Punjabi Prison Match: Good Or Bad

[Alex]

The Punjabi Prison match was created as a match between The Great Khali and The Undertaker (it ended up being competed in between Big Show and Undertaker) The only other match was Batista vs Great Khali

It used two bamboo cages, one inside the other. The inner cage was 16ft and the outer was 20ft. The object of the match was to escape both cages and have both feet touching the floor (similar to a cage match). To get out of the inner cage there were four doors that you could use only once, the wrestler had to indicate that he wanted the door open, it would be opened for one minute before it was closed and locked, if all four were locked they had to climb over the inner cage. To get out of the outer cage the only way was to climb over it and win.


What are your views on the Punjabi Prision match?? Personally I thought they were alright. Although personally I would have scrapped the outer cage and just had the inner cage. The idea of having four doors but only one chance of using them otherwise you had to climb out was a good idea.


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[LTDA]

Bad. Realyl bad. I remember seeing Batista/Khali live, and the only thing people were interested in was if one of the two men were going to fall. Just... bad.

Of course, it doesn't help that Batista kinda sucks and Khali is the worst wrestler in the history of the business.

 

[thatotherguy]

The whole thing is too complicated. Worse, it's the signature match of The Great Khali – a guy who moves really...really...really slowly and thus takes for ever to climb up a large cage, and then up another even bigger cage.

 

[DeathClutch]

The match should be avoided like it's the plague, seriously its rhetoric. The structure is to complicated and the cage itself is far too thick and hard to watch unless you've got a camera inside but from a live perspective it looks horrendous, I didn’t even realize they’d been two of them, I just remember the ill-fated Great American Bash 2006 taken some serious ‘ass’ whooping with injures and failed liver tests of Khali & Lashley, and that Undertaker faced Big Show in the Punjabi match instead of Khali.

 

[jrichardson25]

Kennel from Hell rip off anyone? The one time I remember seeing that damn thing was quite a reminder of said kennel from hell. The kennel was the old school blue cage then the cell covering it.

It (Punjabi match)could be useful... if they could get cameras set up right and have it so you could actually see inside of the thing... and the opponents were right... If not... it should stay in the past like the kennel from hell

 

[MattyB]

Ive seen both, and disliked both. It limits both wrestlers abilities not that Khali really has any. But if this was as common as a cage match It would probably turn into my bathroom break.

Now if we had some high flyers in there maybe I could watch it. But seeing two power houses caged together really isn't that appealing.

 

[Y2J__Y2J]

I applaud who came up with the idea. Great idea and concept. Personally I liked the matches. But they could be better with high-flyers.

 

[2Sweet_4Life]

Bad- I just didn't understand it, they hardly used the cage as a weapon and it made wwe look really fake when they ask for a door to open and then take forever to get out it was boring the live crowd couldn't see anything so it made it really anti-climatic.

 

[#BabyFace]

Well it looks like Im going to be an outlier in this one but I liked the idea. Now , as Great Khali's signature match...NO because Khali is terrible. But as a real match, I like it. Its a well thought out match and can get exciting. I dont think it takes away from superstars abilities because they are still getting in ring action. I like the match.

 

[Paul Bunyan's Axe]

I didn't mind the matches, they weren't terrible. Great Kahli and Batista wasn't a "terrible" match. It's a cool stipulation in my mind, I wouldn't mind seeing it again to be honest.

 

[OneTooManyPunts]

Any match, given the right talent, can be entertaining, but the problem lies in the gimmick, and visual of the match. While the Punjabi Prison was massive, it was also pretty pointless. When weighed against the Steel Cage, Hell in a Cell, or Elimination Chamber, regardless of size it looks cheesy and cheap. It's bamboo stacked to the ceiling, and no wrestler is going to be taking any convincing or memorable bumps off of it ala HIAC or the EC.

Also, the fact that it's inception is tied in to Great Khali makes it hard for any real fan to swallow. Khali has never been over enough to warrant his own match, and even a casual fan can see he's very inept in the ring. Adding a gimmicked match, with little pay off, to a talent that can only do face kicks and head chops makes it a huge waste of time.

A great gimmick match has to be born out of a great rivalry or character, or has to be able to re-define an existing gimmick in a way that feels to compelling to pass up. Hell In A Cell wasn't overly original, but it added a layer to the cage match that WWE hadn't seen, and WWE knew that they could always do a big spot, or have a huge moment to emphasize the importance of the match, regardless of the talent in it.

The Elimination Chamber is another example. It took HIAC, injected it with steroids, and made it a match that could legitimately compliment and sustain 6 competitors. The addition of the pods, the grated walkways, and just the overwhelming visual of it makes the match feel larger than life. Add in that WWE always stacks it with talent that can and will bump their asses off, and you know at the least if it's not a classic, it will have memorable moments.

