Iron Man Match in Today's WWE

[RKO920]

I was thinking about this yesterday while stuck in traffic on my way home from work, who in the current roster of the WWE could face off in an Iron Man Match and it be done well?

Did a little history on it and there have been 7 Iron Man Matches in the history of the WWE, with 5 being the true 60 minute Iron Man Match.

It is the ultimate match of what can you do in the ring? You have to keep the audience on its feet and interested for the whole hour, so who could pull this off? My answer is CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan. Both have proven to be two of the best wrestlers in the business today, have multiple ways of creating offense in the ring and have extensive submission options as well. I think they would be able to keep a really good pace just like Bret and Shawn did at WM 12.

So question is, who do you guys feel would make for a great pairing in an Iron Man Match?

 

[The Liar]

Just like you said, Punk vs. Bryan was the first thing to come to my mind. They are both expert in-ring technicians, over with the crowd and probably have the most diverse offenses in the WWE. On top of that, they both have a "street fighting" side to them as well, especially Punk. This would allow for a match with many different elements that would keep the crowd on their feet.

Honorable mentions:

John Cena vs. CM Punk - Say what you want about Cena, but the matches he had with Punk last year were simply amazing. These guys have great chemistry in the ring and are the perfect rivals. There may be a striking size difference between the two, but that could also be said about Lesnar and Angle, and they had a critically acclaimed Iron Man match.

Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus - While this rivalry seems to be over, at least for the time being, I wouldn't mind it being resumed at some point. While their promos may be a bit bland, these guys have great chemistry in the ring and in many people's eyes gave each other the best match of their careers at Extreme Rules.

 

[dtroppe]

The only way Bryan and Punk could work as a 60 man Iron Man- was if both wrestlers became bigger stars. HBKK and Bret Hart were big stars and great workers. For an Iron Man to be successful, both guys need to be at the top of the card and have the skills to make a match interesting. Punk is getting to be as famous as HBK was back in the day, but I am not sure he is there yet- although that could be up for discussion. Daniels is nowhere near the level needed to make the match interesting. You can't argue that- so what if he is good in the ring- he is not a big draw yet- hence he was left off of the last 2 WMs so to speak. I think that any of the following wrestlers could be put into a successful Iron man in any combination. Rock, Cena, Lesner, HHH, Taker, Orton, Kurt Angle, HBK, SCSA, and probably Punk.

 

[Rjw2688]

Dolph just recently tweeted an "open challenge" to any wrestler in a iron man match at the first 3 hr raw. I personally would love to see him have that match. However WWE has been doing nothing with him and you're not gonna get him to fight Punk or anyone that night

 

[Mebzone]

The only way Bryan and Punk could work as a 60 man Iron Man- was if both wrestlers became bigger stars. HBKK and Bret Hart were big stars and great workers. For an Iron Man to be successful, both guys need to be at the top of the card and have the skills to make a match interesting. Punk is getting to be as famous as HBK was back in the day, but I am not sure he is there yet- although that could be up for discussion. Daniels is nowhere near the level needed to make the match interesting. You can't argue that- so what if he is good in the ring- he is not a big draw yet- hence he was left off of the last 2 WMs so to speak. I think that any of the following wrestlers could be put into a successful Iron man in any combination. Rock, Cena, Lesner, HHH, Taker, Orton, Kurt Angle, HBK, SCSA, and probably Punk.

Hahahahaha punk is getting as famous as hbk ur joking right.....I love punk but he is seriously overated.....If wwe was going to have an iron man match it should have been rock cena anyone else I'll pass punk has like 5 moves all his matches are the same

 

[The Liar]

Hahahahaha punk is getting as famous as hbk ur joking right.....I love punk but he is seriously overated.....If wwe was going to have an iron man match it should have been rock cena anyone else I'll pass punk has like 5 moves all his matches are the same

Watch his match against John Cena at last year's SummerSlam. Punk used more moves in that match than Rock or Cena ever did. I'd much rather see the guy in his prime compete in an Iron Man match than the movie star.

