The History of Ironman Matches in Professional Wrestling

Hey guys,

WWE Bragging Rights is only 2 weeks away

and now, we take a look @ the history of the Ironman Matches

The Rules were simple:

Score as many decisions in that time as possible. The wrestler who has the most decisions at the end of the match is then the winner. A Decision is a Pin Fall, Submission, Count Out or a Disqualification.

Should the match result in a tie, sudden death overtime may be requested by either wrestler as a plot device, and it is accepted or rejected by either an opponent or an authority figure.

There were 11 Ironman Matches

and it has only happend in WCW, WWE and TNA

Only 2 men have been in more Inroman Matches than anyone else:

Kurt Angle & AJ Styles-They've competed in 3 of them

and only 4 men have been in 2 Ironman Matches-Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Rick Rude & Daniels

The rest of them have only been in 1

In the WCW Days, there were only 2 Ironman Matches and only 1 man has been in those 2 matches:

The Late "Ravishing" Rick Rude

It happend @ Beach Blast

In 1992, he fought Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, but lost to Steamboat with a score of 4-3

In 1993, he and Dustin Rhodes fought to a draw for the vacant U.S. Heavyweight Title with a score of 1-1

In the WWE Days, there have been 5 Ironman Matches:

The 1st one, was @ Wrestlemania XII when Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart fought for 60 Minutes, but as a result, Gorilla Monsoon decided to make it Sudden Death and @ the end, it was Shawn Michaels who def. Bret Hart and won the match and the WWE Heavyweight Title for the very 1st time @ the age of 30

The 2nd one was Triple H vs. The Rock @ Judgment Day 2000 and that was when Triple H won the WWE Heavyweight Championship back from The Rock for a 4th time with a score of 6-5 when The Undertaker got The Rock DQ'd for outside interference

The 3rd one was on SD! the week before RAW's UNFORGIVEN 2003 and it also for the WWE Heavyweight Championship when Kurt Angle & Brock Lesnar squared off for the 3rd time under 60-Minute Ironman Rules and on that night, Brock Lesnar regained the WWE Heavyweight Championship for a 3rd time with a score of 5-4 and it was the last time we saw the WWE Heavyweight Title changed hands on SD!

The 4th one was on RAW on 7/26/04 for the Big Gold World Heavyweight Championship and on that night, Chris Benoit def. Triple H to retain the World Heavyweight Championship with a score of 4-3

The 5th one was on the RAW Homecoming on USA 10/3/05 and it was Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle when they fought to a 30 Minute Draw with a score of 2-2 and when they wanted to go under Sudden Death Rules, Kurt Angle refuesd to fight under Sudden Death Rules and so, the match was declared a draw

and in TNA, there have been 4 thus far:

The 1st one was on the NWA-TNA PPV when AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn fought to a 10 Minute Draw with No Sudden Death with a score of 3-3

@ the very 1st Against All Odds in 2005 by order of NWA Director of Authority Dusty Rhodes, AJ Styles and Daniels fought to a 30 Minute Draw, but then, they went under Sudden Death and as a result, Styles def. Daniels with the Styles Clash to win the match and retain the NWA-TNA X-Division Title

@ the very 1st Bound For Glory PPV in 2005 by order of Championship Committee Member Larry Zbyszko, Styles & Daniels fought again to a 30 Minute Ironman Rematch, only this time, Styles def. Daniels with a score of 1-0

and @ the 3rd Final Resolution back in January of 2007, Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe squared off for the 3rd time under Ironman Rules in which the winner would get a shot @ the NWA World Heavyweight Championship @ Against All Odds 2007, but @ the end, it was Kurt Angle who def. Samoa Joe with a score of 3-2

and 2 weeks from tonight, John Cena and Randy Orton will Square Off 1 last time under Iromman Rules and if Cena wins, he gets the WWE Heavyweight Title, but if Cena loses, then he must leave RAW

and that's your look @ the history of the Ironman Matches in Professional Wrestling