On Sunday, March 15, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, AEW’s Revolution PPV— a nine-match fight card including the 21-man Battle Royal for Ricochet’s National Championship, kicking off the show and airing for the first hour free on HBO MAX.
Topping the card is the ‘Texas Death Match‘ pitting world champion MJF against his longtime rival in “Hangman” Adam Page, who earned the right to challenge for the title after beating Andrade to become the number one contender. Their storied history is narrative enough, but they upped the stakes anyway by having ‘Hangman’ agree to the stipulation that he can never challenge for the AEW world title again should he come up short on Sunday—the ‘Cody Rhodes stip.’
The Texas Death Match has historic roots in wrestling dating back to the territory era, but AEW has brought the gimmick back since their 2019 start. In total, AEW has staged 10 TDMs with ‘Hangman’ being part of four of them—MJF has technically never competed in a TDM for AEW, though he has taken part in his own fair share of violent affairs.
This weekend will be a chaotic affair, but the feature bout will undoubtedly produce excitement for the ‘not-so-squeamish’ crowd on a card that offers a multifaceted set of matches to satisfy the versatile wrestling fan.
While the card is sure to deliver high-octane wrestling alongside the more nuanced storytelling typical of high-IQ wrestling, the main event is meant for a different crowd altogether. Still, the Texas Death Match has its place in wrestling lore, and it is every bit the art form that ‘catch-as-catch-can’ wrestling can be— in the same way that the hip-hop style of dance can be just as majestic as ballet.
THE MATCH
– Pinfall or submission prompts a 10-count from the referee; the match continues if the opponent makes it back to his feet before 10
– Barbed-wire (on boards, bats, sheets of wood, etc), chairs, tables, belts/leather straps, and FORKS (yes, forks) are the most often used weapons in the match
– BLOOD— Blood is a key part of the match, otherwise it is not worth being a ‘blood-feud.’ The elements of ‘hardcore wrestling’ storytelling are different than a typical wrestling match, and a TDM without blood is like a romantic comedy without a big kiss in the rain
HISTORY OF THE TEXAS DEATH MATCH
While there are some uncorroborated reports of a match with similar stipulations dating back to the 1930’s, the earliest documented usage of the match is credited to Dory Funk Sr. in early 1950s Amarillo. The Texas wrestling legend from the iconic Funk family invented the match when he needed a solution to ‘decisive finishes’ in his violent, rugged territory that routinely booked brutal brawls that ‘spilled to the outside.’
The format he designed called for a 10-count after a pinfall/submission, and if the opponent could not make it back to his feet by the ref’s count, then the match was decided in favor of the last man standing. In fact, many modern fans refer to the match as a ‘Last Man Standing’ with a pinfall.
While Dory holds the distinction of being the first TDM with Mike DiBiase, it was his brother, Terry Funk Jr., who took part in over 100 of the territory-branded bouts. After all, branding is everything in wrestling promotion— evident by the aptly named ‘Mexican Death Match or ‘Japanese Death Match.’
Despite having their own version of the match, All Japan Pro Wrestling adopted the TDM in their own promotion, capitalizing on the popularity surge in the late 70’s off the back of Terry Funk-Dusty Rhodes NWA feud, where they cemented the stipulation.
FAMOUS TERRITORY ERA TEXAS DEATH MATCHES AND MODERN USE
– Terry Funk vs Harley Race (NWA, 1977)
– Terry Funk vs Bruiser Brody (Various Territories)
IN JAPAN
– Stan Hansen vs Bruiser Brody
– Terry Funk vs Abdullah the Butcher
The above matches helped to set the match apart from all others, but the modern use is worthy of its own honors.
In WWE, Stone Cold Steve Austin introduced the stipulation to the Attitude Era audience when he faced Kane on an episode of RAW (June 29, 1988). Since then, however, the WWE has utilized the aforementioned ‘Last Man Standing’ match.
However, AEW has fully revitalized the match not long after the promotion’s 2019 launch—and the talent in the AEW locker room has recreated a must-see attraction that blends the realism of the territory years with modern-day athleticism. Tony Khan, AEW’s head honcho, was a huge fan of All Japan in the 90’s and is still a huge Terry Funk fan to this day, so it is safe to say that he can appreciate the manner of storytelling associated with the match.
AEW’s REVIVAL:
– Hangman Page vs Adam Cole
– Hangman Page vs Moxley
– Hangman Page vs Swerve
Hangman’s Texas gimmick, complete with ‘cowboy s**t’ catchphrase, embodies the nature of the match, and his blood feud with Swerve set the bar for utilizing narrative and storytelling at the highest level from within the violent confines of the TDM stip.
OTHER INFLUENCES
Aside from AEW’s current usage, including this weekend’s main event, and ‘The Last Man Standing’ stipulation WWE utilizes, the Texas Death Match has had many influences spanning from the territory days to the cable days and up to today.
Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was the brainchild of Paul Heyman in the 90’s, a companion to the MTV generation alongside Nirvana and Real World. ECW, which made a home base out of Philly, produced ‘hardcore wrestling,’ the likes of which nobody had seen before— at least not in a manner as accessible as PPV.
The success and appeal of the Texas Death Match preceded ECW, and the promotion might have never existed without the bloodshed on the dusty grounds of Amarillo.
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