Can any of that be said about the Punjabi Prison? Is anyone going to drop an elbow off of Bamboo? Is there a can't miss spot to be had? Is there even any talent in WWE that would ever even conceivably find themselves in a feud that would warrant it's return? I think it's easy to say the answer is no.

This is one gimmick the WWE should be, and is happy to forget. It's about as important in the overall legacy of WWE as the Gobbledygoocker.

 

[RhodesIC2012]

I believe the punjabi prison match was a fantastic idea for a stipulation, it gave a more barbaric affect than the steel cage and in some ways more frightening to look at than the demonic hell in a cell that we have come to know and love.

Positives

The Idea of 2 huge wooden cages made from bamboo with spiked edges really does give a more frightening feel for them and, depending on the heel in the match, it could do the baby face wonders aka batista, a champion against all odds, beats the intimidiating structure and the gigantic monster aka khali.

I want to see more of these matches maybe once every 2 years or even 3, it could become a classic of stipulations along with the prestigeous ironman match which only happens once every few years.

Negatives

They would have to change the name of the structure but, Mainly due to Khali was it called a punjabi prison. It added more to the mystery of Khali's character, but Khali is in no posistion to be in one of these again, and Khali wont be around for ever.

It will need to be more of a maze. Keep it simple, the whole doors opening and closing made it feel like a game show maze rather than a prison. Keep it simple, make them climb their way out of the structure to win, just like an escaping prisoner would climb the fence if he were trying to escape.

 

[HBsam31]

It just seemed odd to me. First off it was hard to see in the cage, and second I don't like the fours doors concept where you have to pick a door and it stays open for a minute then locked. Like a previous poster said it doesn't help that it was Kalhi's signature match. I don't think its a coincidence that the match hasn't been seen in quite a while. So overall I would say it was a bad idea.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

Well, other than the fact that I'm Punjabi myself, I did like this match. It was an interesting and different concept. Obviously having other competitors in the match would have been better, like a high flyer or two like someone else mentioned, but having Khali and Big Show in the first one was a bad decision. Its like a ladder match without Bret & Shawn, the first one always has to be awesome.

 

[Reflection]

I think it is a good match type. The bamboos add to the traditional feel, and the commentators repeatedly acknowledging them being ''razor sharp'' only contributes to it seeming considerably dangerous. The main factor holding it back, like many others pointed out, is that it is khali's signature match. i don't think there are many people that would take seriously a guy whose moveset makes cena look like jericho, lol.. I am of the opinion that they should change the name of thìs thing to Punishing prison or something, and also feature other wrestlers feuds to be a part of it as well if they want it to look credible.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Dekhya Alex Puttar, Punjabinu bakwass gal garne di aadat honi nahi. Bambu de pichwaad de alawa kithe nahi jach da badshao!

Let me translate that for you:

If you remove the inner ring this match could be fun. Call it the Jungle Prison match and do it for them. I don't see anybody asking for this at Extreme Rules and I don't think Jinder Mahal is going over Brock at SSlam to have this on.

Difficult to make it work because it needs to be identified with savageness of one of the opponents that he would have a brain-fart and call for this match forth the heavens. It still could work.

 

[Charlesworth]

It's a good idea. But good ideas dont always turn out as well as planned. Given the only two Punjabi Prison matches were shit, im inclined to say its a bad match stipulation. I think to a degree it has potential, they'd just need to keep Kahli the hell away from it.

 

[Dayno]

I dont mind the concept, as someone else said having only one chance to use the doors is a cool idea. The competitors that have been chosen for it though is the main problem.

If they did it again as a one time thing with steel or a more solid looking structure and with smaller guys it may be more interesting. IMO HHH is a guy suited to this match, hes big yet can move and is brutal, half of his career has been about danger, brutality and beating and bloodying his opponents. Put him or Sheamus in there with someone crafty and unafraid like Christian and it may make for a cool match.

 

[gasM]

It's a good idea. The tease of only having one chance to go through the doors is clever, although it gets repetitive when it happens four times. Plus it's pretty obvious that climbing out is more exciting, so it's unlikely anybody will make it through any of the doors (haven't seen the Taker/Big Show match and only saw the Batista/Khali one a few times years ago so I may be wrong.)

Like many have said, it's biggest flaw is being tied to Khali. I was only a casual fan when he debuted, so in the opinion of me and my friends, he was a legitimately scary dude, and the way he manhandled his opponents hid his lack of in ring skill very well. However the interest dwindled soon after his Prison Match with Batista and he just won't ever get over as a heel now after his comedy work. So consequently the match will never get over because it's tied to Khali.

