands.
Special Referee Also known as Special Guest Referee is any match in which the usual referee is replaced with a "guest" filling in as the official. Celebrities, managers and other wrestlers can "guest" as the special referee. In some cases, a special referee is put into a match which is already a different match type or stipulation (for example: Hell in a Cell with a Special Referee).
Special Outside Referee Also known as Special Enforcer or Special Guest Enforcer is same as the Special Referee but the guest referee stays on the outside enforcing what the normal referee doesn't see. These guests are sometimes known as "enforcers", the most famous of which was Mike Tyson.
Flag Match Each wrestler has a flag that they must retrieve and one that they must defend. They must get their flag from the opponents' corner before the opponents can get their flag. There is also a tag-team variation of this match.
Hair v. Mask Match A wrestler with hair, usually long hair, wrestles a masked wrestler. The loser is either unmasked or their head is shaved. This usually takes place in Mexico, where it is called Caballera contra Mascara.
Hair v. Hair Match The loser of the match gets his head shaved. In Mexico, this is called Caballera contra Caballera.
Mask v. Mask Match The loser of the match is unmasked. In Mexico, this is called Mascara contra Mascara. In Mexico it is the most important match in a wrestler's career, since almost every wrestler begins their career masked. Only a few of the greatest wrestlers will keep their mask their whole career, such as Mil Mascaras and El Hijo del Santo. In Mexico, once you are unmasked, you may never wear one again.
Triangle Match : A three-way, one-fall tag match wherein one of the competitors must remain outside the ring to await a tag from one of the other combatants before replacing him in the ring. Being tagged out is a serious disadvantage as you cannot win from this position.
Three Way Dance Same as a Triple Threat Match, this time with the loser of a fall being eliminated from competition. The last wrestler remaining is victorious. This match was a specialty of Extreme Championship Wrestling. There is also another variation called a Four Way Dance or Collision Course Royal Rumble in which the match starts out as a typical Battle Royal or Royal Rumble but when there are four wrestlers remaining, a referee gets into the ring and the match turns into a Fatal Four Way Elimination Match.
Fatal Four Way Match Same as a Triple Threat Match, but with four wrestlers in the ring at the same time instead of three. On occasion, this may be booked as an "elimination match" similar to a Three Way Dance.
Hell in a Cell Match This is essentially a one fall match inside a steel cage, which is fully enclosed. Pins or submissions only and can count inside or outside the structure. This cage is larger than a traditional cage in that it also contains the immediate floor around the ring. Even though the main hook in this match is that there's "no possible way to escape the cage", in practice, the action always ends up being taken outside, and it is very common to see wrestlers fighting on top of this steel structure. One of (if not the) most famous such match took place in 1998 in the then-WWF (now WWE) between The Undertaker and Mankind. Another variation, called a Hell in a Cell Ladder Match is when there is a ladder in the ring with the reward hanging at the top of the cell. First wrestler to get the reward wins. See Also: Hell in a Cell.
Scaffold match This match takes place on a scaffold above the ring. The two ways to win the match are to push the opponent off of the scaffold so that he/she hits the mat or to grab the flag from the opponent's home base of the scaffold and return it to their own home base. Some variations include putting weapons or objects into the ring for when the opponent lands, ex. tables. Another variation, called Scaffold Cage Match, is when the wrestlers beat each other until one is knocked off of the scaffold and into the ring. In the ring, you are surrounded by a 15 foot high steel cage and the only way to win is by pinfall.
First Blood Match This match has no disqualifications. The only way to win is to draw blood from the opponent.
Barbwire Match This match has the ropes replaced with barbed-wire. Almost inevitably someone gets thrown against it.
Casket Match
The winner of this match is the first wrestler to put his/her opponent into a closed casket. This match has been a trademark of the WWE wrestler The Undertaker. A number of variants exist, where the object is to place the other wrestler in other closed containers. The Casket is often placed on the ringside, but the other variants might have the container on top of the ramp. The casket may be replaced by other containers, such as a dumpster (in which case the match becomes a Dumpster Match), an ambulance (Ambulance Match), or a hearse (known as a Last Ride Match introduced at No Mercy 2004). See Also: Casket Match.
