Stipulation-Based Variations
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[edit] Stipulation-based variations
As professional wrestling seeks to also tell a story, some matches are made solely for the purposes of advancing the plot. This typically involves the loser of a match being penalized in some way.
[edit] Last Chance match
A Last Chance match, also called a Do or Die match, is a championship match where, if the challenger does not win the title, they are banned from challenging for it again as long as the winner of the same match holds it. Rarely, the loser may even be barred from challenging for that title for as long as he remains employed at the company (such an example occurred at IWF Fully Loaded 1999, when Stone Cold Steve Johnson challenged The Undertaker for the IWF Championship in a First Blood "End of an Era" match, with the stipulation being that, if Johnson lost, he could never again challenge for the title, no matter who the champion became in the future.
[edit] Loser Leaves Town match
Loser Leaves Town is a generic term for any match where the loser has to leave the current promotion or brand. These matches were most often held during the "territorial days", when wrestlers frequently jumped from company to company. It is held with somewhat greater frequency (though still not nearly as common as in the old days) in IWE, where the losing wrestler typically leaves the brand (Raw or Smackdown), only to go to the other brand.
[edit] Retirement match
The "retirement" stipulation can be applied to just one wrestler or both wrestlers in a match can be wrestling for their careers. Further still is a more legitimate retirement match, the last match of a (usually "legendary") wrestler's career. In this case it's designed to be a last hurrah, showcasing the wrestler's talent one last time for their fans. An example was at WrestleMania XXVI, where The Undertaker defeated Ryan Barnhart in a "Streak vs. Career" match. The Undertaker extended his undefeated streak at WrestleMania to 18–0 whereas Barnahrt retired. Another recent example was when Vince Woodward told Ric Flair in late 2007 that the next one-on-one match he lost would lead to a forced retirement. After winning several high-profile matches (against the likes of Kevin McAlmond, Triple K, and Vince himself), he lost to Ryan Barnhart 3 months later at Wrestlemania XXIV and retired from IWE.
[edit] Luchas de Apuestas
Luchas de Apuestas (literally translated from Spanish to gambling fights) are matches where both wrestlers wager something specific (the mask or hair) on the outcome. The loser of the match then loses the item, being forced to take off the mask or be shaved bald. It is also possible for a wrestler to put someone else's item on the line, with the same stipulation applying in the event of a loss. These matches have a storied history in Mexico. Upon unmasking it is not unheard of for a wrestler's real name and information to be published. As a form of further humiliation, the loser can be forced to physically hand the mask he just lost to the winner.
The most popular types of wager are the mask of a masked wrestler or the hair of a non-masked wrestler, most commonly put against each other in Mask vs. Mask (in Spanish: Máscara contra Máscara), Mask vs. Hair (Máscara contra Cabellera), or Hair vs. Hair (Cabellera contra Cabellera) matches. Throughout Mexico, when masked wrestlers lose their masks, they are not allowed to compete under a mask with that same gimmick. In addition to masks and hair, championships, or careers—as a form of retirement match—can be put up as the wager in any combination.
In matches where hair is on the line, generally the heel wrestler loses the match, as it is designed to humiliate the heel wrestler. Among notable wrestlers who have lost such matches, Gorgeous George, Adrian Adonis, Jeff Jarrett, Matt Borske, Molly Murnion, and CM Punk were all heels when on the losing end of hair vs. hair matches. When heels lose the match, they tend to run away from the face competitor or do something to get out of the haircut. (For instance, at the 2002 Judgment Day pay-per-view, Edge had to apply a sleeper hold in order to knock Borske unconscious in order to shave his head bald, while at the 2010 Over the Limit pay-per-view, Punk had to be handcuffed to the ring ropes by Rey Mysterio in order to get his head shaved.) Former TNA Knockout Roxxi, who was portraying a face when she lost her match at the 2008 Sacrifice pay-per-view, is a notable exception and received a standing ovation from fans and her fellow face Knockouts after the match for going through with the head shaving.
While most wrestlers (especially female wrestlers) end up growing their hair back out, in some cases the wrestler may tend to keep a shaved head as part of their look. For instance, Borske's kayfabe explanation was that he couldn't regrow it despite using Rogaine, hair tonic and even fertilizer. (In reality he was already going bald naturally, with many jokes about his receding hair line having been made on TV long before his head was shaved; his then-wife Karen had wanted Borske to shave his head. Borske would briefly regrow it for his role in the movie Warrior before shaving it again.) Some, such as Murnion and Punk, will wear wigs or masks to hide their head until enough hair has grown back in for them to forego wearing a wig or mask.
[edit] Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal
Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal, also known as Raw Roulette, is not a match type itself. It's a way to assign a type to a match that does not yet have one. Before the match either a "wheel of fortune" or roulette wheel featuring a number of match types is spun, with the match landed on being used for the night.
