An iron man match is a professional wrestling match type that is set to go a specific amount of time, usually 30 or 60 minutes, with the competitor with the most falls at the end of that time named the victor.[1] On the occasions of a draw, a sudden death "final fall" may be requested by either side, with the other able to accept or decline,[2] or an authority can order the match to go into overtime in the case of any championship match.
Rules
Iron man matches generally operate under the same rules as any other professional wrestling bout, but instead of the match having to be over before a time limit is up, the iron man match goes the full length of the allotted time, with each wrestler attempting to score as many falls in that time as possible. The wrestler who has the most decisions at the end of the match is declared the winner. Iron Man matches can also be contested with specific win conditions. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit competed in a 30-minute Iron Man match at Backlash 2001 where only submissions were counted, which was termed an "Ultimate Submission match".
Some iron man matches have an interval between falls. In 2009, a match between John Cena and Randy Orton had a 30-second rest period after each fall, in part due to that match being billed as "anything goes" (only pinfalls and submissions counted as falls, which can also be done outside the ring, but not count outs or disqualifications). The 2003 match between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar had a 15-second rest period after each fall, regardless of how it occurred.
Should the match result in a tie, sudden death overtime may be requested by either wrestler as a plot device, and it is accepted or rejected by either an opponent or an authority figure. After Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle tied 2–2 in a 30-minute iron man match, Michaels begged Angle to go sudden death, but Angle walked off.
Sudden deaths are especially common in title matches. This is because, in the event of a draw, the champion will always retain the title. Commissioner Gorilla Monsoon ordered sudden death (after onscreen president "Rowdy" Roddy Piper had stated that there "must be a winner") after Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart failed to score a decision at WrestleMania XII, and Christopher Daniels requested sudden death against A.J. Styles at TNA's Against All Odds in February 2005.
Iron man match history
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Several Iron Man matches have taken place at house shows. The Rockers faced off against The Fabulous Rougeaus several times in 1989, when the match was previously known as a "Marathon match". Bret Hart wrestled one in 1993 against Ric Flair and four in 1994 against his brother, Owen Hart. John Cena and Seth Rollins faced off in a 30-minute Iron Man match for the WWE United States Championship at a house show in October 2015. Kevin Owens and AJ Styles faced off in a 30-minute Iron Man match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at a house show in March 2016.[3]
Participant list
Males
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Shawn Michaels | 8 | 9 |
| Marty Jannetty | 7 | 7 |
| Bret Hart | 5 | 6 |
| Chris Benoit | 2 | 2 |
| John Cena | 2 | 2 |
| Brock Lesnar | 1 | 1 |
| Joey Mercury | 1 | 1 |
| Kevin Owens | 1 | 1 |
| Cesaro | 1 | 1 |
| Sheamus | 1 | 1 |
| Dolph Ziggler | 1 | 1 |
| A-Kid | 1 | 1 |
| Triple H | 1 | 2 |
| Johnny Nitro/John Morrison | 1 | 2 |
| Ric Flair | 0 | 1 |
| The Rock | 0 | 1 |
| Charlie Haas | 0 | 1 |
| Hardcore Holly | 0 | 1 |
| The Miz | 0 | 1 |
| Jimmy Wang Yang | 0 | 1 |
| Shannon Moore | 0 | 1 |
| Randy Orton | 0 | 1 |
| AJ Styles | 0 | 1 |
| Jeff Hardy | 0 | 1 |
| Matt Hardy | 0 | 1 |
| Finn Bálor | 0 | 1 |
| Adam Cole | 0 | 1 |
| Johnny Gargano | 0 | 1 |
| Tommaso Ciampa | 0 | 1 |
| Jordan Devlin | 0 | 1 |
| Seth Rollins | 0 | 2 |
| Kurt Angle | 0 | 3 |
| Owen Hart | 0 | 4 |
| Jacques Rougeau | 0 | 7 |
| Raymond Rougeau | 0 | 7 |
Females
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Bayley | 1 | 1 |
| Charlotte Flair | 1 | 1 |
| Sasha Banks | 0 | 2 |
All Elite Wrestling (AEW)
| Match (length) | Title | Score | Event, date and location | Arena | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenny Omega defeated Pac (31:01) Overtime | None | 2–1 | Dynamite February 26, 2020, Independence, Missouri | Silverstein Eye Centers Arena |
| 2 | MJF (c) defeated Bryan Danielson (1:05:02) Overtime | AEW World Championship | 4–3 | Revolution March 5, 2023, San Francisco, California | Chase Center |
Participant list
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Kenny Omega | 1 | 1 |
| MJF | 1 | 1 |