Buried Alive Match The object is to bury the other wrestler alive in a makeshift grave inside the arena. No other rules apply. In this match type, the wrestler who is buried alive always survives in the storyline. Another variation of this match is a Concrete Crypt Match which had the Undertaker's manager, Paul Bearer buried in concrete.
Battle Royal The winner of this match is the last person in the ring after all other wrestlers have been thrown over the top-rope. In some cases, wrestlers can also be pinned or KO'd. Usually happens with either ten, fifteen or twenty wrestlers and in some cases, the winner gets a chance to face a wrestler for a championship. See also Battle Royal.
Royal Rumble Match Same as a battle royal, except that it starts out with two men featuring a new opponent per timed interval (usually 90 seconds). WWE annually runs a pay-per-view show which features a 30-man Royal Rumble Match as its main event named the Royal Rumble (a WWE trademark).
Gauntlet Match Similar to a Battle Royal, but when only two entrants remain, the match continues as a standard one-fall match.
Another version of this match pits one initial wrestler against another in a normal rules contest. If said wrestler wins, another opponent takes his place until all set opponents are defeated or the initial wrestler loses. Sometimes this match can be in a series (one different opponent per day until all are defeated). This is called Running the Gauntlet or Slobber Knocker, which was done in WCW in the early 90's
Last Man Standing Match A no disqualification, no count-out match with no pinfalls. Whenever a wrestler is knocked down, they must regain their feet within a ten count or they will lose the match.
Death Match Any match that is very brutal and hardcore.
Texas Death Match Cross between a Last Man Standing match and a Hardcore Match. When an opponent is pinned he is administered a ten count. If they are able to answer the count, the match continues.
Bra and Panties Match A match between two (usually) women in which the winner is the first to strip her opponent down to her bra and panties.
Evening Gown Match A match between two women in evening gowns; the winner is the first to remove her opponent's gown. In practice, the end result is usually the same as in a Bra and Panties Match. However, in the Evening Gown Match booked for WrestleMania XX in 2004, all four women in the match stripped to their undergarments before wrestling started; the match then proceeded as a normal tag team match with no further undressing.
Tuxedo Match The chronological predecessor to the evening gown match, and contested between two men in outfits resembling men's formal wear. Most such matches have involved non-wrestling performers (announcers or managers).
The Ultimate X match An X formed with ropes is placed on top of the ring. Similarly to the Ladder match, a championship belt or some other reward is then placed in the center of the X. The winner is the first person to take possession of the object. This match was created for, and is a centerpiece of, the X Division of Total Nonstop Action.
Destroy David Kara match This match has from one to six wrestlers. Each wrestler takes turns to beat up the hated David Kara each in 10 minute rounds. After each wrestler has had a go the judges decide which wrestler has caused the most damage and awards him/her as the winner.
Elimination Chamber Match A six-person elimination match that takes place in a specially constructed round cage, with a metal floor at ring height between the ring apron and the wall of the cage. Two of the six participants start in the ring, while the other four are initially locked up in holding cells within the cage, and are released at intervals of 5 minutes (in the match at the 2002 Survivor Series) or 3 minutes (in the match at SummerSlam 2003). A wrestler who has been eliminated in the usual manner (pin or submission) is forced to leave the cage until one remains. See Also: Elimination Chamber.
War Games Two rings surrounded by an enclosed steel cage with two teams versus each other. One man from each team starts out with another from either team at random entering the cage via a timed interval. The winning team must get a member of another team to submit after all members of each team are in the cage.
(Object) on a Pole Match Similar to a ladder match except the first man to reach the object hanging from a pole in the corner of the ring wins. In this variation, the object is often a contract guaranteeing the winner a championship match.
Alternately the match is fought under one fall rules with the object on the pole considered a legal foreign object. It may be used as a weapon by the wrestler who retrieves it. Some examples of this variation include the Guitar on a Pole Match and the Brass Knuckles on a Pole Match.
"I Quit" Match Similar to a submission match with one exception; you must force your opponent to actually say "I Quit" into a microphone in order for this match to end. See Also: "I Quit" Match.
