PWP Throwback
The Strap Match & Its Built in Obstacle
Original Posted: May 4, 2015
Author: Zak Fellows
We here at Pro Wrestling Powerhouse would like to extend our condolences to the family of Verne Gagne. May he rest in peace and be recognized for his extensive contributions to an industry that we have much love and respect for.
As a wrestling fan I like to think of myself as one who is open minded in regards to what I do and don’t enjoy.
I try not to disregard certain types of wrestlers be they giants or high flyers, and am open to watching a range of match stipulations. Even if a match type, like the Strap Match, or any variation of it, has produced more misses than hits I will avoid immediately dismissing it until it happens.
With this mentality, I was able to watch the Russian Chain match between US Champion John Cena and Rusev at Extreme Rules and, at least, expect something decent. While the match wasn’t absolutely atrocious, it still helped spark a lingering thought in me, which is shared by the majority of wrestling fans.
Simply put: Some Gimmick matches have almost never worked.
Now, I really don’t want to wander into the generalization that ‘If it has this rule then the match is automatically doomed’. Rather it just appears as if the match rules are set up in a way that it is very difficult for the wrestlers to get around and produce a good performance. A big problem that I have, (which doesn’t stop me from enjoying what I can) with the Strap match specifically is actually pretty simple…it’s too gimmicky.
Of course, wrestling is gimmicky to begin with but some match types like the Strap, Stretcher, On a Pole or any match where you have to put your opponent into a container (be it an Ambulance, a Casket or a Grave) just seem to be TOO much of a Gimmick.
It can turn what is normally designed to be a contest to best your opponents through grappling, striking and endurance into something that doesn’t mold itself well into the context of a storyline.
It should be said that there are elements of endurance in most of the matches that I mentioned because the method of victory is outlasting. That in account though, the gimmick behind the match does tend to get in the way.
As an example, let’s take a quick look at the ‘on a Pole’ match.
Generally speaking, this kind of bout is booked with each involved wrestler intending to capture whatever object that may adorn one of the ring’s posts, with the winner being the man to successful gain custody of it. More often than not it is a weapon, and in those matches the winner isn’t determined by the first to get the object. RATHER it is determined by regular means to win a match…so what’s the point of the object being on the pole?
I am of the belief that the rules governing certain matches tend to blur or upend the story that wrestlers are attempting to tell. There are examples of gimmick matches where the method of winning does not get in the way of producing a good match, but those examples combine the right elements in order to make it work (What are those elements? Depends on each person’s criteria for a good match).
Let’s look at the Russian Chain match specifically: The storyline is about the American defending the honour of his country against the evil Bulga-Russian (That wasn’t a Typo). The two have faced each other twice in standard matches and this Chain match is supposed to represent the escalation of their feud. They are tied together so they can fight all out…and yet the goal is to touch all four corners of the ring.
This doesn’t match the tone of the storyline already established.
Just so I make my point abundantly clear I am not calling for the outright cancelling of all future Strap matches or any of the other matches I find too gimmicky. Instead, I believe, or bolieve if you want to go down that route, that taking certain matches and tinkering with the rules despite deep entrenchment can help. It could help in the sense of giving the wrestlers less of a stipulation to be held back by and make wrestling fans less weary due to a match’s track record.
In the case of the Strap match, this isn’t exactly a world beater since in the past there have been only two variations of it: The Touch the Corners version and the Pinfall or Submission version… with the latter having produced better results in my opinion. (For example: Roddy Piper Vs Greg Valentine at Starrcade 1983)
In conclusion, I want to stress that while the track records of certain match types are less stellar than others and they may appear to be carried by their gimmicks it is definitely not a black and white situation. Like with everything in wrestling there is always room for improvement and as long as the right match is used for the right storyline with the right people it can produce something good and fun as opposed to something bad and jarring in context.
And with that thread of thought, despite the Russian Chain match at Extreme Rules not being the best, if the same match were to happen again in the future I would definitely give it another chance.
[Zak Fellows is more of a Red Leicester Cheese guy]
Wait a minute what do you care what I eat?