Posted in: Ripped To Shreds Ripped To Shreds #22: Saved By The Bell- The Lost Art Of Time Limit Draws
By Ripper
Aug 28, 2009 - 12:30:02 PM
Ripped To Shreds #22: Saved By The Bell
The Lost Art Of Time Limit Draws
Welcome to Ripped To Shreds. This week I'll be discussing something that is almost non existant in WWE's product now a days- the art of time using time limit draws.
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“This contest is scheduled for one fall, with a 30 minute time limit.”
When was the last time any of us heard that? When was the last time any of us heard the ring announcer say that a match actually could end on account of neither competitor scoring a fall in the amount of time allotted? I’m almost certain I haven’t listen to a ring introduction like that in quite some time.
Back in the eighties, it was not uncommon for wrestling matches to end in time limit draws. Not that it always occurred every other match, but it was an event that transpired enough, especially in the National Wrestling Alliance, that it wasn’t considered too much of a rarity. Matches sometimes ended not because either man scored a fall, but because the clock ran out of time. Ric Flair has gone on record as saying that most of the matches in his career ended in this fashion. Many times he was a World Champion, and a heel champion at that, and the time limit draw ending always seemed to be a finish that saved the credibility of both competitors. Neither man had to look bad. There was no winner, but more importantly, there was no loser.
Now a days, the time limit draw is almost unheard of. Yes, there are a few instances of this occurring, such as in the Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle Iron Man Match on a special Raw from a few years ago, or when Eugene won Kurt’s gold medal in the Angle Invitational. It has happened every now and again, but overall, this is an idea that has practically been thrown out the window. In fact, those were special matches where the time limit was a big aspect to the match. The term “Broadway” was once a common backstage wrestling term. This referred to a match that ended on account of time expiring, and went the full distance. It was once as common as the terms baby face and heel, but the intelligent internet wrestling community is generally unfamiliar with this term, as matches ending on account of time expiration rarely happens anymore, just like it is lo longer guaranteed that the Champion will come out second for a match. Times have changed, and draws in sports entertainment virtually ended by the time the internet became a significant part of wrestling, and before the term “sports entertainment” became relevant. It just doesn’t happen anymore in today’s day and age.
The art of this type of ending can, when done properly, be an excellent way to finish a match. When used properly, this ending really can be an effective way to provide a great sense of satisfaction for the fans watching. Two courageous warriors go at it in full force, and try to scratch and claw their way to a victory. Yet neither man really proves they are the best, and instead of being left with someone’s arm raised in the air, we are left with the great efforts of these two men. Nothing more, and nothing less. The action outshines the outcome: an out come that is basically nonexistent when all is said and done. We can not see the outcome, because it’s covered and smeared with the blood, sweat, and tears of the two competitors.
How often do you like to watch professional sports and see that a football game ended in a tie? As the old saying goes, “it’s like kissing your sister”. A couple weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles tied the Cincinnati Bengals in a very lack luster, ugly game which is remembered mostly for the Birds underachieving. A few years ago, The Major League Baseball All Star Game ended in a tie after six extra innings of play, which upset a lot of people. Mainly because there isn’t supposed to be a tie in the sport of baseball.
But in the world of professional wrestling, this generally does not have to be the case. At ECW’s “The Night The Line Was Crossed”, Shane Douglas, Sabu, and Terry Funk competed in a three way dance. This was a three way elimination match, where not a single one of the three men got eliminated, much less was there a winner when it was all said and done. The match ended in a time limit draw, and all three men were given a standing ovation from the live crowd for their efforts on that evening. It was a relatively unusual sight compared to the competitive sports world. The match ended in a three way tie. Shane, the Franchise player of the company, Sabu, the crazy man of wrestling, and Terry Funk, the tried and true ring veteran, all gave the audience everything they had to give that night. Whether it be in kayfabe or not, no man had anything to be ashamed of. They left their hearts on the mat that night, and every single fan in attendance respected their valiant efforts.
I have to admit, though, the mere idea of a draw is primarily a bad one. By definition, a sport is some type of physical contest done in a competitive nature. If there is no official winner or loser, then you could possibly call it something else altogether. You can say it is something else entirely. A glorified practice session, or a scrimmage if you will between two athletes. Maybe both sides can walk away with a sense of partially lost dignity. I certainly wouldn’t be happy with a tie ending as either a fan or a participant. It just wouldn’t cut it for me. Sure, if someone is the huge underdog it might mean something special, but deep down they know they were just inches away from taking the whole shebang. It was almost theirs for the taking. Moral victories are the only victories that can occur when there is a draw. It is an irreplaceable part of any story or competitive contest: the ending, and it doesn’t occur. Something’s missing.
At Fully Loaded ’98, Triple H battled The Rock for the Intercontinental Title in a best two out of three falls match, with an announced thirty minute time limit. Triple H was the brash, rebellious challenger (and also was the current holder of the European Championship). The Rock was the cocky, arrogant, tough, and yet slightly cowardly, champion. He was the Brahma Bull, looking to successfully walk away with his crown in tact. On that warm night in July, Triple H nailed the Pedigree with the clock winding down, could score the third and deciding fall. The Rock retained his title that night, but the moral victory went to Triple H. The fans were left with a sense of having seen something special that night, as moral victories are common place in professional wrestling. It’s common to hear a fan say “JBL won, but he cheated by using a chair, so he wasn’t really the winner.”
