20 Pro Wrestling Firsts You Need To Know
11. First Triple Threat Match
Extreme Championship Wrestling was responsible for a lot of changes in professional wrestling in the 1990s, as Paul Heyman and co pushed the boundaries of the sport to the very extreme, if you'll pardon the pun. Along with introducing garbage plunder matches to a wider audience, the promotion is also credited with innovating what became known as the Triple Threat match.
It's a fairly simple idea to us today, but way back in 1994 it was revolutionary. At 'The Night The Line Was Crossed' in February of that year, Terry Funk, Shane Douglas and Sabu went at it for the ECW Heavyweight Championship, which ended in a one-hour time limit draw. The match itself isn't exactly a thriller.
It might not even be the first triple threat match either. On October 2nd 1993, Public Enemy took on Axl & Ian Rotten and Badd Company in a triangle cage match at NWA Bloodfest: Part Two. That doesn't sound like a barnstormer either.