ktc

Dueling Chair Shots
by Kurt La Mont
column date 05/30/2000

Where has the gimmick match gone?

A gimmick match that has a good build up and good execution can turn what would have been a good match into a great match. It recently occurred to me that there has been a shortage of gimmick matches in ECW. The last real significant gimmick match that I can remember is the double flaming tables match between the Dudleys and Balls and Spike. And if I remember correctly it was a match that wasn’t even aired on TV.

Sure there have been some gimmick matches lately, but none that were anything different than most matches. Tajiri and Super Crazy had a Mexican death match and a Japanese death match. While both matches were excellent, there was nothing in those matches that were different from a typical match. You can’t be counted out or disqualified, so what was different in this match? Nothing really.

Now take a look at the WWF. If I think of the best matches over the last 2 years or so nearly all of them have been some sort of gimmick match:

Austin v. McMahon - Cage Match

Mankind v. Undertaken - Hell in the Cell

Hardy Boys v. Edge/Christian - Ladder Match

Hardy Boys v. Dudley Boys - Tables Match

Jericho v. Benoit - Submission Match

HHH v. Rock - Iron Man Match (although the ending sucked)

While I don’t recommend running gimmick matches frequently (1 gimmick match a PPV would be about right), I think that it is very appropriate in certain instances to use them. Take the series of RVD and Jerry Lynn matches. These matches are more or less just one on one battles. The only real angle is Lynn’s obsession with beating Van Dam and/or winning the TV title. Now if this rivalry was turned up a notch where each wrestler was out to prove who was the better wrestler (which wouldn’t be difficult) you could have all kinds of possibilities. For instance, you could have a 2/3 falls match, a best of 5 or best of 7 series, a submission match, iron man match or something even more creative than that.

I think the main reason that the gimmick match hasn’t been used is the lack of good rivalries. There has to be a reason to have a gimmick match. If there is no good rivalry then the match looks stupid. Right now the only feud good enough to possibly have a gimmick match is Sandman and Rhino. Other than that, there is no other good feud going.

For instance, who is feuding with the World Champion, Justin Credible? Well, I think Tommy might, but I’m not sure, he’s been silent lately. Raven? Well, Francine is JC’s manager but is Raven upset about this? Who knows, we’ve haven’t really heard from Raven either. Lance Storm? Well, he’s in WCW so who knows.

What about RVD? Who is he feuding with? Is it Rhino, the wrestler with his TV Belt? Is it Jerry Lynn, who just pinned him? Is it Scotty Anton, who just turned on RVD? Who knows, apparently it’s all of them.

How about Tajiri? He’s feuding with Corino, right? Or is it Rhino? Or Jerry Lynn?

I could go on but I think you get the point. So while I want the gimmick match to return to ECW on a somewhat consistent basis, it has to have meaning to it when its run or else there’s no point to having it.

More good stuff next week. Feedback can be sent to [email protected]

And for all you Franchise fans out there, you deserve to know the truth. The real reason for the delays between the ‘Shootin’ columns was because Frank was too busy listening to WCW Live. And that’s a shoot.

Past editions of Dueling Chair Shots