Top 5 Iron Man matches in WWE history

Generally a wrestling match lasts around 20-30 minutes, and we see wrestlers tire a great deal during this duration. Imagine fighting for an hour with the same intensity, giving it all. Do you think this is possible? Well, yes. WWE superstars have made this possible in one of the greatest type of matches, known as the Iron Man match. We haven’t seen a lot of Iron Man matches in the WWE, as it demands a lot from the wrestlers. But despite that, legends have managed to bring out their best inside the ring for the entire hour.

Here is a list of the top 5 Iron Man matches in the WWE.

5. Triple H vs. Chris Benoit

Chris Benoit, the Rabid Wolverine, was without doubt one of the toughest men to wrestle in the WWE. He, along with Triple H, put up one of the greatest matches and the only depressing fact was that this match happened in an episode on RAW.

Despite that, it had all the necessary flavours, twists and turns to make it one of the most thrilling encounters of all time. This was a match where Benoit did it all to overcome The Game in that one hour. Despite interference from Flair and Batista, Benoit overcame this gruelling encounter to mark his name in the history of WWE as the only person to leave an Iron Man match as the Champion.

4. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels

Michaels and Angle are inarguably two of the greatest and most fluent technical wrestlers to have ever stepped foot in the ring. With that said, one can only imagine what would have happened when these two wrestlers met in an Iron Man match. Without doubt the greatest technical matches of all time in the WWE, these two wrestlers showed us in this match what it takes to be a technical king. This was a 30 minute Iron Man match, but was as entertaining as a 60 minute one. The match ended in a draw, still leaving us with doubts as to who is the greatest technical wrestler in WWE today. An epic match and a must watch.

3. Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar

So another Kurt Angle match? Does this mean Angle is the wrestler to have appeared in most Iron Man matches? Yes, you guessed that right. Angle has made history by participating in three Iron Man matches, with one of them being a slightly tailored match called the Ultimate Submission match, and also the only person to have not won any, despite participating.

Anyway, getting back to this bout between two wrestling powerhouses, there are two things that you need to remember about this match. One is sheer power from Brock Lesnar, and the other absolute skill from Angle.

This match happened in a weekly SmackDown episode in 2003, and is without doubt one of the most memorable matches in SmackDown history. Brock’s strategy over Angle was innovative and the match ended 5-4 in favor of Brock. The ending moments of the match was the most enthralling as Brock was caught in an Ankle Lock and managed to hold on till the end of 60 minutes.

2. Triple H vs. The Rock

Many of you might remember this match for one important event, the return of The Undertaker as the American Bad-Ass. The crowd went ballistic to this new epitome of The Undertaker, as he beat the hell out of the McMahon family and the DX.

An extremely gripping match that had it all, The Rock, unlike his normal self, didn’t explode right in the beginning but saved his energy for the entire match. Triple H seemed comfortable the entire length of the match owing to his added stamina. The match between Kurt and Brock looked similar in some parts to this match. Shawn Michaels was the special referee of the match, and while most of us expected him to favor Triple H, he seemed to be just the neutral referee that everyone would want, only with a little extra muscle power.

The match ended with Shawn Michaels disqualifying The Rock due to interference from The Undertaker, as he came back to his senses from a mishap only when Taker Tombstoned Triple H. Disappointing match for all Rock fans, but a truly exciting one.

1. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels

There is no way that this match would have been anywhere else on the list. This epic match described how two people should wrestle and brought out the real essence of pro-wrestling. I guess this was expected considering the two wrestlers who took part in it.

The fact that this was a Wrestlemania match gave it more glory than the other Iron Man matches. This match was known for its mat wrestling moves, as both the wrestlers seemed to stay inside the ring for almost the entire stretch of the match. The match, till the closing moments, was in a stale mate with both the wrestlers unable to find a fall across their names.

Frankly, there can’t be a better Iron Man match than this one, and despite being the first of its kind, this match was way ahead of its time.