Every WWE Gimmick Match And The Wrestlers That Defined Them

6. Iron Man Match - Bret Hart

The Undertaker HIAC
WWE.com

The Iron Man Match, a very mixed proposition, remains synonymous with Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart's ambitious failure at WrestleMania X, which saw WWE's most effortlessly brilliant storytellers try too hard to position themselves as marathon men.

A deathly dull defensive match in too many definitions of the word, those tasked with the gimmick subsequently leaned too heavily in the opposite direction, crafting epics that were either entertainingly preposterous in total gimmick overload, or absorbing in spite of their inherent plot holes.

Preserving energy, or an excuse to create contrived drama?

With the possible exception of Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, no two men have achieved the Iron Man's ideal of the best wrestling, for the most amount of time - and since they crafted better matches without the stipulation, perhaps they didn't, either.

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!