Last night, at WWE Elimination Chamber (read the results here), Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens faced off in what was only the tenth Unsanctioned Match in the WWE history.
Sometimes, some rivalries become so heated, and the animosity reaches a point that not even Hell in a Cell can contain all the bad blood. Sometimes, the promotion itself distances itself from the rivalry and wants nothing to do with an impending match. These are Unsanctioned matches, where the promotion is not responsible for the fate of the wrestlers. I
n other words, WWE agrees to have this match take place at their event and provide the referee, but they want nothing else to do with it because it’s just too dangerous. Because, for sure, there will be blood.
A bit of history
Over the last 23 years, only 10 Unsanctioned Matches have taken place in WWE history:
- Shawn Michaels vs Triple H – SummerSlam (2002)
- Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels – Unforgiven (2008)
- Randy Orton vs Shane McMahon – WWE Raw (2009)
- Seth Rollins vs Triple H – Wrestlemania 33 (2017)
- Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa – WWE NXT TakeOver: New Orleans (2018)
- Drake Maverick vs Mike Kanellis – WWE 205 Live (2019)
- Randy Orton vs The Big Show – WWE Raw (2020)
- Adam Cole vs Kyle O’Reilly – WWE NXT: Stand and Deliver (2021)
- Grayson Waller vs Johnny Gargano – WWE NXT: Stand and Deliver (2023)
- Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens – WWE Elimination Chamber (2025)
As you may have noticed, Triple H, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, and Johnny Gargano all took part in 2 Unsanctioned Matches.
It can be revengeful but…
Revenge is a good reason for an Unsanctioned Match, but not the best as it didn’t provide the most violent ones.
When it comes to Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels, at SummerSlam 2006, Michaels announced his in-ring retirement but was quick to change his mind after Chris Jericho punched his wife in the face. Michaels gave Jericho a beating of a lifetime, but not more.
Randy Orton claimed he suffered from Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) to explain away his attack on Mr. McMahon. At this point, Stephanie McMahon brought out her brother Shane, who failed to beat Orton in a No Holds Barred Match at No Way Out.
On next night’s Raw, the two were booked in an Unsanctioned match, which Orton won as well, after punting Shane to knock him out. After the match, he hit Stephanie McMahon with an RKO, which brought Triple H into the fold, setting up their title feud on the road to WrestleMania 25.
Seth Rollins vs Triple H at WrestleMania 33 was all about Rollins wanting revenge after The Game cost him the Universal Championship. The bout is hard-hitting, brutal but not as unsanctioned as we would have wanted it to be.
Drake Maverick and Mike Kanellis competed in an Unsanctioned Match on 205 Live. Their real rage due to their main roster storylines was mixed with (kayfabe) Maverick’s marital issues.
Maverick and Kanellis put on an excellent performance, with Maverick reminding everyone just how good he was in the ring when he put Kanellis away. Then, were the reasons announced enough to build an Unsanctioned Match? Not too sure…
Randy Orton vs. Big Show was motivated by the resurrection of Orton’s Legend Killer persona. Andrade, Garza and Zelina Vega got involved. Orton beat Show with an RKO and then punted him in the side of the head for good measure. It was definitely not an Unsanctioned bout, a no-DQ would have fit it perfectly.
Johnny Gargano vs Grayson Waller also came a bit out of nowhere. Johnny Gargano was saying goodbye to NXT but was attacked by Grayson Waller.
He tried to convince Shawn Michaels to come out of retirement and wrestle him at NXT: Stand and Deliver on April 1st, 2023. Michaels declined the offer because he had someone else in mind, prompting Gargano’s return, which led to an Unsanctioned match at the event.
Gargano beat Waller at Stand and Deliver, but the heel came out of it looking strong, even if he lost. Aggressive but not violent, this was supposed to be a personal, bitter war, but it didn’t feel like it. Again, a good no-DQ but not an unsanctioned one would have fit it perfectly.
…It has to be personal
The personal aspect is the key to the best Unsanctioned Matches. In 2002, Triple H and Shawn Michaels blurred the lines between kayfabe and reality, with Michaels’ past of addiction being a true falling out with the two men. Their Unsanctioned Match was a brutal, violent, emotionally charged masterpiece.
Tommaso Ciampa’s shocking heel turn on Johnny Gargano to end DIY at NXT TakeOver: Chicago 2017 was put on hold because of Ciampa’s torn ACL. In early 2018, Ciampa returned to torment Gargano, leading to an Unsanctioned match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans in April 2018.
Both men put on one of the greatest matches in WWE history, full of drama, emotional beats, and incredible in-ring action. Gargano bested Ciampa in arguably the best performance of either man’s career.
Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly offered the fans one of the best Unsanctioned matches ever. Adam Cole ended the Undisputed Era at the end of NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day in February 2021. He superkicked Kyle O’Reilly, sparking a feud between both men. Cole interfered in O’Reilly’s matches, while O’Reilly ensured Cole would not win Finn Balor’s NXT Championship.
After several intense encounters, they agreed to face each other in an Unsanctioned match on Night 2 of NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver. The match ran over 40 minutes. This was epic and intense with O’Reilly emerging victorious despite barely standing up and Cole being stretchered away.
If you were once best friends with someone, there’s a decent chance you’ll meet them down the line in an Unsanctioned Match. Look at the preview of Elimination Chamber‘s match (see below); it was all about two friends whose lives have been intertwined through wrestling to a point where their personal lives have become intertwined, too. The promo had that family, kids, and friendship side that goes beyond the classic storyline depiction.
A good Unsanctioned Match, and Zayn vs Owens was one hell of a great one, definitely has to be personal. The elements of hate must be real, they must come from the men as well as the wrestlers.
It has to turn into a bloody mess, filled with tables, ladders, chairs, barbed wire, garbage bins, sledgehammers… But, beyond everything, it must be fueled by hate in order for the match to be the exclamation point of an epic feud, turning tormented minds into tormented bodies.
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