 

[Teddy Irving]

Hahahahaha punk is getting as famous as hbk ur joking right.....I love punk but he is seriously overated.....If wwe was going to have an iron man match it should have been rock cena anyone else I'll pass punk has like 5 moves all his matches are the same

Hahaha your right an iron man match between Rock and Cena would have been great, Rock would 100% be capable of doing the full 60 minutes and both him and Cena have such a great variety of moves. I mean Cena has a name for having such a wide move set right?

No, wrong.

Punk only has like 5 moves?
GTS, running high knee w/ bulldog, swinging neck breaker, flying elbow drop, anaconda vice, suicide dive, springboard flying forearm, heel kick. You know of the top of my head that is a bit more than 5 lol.

Punk can put on great matches and I do think he would be able to do a great Iron man match. I would love to see him and Bryan doing one. Cena and Orton would both be capable as well I would say.

 

[Soulblazed]

If anyone were to have an Iron Man Match today it's gotta be Bryan Danielson and CM Punk...Look back into their ROH/indy scene work..For anyone who hasn't seen Punk/Danielson's ROH matches, you should definitely Youtube them...Jericho is the only other person in WWE I'd consider to be in an Iron Man Match besides Punk and the American Dragon...

Punk, Danielson and Jericho are great psychologists/storytellers and they can put their immense arsenal of moves on display..Hence Punk could finally do the Pepsi Plunge and Danielson can use the Cattle Mutilation, not to mention countless other moves..

My feeling is CM Punk vs Bryan Danielson at Wrestlemania 29 in an Iron Man Match

 

[DetectiveZelix]

I agree with practically everyone here on Danielson- Punk but I'd also add Jericho and Orton and possibly Del Rio. Jericho for his amazing movelist and versatility. Orton for his namesake and longevity and endurance in the ring as well as keeping the crowd into the match with his comebacks and sharp counters. Del Rio mainly for his luchadore style, a style that never gets boring as well as his submission and great selling. I'd even go out on a limb and add Cena because he has that presence and endurance for long matches despite a limited movelist

 

[Nate DaMac]

Jesus some of you are fucking stupid. If you're seriously factoring in the number of moves someone does into this equation, please punch yourself in the mouth. Wrestling moves aren't some sort of fucking complex equations, you can properly learn how to do them within a few hours.

If you're trying to figure out who can put on a decent Iron Man Match, you need to figure out:

1. Who can successfully work for an hour and

2. Who has the endurance to last an hour without getting so blown up they risk hurting the other performer.

Who can work for an hour? That's a limited bunch since most of the roster is so piss poor at working these days. Cena, DB, Orton, Punk, Jericho, Christian, and maybe Sheamus f he's bouncing off of the right guy.

Who has the endurance to last an hour? Cena certainly can, as can Orton. DB likely can as well and I wouldn't be shocked if Sheamus can. Punk? Maybe, but he is easily the least athletic of the bunch. I know, I know, he did hour long matches in ROH or whatever, but that was years ago. He's not a doe eyed kid anymore. I also question whether or not Jericho and Christian can still go that long at their ages, but again, I wouldn't be surprised.

So yeah, pretty much any combination of these guys would work but that's seriously it. Ziggler probably has the stamina to go an hour, as does Kofi, Del Rio, and Swagger, but they're all piss poor workers.

 

[The Liar]

Jesus some of you are fucking stupid. If you're seriously factoring in the number of moves someone does into this equation, please punch yourself in the mouth. Wrestling moves aren't some sort of fucking complex equations, you can properly learn how to do them within a few hours.

The only thing in this thread that is "fucking stupid" is this post. By your logic, The Great Khali and Brodus Clay could put on five star matches.

I care about how many moves a wrestler knows because I want an Ieon Man match to be as diverse, exciting and unpredictable as possible.

 

[Nate DaMac]

The only thing in this thread that is "fucking stupid" is this post. By your logic, The Great Khali and Brodus Clay could put on five star matches.

How do you figure? Khali has had a couple of really good matches when he was carried by superior workers, but for the most part, he is physically unable to perform well. Brodus is still way to green for anyone to determine whether or not he's good. He's really only had a couple of matches that weren't complete squashes, but they still were pretty squash-like.

The number of moves performed has not and will not determine the quality of a match.

I care about how many moves a wrestler knows because I want an Ieon Man match to be as diverse, exciting and unpredictable as possible.

