Favorite 'Iron Man'

[Azrael Cain]

Inspired by the 'Favorite HIAC' thread... sort of.

According to my memory (and Wikipedia ), there are only five Iron Man matches that have occurred in the WWE:

I. Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hard (WrestleMania XII)
II. Triple H vs. The Rock (Judgment Day 2000)
III. Brock Lesner vs. Kurt Angle (SmackDown! 2003)
IV: Chris Benoit vs. Triple H (Raw 2004)
V: Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels (Raw: Homecoming 2005)

Two in WCW:

I. Ricky Steamboat vs. Rick Rude (Beach Blast 1992)
II. Dustin Rhodes vs. Rick Rude (Beach Blast 1993)

and four in TNA:

I. AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn (Some TNA PPV)
II. AJ Styles vs. Chris Daniels (Against All Odds)
III. AJ Styles vs. Chris Daniels (Bound for Glory)
IV: Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe (Final Resolution)

Edit: Started off as a limited WWE only thing, but I figured since there aren't that many (only 11 in the entire history of pro-wrestling?! No way!) and older fans may remember the WCW ones, why not include all the Iron Men.

Granted, now, some of these are 30 minutes not 60 (fuck, one of 'em is only 10 minutes!), so I don't know if those should count, but...

Alas, I'll with-hold my opinion for later, just to see who says what first.

Discuss.

 

[Nero89]

i loved the hhh vs benoit match. all i can say is OMFG and it was on raw. ive noticed every once and a while raw will have an AMAZING wrestlemania worthy match (like the hbk/cena rematch that was better than the wmania one) and this was one of them

 

[Junior]

Bottom line was the first ever one...HBK/hart....they go the full 60 and need OT its was the right way to have it with the 2 fan favs going at it!

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

i got warned on this site for "spamming" just because i didn't justify my matches on the top 5 dream wrestlemania matches thread...with that said, i think whoever picks ANYTHING but bret-shawn wm12 should be warned as well. You should be banned for picking anything but this match bc really it was the only iron man match worthy of being one. It was the only match in recent history and one of the only in the history of the sport that was entertaining the whole way through. The fact that it had no decisions in the whole 60 minutes just means there was no down time and it still had people on the edge of their seats. The rest of the matches were no where close and had a fraction of the excitement and not even an ounce of technique compared to this one. I'm sorry, anyone who picks anything but this match has no idea what they are talking about. I hate to be so blunt and rude but its the truth.

 

[jabba_lashley]

i better not get a spam warning for this but didn't stone cold and bret hart have an iron man match?
i cant remember when or where

 

[BK Styles]

No I think the Bret and Austin match ur on about was their submission match. But I could be wrong

 

[BK Styles]

There is one other Iron Man Match to my knowledge actually . . . . . Ring Of Honour; Low Ki vs Christopher Daniels vs Brian Kendrick (Spanky) vs Doug Williams in a 60 minute mach for the ROH World Title. Havent seen the match but I'm sure it was an Iron man match

 

[Megadeth]

from a purely technical standpoint Hart/HBK was easily the best, but for me personally I'm gonna have to go with Rock/HHH mainly due to the fact I was lucky enough to be there in person at Freedom Hall in Louisville. They took and did a match the complete opposite of HBK/Hart, having a bunch of falls instead of going the whole time without any. Plus you had HBK serving as the guest referee during a time where he was rarely seen on PPV as this was during his hiatus from his back injury, and it marked the debut of the Undertakers ABA gimmick, which although in retrospect it can be debated about whether it was a good idea or not, it was still awesome to see the undertaker make his return riding his bike down to the ring and completely destroy DX and the Corporation.

 

[The Todd]

I will go with the Rock and HHH one although I have only seen that one and the original. The original is boring in my eyes, and the fact the score was 1-0 takes away from what the iron man match was meant to be.

The Rock vs HHH was brilliant and due to the high score it allowed falls to be scored in unique ways. When was the last time a sleeper hold managed to get someones arm to drop all three times? Then HHH showing his Cerebral ways. With a one point lead, to hold onto it, and wear the Rock down more, and waste some time, he hit The Rock with a chair, giving Rock a point, then promptly pinned him to keep the advantage.

