The Iron Man match is one of WWE’s most memorable match types. Opponents face off over a set time limit and try to accumulate the most pinfalls that they can. After the time limit expires, the opponent with the most falls wins. In case of a draw, the match can go into sudden-death overtime. Here is a list of the best Iron Man matches in WWE history. There is a twist though, we have ranked them using Dave Meltzer star ratings as our guide. These ratings come via the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
The Best WWE Iron Man Matches According To Dave Meltzer’s Star Ratings
Charlotte Flair vs Sasha Banks for the RAW Women’s Championship (Overtime)
Event: WWE Roadblock: End of the Line (2016) | Rating: 3 Stars
Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks faced off at Roadblock: End of the Line in a 30-minute Iron Man match. This was for the RAW Women’s Championship and was the second ever Iron Man match to feature Women’s participants.
Charlotte would go on to defeat Sasha 3 falls to 2 in overtime to win the Title.
Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle (Overtime)
Event: WWE Backlash (2001) | Rating: 3.25 Stars
Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle faced off at Backlash 2001 in what was called an “Ultimate Submission Match”. This was basically just an Iron Man match but with only submissions allowed.
Benoit won 4 falls to 3 in overtime. There was no Title on the line in the match.
Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels
Event: WWE Raw (October 3rd, 2005) | Rating: 3.25 Stars
Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels faced off in a 30-minute Iron Man match on the October 3rd, 2005 episode of RAW.
The match ended in a draw (2 falls to 2) after Angle refused to go into overtime. There was no Title on the line in the match.
Cesaro and Sheamus vs The Hardy Boyz for the Raw Tag Team Championships.
Event: WWE Great Balls of Fire (2017) | Rating: 3.25 Stars
Cesaro and Sheamus faced off against the Hardy Boyz in a 30-minute Iron Man match at WWE’s Great Balls of Fire event in 2017. This was for the RAW Tag Team Championships.
Cesaro and Sheamus won the match 4 falls to 3 to retain their Titles.
Seth Rollins vs Dolph Ziggler (Overtime)
Event: WWE Extreme Rules (2018) | Rating: 3.25 Stars
Seth Rollins and Dolph Ziggler faced off in the main event of Extreme Rules 2018. This was a 30-minute Iron Man match for the Intercontinental Championship.
Unfortunately, the crowd’s reaction to the match ended up taking away from the in-ring action. Ziggler won the match 5 falls to 4 to retain in overtime.
Chris Benoit vs Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Event: WWE RAW (July 26th, 2004) | Rating: 3.5 Stars
Triple H and Chris Benoit faced off in a 60-minute Iron Man match back on the July 26th, 2004 episode of RAW. This was for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Benoit would win the match 4 falls to 3 to retain the Title.
John Morrison and The Miz vs Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore for the WWE Tag Team Championships
Event: WWE ECW (January 8th, 2008) | Rating: 3.5 Stars
John Morrison and the Miz faced Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore in a 15-minute tag team Iron Man match. This was for the WWE Tag Team Championships and was called a “Fifteen Minutes of Fame Match“.
The match ended in a draw at 1 fall to 1.
John Cena vs Randy Orton for the WWE Championship
Event: WWE Bragging Rights (2009) | Rating: 3.5 Stars
John Cena and Randy Orton faced off in 2009 in a 60-minute Iron Man match. This was an “Anything Goes Iron Man match” for the WWE Championship.
Cena won 6 falls to 5 to win the Title.
Adam Cole vs Finn Bálor vs Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano
Event: NXT Super Tuesday (2020) | Rating: 3.75 Stars
The NXT Super Tuesday event in 2020 saw a 4-way iron man match. This involved Adam Cole, Finn Bálor, Tommaso Ciampa, and Johnny Gargano.
This match ended in a draw between Balor and Cole after they both ended 2 falls each.
Triple H vs The Rock for the WWF Championship.
Event: WWE Judgement Day (2000) | Rating: 4 Stars
Triple H and the Rock faced off back at Judgement Day 2000 in a 60-minute Iron Man match. This was for the WWF Championship.
Triple H ended up winning 6 falls to 5 to win the Title.
Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart for the WWF Championship (Overtime)
Event: WWE Wrestlemania XII (1996) | Rating: 4.25 Stars
Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart faced off in a 60-minute Iron Man match at Wrestlemania XII. This was for the WWF Championship. The score was 0-0 after 60-minutes so it went into overtime. Michaels would win in overtime to become the new WWF Champion.
This won the match of the year award for 1996 from Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship
Event: WWE Smackdown (September 18th, 2003) | Rating: 4.25 Stars
Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle faced off on the September 18th, 2003 episode of Smackdown in a 60-minute Iron Man match. This was for the WWE Championship. Brock would win the match 5 falls to 4 to win the Title.
This won the match of the year award for 2003 from Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
Bayley vs Sasha Banks for the NXT Women’s Championship.
Event: NXT Takeover: Respect (2015) | Rating: 4.25 Stars
The first-ever Women’s Iron Man match took place at NXT Takeover: Respect between Sasha Banks and Bayley. This was for the NXT Women’s Championship and had a 30-minute time limit. Bayley would win the match 3 falls to 2 to retain her Title.
This won the match of the year award for 2015 from Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
Let us know which of these Iron Man Matches was your favorite! We appreciate you reading as always! We will be updating this page as more of these matches take place. My personal favorite Iron Man match was between Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle. They put on an absolute clinic and I always loved their chemistry with one another.
If you enjoyed this, check out the list of WWE 5 star matches.