Non-traditional Match Types

[Greg U]

What's your opinion on wrestling matches with unusual rules (sometimes known as "gimmick matches")? I know a lot of people (like Mouth) don't like them, but I do. Even though some of them are considered "too complicated" those were the ones I liked best.

I really liked WCW's Battle Bowl with the Lethal Lottery The random tag teams and the double ring battle royal were great. War Games was pretty awesome too. The same with the Royal Rumble.

I wouldn't want them all the time, but I did like them occasionally to switch things up a bit. I always found them really entertaining.

[Irwin R Schyster]

I love when they are used as special attractions, I remember during the attitude era alot of ECW style matches and at the time it was great seeing them, but after a while they got old.

The Punjabi prison could really never, ever come back and id be happy.

[Reed Benzo]

I love them when they have a purpose and the guys working them know how to use the gimmicks to tell a story. I like annual gimmick matches like CHIKARA's Torneo Cibernetico or TNA's Lockdown.

I don't think WWE should have as many gimmick pay-per-views as they do. Extreme Rules, Money in the Bank, Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber, and TLC, not to mention the Royal Rumble...That's kind of overkill and takes away from the uniqueness of the stipulations.

[yaknow]

One thing I hate now is the use of the term no holds barred to simply mean no disqualification rather than, well, no holds barred.

[Greg U]

Apr 15, 2012 17:30:02 GMT -5 yaknow said:

One thing I hate now is the use of the term no holds barred to simply mean no disqualification rather than, well, no holds barred.

Well, the only way to enforce a hold being barred is to disqualify someone for using it, so in a no disqualification match there are no holds that are barred.

[Gee Hall]

I'm always down for a Battle Royal or a TLC/MitB. Can't do it every show, I do agree with the idea of spreading the gimmicks out. Regardless, I am an easy mark for them.

[dante]

Yeah, it's a love/hate kinda deal. I love stuff like the Rumble and a relevant Cagematch. The problem is, of course, when it gets too silly or completely without build up. And, as yaknow is touching upon, many of the matches are just ways to say No DQ with other words or with a gimmick weapon on top of it.

Extreme rules have a lot of those, and those Cyber Sunday choices. I remember Mysterio and Finlay had a match where the choices where a Stretcher Match, a Shillelagh on a Pole Match or No Disqualification. Come on!

[Chris.charlton]

I loved stupid gimmick matches when I was a kid, totally unironically, and should one appear now, I'm intrigued just for the car crash potential. I think they're promoted with that in mind to be honest. Rule of thumb- if you need a special graphic to explain the rules, and especially if said graphic runs more than one page, you know you're in for a treat.
But, yeah, there's less originality now, really ever since tna went through their phase of doing other gimmicks- But Backwards.
Was messing around on some wrestling mats once and tried to piece together a backwards wrestling match that started with a pin fall and ended with locking up. Didn't work well.
Seen the ppv description for no way out this year? Basically they've gone concept on it where instead of having one cage match or something, every match will have a different gimmick concerned with getting out of things. Kelly Kelly in a 'wrestle out of a wet paper bag' match coming!

[dante]

Yeah, I remember getting into wrestling "full time". I would find these crazy matches. And out of context, some of them where not appealing at all. Some of it awesome, of course, as Undertaker/Mankind HIAC, but even that would probably have been better in a context. I especially remember getting some CZW shows and thinking "this is just stupid". A lot of ECW fans will tell you that even though they where extreme cause it was the thing at the time, they would always build stuff up so that it mattered when it got extreme. (I haven't seen nearly enough to vouch for that, but I could bet a lot on it being way better than CZW.)

[Patrick McFadden]

They're an important part of any card, I think that having one or two gimmick matches per PPV is a plus.