The ending may have spoilt the match, but it was the return of the Undertaker, and him in his badass gimmick, which furthered the storyline. That was a brilliant match to me. The HBK one sent me to sleep. I can't comment on the others, but they willhave to be extremely good to top the Judgement Day one.

 

[Wavy Crockett]

Triple H vs Rocky is definately my pick. The crowd was so loud and so into it and Takers return was awesome. And of course The Rock & hunter were the shit and put on one hell of a match.

 

[bxbigshow]

HBK v. Bret hands down....

It was classic, you were waiting to see who would score first, if there was enough time for the other person to tie, maybe win. It was edge of your seat all the way. I was mad at the result because I loved the NWA 60-minute Broadway draws that Flair use to have and I was hoping that this stayed a draw.

Imagine if Bret stayed champ and the feud drew out to SSlam? I think denying HBK his boyhood dream the first time out would've made better story.

Second would be Angle v. Lesnar...it was also a technical classic. If only it was a live SD! with no commercials. They could've announced that due to the importance of the match/title, WWE bought their ad time back so the fans can watch it uninterupted. I felt jipped out of minutes of great wrestling.

 

[MisterRob]

I will go with the Rock and HHH one although I have only seen that one and the original. The original is boring in my eyes, and the fact the score was 1-0 takes away from what the iron man match was meant to be.

Really? What was the Iron man match meant to be? I thought it was meant to be a 60 minute match between two competitors where one proves to be the superior because they have more victories by the end of the time limit then the other. Why does that mean the match has to be filled with countless pinfalls or submissions and end up with a large number between the two participants at the end? If anything when it becomes 4-5 at the end of an Ironman match its worse then the original outcome because most matches on PPV between top stars last anywhere between 20-40 minutes at times and there's only ever one finish to the match. That's because these stars are so good they're hard to defeat, and they're so close in skills its competitive, and thats exactly what the original was..

the Original Ironman match in the WWE was by far the best of them. Not only was it a technical masterpiece between two of the top talents at the time, but it told a great story in the ring that actually had meaning and emotion. Not only that but the end result was perfect as it showed that these two stars, Bret Hart and Shawn Michales were equals. They were so evenly matched and both so good that they couldn't beat each other, not until the overtime came.

I don't even think the Rock/HHH Ironman match could compete with the Lesnar/Angle match, either. But none of the more recent matches even comes close to Hart/Michaels in my eyes.

 

[The Todd]

That's fair enough MisterRob, it is your opinion after all.

I just think if you're going to have one fall, have it as a one fall match that went an hour to shock the crowd, ala Cena vs HBK. An ironman match, for me, is meant to see who can get the most falls in a certain time limit and allows falls to be won in unique ways without affecting the ending of the match.

From time to time if there is a fall won by a sleeper hold, or someones signature move, it adds to the drama in a regular match. You see a sleeper hold, you know the arm will not drop the third time. As it hppened in an ironman match, there is more drama added to the next time HHH locks in the sleeper hold and the opponent manages to stop the arm dropping a third time.

 

[MisterRob]

That's the thing you seem to be missing though, everyone went into the match EXPECTING many falls in the match and no one went in expecting the outcome that did happen. So the crowd was expecting many falls and therefore were anticipating who would get the first fall, and as that match continued the pace pulled people in and everyone was anticipating more and more who would get that first fall. And as time got closer to the end that first fall became the defining factor and could make or break the match for the person who got it, building even more anticipation and energy. It literally left people on the edge of their seats. The problem with people nowadays, I think, is that they have short attention spans and are always wanting to shoot their load too soon. Its why the viewer needs lots of falls in an Ironman match.. or why champions have no longevity in their reigns.. etc.

