If you're in a match and you don't understand the rules of that match. This is the place to be. Press "Ctrl + F" on your keyboard and type in the match type you're looking for. There you should be able to read a little on the match type. If the match isn't on this list, please reply to the thread, informing us that we need to update it. By informing is, a member of staff will update the list and also reply, informing you on the match type so you have no worries.

Standard Matches

Singles Match
The standard wrestling match (or 'Singles Match') involves two wrestlers attempting to win the match through either pinfall or submission while not getting disqualified, or "counted out"—caught outside of the ring for a referee's count of 10.

Two out of Three Falls
To win, you must score two falls on your opponent before he can score two on you. Sometimes each of the falls is fought under different stipulations, such as one-pin only fall, one submission-only fall and one no-disqualification fall.

Pure Match
Strict Warning/Disqualification Will Occur if Any Of The Following Are Observed:
Eye Gouging/Raking/Poking
Low Blow
Weapon Strike
Choking
Not Obliging To Rope Break
Staying Out of The Ring

Pure Blood Match
Pure match rules apply. Victory may only be obtained through first blood caused by one's own hands.

Respect Match
Any variant on a Singles match. The match can take place in a hardcore environment or even a simple one on one match up. After the match, the loser MUST shake the hand of the winner and declare respect for him or he will be fired.

Time Limit
A Time Limit match in which a match is contested until a time limit is reached or a wrestler achieves victory; in the event of the former, a separate method (audience reaction, "judges", or even a rematch) is used to determine the winner.

Pinfalls Only
A standard singles match where the only way to win is by pinfall.

Submission
A standard singles match where the only way to win is by submission.

Ultimate Submission Match
A submission variant of the Iron Man match. It carries the same rules as the iron man match, except the only way to gain a point with through a submission. The wrestler with the most submissions after the fixed timit limit runs out is the winner. Using 30 minutes long.

Pokemon Battle
Both wrestlers dress as their favorite Pokemon, and have a "Pokemon Trainer" accompany them to the ring and shout them orders from the side. Other than that, the rules are that of a Singles match.

Ironman Match
An Iron Man Match is a multiple-fall match with a set time limit. The match is won by the wrestler who wins the most falls within the said time limit, by either pinfall, submission, disqualification, countout, or knockout.

Lumberjack/Lumberjill Match
A Lumberjack match is a standard match with the exception that the ring is surrounded by a group of wrestlers not directly involved in it. These wrestlers, known collectively as lumberjacks—or sometimes lumberjills when they're female—are there to prevent the wrestlers in the match from fleeing the ring. The groups of lumberjacks are typically split up into groups of faces and heels  who occupy opposing sides around the ring. Usually, the "opposing" lumberjacks (that is, face lumberjacks if the wrestler is a heel, and vice versa) swarm the wrestlers if they leave the ring and force them back in it. Occasional interference from the lumberjacks is not uncommon, nor is an all-out brawl on the outside involving most of the lumberjacks.

Variation of this match include the "Canadian" Lumberjack match, in which the lumberjacks are equipped with leather straps, the "Extreme" Lumberjack match, competed under Extreme Rules, and the TNA's "Fan's Revenge" Lumberjack match, during which fans equipped with straps act as lumberjacks and are encouraged to whip wrestlers.

*Move* Match
A *move* match is a match where the first wrestler to perform a specific move is the winner. The move is usually a signature move of both wrestlers involved, in which case a stipulation can be added that the loser is no longer allowed to use the move—or on the case of large wrestlers a generic move (e.g. bodyslam) that is notoriously hard to perform on both wrestlers. The match usually takes the name of the target move (e.g.  Chokeslam challenge, Bodyslam match) or is more generalized to "Finisher Match" if both wrestlers are trying to perform their finisher to win.

Special Referee Match
Any time a usual referee is replaced with someone unusual for a specific reason, it is referred to as a Special Referee or Special Guest Referee match. The special referee is often a celebrity, a manager, or another wrestler—with the latter sometimes showing a bias for or against a competitor.

A Special Outside Referee, also known as Special Enforcer or Special Guest Enforcer; is someone charged with the task of keeping interference out of the match

Strip Matches
There are two kinds of matches which are contested where a wrestler doesn't win by pinfall or submission, but only by stripping their opponent of their clothing. Historically, these types of matches were contested between managers or valets, due to their supposed lack of wrestling ability. In the Attitude Era, however, full-time female wrestlers (known as Divas) began engaging in strip matches for the purpose of titillation.

