Gimmick matches are like the spice of a pro wrestling show. A fitting gimmick match can add an extra attraction to the blowoff of a feud, or add another level of excitement to the match.
Although not all gimmick matches are a good idea on paper (e.g. Reverse Battle Royal) or in implementation (WCW's Triple Cage), every now and then, a match type comes along that not only works but even revolutionizes the sport. Here are ten examples of (once) popular gimmick matches and who came up with them.
10 Ladder Match: Dan Kroffat/Stampede Wrestling
Bret Hart introduced the ladder match to Vince McMahon in 1992. Vince wasn't completely sold on the concept after seeing the test run between Bret and Shawn Michaels and benched the idea for another year and a half until WrestleMania 10. But Bret wasn't the one who came up with the idea.
Instead, he got it from his father's promotion: Stampede Wrestling had held ladder matches since 1972 when Dan Kroffat (not the modern one who would become Phil LaFon) faced Tor Kamata. Kroffat is usually accredited with the idea, although no definitive proof or account exists that he came up with the idea.
9 Hell In A Cell: Jim Cornette
These days, Jim Cornette is a polarizing figure in the wrestling world. Whether you like the man or hate him though, you cannot deny his encyclopedic knowledge of pro wrestling. It was this encyclopedia knowledge that gave him the idea for one of the most popular gimmick matches of the last generation: the Hell in a Cell. In late 1997, the WWE was looking for a new cage match concept to end the Undertaker-Shawn Michaels feud. Cornette pitched an idea where the cage would not just surround the ring, but also the ringside area - like the old Memphis cage - and include a roof on top, like the War Games cages in the NWA and WCW, two places Cornette was very familiar with.
8 War Games: Dusty Rhodes
Speaking of War Games: the match was the brainchild of the American Dream himself. As the story goes, Dusty Rhodes watched Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and loved the idea of a domed cage (he thankfully didn't include the bungee cords).
The match was supposed to be the Four Horsemen's specialty but the match quickly became an annual fixture at Wrestle War and Fall Brawl. By the way: once WCW fell under Ted Turner's ownership, the company took the Thunderdome idea in a different direction by designing a cage similar to the one in the movie and even called it Thunderdome.
7 Royal Rumble: Pat Patterson
The fact that the Royal Rumble was Pat Patterson's idea is common knowledge. What is less known is where Pat got the idea from. Patterson was a long-time star in the San Francisco territory under promoter Roy Shire. Shire promoted an all-star battle royal once a year for which he brought in top stars from all over the country. The event was a huge hit and so when Vince McMahon was searching for a new concept, Patterson suggested a battle royal. However, he knew that a regular battle royal wasn't good enough. He came up with the idea of tiered entrances, knowing it would be good for television as fans would wonder every time which wrestler would enter next. Vince hated the idea at first and a few house show test runs failed. It was NBC executive Dick Ebersol who believed in the concept and gave it a chance in 1988. The rest is history.
6 Elimination Chamber: Triple H
On-screen, the Elimination Chamber was announced as Eric Bischoff's brainchild in the lead-up to its debut at Survivor Series 2002. However, the actual mastermind behind the concept was Triple H. Hunter was looking for a new gimmick match and, growing up as an NWA fan, it was no surprise that it turned into a variation of the War Games concept. The match was an instant hit and continues to build its legacy almost twenty years after its invention.
5 Cage Match: Jack Bloomfield and Count Rossi
Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber, War Games - all those are variations of a classic cage match. So who came up with that? Unfortunately, there is no reliable report on its inventor. Current research though traces the first cage match in pro wrestling (known then as Chicken Wire Match or Fence Match) to Atlanta in 1937.
Jack Bloomfield and Count Rossi met inside a cage made of chicken wire that kind of resembled a smaller version of a UFC octagon. WCW would also construct a similar structure for its Asylum Match in 2000.
4 Ultimate X: Don Callis
TNA/Impact has invented a number of gimmick matches over the years - not many of which are looked upon fondly. Matches like King of the Hill, Reverse Battle Royal, or the infamous Last Rites Match are often brought up as some of the worst gimmick matches in wrestling history. However, there is one gimmick match in the company's history that is actually regarded positively: Ultimate X. It was the signature match of TNA's X-Division and saw two cables crossing above the ring - forming an X - and holding the X-Division title belt. To win the match, a competitor had to climb up and retrieve the belt, much like a ladder match...just without a ladder. The match was the idea of Don Callis, who even received credit on air.
3 Scaffold Match: Jerry Jarrett
Today, scaffold matches are often viewed as slow and boring - not without reason: wrestling high above the ring on a narrow platform doesn't give much room for error and so wrestlers usually moved slowly and resorted to punches and kicks. When the first scaffold match took place in August 1971, however, people had never seen a spectacle like it in wrestling. The invention is generally accredited to Jerry Jarrett, the recently deceased father of Jeff Jarrett and long-time Memphis wrestling promoter.
2 Texas Death Match: Dory Funk Sr.
If the only Texas Death Matches you have ever seen were put on by AEW in the last three years then you have never seen an actual Texas Death Match. The rules in a traditional Texas Death Match are a bit convoluted but essentially combine Falls Count Anywhere and Last Man Standing rules. Once a wrestler earns a fall, there is a rest period (usually 1 minute). After the rest period, the referee will begin a ten count against the loser of the fall. If the loser is not able to continue, his opponent wins. Given those rules, it makes sense that the first ever (recorded) Texas Death Match between inventor Dory Funk Sr and 'Iron' Mike DiBiase lasted over three hours. Funk would become known as the master of the stipulation with matches lasting hours and including a dozen or more falls.
1 Coffin Match: Dusty Rhodes (and Ivan Koloff)
The modern casket match is naturally associated with the Undertaker and the WWE. The match type fit the gimmick perfectly. However, the first ever variation though - known as a coffin match - was held before the Undertaker ever laced a pair of wrestling boots. In 1980, Dusty Rhodes and Ivan Koloff faced off in a Texas Death Coffin Match in Houston. The objective of the match was to place your opponent in the coffin although there was no lid to close. Who came up with the idea is up for debate but it is likely the idea came from one of the participants rather than promoter Paul Boesch.