With another Extreme Rules in the books, WWE is looking ahead to its next pay-per-view event, Payback. WWE Payback is an interesting event because it is one of only two pay-per-views in the 2014 calendar year (the other being WWE Battleground) to not be centred around a gimmick match, or matches. Technically you could include WrestleMania and Summer Slam in that category, but they are special in their own right as being a part of the original four WWE pay-per-views, and the company tries to push them as bigger events than your average pay-per-view.
I suppose the question becomes, nowadays in this new era, do events like Payback and Battleground need a hook to get people interested? If you look at the rest of the events in the year, there’s just about any gimmick you could ask for, and there have been rumours floating around that WWE Battleground may include a War Games style match.
I’m a fan of gimmick matches or in the case of Night Of Champions, gimmick events (being that the hook is simply that all championships are defended). While I have no problem with WWE having some events that have no gimmick or hook, I thought it would be fun to explore what gimmicks could be effectively used to have a pay-per-view centred around them. Let’s begin.
Iron Man Match
Iron Man matches aren’t utilized too often, as the usual time limit that gets used is often 60 minutes. That being said, when it is used, and the right people are involved the results are nothing short of spectacular. One need look no further than WrestleMania XII and the 60 minute Iron Man match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. A match that is still often talked about to this day, and a match that finds itself on many ‘Best WrestleMania matches’ lists.
On September 18, 2003, Brock Lesnar faced Kurt Angle in a 60 minute Iron Man match that is one of the greatest matches in Smackdown history. Having a specific pay-per-view for an Iron Man match gives the company a chance to build up to the match, ensuring that they have the right guys in place for the match. Any combination of Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, any Shield member, Cody Rhodes would make for a great 60 minute match, not to discount veterans like John Cena, Randy Orton or Brock Lesnar. Throw any two of them in an Iron Man and you’ll have a match that people will talk about for weeks and months to come.
Gauntlet Match
This is a match that I feel is a bit under appreciated. In the past it has often been used for mid card championships like the Cruiserweight Title, but it is something that could be useful in a World Title setting. The order of participants could be random so as to not stack the deck against the champion, however if the story line called for it, the champion could be made to start the match to add more drama.
It’s an elimination style match which draws similarities to Elimination Chamber and Survivor Series, but what sets a Gauntlet match apart is the one on one battles within the match. Although, a lot of the success of this match would depend on the participants involved. If John Cena were to start the match, while he may not win, the chances are likely that he would not be the first one eliminated if facing someone like Bad News Barrett. The key to a successful Gauntlet match is having participants who could all be seen as having an equal chance at winning. If it is too obvious that one man will probably win, it takes the drama out of the match.
King Of The Ring
The last of the original five pay-per-views in WWE before they started the In Your House series and transitioned into monthly events, I was saddened to see the King Of The Ring fall from grace. I enjoy tournaments, and while it is sometimes panned, I was a big fan of WrestleMania IV’s tournament. (Although it may have to do with my adoration for the late Randy Savage) Much like a Gauntlet match, the tournament is about stamina and being able to make it through multiple matches (in terms of KOTR it was often three) in one night to be declared the victor. It meant something.
Sadly, the New Generation years of WWE (94 through to about 97) hurt the King Of The Ring tournament due to a lack of credible combatants involved. In the case of the final official King Of The Ring pay-per-view, it was obvious from the start that Brock Lesnar was coming out of it as “King”. However, I feel with the crop of young talent coming in and the recent changing of the guard, if the King Of The Ring were revived, it could be successful once again.
Last Man Standing
Much like Hell In A Cell or Elimination Chamber, Last Man Standing is a match whose name lends itself well as the name of a pay-per-view. It is a match that often gets associated with Extreme Rules but could easily carry its own event.
Last Man Standing is often seen as a particularly brutal match type due to the combatants having to beat their opponent to the point that they cannot answer a 10 count. It is a great gimmick to use as a blow off to a lengthy story line and often times has provided fans with a strong ‘match of the year’ candidate.
War Games
This one has been heavily rumoured of late. Speculation of the twin rings surrounded by a steel cage started floating around for the Battleground pay-per-view in July when the seating chart on ticketmaster.com made it appear that there was a lot more empty space around the ring than usual, possibly hinting at needing room for a second ring.
The initial spark of speculation may have come from WWE releasing a War Games DVD set last year, but it has been a fan favourite match since its inception in WCW. However, that may be the very reason we haven’t seen a War Games match in WWE.
It is a gimmick that is associated with WCW, not WWE. There could also be a difficulty with the two rings for the rest of the matches on the card, although that never stopped WCW. Not to mention that it is a cage match gimmick, adding to both Hell In A Cell and Elimination Chamber, it might be cage match overload.
All of that being said, I’d love to see this match brought into WWE programing. The side by side rings would make it unique and having two five man teams in a cage setting isn’t done very often these days.
There you have it, five potential gimmick matches that could be used to focus a pay-per-view around. What do you think? Are there any gimmick matches I missed? Or do you think WWE should scale back on the gimmick centred events? Let me know with the hashtag #LWOSwrestling.
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