10 Most Overrated (And Overused) WWE Gimmick Matches

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.