It sounds to me like you're more of a fan a Gymnastics than you are of wrestling. OOOH! Look at the pretty flippies!!

It's about working, not moves, dummy. Anyone can go out there and do a bunch of moves for an hour if they have the stamina, but it takes someone who knows how to work to make the match good.

 

[Reflection]

When you talk about Iron man matches in todays times, the first name that comes to mind is
John Cena- He is a powerlifter. I don't think there is anyone else in the current roster whose stamina is more than him. Apart from that, he has also produced many quality matches in his career, like the TLC match against Edge, or the match against Punk at MITB.. Matches that prove that he can.
My next pick would be The Undertaker. Despite his age and everything, he has been putting on matches that last almost an hour, like his last four matches, and yet the audience doesn't feel bored for one minute. I'm sure he can do it again.
My third pick is CM Punk. Two reasons- first, he is the best complete wrestler of today, both in terms of doing moves and getting crowd reaction. He will be able to carry an Iron man match really well. Second, he is the type of person that stresses on being a wrestler rather than an entertainer. It would suit him to challenge his opponent to an Iron man match, rather than say, Ziggler or Dwayne.
My final pick is Triple-H... A person that has made a career out of long matches. Like they say, the longer you are in the ring with Hunter, the lesser your chances of winning. He is one guy that even after 40 minutes of wrestling, can make his moves look impactful.

My list would have composed wrestlers like Sheamus, Orton, Miz, Bryan, Kane, or Ziggler, but i am of the opinion that while the former half starts getting boring after some time, the second half, despite being better than the first, just doesn't have what it takes to keep the crowd hooked for 60 long minutes. And so I have kept them out of the list.

 

[DetectiveZelix]

Wow you're quite the jerk Chuck. You're trying to make YOUR OPINION the measuring stick of the thread as if what you think is ANY better. We've all got our reasons for liking a match. some of us like certain things in our iron man matches. Mine ard Storytelling, endurance and a wide variety of moves. there's no crime in that. Thus my choices still remain as Punk, Jericho, Del Rio, RKO, Cena and Danielson

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

After I saw Ziggler's tweet it got me to thinking and this is what I came up with.

With Rhodes the current IC champ, I would have Ziggler win the US title soon. Then I would have each guy go over on all mid talent faces like Ryder, Marella, Kingston, R-Truth, Rey and Bourne (if they ever come back) and others like this. Rhodes and Ziggler would end each feud with clean wins over all.

Then around the Rumble, they start calling each other out. Each guy claiming to be the man and holding the title of higher value. This would lead to a title v title match at WM 29 which would be an iron man match. I would build it as a "all or nothing" match.

At mania I would have it play out much like Bret v Shawn. Ideally I would have it finish with no falls, but I would concede it being one fall apiece or two falls apiece tops. then once time expires and it's tied whoever the authority figure is comes out. everyone expecting some sort of overtime being announced but what happens is that the authority figure restates the "all or nothing" aspect and since no man won and got it all, they both get nothing and lose there titles.

now with the titles vacated, this would set up two tournaments which could be used to usher in the next wave of upcoming talent. Rhodes and Ziggler move on to the world title picture without looking weak in the process. You could even have a rematch at the following Mania but this time a world title is involved. You would already have the built in angle tat neither man beat the other. I would have their match be for a vacated title for two reasons.

1) It plays off of their previous match. Last time they were both champs and now there both fighting for one.

2) It gives them a whole year of chasing a title and rewards the guy who has the better 2year run with a title while forcing the other guy to improve to get their.

 

[RKO920]

I completely forgot about Ziggler when I started this thread, he would absolutely be a guy I could see in the ring for an Iron Man Match. He has the in ring ability, speed, athleticism , and seems like stamina to go 60 minutes. As for his opponent I could see someone like Cody Rhodes in there with him, Dolph would assume the face role in this situation but that's another conversation altogether.

So I'd go Dolph vs Cody.

 

[Y2Troll]

Watch his match against John Cena at last year's SummerSlam. Punk used more moves in that match than Rock or Cena ever did. I'd much rather see the guy in his prime compete in an Iron Man match than the movie star.