Draws were commonly used as a way to end Champion vs. Champion matches between two rival wrestling promotions. What if, say, fans had wanted to see Ric Flair, an almost recurring World Champion of the N.W.A. in the eighties, take on The Ultimate Warrior when he was the World Champion of the then World Wrestling Federation? Would Vince McMahon let his champion lose to the Champ from another promotion? I seriously doubt it, just as Jim Crocket would hate to see The Nature Boy go down. He just wouldn’t allow something like that to come to pass. And why should he want someone who is the face of his wrestling promotion to lose to someone who represents the best of what the other rival promotion has to offer? Would Vince McMahon right now allow Triple H to lose to Jeff Jarrett of TNA? I’m not sure if he’s the current champ right now, but he is practically the flag bearer of that company.
It’s not about whether you win or lose. It’s how you play the game. How many times have we heard that saying? It’s practically the slogan for all little league baseball organizations, and every pee wee hockey league. But what exactly can be said for this on an adult level? Michael Jordan was certainly never satisfied with losing in any aspect of the game of basketball, and he became arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. Tiger Woods is almost unarguably the greatest golfer of all time, and he hates to lose. Joe Frazier wasn’t happy by just being a part of three of the greatest boxing matches of all time against Muhammad Ali. He is angry and upset that he lost two of those bouts. He wanted something more on those nights than just a pat on his back from his trainer as he said “It’s over, Joe. No one will ever forget what you did here tonight.”
The efforts of the two men can become accentuated for all that they are worth, and for what they really are. At the end of Rocky 3, Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed compete in a pick up boxing match of sorts against each other, and the movie ends with the live action scene cutting to a painting of the two men in the action stance they are in. And in a way, this is a great analogy for what a tie can actually mean: It can be a true art form when it is done properly. Every so often in King Of The King tournaments, a match will end on account of time expiring. These matches, however, are usually filler matches, so that the heel can go into the main event of the night a little fresher than the face. This is done so that it will make it seem as if the face as a tougher hill to climb, and so that he won’t lose face (no pun intended) if he has to lose in the end. X-Pac and the “Real Man’s Man” William Regal had a match like this at Survivor Series ’98, where a one night tournament was held to crown someone with the vacant World Championship. This match is largely forgettable, and does not get said in the same breath as the aforementioned ECW Three Way Dance. Possibly because the time limit was too short, but then again, was ten to fifteen minutes really enough for X-Pac and Regal to have any type of classic? Not really.
I have to wonder what the current WWE landscape would look like if time limit draws were possible. Yes, there is an art to them, but I have to wonder how the crowd would react if this happened on a semi-regular basis. The crowd could possibly be screaming for blood if this ending occurred. However, if Shawn Michaels and Triple H were to go an hour with no winner, I kind of doubt that too many fans would be upset about it. Not a lot of people would say that these two can’t put on great matches with each other, and people didn’t seem to mind the ending to their last man standing match from a Royal Rumble few years ago. Double count outs, and double disqualifications still do occur, but they really don’t help having the crowd feel as if they just witnessed some type of masterpiece. It puts a damper on what possibly was a great match. It is just like the tried and true concept of having poorer in ring workers having shorter matches. It’s so they can hide the fact that they are just that, poor in ring performers. Would you want to see Brock Lesnar and Goldberg go a full thirty minutes? Their match at Wrestlemania 20 was bad enough as it was.
I’m not saying that a tie is better than an actual outcome. I want to see the referee raise someone’s hand at the end of a match, regardless of whether or not it was what I thought should have happened, or who I wanted to win. Would a match ending due to a referee’s decision be a good addition to the landscape of wrestling? I personally wouldn’t mind giving it a shot. It wouldn’t be a good Wrestlemania finish, but you get the idea. It could be something cool to add into the equation. Ties are good to help wrestlers save credibility, as no one wants to lose. Just like Chris Benoit got applauded at the Royal Rumble in 2003, despite losing to Kurt Angle, sometimes the fans don’t care who wins or loses, but in my opinion, this is a concept that should only happen when that is a true statement. It has to be when the action of the match is more memorable than the potential outcome.
The idea of a time limit draw is an odd one. Do you want to see your favorite sports team lose? Of course not. Do you want to see them tie? You’d probably feel like there was no point in watching, or that is was like “kissing your sister”. It was used many times in the past, and acted as a great way for both wrestlers to save face. Often times moral victories will occur in professional wrestling. Often times they will occur, and it is very difficult not to see someone as being the true winner when they lost due to their opponent’s cheating. It might be a tough concept to reintroduce, as I doubt the fans who came in during the Attitude Era would desire to see an ending to a match like this. It just isn’t what they paid to see. Paul Heyman said wrestling needs to be shaken up. Maybe it needs to be saved by the bell? I doubt that’s enough to do it, but in my opinion, the time limit draw is a lost art form, that, when used properly, can be an excellent addition to the industry of sports entertainment.
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Thank you very much for reading.
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