7 Best Iron Man Matches in WWE History

The Iron Man match is one of the most physically grueling match stipulations WWE has to offer.

It also has the benefit of being one of the rarest matches WWE breaks out, and there have only been 12 televised bouts in company history. This means that when one is announced, it elevates a feud to new heights and promises fans a nasty, drag-out brawl.

WWE announced on Monday that fans would see its first Iron Man match in over a year at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view when Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler takes on former champ Seth Rollins in a 30-minute bout.

With that match on the horizon, its time to take a look back at the best Iron Man matches in WWE history.

Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle (SmackDown)

In what’s considered to be one of the greatest matches in SmackDown history, Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle went a full 60 minutes on an episode of SmackDown in September 2003. 

What separates this match from so many others of the same kind is the storytelling. While other matches tend to have each wrestler trade pinfalls, Lesnar took a sizable lead early on managed to keep an arm’s distance for the remainder of the match. It all built to the final 30 seconds where Lesnar gave Angle a low blow to try and run out the clock, only for Angle to lock in an Ankle Lock submission with 15 seconds to go. 

But no matter how hard Angle wrenched, Lesnar wouldn’t tap. He held on just long enough to win his third WWE Championship.

Triple H vs. The Rock (Judgement Day)

WWE waited four years after Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart to try a televised Iron Man match again, but it turned out to be worth the wait. 

After being betrayed by Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 2000, The Rock began a feud with the McMahon-Hemsley faction with WWF Champion Triple H at the helm. The future Hollywood star won the title back at Backlash, then successfully defended it at Insurrextion in a triple threat with Triple H and Shane McMahon. 

At Judgement Day, “The Game” decided to take things up a notch by bringing back the 60-minute Iron Man match. The bout was excellent from start to finish, which should come as no surprise given the ability of both men, but what kicked it up to the next level was all the craziness in the final moments the Attitude Era was known for. 

Late in the match Rock tied things up 5-5 after nailing Hunter with a People’s Elbow. Things started to break down when Road Dogg and X-Pac got involved, but it caused a returning Undertaker (now in American Badass form) to take out every member of the McMahon-Hemsley faction, including both of the McMahons at ringside. 

However he inadvertently cost Rock the championship in the process, as he hit Triple H with a chokeslam and a Tombstone to force a disqualification, giving Hunter his sixth and final victory. 

Sasha Banks vs. Bayley (NXT TakeOver: Respect)

Sasha Banks and Bayley’s rivalry on the main roster has been so middle of the road it’s honestly hard to remember how good their feud was back in NXT. 

After months of being taunted and coming up short, Bayley finally defeated the heelish Banks at the first NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn to become the NXT Women’s Champion. But then the two took things a step further, having the first-ever women’s Iron Man match (or Iron Woman match) two months later at NXT TakeOver: Respect. 

Both women were given the chance to show off their in-ring prowess as the match’s momentum wildly swung back and forth. Banks consistently had the advantage scoring victories with a roll-up and a count out (after throwing Bayley into the LED screen on the entrance ramp), but the champ kept finding ways to fight back. 

Bayley’s winning victory came in the final moments when she countered the Banks Statement into a modified armbar, forcing Banks to tap just in time for the 30-minute bell. 

Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle (Backlash)

Putting what eventually happened with Chris Benoit and his family aside, his in-ring ability was second to none in the early 2000s and his rivalry with Kurt Angle produced multiple “Match of the Year” contenders. 

In 2001 the two competed in a submission-only Iron Man match (dubbed Ultimate Submission) at Backlash. Beniot took a 3-1 lead forcing Angle to rally back and force Benoit to tap to the Ankle lock just as time expired.

The match was extended into “sudden death” overtime, but only lasted another 90 seconds before Benoit forced Angle to submit to the Crippler Crossface. 

Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XII)

The Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart feud is the stuff of legends in WWE, but history winds up being the main reason this match is on the list.

Compared to modern wrestling, the duo’s 60-minute Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII can come off as slow and safe at times as the two were clearly trying to conserve their energy for the later sequences of the match. It also doesn’t help that neither man was able to score a single victory until the “overtime” period was installed, making this feel less like an Iron Man match and more off an especially-long singles match that just happened to reach an hour. 

Still, it did give fans Michaels’ first run as world champion, and that “boyhood dream” scene at the end with him holding the belt will go down in history as an all-time great WrestleMania moment. And even at a slower pace, Hart and Michaels are two of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots.

John Cena vs. Randy Orton (Bragging Rights)

The John Cena vs. Randy Orton feud in the late 2000s was unquestionably too long and too drawn out over many pay-per-views. But when viewed by itself, their 60-minute encounter at the 2009 Bragging Rights pay-per-view is actually a solid encounter and the best one could hope for out of both men. 

Orton was still in diabolical heel mode at the time and his ferociousness helped keep the match exciting throughout. Some of the memorable moments include Orton trying to blow Cena up with pyro, Kofi Kingston starting his rivalry with Orton by chasing off Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase, and Cena avoiding Orton’s devastating punt in the final sequence to earn his final victory and fifth career WWE Championship. 

The Bar vs. Hardy Boyz (Great Balls of Fire)

While they may not have seemed like great allies at first, Cesaro and Sheamus have established themselves as one of the best technical tag teams working today. That was on full display when they took on Matt and Jeff Hardy at the Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view in 2017, winning a 30-minute match 4-3.