I personally don't think it makes much sense to have someone like HHH lose to a move in an Ironman match against the Rock that he wouldn't have lost to in any other match, and probably hadn't lost to in previous matches they DID have when the same move was applied. If in one match the Rock kicks out of Austin's stunner and kicks out of every move he gives him in a 40 minute match where there's only one pinfall for the evetual winner... and Austin just can't win no matter what he does... then they have an Ironman match and Rock loses a fall because he got the stunner and didn't kick out, or some even weaker move, it has no logic. Its unpredictable and shocking in a bad way, I think, where as the ending to Hart/Michaels was entirely unpredicted and unexpected at the time. I think close falls that tease a pin builds drama and anticipation far more then a person actually gaining a pinfall. Not to mention the pause between falls and when the match continues completely interrupts the flow in the match to me.

 

[notorious102]

i got warned on this site for "spamming" just because i didn't justify my matches on the top 5 dream wrestlemania matches thread...with that said, i think whoever picks ANYTHING but bret-shawn wm12 should be warned as well. You should be banned for picking anything but this match bc really it was the only iron man match worthy of being one. It was the only match in recent history and one of the only in the history of the sport that was entertaining the whole way through. The fact that it had no decisions in the whole 60 minutes just means there was no down time and it still had people on the edge of their seats. The rest of the matches were no where close and had a fraction of the excitement and not even an ounce of technique compared to this one. I'm sorry, anyone who picks anything but this match has no idea what they are talking about. I hate to be so blunt and rude but its the truth.

How old are you ?? You probly weren't even watching wrestling when that happened...

You are sooo WRONG kid, nobody was on the edge of their seats when that match happened.... If anything people were bored to death with it.

The only time they paid attention to the match was when they did the sudden death then people got into it!

Anyways, Brock Lesnar & Kurt Angle is the best!

 

[klunderbunker]

HBK vs. Bret isn't an iron man match. It's an hour plus one on one match that can be summed up in the final two minutes plus overtime. You don't ahve to watch a damn thing other than that and you see the whole thing.

Lesnar and Angle is up there, but I'll put it second as it's on free tv. A match like that belongs on PPV.

HHH vs. Benoit-see Lesnar vs. Angle.

Angle and Shawn was a great match, but it ends in a draw and there's only thirty minutes to it. That kind of kills the thing for me. It's a great match, but those things hold it back.

I'm actually going to go with Rock vs. HHH. Now, it's certainly not the best wrestling wise and I'm not arguing that. To me though, it was entertaining as hell. it was held in Louisville in my home state, and featured a huge return. You got a comeback, a decent fight, and a decent finish. It was entetaining, which is what it was supposed to be, earning it my vote.

 

[MisterRob]

How old are you ?? You probly weren't even watching wrestling when that happened...

You are sooo WRONG kid, nobody was on the edge of their seats when that match happened.... If anything people were bored to death with it.

The only time they paid attention to the match was when they did the sudden death then people got into it!

Anyways, Brock Lesnar & Kurt Angle is the best!

What an ignorant comment that was! Were you old enough to be watching wrestling during this time? I find it hard to believe you were when you make a comment like no one was on the edge of their seats and they were all bored to death. That's just ridiculous. I was there and watched the actual match and the crowd was into it from start to finish, those I watched it with were wrapped into it so much by the end of it everyone had an emotional reaction to it. The only people who could claim to be bored to death after a match like that are either those who haven't even watched the match and are just pretending they did, or those who are young and have such short attention spans they can't grasp anything like Hart/Michaels.

People in and out of the business claim Hart/Michaels is one of the greatest matches ever for a reason. The same reason its remembered over any other Ironman match when someone mentions "Ironman match". The same reason its been voted like the greatest Wrestlemania match of all time. Nuff said.

 

[Sasori]

Bret Hart Vs. Michaels for me it was AWESOME! HBK's first world title win and it had to be Over Time and it was the night the 'BOYHOOD DREAM' became a reality for Michaels and he worked hard just to earn the match

 

[jrcongine]

i'd really have to go with robert downey jr. as i haven't seen the movie but heard really good things and can't think of another one.

just kidding. lesnar vs angle. best athletes and great match.