WWE: 7 Innovations Paul Heyman Did That Changed Wrestling
3. Three Way Dance Matches
It may seem strange to think now but there was a day when a match would only ever have two sides to it. Whether singles competition or in teams, wrestlers only ever competed against one opponent (or opposing team) with only exception being the free-for-all Battle Royal matches. It is debated who gets credit for the first ever three way match, with many citing ECW's 'The Night The Line Was Crossed' on February 5th 1994 when Shane Douglas, Terry Funk and Sabu faced off to a one hour draw, and some giving credit to Jim Cornette's Smokey Mountain Wrestling but no matter who had the original, Heyman was undeniably one of the first to adopt such a match. Billed in ECW as a Three Way Dance, the match would see three wrestlers (or teams) compete against each other under elimination rules. Unlike modern day Triple Threats, the match would see all three wrestlers compete for the majority of the contest rather than have one man take a breather to cycle through various different combinations of singles matches available. The Three Way Dance became a staple of the company and even had a pay-per-view event named after it that saw the main event competed under the titular stipulation. WCW soon picked up on the idea, labelling them Triangle Matches and changing the rules to have one man stand on the apron needing to tag in and out as well making it one fall to the finish. WWE were a much later adopter, with arguments about whether it was in '96 or '97, in what would eventually become the now popular Triple Threat Match changing the rules again to have all three men in the ring but under one fall to the finish rules. While wrestling has gone on to branch out to Fatal Four Ways, Six Pack Challenges and various other multi-man matches that bring in further stipulations such as Elimination Chambers, Money in the Bank and Triple Threat Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches; they all owe a debt to the original and to Paul Heyman, whether he was officially the first or just the first to feature it at that level.