| Pac | 0 | 1 |
| Bryan Danielson | 0 | 1 |
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) / Impact Wrestling
Males
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| A.J. Styles | 2 | 5 |
| Kurt Angle | 1 | 1 |
| Davey Richards | 1 | 1 |
| Lashley | 1 | 1 |
| Nic Nemeth | 1 | 1 |
| Josh Alexander | 1 | 2 |
| Eddie Edwards | 1 | 2 |
| Bobby Roode | 1 | 3 |
| Samoa Joe | 0 | 1 |
| Douglas Williams | 0 | 1 |
| Austin Aries | 0 | 1 |
| TJP | 0 | 1 |
| Christopher Daniels | 0 | 2 |
Females
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Deonna Purrazzo | 1 | 1 |
| Jordynne Grace | 0 | 1 |
Ring of Honor
| Match (length) | Title | Score | Event, date and location | Arena | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Low Ki defeated Christopher Daniels, Doug Williams, and Spanky (60:00) | Tournament final for the inaugural ROH Championship | 3–2– -1– -1 | Crowning a Champion July 27, 2002, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Murphy Recreation Center |
| 2 | American Dragon defeated Doug Williams (30:00) | None | 1–0 | Scramble Madness November 16, 2002; Wakefield, Massachusetts | American Civic Center |
| 3 | Austin Aries defeated Roderick Strong (30:00) | None | 4–3 | Reckless Abandon November 30, 2007; Dayton, Ohio | Montgomery County Fairgrounds Coliseum |
| 4 | Dave Mastiff (c) vs. Adam Cole ended in a double disqualification (30:47) overtime | PCW Championship | 4–4 | ROH x PCW: SuperShow of Honor 2 November 28, 2015; City of Preston, Lancashire, England | Evoque |
| 5 | Jay Lethal (c) defeated Jonathan Gresham (30:00) | ROH World Championship | 2–1 | Ring of Honor Wrestling September 8, 2018; Atlanta, Georgia | Center Stage |
| 6 | Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham defeated Lifeblood (Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams) (30:00) | None | 2–1 | Masters of the Craft April 14, 2019; Columbus, Ohio | Express Live! |
| 7 | Lee Moriarty defeated Nigel McGuinness (31:59) overtime | None | 5–4 | Final Battle December 6, 2025; Columbus, Ohio | Greater Columbus Convention Center |
Participant list
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Jay Lethal | 2 | 2 |
| Low Ki | 1 | 1 |
| American Dragon | 1 | 1 |
| Austin Aries | 1 | 1 |
| Lee Moriarty | 1 | 1 |
| Jonathan Gresham | 1 | 2 |
| Adam Cole | 0 | 1 |
| Dave Mastiff | 0 | 1 |
| Christopher Daniels | 0 | 1 |
| Spanky | 0 | 1 |
| Roderick Strong | 0 | 1 |
| Mark Haskins | 0 | 1 |
| Tracy Williams | 0 | 1 |
| Nigel McGuinness | 0 | 1 |
| Doug Williams | 0 | 2 |
Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro)
| Match (length) | Title | Score | Event, date and location | Arena | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zozaya defeated Leon Slater (01:03:02) Overtime | None | 3–2 | Uprising December 21, 2024, London, England | York Hall |
Participant list
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Zozaya | 1 | 1 |
| Leon Slater | 0 | 1 |
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)
| Match (length) | Title | Score | Event, date and location | Arena | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomohiro Ishii defeated Gabe Kidd (c) (34:05) Overtime | Strong Openweight Championship | 2–1 | Windy City Riot April 11, 2025, Chicago, Illinois | Wintrust Arena |
Participant list
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Tomohiro Ishii | 1 | 1 |
| Gabe Kidd | 0 | 1 |
World Championship Wrestling (WCW)
| Match (length) | Title | Score | Event, date and location | Arena | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ricky Steamboat defeated Rick Rude (30:00) "Iron Man Challenge" | None | 4–3 | Beach Blast June 20, 1992, Mobile, Alabama | Mobile Civic Center |
| 2 | Dustin Rhodes drew with Rick Rude (30:00) "Iron Man Challenge" | Vacant WCW United States Heavyweight Championship | 1–1 | Beach Blast July 18, 1993, Biloxi, Mississippi | Mississippi Coast Coliseum |
Participant list
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Ricky Steamboat | 1 | 1 |
| Dustin Rhodes | 0 | 1 |
| Rick Rude | 0 | 2 |
References
- ^ "Inside WWE > Specialty Matches > Iron Man Match". WWE.com. Archived from the original on 2008-03-25. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
- ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated presents: 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts". "Wrestling’s historical cards". Kappa Publishing. 2007. p. 95.
- ^ "3/12 WWE in Atlantic City – Owens vs. Styles Iron Man match". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ "WWE Network: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks - 30-Minute WWE Iron Man Match for NXT Women's Title: WWE NXT TakeOver: Respect". Retrieved 2 December 2016.