Texas Bullrope Match Two wrestlers are tied to the opposite ends of a bullrope (usually with a cowbell in the middle). The first man to touch all four turnbuckles consecutively with no offense from the other wins. No disqualifications or count-outs but if either man unties himself from the rope, he is disqualified. Some variations can include a chain or leather strap instead of a bullrope (otherwise called an "Indian Strap Match"). Pinfalls can be permitted depending on the promotion but there's usually no submission. Another variation is a regular strap and fight until one wrestler touches all four corners successfully (called a Strap Match).
Dog Collar Match Same as above but using two dog collars around each wrestler's neck connected to a chain.
Gorilla/Body Slam Match A wrestler must body slam his opponent to win. Pinfalls and submissions count in this match.
Finisher Match
The first wrestler to use his or her finishing move wins. Other falls do not apply. In some variations, the wrestler must use his or her opponent's finishing move to win.
Pin Only You can only pin your opponent to win.
Stretcher Match Strap your opponent to a stretcher to win. Some rules state that you must push your opponent a certain distance or into an ambulance.
Blindfold Match Both competitors wear blindfolds and wrestle. Otherwise normal rules apply.
Retirement Match The loser of this match must retire from professional wrestling, leave the federation or leave the town.
Three Strikes, You're Out! The idea for this match is to get three victorys in a specific order; pinfall, submission and knock out. First wrestler to get all those done, wins. Often done in a Street Fight fashioned match.
Battle of Respect This match has no winners. Two wrestlers wrestle each other for a fixed amount of time without pinfalls or submissions.
Double Tables Match This match has a cage where there is a table hooked to each side of the cage. The only way to win is put your opponent through two tables.
Silver Dollar Match This match has two wrestlers hitting each other with roles of silver dollars until one of the wrestlers can not answer the ten count.
Junkyard Scrap This match takes place in a junkyard. First wrestler to escape the junkyard wins the match.
Total Conquest Match This match has two wrestlers fighting throughout a house until a pinfall is made.
Final Wars Brawl This match has two wrestlers in a steel cage for thirty minutes with other wrestlers entering at a timed interval to help out one of the opponents.
Short Leash Match This match has two wrestlers tied together with a short leash (making the opponents one foot away from each other) and the only way to win is by either submission or knock-out. Another variation is called a Chain Match in which there are No Holds Barred and the wrestlers can only win by submission.
Singapore Cane Match This match has two wrestlers carrying kendo sticks or Singapore canes into the ring and using them as legal weapons. Victory is only by pinfall.
Back to School This match has two wrestlers wrestling throughout a local schoolhouse. There is a hidden reward and first wrestler to find that award is the winner. There are no holds barred, no disqualifications and no pinfalls or submissions.
Parking Lot Brawl This match is a regular match with the exceptions of no disqualification and it takes place in a parking lot. Other variations inclued Boiler Room Brawl in which the match has no disqualifications and takes place in a boiler room. Other variations also included.
Relay Match The match has two (could have more) teams of between 3 or 12 members to a team and before the match there will be a coin toss to see which team switches out first.Every 3 or 5 minutes the teams will switch.The first team to get a pinfall wins. It can also have hardcore rules.
Ambulance Match This match cannot end in a disqualification and it's anything goes. The only way to win is by beating your opponent until he or she is put into the back of an ambulance and will be taken to the hospital.
Last Ride Match Related to the ambulance match, but unlike the ambulance match, a hearse is used instead. The opponent who gets beaten up so severely that there is nothing left for him or her to do, and gets thrown into the back of hearse that will be driven to the funeral home loses the match. As a result, it is also called a Hearse Match.
Tag-team match variations
Tag-Team match A match in which two teams of two wrestlers face each other. Only one wrestler from each team is allowed in the ring at a time, though heels will often break this rule and gang up on a single opponent. The other(s) wait on the apron outside the ropes in a specified corner adjacent to the other team. Offensive cooperation from a team member can happen as long as they are within the referee's count of five and after an official tag. A tag team match involving more than two wrestlers per team is often referred to by the total number of people involved (eg. a six-man tag team match involves two teams of three), while a tag team match involving more than two teams is referred to by normal qualifiers (eg. a triple threat tag team match involves three teams of two).