Substance Match
This is a match which involves mainly two women who have of a lesser wrestling experience. The match includes a large container filled with various substances in which the two women will wrestle. Substances can include anything from mud to chocolate milk. Sometimes, specialty substances are used for certain occasions e.g. gravy for Thanksgiving and egg nog for Christmas.

Arm Wrestling Match
An Arm wrestling match, in the context of professional wrestling, is a worked form of a basic arm wrestling contest.

Boxing Match
The professional wrestling version of a Boxing match has standard boxing rules applied to it. Wrestlers wear boxing gloves and the match is contested in rounds with fouls given out, though the matches are generally worked and end with one wrestler cheating and using wrestling maneuvers.

Pillow Fight
A Pillow fight is a match held between women for which pillows and a bed are placed in the ring. The pillows may be used as weapons, but other than that standard wrestling rules apply. A variation, the Lingerie Pillow Fight, requires the participants to wear lingerie.

Sumo Match
For a Sumo match, the ropes are removed from the ring and standard sumo rules apply. The first person to step outside of the ring or touch the mat with any part of the body but the soles of the feet is the loser.

Inferno Match
The ring is surrounded by flames. The only way to win is to set your opponent on fire using the flames provided. The flames allegedly reach heights of six feet tall and temperatures of five hundred degrees Fahrenheit.

Falls Count Anywhere/Submissions Count Anywhere
A Falls Count Anywhere match is a match where only pinfalls can take place in any location, negating the standard rule that they must take place inside the ring and between the ropes. As such, this also eliminates the usual "countout" rule. As the match may take place in various parts of the arena, the "Falls Count Anywhere" provision is almost always accompanied with a "No Disqualification" stipulation to make the match a hardcore match, so as to allow wrestlers the convenience to use any objects they may find wherever they wrestle.

Sometimes, the stipulation is further explained as "falls count anywhere in the building." However, at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House, Hardcore Holly actually pinned Al Snow literally on the banks of the Mississippi River.

A variation of the rules state that once a pinfall takes place, the pinned wrestler will lose the match if he is unable to return to the ring within a specific amount of time—usually a referee's count of 10 or 30. If the pinned wrestler makes it to the ring in this time, the match continues. Under these rules, all pinfalls must take place outside of the ring, technically making the match no longer falls count anywhere. Occasionally, this stipulation is listed as having a specific territory in which falls count, (e.g. the state, county, or general location the match is in).

A new variation on the stipulation, Submissions Count Anywhere, debuted at WWE Breaking Point in a match between D-Generation X and Legacy, where the only way to win was by submission.

Flag Match
The Flag match is essentially the professional wrestling version of capture the flag. For the match two flags are placed on opposite turnbuckles, each representing a specific wrestler or team of wrestlers, and the object of the match is to retrieve the opponent's flag and raise it while defending the flag in the wrestler's corner.

Scaffold Match
A Scaffold match takes place, in whole or in part, on a piece of scaffolding  erected above the ring. The match can end in one of two ways; either with the losing wrestler falling off of the scaffold to the ring below, or with a wrestler retrieving a flag from the opposite side of the scaffold and return it to his own. Scaffold matches have a legitimate air of danger about them, as the bump  from such a height is hard to protect against and objects such as chipboard tables are placed in the ring to attempt to cushion the fall.

Elevation X, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's variation of the scaffold match, has two scaffolds placed above the ring intersecting to form an "X", with the only way to lose being to fall from the structure

Hangman's Horror Match
The objective in this match is to choke the opponent with a dog collar, which is hanging from the ring post, until they can no longer continue. This match was created by Raven to end his feud with Vampiro.

Strap Match
A Strap match, known by many names and done with many slight variations, is any match where the competitors are placed on the opposite ends of a restraint to keep them in close physical proximity. By definition the strap—and anything tied to it—are considered legal and in play weapons. The most common rule for victory is for one wrestler to have to go around the ring, touching all four corners in order and without stopping, although they can also end in pinfalls. Because of the strap's legality, and subsequent use as a choking device, submissions are generally not allowed.

The Strap match is one of the most varied forms of professional wrestling match type, both in name and implements used, with the name used generally coming from the implement used and one or both of the participants gimmicks (i.e. Russian Chain match, Indian Strap match, Samoan strap match). Common restraints include a belt, bullrope (length of rope with a cow bell in the center), steel chains, one to two foot "leash", or leather strap. In the dog collar variation, the wrestlers are connected at the neck by dog collars.