Your kidding me right? Cena and Rock both are less of an wrestler then Punk and Bryan. These guys have more moves then both Rock and Cena know and can do. Just because wwe doesnt let him do them their moves doesnt mean they dont know them. Sir you fail at trolling or maybe not cuz u made me reply to your message so well done now eat a candy

 

[wooooo]

The only people I'd want to see in one are Punk and Bryan.

It's not really related but I thought the Orton/Cena one relied to much on weapons, finishers etc whereas the Bret/HBK one dragged on too much, I think Lesnar/Angle had the right balance which Punk/Bryan would be able to pull of as well.

 

[Teddy Irving]

Jesus some of you are fucking stupid. If you're seriously factoring in the number of moves someone does into this equation, please punch yourself in the mouth. Wrestling moves aren't some sort of fucking complex equations, you can properly learn how to do them within a few hours.

If you're trying to figure out who can put on a decent Iron Man Match, you need to figure out:

1. Who can successfully work for an hour and

2. Who has the endurance to last an hour without getting so blown up they risk hurting the other performer.

Who can work for an hour? That's a limited bunch since most of the roster is so piss poor at working these days. Cena, DB, Orton, Punk, Jericho, Christian, and maybe Sheamus f he's bouncing off of the right guy.

Who has the endurance to last an hour? Cena certainly can, as can Orton. DB likely can as well and I wouldn't be shocked if Sheamus can. Punk? Maybe, but he is easily the least athletic of the bunch. I know, I know, he did hour long matches in ROH or whatever, but that was years ago. He's not a doe eyed kid anymore. I also question whether or not Jericho and Christian can still go that long at their ages, but again, I wouldn't be surprised.

So yeah, pretty much any combination of these guys would work but that's seriously it. Ziggler probably has the stamina to go an hour, as does Kofi, Del Rio, and Swagger, but they're all piss poor workers.

Sheamus last a whole hour? The man looked completely blown up after his match with Orton on SD! this week you could actually see sweat pouring of his body. He might be able to last an hour in a slower paced match but something fast past to keep people on the edge of their seats like this weeks match with Orton I don't think he would last the full 60.

As for Punk being the least athletic of the bunch. I don't think so I would say he has the stamina to go for the full 60 still, I would say he is more agile than Cena or Sheamus so I think he is quite possibly more athletic than most those two, depending on what you base athleticism on.

Not really sure to say they are piss poor workers at all. A poor worker is someone who is unsafe or unable to sell a story or the moves. Great Kahli come to mind when I think of a piss poor worker. I'm not a big fan of all the guys you claim are piss poor workers but they can work

 

[Headman]

The only thing in this thread that is "fucking stupid" is this post. By your logic, The Great Khali and Brodus Clay could put on five star matches.

I care about how many moves a wrestler knows because I want an Ieon Man match to be as diverse, exciting and unpredictable as possible.

Uh, no. It's not about how many moves you pull off in a match, it's about execution and story telling. Any spot monkey in the indies could do a million moves, but no one gives a shit about them or their matches because they don't know how to work a match.

As for who could work an Iron Man match and make people care about it? Cena worked an hour long match with HBK, so there's a name right there. Triple H could probably still go an hour if he needed to. Ziggler could work the match, but he needs to make people care enough about him to want to watch him for an hour. DB and Punk have both worked plenty of broadways in their career. There's a bunch of guys who could do it and have a good iron man match. The WWE just has to build enough interest in a program so that fans are invested enough to watch it.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Sheamus last a whole hour? The man looked completely blown up after his match with Orton on SD! this week you could actually see sweat pouring of his body. He might be able to last an hour in a slower paced match but something fast past to keep people on the edge of their seats like this weeks match with Orton I don't think he would last the full 60.

Work for an hour. When I say work, I don't mean it in the way that most people around here do, I'm using it by it's real definition. You know how when someone refers to someone breaking kayfabe as a shoot? Work is the opposite. Work-rate= the rate at which you work the crowd. Sheamus certainly has the work-rate to last an hour, but as I said, I'm not sure he has the endurance.

As for Punk being the least athletic of the bunch. I don't think so I would say he has the stamina to go for the full 60 still, I would say he is more agile than Cena or Sheamus so I think he is quite possibly more athletic than most those two, depending on what you base athleticism on.

