10 Most Bizarre Hardcore Matches In Wrestling History

1. Invisible Match

Chamber Of Horrors
Twitter, @AEW

A new trend developed within the late 2010s indie boom: the irony match. 

Pioneered by Game Changer Wrestling, these matches were largely a visual gag. The match graphic acted as the punchline to such an extent that the match itself was often immaterial. Scott Steiner once wrestled Hornswoggle, to provide an example of the genre. The promise was never really delivered. You were meant to laugh at the idea and get conned into paying for it. 

Except, GCW did deliver on at least one occasion: a match wrestled between two “invisible” wrestlers, the Invisible Man and Invisible Stan. 

This was actually a triumphant experimental piece of comedy masterminded and performed - incredibly - by referee Bryce Remsburg. 

Almost as good a one-man show as Bret Hart at SummerSlam 1992, Remsburg was great - but the fans also played an instrumental role, picking up the cue of a camera operator retreating backwards to know when Invisible Stan was “passing” them and reacting accordingly. 

Remsburg summoned the illusion by frantically pounding the mat with back-and-forth two counts, giving the impression that the two wrestlers were engaged in a scorching duel of cradle attempts. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!