Hardcore Variations

Hardcore Match
A no disqualification, falls count anywhere match, where wrestlers are generally expected to use weapons massively.

No-Disqualification Match
A No Disqualification match tends to be less severe, with action taking place mostly inside the ring. Usage of foreign objects is typically minimal, with run-ins (another form of disqualification) being frequently used. The match is often contested between valets  (where they may lack wrestling skills), or between a wrestler and a valet (in which a wrestler is expected to run-in and defend their valets). Because of the low-key nature, few consider a no-disqualification match as hardcore, although there is no semantic difference.

Staple Gun Match
A staple gun match can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to staple gun matches but the common thread in each one is that wrestlers try and staple something to their opponent. The occurrence of this event is more common on the independent wrestling circuits like the IWA Mid-South King of the Deathmatch  or Hardcore wrestling circuits staple matches are commonplace. Rules vary for each tournament or wrestlers association but the underlining concept is stapling something to the body of the other wrestler. In Outcast Xtreme Wrestling (OXW) events the first person to staple seven dollar bills to the their opponent wins. In the Combat Zone Wrestling league the number of bills is 13, they call their staple gun matches the, "Unlucky 13 Staple Gun". International Wrestling Association (IWA) has their own version called the "Unlucky Seven Staple Gun Match." The popular midget wrestling league run by Puppet the Psycho Dwarf and his merry band of Half-Pint Brawlers' main event is called the, "$21 Staple Gun Match". In this version each little person  is armed with a stapler and as the match goes on audience members throw bills into the ring. The first person to staple 11 bills to the other wrestler body wins

UltraViolent Match
An UltraViolent Match is essentially a Hardcore match with added features. Each wrestler can bring their own weapons to the ring (how they carry them is completely up to them), this often sees the inclusion of things not normally used in wrestling like televisions, microwaves, fans and silverware. Along with this there are light tubes, thumb tacks, tables, chairs and firestarting liquid with matches all over the outside of the ring. The loser is the man who cannot respond to a ten count and is openly bleeding.

Japanese Death Match
No rules apply. All weaponry is encouraged. Win by pinfall, submission, or knock out anywhere in the arena. Made famous in Japan by Terry Funk and Mick Foley. Made famous in 2WWF by Minkaro and Ace Acid.

Empty Arena Match
An Empty Arena match is a hardcore match between two or more wrestlers which takes place in an arena devoid of fans. The only people present are the competitors, referee, and cameramen. The match is broadcast, or videotaped and played later. e.g. The Rock vs Mankind during the WWF's Super Bowl halftime show on January 31, 1999. Empty arena matches are rare, and usually accompany other, filled-arena matches, due to the cost of renting an arena and not selling tickets.

I Quit Match
An "I Quit" Match is a type of professional wrestling match in which the only way to win is to make the opponent say the words "I quit" (usually into a microphone). Generally, whenever a wrestler knocks down his opponent with a move or inflicts a submission move, he will grab the microphone and ask the opponent to say "I quit." and the opponent (at least early in the match) will make some kind of retort. "I Quit" matches are commonly used to settle kayfabe grudges and embarrass rivals, since saying "I Quit" is usually a sign of admitted inferiority.

Fan's Bring the Weapons
Wrestler's are allowed to use any weapon the fans bring to the arena.

Ladder Match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling  that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becomes a key feature of the match, as wrestlers will use the ladder as a weapon to strike the opponent(s), as a launching pad for acrobatic attacks, and frequently these matches include impressive falls from the top of the ladder. However, there were very few matches in which the hung item must be used in a special manner in order to win the match, such as striking the opponent with the item (see Goldberg Vs. Scott Hall Tazer match, where one must strike the opponent with the Tazer, regardless of who retrieved the Tazer first).

Tables, Ladders, & Chairs Match
A variation of the Ladder match, where there's a heavy emphasis used on the use of tables and chairs as well. Sometimes these matches may be won by pinfall or submission, instead of grabbing a specific item.

Monster's Ball Match
The key premise of the match was that all contenders are sequestered alone in a locked room without light, food or water for twenty-four hours before the match. This stipulation is intended to induce extreme feelings of aggression in the competitors. Once released, the wrestlers fight one another in a no disqualification match, with the usage of weapons encouraged. Victory can be achieved by pinfall or submission, with the match ending as soon as one wrestler is pinned or submits (there is no elimination format). The locked away stipulation isn't used much any more, and it's usually just a four-man no-disqualification match.