So agile that when he has supposed to flip out of the FU he landed on his ass? Or when he slipped off the rope during his slingshot clothesline spot at Extreme Rules? Or how about the fact that he's been doing the top rope elbow drop for over a year now and has yet to hit it properly one time?

I'm not bagging on Punk's ability. He's a phenomenal worker and a damn good wrestler. I just don't now if he's still got the stamina to last an hour. I'm not saying he doesn't, just that I don't know.

Not really sure to say they are piss poor workers at all. A poor worker is someone who is unsafe or unable to sell a story or the moves. Great Kahli come to mind when I think of a piss poor worker. I'm not a big fan of all the guys you claim are piss poor workers but they can work.

A poor worker is someone who sucks at working. Ziggler is a shit worker. Kofi has his moments and Swagger has before, but for the most part they absolutely suck at working.

Khali is actually damn good at working, but it's really only because his inability to do anything limits him to only having one style to work. He's the monster with power moves who rarely has to sell, he does that really well.

 

[Nate DaMac]

What? My whole point was that Punk knows more moves than both Cena and Rock.

You, my friend, are the reason those facepalm memes were invented.

First of all, this post is spam and therefore will be deleted. You have to support your post with something, please read the rules.

Second, you have no idea how many moves Rock or Cena know. If you were to ask them each how many moves they know, I hghly doubt it would be limited to the moves they perform regularly. Hell, Cena has wrestled Punk on multiple occasions right? That means that's he has taken all of is moves before, therefore he has to know all of his move-set.

Finally, this whole "Who does more moves" nonsense is ******ed. If the best wrestlers were the ones who did the most moves, Dean Malenko and William Regal would be household names. They don't, they aren't. Anyone can learn a bunch of wrestling moves. Ziggler has gone through several different moves and has still yet to get over with the majority of the crowd. Talent is using your move-set/selling/story-telling abilities to get the crowd emotionally invested in the match and care about what's going on. Punk can do that, Rock and Cena do it alot better. It doesn't take a huge amount of skill to learn how to perform wrestling moves, it takes skill to make people care about them.

This is the criteria I use to judge who should be in an Iron Man match. Punk definitely could if he still has the stamina. Cena? Orton? Absolutely. Daniel Bryan is a probably. Jericho and Christian both have phenomenal work-rates, but I don't know how much their age has caught up to them at this point.

 

[Nate DaMac]

How is my talk of knowing moves "******ed," but this constant BS about "working" and "work-rate" isn't?

Care to elaborate? I think I just explained it all in explicit detail. I made it abundantly clear that it doesn't take a lot of skill to learn how to perform wrestling moves. Hell, I'm an older brother and a father of 2 and have successfully performed countless different wrestling moves without causing any injuries. I'm sure that if Cena wanted to just start doing a bunch of moves he could, but it wouldn't make any sense. Selling and storytelling are a lot more difficult to master, but Punk, Cena, and Rock are all 3 great at it.

You're not making any sense.

 

[thebarber]

7 bahahahahahha gee somebody has only watched wrestling since 1996. Guys in the 70s and 80s would wrestle for one hour in the main event all the bloody time, television constraints is the main reason matches do not go anywhere near as long anymore, people do not have the attention span to watch 60 minute matches. Flair and Steamboat, Rhodes and Harley, all wrestle 60 minute matches on a nightly basis

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

Uh, no. It's not about how many moves you pull off in a match, it's about execution and story telling. Any spot monkey in the indies could do a million moves, but no one gives a shit about them or their matches because they don't know how to work a match.

As for who could work an Iron Man match and make people care about it? Cena worked an hour long match with HBK, so there's a name right there. Triple H could probably still go an hour if he needed to. Ziggler could work the match, but he needs to make people care enough about him to want to watch him for an hour. DB and Punk have both worked plenty of broadways in their career. There's a bunch of guys who could do it and have a good iron man match. The WWE just has to build enough interest in a program so that fans are invested enough to watch it.

All the bullshit about "Story telling" is just stupid. Some of you pretend to be a smartass by talking about "Story telling" but it just shows how dumb you are.

Watch Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit Royal Rumble 2003, Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar - 60 Minute Ironman match -Smackdown 2003 and Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 21 all were top notch matches without any "Story telling" bullshit attached to it.

Its Wrestling not a fucking movie.