The Next WWE Ironman Match

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

Eventually, every great match type gets ****ed out. It happened with the Steel Cage, then eventually Hell In A Cell and the Elimination Chamber. It happened to Ladder Matches and TLC Matches. The last match type in the WWE that truly feels special, that is actually still a unique attraction, is the 60-minute Ironman Match. I can still think of and name every 60-minute Ironman Match that has ever taken place, and it's a very short list. Bret/Shawn in 96, Rock/HHH in 2000, Lesnar/Angle in 03, HHH/Benoit in 04, Cena/Orton in 09. That's it. Only five ever.

It's been seven years since the last 60-minute Ironman, and you've got to think that eventually the time will come when we see this match again. That's the point of this thread. To carry a match like this both guys need to be great workers that are over as fuck. Guys at the top of their game and at the top of the company that can keep the crowd fully engaged for that long. You also need an intense angle and rivalry to warrant the match in the first place. With all that being said, who would you like to see compete in the next 60-minute Ironman Match?

For a long time I though it would be John Cena and CM Punk. They were perfect rivals who had so many classic matches, even going for close to 45 minutes on Raw once. They had a great chemistry in the ring and were such natural enemies that it seemed so fitting. But will Punk gone it's likely that this will never happen.

So who else? I definitely think Cena needs to be in there. He's a proven worker who can have a great match with nearly anyone, and he's the most over guy on the roster. For his opponent I'd go with either AJ Styles or Seth Rollins. Both guys are ring generals capable of working for 60 minutes, and they both work well as heels. They also both work very well against John Cena. Rollins and Cena in particular have a pretty long history of great matches at this point. The Cena/Styles feud is really just getting started, but I was fan of their first match and the crowd is into the feud. Plus both guys have had extremely impressive careers. So those are my picks, Cena vs. Styles or Cena vs. Rollins, but what do you guys think? What would be the ultimate Ironman Match in the WWE today?

 

[@smarkmouth]

The matches with AJ and Rollins are indeed amazing encounters, but I'm not sure Cena vs either of these guys is a fabled feud to the point of earning Iron Man cred. Maybe Cena/Rollins. But only maybe. I'm not saying I wouldn't be the first to buy tickets, I'm just trying to play along with your thesis.

My own pick would have to be John Cena vs Brock Lesnar. This is a story as layered as they come. Lesnar/Cena has book ended a decade without over saturating the audience with their repeated encounters(mostly in part due to Lesnar's extended absence and part time status). I firmly believe an Iron Man between Brock Lesnar and John Cena would be a Magnum Opus for the both of their careers.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Even Counting NXT's classic with Bayley and Sasha, there's only been 10 Ironman Matches total in the WWE. That's amazing when you consider the fact that 2 of those Ironman matches were filler Tag matches with 15-Minutes each.

As for when we'll see the next Ironman match, I'd say it will be a while and all depends on where AJ Styles & John Cena go with the brand split. I'm assuming that Enzo & Cass will face off against The Club on Raw while AJ Styles and Cena are moving to Smackdown. So assuming that's the case, I would put that feud as the closest chance to an Ironman match that we'll have on the main roster. The time limit, however, I'm not too sure about. Generally a 60-Minute is a Main Event match, and I don't think they'll let Lesnar vs Orton be before Cena's match, since Lesnar's match is the biggest draw this year.

 

[RedRegan1005]

Totally agree that the Iron Man Match is the only "gimmick" match that hasn't been over done to death and would still feel like a huge deal when announced. At least the only one that quickly comes to mind. I think the only feud that is in a good spot to head that way right now would be the Styles/Cena program. And with Summerslam set to be a Wrestlemania lengthed show, 4 hours I believe, it would be a great spot for an hour long match! A cool idea for something different they could do would be to have the first triple threat iron man match with all the former shield members. But seems unlikely sense after Battleground I'm sure the draft will be used to split the three apart for a while.

As a side note, I think a Punk/Cena iron man match was a missed opportunity. The two had a great chemistry in the ring and there characters were so opposite and mixed so well that I think it would have possibly been the greatest Iron Man match of all time had the story been told properly.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

I wouldn't be surprised to see an Iron Man Match between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens down the road. This feud seems to be never ending and the matches are extremely entertaining. Both guys are over. That's my guess based on the current roster

 

[S.J. Maximus]

I wouldn't be surprised to see an Iron Man Match between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens down the road. This feud seems to be never ending and the matches are extremely entertaining. Both guys are over. That's my guess based on the current roster

Yes, this!


When I just read the title the first person I thought of is Seth Rollins, I think he has every single thing it takes to carry a successful and entertaining Ironman match. I'd probably choose Ambrose (based on history/intensity of the feud), Styles (based on ring ability), or even Cesaro (the ultimate workhorse) before thinking of Cena but Radical Canadian Goose really intrigued me with the idea of Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn.

KO and SZ are among the best performers in the company, and without question their feud is hot and has a 100% rate of producing stellar matches. Why not give them an hour to tell their story? I honestly think KO has every gift needed to be a top heel and Sami has the same likable qualities that Daniel Bryan had. When I saw their feud first dominate NXT I thought they'd save this feud on the main roster for a WM main event, but they immediately pulled the trigger and it has been the focal point of Sami's main roster tenure the whole year. This would be the best way to cap off this memorable feud and while it is unlikely I would absolutely LOVE to see it.

 

[BuriedByCena]

Current WWE style of wrestling doesn't suit the Ironman match. I remember Cena/Orton being filled with gimmicky spots like pyro going off because they had to waste time somehow. It ended up being too slow because neither man could entertain for an hour straight on their own.

Unless WWE lets the wrestlers do what they want, I don't want to see an Iron man match at all. Most of the roster is not capable of going that long.

I suppose if I had to pick, then AJ Styles Vs Rollins. AJ for sure can do the full hour. Rollins is in great shape and would mesh well. One of the few guys who wouldn't burn out right away.

As much as I love Brock, he sweats too much lol. Guy looks dead tired after the 10th german suplex. Plus I don't think the other wrestler would live after an hours worth of suplexes. Brock should stick to his 10-25 minute matches.

Cena had his chance to prove he could do it and he failed. His match with Orton dragged too long so I don't want to see him try again for another hour. Plus he screams out all the spots LOL. That would be a match killer when the final minute is on the clock.

Kevin Owens would burn out too quick. Zayn is not worthy yet. Jericho is too old/fat. Ambrose is horrid in the ring. Ziggler wouldn't be too bad to be honest, but WWE hates him. Cesaro NO. Roman...HA! Miz...nope. HHH is too old now(his last couple matches stunk). Taker is too old.

I can't think of anyone else. That's about it really.

CM Punk Vs D-Bryan could have been an IronMan match but oh well.

 

[Sean Valjean]

Iron Man matches are usually reserved for a storied, competitive rivalries. WWE currently has two such feuds that fit that mold perfectly: Rollins vs Ambrose and Zayn vs Owens.

Both pairings have been feuding since 2014 and the natural chemistry behind them both is off the charts. All four guys are over and the fans are invested in both rivalries. Best of all, both pairings are guaranteed to produce a good match. I can't think of any other current rivalry that's as legitimate and deserving of an Iron Man match than those two.

 

[shanezam203]

Have they ever done a Tripple Threat Iron Man Match? Imagine all three members of the Shield fighting in a triple threat match for 60 minutes for the WWE title.