Ultimate X Match
Two cables, connected to metal structures rising from the four corners of the ring, cross 15 feet above the middle of the ring. Similar to a ladder match, an object (usually a championship belt  or a large red "X") is suspended from where the cables cross. The winner is the first person to take possession of the hung object.

Elevation X
See above, but using metal scaffolding rather than wires. Two variants of this match are used; the first being exactly like the above match, climbing to get the title. The other is a scaffold match, where you have to push your opponent off.

Golden Ticket
The Golden Ticket is essentially a multi-man Elevation X match, consisting of four superstars. The Golden Ticket briefcase hangs above the scaffold structure, however. The only way to win is to climb onto the structure, reach up from it and take down the briefcase. The winner earns a shot at the 2WWF World Championship anytime in the next 12 months.

No-Roped Barbed Wire Deathmatch
A No Rope Barbed Wire Deathmatch is when the regular ring ropes are removed from the ring and the barbed wire is strung up in their place.

Clockwork House of Orange Match
The Clockwork Orange House of Fun match, also known as Raven's House of Fun, was created by professional wrestler Raven (legitimately, as Raven pitched the idea himself to ECW's creative team). It is a singles match for which a chain link wall is erected on one side of the ring with chains wrapped from it to various points on the ring itself with weapons hanging from them. In the first match the only way to win was to put an opponent through two tables after throwing them off "Raven's perch" (a small scaffold), but afterwards it was changed to falls-count-anywhere rules.

First Blood Match
A First Blood match is a no-disqualification match where in order to win a wrestler has to make his opponent bleed. Or, rather, depending on the nuances of the promotion and the angle surrounding the match, the first person to bleed loses, regardless of source. In a variation called Sadistic Madness, which was created by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, the opponent must be bleeding before a wrestler can legally pin them. A variation, the Doomsday Chamber of Blood, takes place inside of a barbed wire topped cage. Another variation, the Pure Blood Match, requires the opponent be busted open without use of weapons.

Hard 10 Match
The Hard 10 Tournament match (initially known as the "Dup Cup") was created by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It is contested on a points system, where the points are earned for the use of weapons. The first person to earn ten points—and be up by at least two points—wins. Regular strikes with a weapon are worth one point, while putting an opponent through a table is worth five.

Last Man Standing Match
The Last Man Standing match is a hardcore-style match where the only way to win is by knockout. That is, a wrestler will lose the match if they are unable to answer a ten-count after being downed, similar to the knockout ruling of a boxing match. In order to avoid losing, the downed wrestler must be on his or her feet by the count of 10. A similar type of match is the Texas Death match, where a wrestler must be pinned or forced to submit before the referee will begin the ten-count.

Taipei Deathmatch
A Taipei Deathmatch is a match where the wrestlers' fists are taped and dipped into glue and in broken and crushed glass, allowing shards to stick to their fists.

Backstage Brawl
A Backstage Brawl is a multi-competitor match held in a backstage. During the match wrestlers are encouraged to use anything backstage while fighting, and the "last man standing" is declared winner. Wrestlers can be eliminated from the match both by the standard pinfall and submission method of victory or by simply becoming too bloody to continue the match. A one on one Backstage Brawl is basically a no disqualification match held in a backstage or a backstage setup.

Boiler Room Brawl
A Boiler Room Brawl starts in a boiler room, with the winner being the first wrestler to successfully get out. World Championship Wrestling used a match with similar rules, naming their match and its location The Block.

Parking Lot Brawl/Iron Circle Match
Two types of matches take place in parking lots, the Parking Lot Brawl and the Iron Circle match. They're essentially the same thing, two wrestlers fighting in a parking lot, the major difference being the Iron Circle match takes place in the middle of a multitude of cars parked in a circle with their headlights on, while the Parking Lot Brawl tends to be in a sparser location.

Casket Match
Some matches have a casket near the ring, with the object of the match being to trap the opposing wrestler in it. This match takes the name of the casket,as the Casket match.

These matches are often fought using hardcore rules, or at the very least rules that allow wrestlers to do more without being disqualified. In team matches, an entire team typically has to be placed in the casket to lose.