A wrestler must do the following in order to make a legal tag:
- Both feet of the wrestler on the outside must be flat on the apron.
- The wrestler outside the ring must hold on to the tag rope tied in the corner
- Tags must be done over the top rope.
- Tags are legal as long as the two team members touch.
A referee can be allowed to overlook any of these tag rules at his discretion. All standard match rules apply but the legal man must make a pin or submission on another legal man to win. Only legal men can be counted out but either team can be disqualified regardless if a team member is legal or not.
Elimination Tag-Team Match Same as a tag-team match except that the wrestler suffering the loss of a fall is eliminated from participation. The match continues until all members of one team are eliminated. The WWE uses the term Survivor Series Match to denote a ten-person match held during the yearly Survivor Series pay-per-view.
Intergender Tag-Team Match This is a tag-team match featuring mixed-sex teams. It differs from a Mixed Tag-Team match (see below) in that men and women can be in the ring at the same time.
Mixed Tag-Team Match This type of match also features mixed-sex teams, but differs from an Intergender match in that only wrestlers of the same sex may be in the ring at the same time. For example, if a woman tags her male partner, both women leave the ring and both men enter.
Tornado Tag-Team Match This is a team match where all wrestlers involved are allowed in the ring at the same time. All men are legal so any wrestler is vulnerable to a decision. Usually there is no disqualification or count-out. Despite its name, is not a true tag-team match, as it involves no tagging.
Parejas Incredibles Match In this match the teams are composed of enemies or rivals. It is meant to illustrate the tension between the desire to win and the hatred for one's rival. As the name suggests, these pairs matches are used more frequently in Mexico than anywhere else.
Other match types These can include Hardcore, Battle Royal (if one member of a team is thrown over the top-rope, both members are eliminated), Ladders, Tables (one team wins when a member of another team is forced into and through a table - no tags), Chairs, Tables/Ladders/Chairs, Cage, etc. Just about any match type can be converted to tag-team rules.
Extreme variations
10,000 Thumbtacks Death Match This match has 10,000 thumbtacks placed in the ring. The wrestlers can use the thumbtacks as weapons. Victory by either pinfall, submission or knocking out the opponent. A variation of this match is a cross between a Ladder Match and 10,000 Thumbtacks Match called a Thumbtacks Ladder Match in which a ladder is placed in the ring with a reward at the top. Thumbtacks are also spread out across the ring.
Barbed-Wire Bat 10,000 Thumbtack Match A solid baseball bat with the end wrapped in barb wire hangs off a pole in a corner of the ring as a box filled with 10,000 thumbtacks lays at ringside. The only way to win is to put your opponent in the box of 10,000 Thumbtacks and to make the pin. The bat is just to make the match a little more brutal than it already is.
Barbed-Wire Steel Cage Match A regular steel cage match, with barbed wire lining the cage. The first Barbed-Wire Steel Cage Match in the WWE will be John Bradshaw Layfield vs. The Big Show at No Way Out 2005.
Beds of (Objects) Death Match It is an anything goes match that has beds of thumbtacks, nails, barb wire, glass, and/or lightbulbs. Up to three of these can be involved in the match. These matches usually occur in Deathmatch Title matches or Deathmatches in general.
Inferno Match The ring is surrounded by flames. The object of the match is to set your opponent on fire. The wrestler who is able to burn their opponent is declared the winner. The first Inferno Match in the then-WWF was Undertaker vs Kane at Unforgiven 1998.
Brimstone Match A match where the only way to win is to throw your oppenent in burning hot coals laid on the floor next to the ring.
Explosion Match Usually accompanied with barb wire ropes, a large barb wire wrapped explosion board is placed in the ring laced with a small amount of C-4. The loser is the man that is blown up. In another variation, the match ends with a pin or submission and the explosives serve as weapons.
Rage in a Cage A cage that looks like an oval that is typically used as the arena for the "blowoff match" of a feud. It can be used for a tag team or singles match. In this match, wins are usually by pinfall.
Scramble Cage A cage match with wooden platforms in each of the corners of the cage for use in "high risk" moves.
Thunder Dome This match takes place inside an electrified cage with a top.
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