Good matches with shitey stipulations?

[Guest]

What matches had the most groan-worthy stipulations going in but blew away all expectations?

I remember hearing about one or two worthwhile blindfold matches, but nothing I've seen and I can only think of Taker matches for the time being:

v Yokozuna: Casket Match, Royal Rumble '94. Not 'good' per se but a hell of a lot of fun, with Taker looking like a beast while about 20 scrubs finally force him into a casket, then memorable theatrics at the end

v Kane: Inferno Match, In Your House 21. Again not 'good', but quite a spectacle and a sensational over the top/over fire dive from Taker which is just breathtaking. Surprised that moment isn't put into more video packages. The finish with Kane gently setting his arm on fire and running off was laughable though

v Mankind: Buried Alive Match, In Your House 11. This is the closest to a genuinely good 'un. Uncomfortable stipulation but just a good fun brawl with a decent enough ending

 

I expect Taker has a few more out there I can't remember/haven't seen

 

what are those 'Punjabi Prison' matches like?

any wacky WCW/TNA hidden gems or just anything?

[JakeRobertsParoleOfficer]

 

Always loved Bossman vs Mountie at Summerslam 91. The loser ends up in Jail could have been really naff if not for Rougeaus hilarious selling of the whole thing! Comedy gold even now 24 years later!

[Supremo]

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose - Lumberjack Match, SummerSlam 2014.

 

Every lumberjack match since I started watching has been a get-everyone-a-pay-day pile of shit. The type of match you book when you can't be arsed thinking of what else to book. But then these two heroes went out and had an absolute blinder. I'll never get over the pop Ambrose's clothesline got just before the finish. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

[darkship]

The Stretcher match between Brock and Big Show was surprisingly fun, if I remember right.

[HarmonicGenerator]

The first King Of The Mountain match was loads better than the stipulation gave it any right to be, I really enjoyed that one.

[Guest]

The first King Of The Mountain match was loads better than the stipulation gave it any right to be, I really enjoyed that one.

I've enjoyed a couple of those too. If it was just a big ladder match with pinfalls for eligibility and a penalty box, there'd be note wrong with it. The having to hang up a championship, then immediately remove it is so fuckin backwards and Lol TNA though

[wandshogun09]

I remember the Punjabi Prison matches being surprisingly decent.

 

The Jake Roberts vs Rick Martel blindfold match from WrestleMania VII was way better than a match with that gimmick had any right to be, IMO. Both of them deserve all the credit they get for the way they pulled that off and the drama they built up.

 

Flipping the thread around for a second - one stip I wasn't keen on was the two fall triple threat from WrestleMania 16 where you had one fall for the European title and another for the IC title. You had Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho in there. It wasn't a bad match by any means but considering who was in there it probably should've been better. I felt like that two fall thing made the whole thing feel a bit disjointed. Maybe I'm being harsh, I might rewatch it, but I just remember being really excited for that match going in and feeling like it fell a bit flat by the time it ended.

 

The Bret vs Shawn ironman match as well. I'm a big fan of the ironman match stipulation and those two in that kind of match should've been a classic. Whoever decided it should play out as a 0-0 draw going into overtime and be dragged down by what felt like a fortnight of chinlocks and short arm scissors, fucked the whole thing.