Crazy 8 Match
The Crazy 8 match, used mostly in the defunct Pro Wrestling Unplugged promotion, involves placing a championship belt at the top of a scaffold with the first wrestler to retrieve it being declared the winner. Placed in and around the ring for the wrestlers to utilize during the match are one side of a steel cage, two trampolines, and four rope swings.

King of the Mountain Match
The King of the Mountain match is described as a "reverse ladder match". Instead of retrieving an object hanging above the ring, the winner is the first person to use a ladder to hang a championship belt  above the ring—after having scored a pinfall or submission (pinfalls count anywhere) to earn the right to try. A wrestler who has been pinned or forced to submit must spend two minutes in a penalty box.

Object on a Pole Match
The [Object] on a Pole match—whose name is usually derived from the object being hung; i.e. "Brass knuckles on a Pole", "Steel Chair on a Pole", "Singapore Cane on a Pole"—is the spiritual forebear of the ladder match. In this case an object is placed on a pole that extends from one of the four turnbuckles  on the ring with the wrestlers battling to reach it first. Unlike the ladder match, however, reaching the object doesn't usually end the match; it simply allows that wrestler to use it as a weapon. This is not a no-disqualification match; the weapon on the pole is merely an exception to the disqualification rule.

Multiple variations of the "Pole match" exist. In some cases the match is closer to the ladder match, in that reaching the object does end the match. In others there will be objects above all of the turnbuckles. Further still, there can be a mixture of the two, with an object placed at (though not above) each turnbuckle, one to end the match, the rest to be used as weapons. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling used a "Pole match" as a setup to another match, placing objects at four of their six turnbuckles with the promise that the first wrestler to reach each object would be allowed to use them weeks later at an already scheduled cage match.

Feast or Fired Match
The Feast or Fired match is a pole match featured in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. In the match, all four ringposts have poles attached, and a briefcase hangs from each pole. The match features a large group of participants, who attempt to scale the turnbuckles and grab the cases. Generally three of the briefcases feature good prices, such as Championship shots, while the fourth briefcases features something bad, such as a pink slip.

Tables Match
A Tables match is a match in which to win a wrestler must put their opponent through a table—that is, a wrestler must use some offensive maneuver on their opponent that causes them to contact and break the table.

Stipulation Based Matches

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 holds it.

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.

Retirement Match
A Retirement match is any match where, should a wrestler lose, they are forced out of the company. 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.

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 a masked wrestler loses their mask, 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.

Cage Variants

Redemption Chamber
In a set-up similar to that of the Elimination Chamber, there is a cage with 4 pods in between the cage and the ring. Unlike the Elimination Chamber however, the floor outside of the ring isn't raised. This is to allow access to weapons, including ladders which are a vital part of this match, from under the ring. All 4, 5 or 6 men start off in the ring together. If somebody pins or is submitted, he must be placed in one of the pods for a 2-minute time out. This puts him at a disadvantage, because he obviously can't win the match if he's locked in the pod. The World Championship hangs from the cage. The first man to unhook that Championship from the cage roof is the winner.

Steel Cage Match
A steel cage match is a match fought within a cage formed by placing sheets of mesh metal around, in, or against the edges of the wrestling ring. The way to win a steel cage match are as followed; either pinfall, submission, or by escaping the cage (over the top or through the door) and having both feet touch the arena floor.

Hell in a Cell
The Hell in a Cell match type is a match where the ring is surrounded by a steel chain link fence cage structure, with a roof. In this type of match there are no countouts and no disqualifications. The only way to win this match is by pinfall or submission. This match type is seen on rare occasions since it is famous for its brutality and potential to end careers. This match is usually seen in World Wrestling Entertainment. The cage door is closed and lock with a chain and a padlock during this type of match, but there are Hell in a Cell matches on record where superstars have fought outside the cage, and on one occasion a superstar was pinned outside the cage. Starting in 2009, WWE holds a PPV in the month of October named "Hell in a Cell" which features this match as it main attractions.

Doomsday Cage Match
Also called a Tower of Doom, the Doomsday Cage is a three story cage—the middle one split into two rooms—all of which house wrestlers. The object of the match is for a team of wrestlers to fight their way from the top cage to the bottom, where pinfalls and submissions come into play.

Electrified Cage Match
The ring is surrounded by a steel cage, which is then electrified. The cage can be used as a weapon. The only way to win is by pinfall or submission.

Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a large, circular steel cage which surrounds the ring entirely, including creating a grated floor area on the apron. Inside the cage, at each turnbuckle, is a clear "pod" where four of the six competitors in the match must wait to be released to join the two who start at the opening bell. As the name implies, wrestlers are eliminated one-by-one until only one remains. An Extreme Elimination Chamber took place at the 2006 December to Dismember pay-per-view, where a weapon  was given to each wrestler waiting in a pod. The metal is black and the chambers are made of 'bulletproof' glass. The chamber is 36 feet (11 m) in diameter and is composed of 16 tons of steel and 2 miles (3.2 km) of chain.

Lion's Den Match
The Lion's Den match aimed to mimic the look and feel of mixed martial arts  matches. A sloping, angular, steel cage was set up, with rules stating that the only way to achieve victory was through knockout or submission.

Punjabi Prison Match
The Punjabi Prison match, named after the Punjab region that The Great Khali (the match's 'founder') is billed from, consists of two large bamboo  cages. The first being four sided and standing 16 feet (4.8 m) tall, while the second has eight sides and stands 20 feet (6 m) surrounding the first.

The inner cage has a four foot (1.2 m) by four foot door on each of its sides, with a referee standing by to open them at a wrestler's request. Each door may only be opened once and is only allowed to remain open for sixty seconds, after which it is padlocked. Should all four doors end up locked before the wrestlers escapes, they are forced to climb out over the top, where the bamboo is fashioned into spikes. Between the two cages are sometimes placed two tables, upon which are weapons (both "medieval" and "bamboo" variations of standard wrestling weapons). Once a wrestler has escaped the first cage, they must climb over and out of the second cage, with the first wrestler having both of their feet touch the arena floor being declared the winner.

Thundercage
World Championship Wrestling's Thundercage, in the film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, is a large domed structure of steel bars engulfing the ring. Although it does not have a top, the sides curve in to prevent escape.

Mexico's AAA promotion tweaked the concept with Domo De La Muerte, which uses a similar cage but only allows victory by escaping through a hole at the top center. This variation is also used in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where it is called the Steel Asylum. In AAA it is typically used for a multi-man luchas de apuestas with the last man standing in the cage losing his mask or hair.

The Thunderdome is a variation on the Thundercage, with the area near the top of the cage electrified. The only way for a wrestler to win the Thunderdome match is to have their opponents' "terminator," usually a manager who stands outside of the ring, throw in the towel to stop the match. In another variation of this match, each pinned competitor in the match is handcuffed to the cage. The last man left in the match is given a key to unlock his teammates to attack the other team, who are still handcuffed

Triple Cage Match
A Triple Cage match involves three cages stacked on top of each other, with each cage decreasing in size from the bottom up. Competitors begin in the ring inside the lowest cage and must make their way to the roof of the third cage where an object is suspended, with the winner being the first competitor to obtain the object and exit the cage.

WarGames Match
Sometimes suffixed with the tagline "The Match Beyond", the War Games match features two rings surrounded by an enclosed steel cage (with a roof) with two teams (or sometimes three) facing one another. One man from each team starts out with another from either team at random entering the cage via a timed interval. The winning team must get a member of another team to submit after all members of each team are in the cage. In ECW, this was known as an Ultimate Jeopardy match.

Thirty/Sixty Minutes in Hell Match
This is an ironman match that's length is chosen pre-match. It takes place in a cage that extends out to the security barricade, allowing plenty of room to roam outside of the ring. Weapons are scattered outside of the ring and under it, as razor wire entwines the cage itself. This match was invented and made famous by Thomas Barnez and Ace Acid.

Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match
A barbed wire steel cage match is one of any number of matches that uses strands of barbed wire in some capacity. Simply using barbed wire in an otherwise regular steel cage match does not make the match a barbed wire steel cage match; the barbed wire must be part of the match's design.

Cage of Death
Combat Zone Wrestling's Cage of Death, which is held yearly, implements the use of multiple weapons attached to the cage walls. The usual weapons are there, as are unusual ones, such as weedwhackers.

Lethal Lockdown
Similar to the WarGames match utilized in WCW, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Lethal Lockdown consists of a single ring enclosed by a steel cage with two teams facing off with each other. The staggered entry system is identical, but weapons are permitted and are even provided. When all competitors have entered the ring, a roof is lowered onto the top of the cage, with various weapons hanging from it. Victory can be attained by pinfall or submission. This match has become a staple of TNA's Lockdown  pay per view every April, where every match is contested inside a cage, but has also made appearances at other TNA pay per views.

