10 Most Overrated (And Overused) WWE Gimmick Matches
Grab a hold!
WWE are trotting out a huge Battle Royal on Smackdown Live! as they look to fill the void apparently left by Randy Orton to compete for the WWE Title at WrestleMania.
The best (and in actuality, plenty of the worst) from the blue brand will look to snare the enormous spot in one of the more well-worn stipulations in company history, with the multi-man match promising to whittle the many down to the few, and possibly provide an entertaining match in the process.
Because despite often promising so much, Battle Royals often deliver so little. And it's not just the elimination brawl that flatters to deceive.
WWE has been guilty of damaging several of its major themed contests in a rudderless quest for ratings and buyrates over the years, with few of the once-sacred stipulations avoiding harm.
In the wake of a concept pay-per-view selecting one half of the WrestleMania main event, and Battle Royal ready to decide the other, here are the 10 most overrated (and overused) WWE gimmick matches the company loves to unjustly promote.
10. Iron Man
It's an incredible physical feat for wrestlers to perform continuously for one hour (or even thirty minutes, should the stipulation dictate), but the announcement of that time-limit beforehand completely changes the narrative of the match the combatants will have.
Juggling backstage political machinations and the emotions of the stars in question, it was understandable why WWE chose to give the gimmick's maiden appearance a 0-0 finish when Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart in the second minute of overtime.
However, when The Rock and Triple H engaged in a crowd-pleasing showbiz sequel four years later than saw 'The Great One' defeated 6-5, the need for decisions to maintain flow became apparent.
Unfortunately, WWE have never managed to get the formula between those two extremes quite right, despite noble attempts in the mid-2000s in contests featuring Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Triple H again, John Cena and Randy Orton.
Shawn Michaels and John Cena once famously worked an unannounced fifty-six minute match during an episode of Monday Night Raw that became the stuff of legends, showing that an hour is a reasonable match time with no falls if you tell a compelling enough tale. The Iron Man's 'chase for falls' subtext will always hijack that story.