10 Most Bizarre Hardcore Matches In Wrestling History

9. Arcade Anarchy

Chamber Of Horrors
AEW

Arcade Anarchy should not have worked. 

The Best Friends Vs. Miro and Kip Sabian programme had dragged on longer than a Triple H match at WrestleMania; Miro’s ‘Best Man’ schtick was a misfire; the levity of the tone risked veering into silly territory. 

In reality, the match was a brutal and memorable spectacle that located an impossible sweet spot between fun, violent and moving. 

The uso of Lego-as-thumbtacks was particularly inspired. It was an in-character choice by the in-arrested-development Best Friends unit, and while few people have experienced the sensation of an unprotected chair shot to the dome, everybody has stepped on a toy or a plug. Arcade Anarchy was a match you could both watch and feel. 

Very well-crafted - as fans probably should have expected, actually, from underrated genre wizard Chuck Taylor - it was also the site of Kris Statlander’s return from a lengthy injury layoff. 

This saw AEW operating at its thoughtful, detail-obsessed best: the space alien character emerged from the Toy Story alien claw machine. 

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!