Xscape Match
The Xscape match is featured annually at the Lockdown all-steel-cage pay-per-view  in April. This variation of the Lockdown Match has 4–6 competitors and is a two stage process. The first stage is a standard pin/submission elimination contest, wit eliminated wrestlers leaving the cage through the door until there are only two wrestlers left. The last two competitors then face off; the only way to win at this stage is to climb out of the cage all the way to the floor.

Multiman Matches

Tag Team Match
A Tag Team Match consists of two teams, usually two members per team, facing off. Typically one wrestler from each team fights in the ring, while the other member(s) stand on the ring apron, though all wrestlers are in at the same time in a Tornado variation.

Handicap Match
A Handicap match is any match where one wrestler or team of wrestlers face off against a team of wrestlers with numerical superiority such as two against one, or three against two. In some two-on-one handicap matches the team with superior numbers act under tag team rules, with one person in the ring at a time. In others, such as tornado matches, all competitors are in the ring at the same time

Survivor Series Match
A Survivor Series match is similar to a tag-team match, except that whenever a wrestler is pinned, taps out or disqualified, he is eliminated from the match. In a Survivor Series match, the wrestlers are divided into two teams, typically with four or five members on each team, and the winners ("survivors") of the match are the wrestlers still remaining when all members of the other team have been eliminated.

Triple Threat Match
This match features three participants wrestling in the ring at once. The first to score a pinfall or submission is a winner. Disqualification is usually not a factor in these matches, though occasionally a wrestler may be disqualified and eliminated, leaving a singles match.

Triangle Match
The Triangle match combines elements of tag team  wrestling with multi-competitor wrestling. In this match contested by three competitors, one of the competitors must remain outside the ring, to await a tag from either of the other two combatants. Thus, while being tagged out may afford time to recuperate, one cannot win unless they are tagged back in. The Triangle match can be expanded to accompany more wrestlers (i.e. the Four Corners match is a match where four wrestlers are involved).

Three-Way Dance
Similar to a Triple Threat, except upon being pinned or tapping out a wrestler is eliminated, and the match continues as a singles match.

Fatal Fourway
Four competitors fight off in the ring at once, with the first person to score a pinfall or submission being the winner.

Six-Man Mayhem
Six-Man Mayhem is a unique multi-competitor match used mainly in Ring of Honor. It involves six wrestlers, with two actively in the ring, and four others outside standing at the turnbuckles. Instead of tagging in and out to become legal, the outside wrestlers enter the ring using "Mexican" rules—entering the ring as soon as another leaves. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has used this match, calling it a Six-Pack Challenge.

Championship Scramble
WWE features a match called the Championship Scramble in which none of the wrestlers  are eliminated. Two wrestlers start the match and every five minutes another wrestler enters until all five participants are present. After the last wrestler enters, there is a five minute time limit. Each time a wrestler scores a pinfall or submission, he becomes the interim or unofficial champion, and such reigns are not recorded as official reigns. Five minutes after the final wrestler enters, the wrestler that scores the last pinfall or submission is declared the winner and the official champion.

Battle Royal
A multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner. Typical battle royals begin with 20 participants in the ring, who are then eliminated by being thrown over the top rope and having both feet touch the venue floor. A variation known as the Royal Rumble generally consists of 30 wrestlers. Two men start the match off, and another wrestler comes out at timed intervals.

Gauntlet Match
A Gauntlet match is, in a sense, a quick series of one-fall one-on-one matches. Here, two wrestlers begin the match, and are replaced whenever one is eliminated (by normal means), with the last person standing being named the winner. A Gauntlet match may also be played out in multiple "parts" as part of a storyline (where a face wrestler must face a series of a heel wrestler's underlings before facing the heel himself, for instance) – this was common in World Championship Wrestling  in the early 1990s, where it was referred to as a Slobber Knocker. A participant involved in a Guantlet match may be said to be "running the gauntlet", although in most cases this designation is reserved for those who are involved for most of the match.

The Gauntlet may also be referred to as a Turmoil match, a likely backformation from Tag Team Turmoil, which is used to denote a Gauntlet involving tag teams. In singles gauntlet matches in World Championship Wrestling, pins were counted without the need of the single man being on top of the gauntlet member.

Relay Match
The match has two (or more) teams of between 3 or 12 members to a team and before the match there will be a coin toss to see which team switches out first. Every 3 or 5 minutes the teams will switch. The first team to get a pinfall wins. It is sometimes contested under hardcore rules.