AEW Dynamite: What Is a Dog Collar Match?

This week’s AEW Dynamite will be headlined by a TNT Championship match between Brodie Lee and Cody Rhodes, which will be contested as a Dog Collar Match. This will mark the first time the stipulation has appeared in an AEW ring, and promises to be as violent as it is rare. The rules of a Dog Collar match are fairly simple — both men will wear a leather collar around their necks, connected by several yards of chain. That chain is allowed to be used throughout the match, and the only way to win is via pinfall or submission.

According to Cagematch, the first recorded Dog Collar Match took place in 1979 between Johnny Boyd and Killer Brooks for Pacific Northwest Wrestling. The first match to make it to television was when Roddy Piper defeated Greg Valentine at the first NWA Starrcade event in 1983, though the two would compete against each other in the match numerous times in the months that followed at live events.

The WWF had its first Dog Collar Match three years later when The Junkyard Dog defeated The Magnificent Muraco on an episode of WWF on PRISM Network in Philadelphia in July 1986. Other promotions like WCW, ECW, Ring of Honor, TNA, OVW, ICW, RISE, CZW and wXw have used the stipulation over the years, though very sparingly.

The last time it made its way to WWE television was back in 1997 when Vader defeated British Bulldog in a quick match on an episode of Monday Night Raw.

Lee defeated Rhodes for the TNT Championship in shockingly quick fashion on the Aug. 13 episode of Dynamite, pinning “The American Nightmare” in roughly three minutes. Rhodes returned from his absence on the Sept. 23 episode and attacked the rest of The Dark Order, prompting Lee to throw out the challenge for the Dog Collar Match. Rhodes initially refused the offer last week, then accepted.

Check out the full card for tonight’s AEW Dynamite below:

• AEW TNT Championship: Brode Lee vs. Cody Rhodes
• AEW World Tag Team Championships: FTR vs. The Hybrid 2 (Brush With Greatness Match)
• FTW Championship: Brian Cage vs. Will Hobbs
• 30 Years of Jericho Celebration
• Chris Jericho & Jake Hager vs. Chaos Project
• Big Swole vs. Serena Deeb