10 Old WWE Gimmick Matches That Need To Say In The Past

The Inferno match is renowned wrestling pyromaniac (and suit-wearing mayoral election candidate) Kane’s signature match. With the ring surrounded by controlled flames, the goal is to win by setting the opponent on fire, and only a handful have taken place since the stipulation’s 1998 debut.

This is for good reason. No matter how ‘controlled’ the environment is, working with fire presents obvious dangers. The wrestlers typically compete wearing flame-retardant padding under their costumes, but there’s no way to help them deal with the stifling heat. The Undertaker once stated in an interview that it was impossible to breathe near the flames, as they burned all the surrounding oxygen up, which should be enough reason to scrap the stipulation on its own.

The last true Inferno match took place when Kane defeated MVP at Armageddon 2006, though the concept was reprised for ‘The Big Red Machine’s’ Ring Of Fire bout against Bray Wyatt at SummerSlam 2013. Whatever the title, these matches are invariably slow, plodding, and awkward, with the competitors struggling to cope with the crippling conditions, and understandably more concerned with not going up in a ball of flames than putting on an enjoyable wrestling match.