It could work if they revamped it, with fewer doors possibly, or a stipulation to get the doors open (eg getting a pin/submission "qualifies" you to open a door). As many have said, the inclusion of a more agile wrestler could do wonders for this match's drawing power.

After all, did Batista ever get a bigger pop than when he leapt from the inner cage to the outer one?

 

[asslber]

I think a lot more people would like the match if they changed the cages from bamboo too steel. This would allow the wrestlers competing to actually use the cage as a weapon, because let's be honest here. The only time bamboo hurts is if the bamboo is being thrown against you, not if you're being thrown against yet.

Also as someone has said in this thread, having 2 highflyers to average sized competitors in the match for a change would definitely make it a lot more interesting.

 

[Judah's Lion]

very simply said, the Punjabi Prison is a very "gimmicky" type of match. even the table between the two cages had this cloth on it to make it look like it came from ancient India when it was in fact just a table. and it was introduced to a very gimmicky character in the Great Khali.

to the posters that say replace the bamboo with steel, i say you're talking about the Hell in a Kennel match which was in fact two steel cages. or just a plain steel cage. either way, that's a bad idea because then it becomes just the same as any other cage match and this one was definitely different.

this match kinda reminds me of TNA's King of the Mountain match in the gimmickyness of it. you have to get a decision by pinfall or submission to get someone inside the penalty box and even be qualified to climb the ladder = you have four doors that open but only stay open for a minute. just kind of a lot of rules for such a barbaric match.

i thought the match between Show and Taker was okay. they used the structure well and Show throwing Taker thru the door and to the ring was clever storytelling. at least it made sense. the ending was pretty terrible though. Batista and Khali did as good a job as they could and it was enjoyable enough.

i wonder if they could do this match with Khali as a referee or enforcer instead of a participant... that way it could stay connected to him but have performers that would be more suited to this kind of match. so far, with the two that we've seen, i'd say that i like the idea and concept of this kind of barbaric match, but the execution left more than a little something to be desired. can i vote for a maybe or depends?

 

[Dagger Dias]

The Punjabi Prison match was very unique. It gets a lot of negative attention and that has got to be due to it being associated with Khali. We all know how gifted Khali was in the ring, not so much. He sucked. Now, ignore Khali's involvement in the match for a moment and take a look at what we had here. Bamboo cage within a larger bamboo cage. How is that not an interesting match concept? The regular steel cage used in cell matches has been done, this was good simply for being something refreshing. I would not mind seeing another one of these matches.

They should try this match again at some point. Just because Khali sucks doesn't mean that we should miss out on a different match type. We have No Way Out coming up eventually, so why not bring this back, it could be just for one match. Khali does not have to be in it, put guys who can truly put on a show in there. I realize that I am in the minority, but it was nowhere near as bad as some people would want you to think. WWE should give it another chance.

 

[The Cult]

I liked the match type, I thought it was something different and think it could be used again maybe with no way out coming up it might be

 

[Paralyzer Z]

It seems like a cool idea at first, and an even better visual but all that aside neither of the matches ever really delivered.

The concept of climbing both cages is really cool as I said, but the whole "keep all four doors open" thing was overly complicated. They should have just made it so that the competitors simply had to climb over both cages, no doors needed. I think they were trying to incorporate some characteristics from the steel cage match into it, which essentially it is with the exception of bamboo replacing steel. The sheer size of it alone was enough to amaze me at first, then I saw the quality of the match.

It's biggest problem is that with it's name, the match must be attached to The Great Khali and or Jinder Mahal. As some have said having other more agile less limited participants in the match would be welcome but it really wouldn't make much sense without Khali involved. Obviously the name pretty much makes it to Khali as the casket match is to the Undertaker. It's not like Hell in a Cell or a steel cage match where it's pretty much universal for all superstars and feuds. Imagine a Belfast Brawl without Finlay? That is pretty much what this match would be without a Punjabi superstar involved, illogical. Considering that Khali is very limited in terms of what he can do in the ring, and Mahal not being much better the concept or structure has never been utilized to it's fullest ability.

To me it's like the Scramble match, they tried it and it never caught on. I don't think it was a bad idea but neither do I think we will be seeing it again.

 

[The Liar]

I wouldn't mind it coming back, though I think they need to do a better job of putting cameras inside the structure. The only major gripe I had was that you couldn't really see what was going on inside, even on television. The match seems best suited for gimmicky monster type characters, although I think it could work for Jinder Mahal if they wanted it to.