King of the Mountain match
The King of the Mountain match is a professional wrestling match exclusive to Total Nonstop Action (TNA).
Match format
The five competitors in the match start out as "ineligible" to win. In order to become "eligible", a wrestler must score a pinfall or submission on an opponent. The opponent who submits or is pinned is forced to spend two minutes in the "penalty box" cage. More than one wrestler can be in the cage. This often results in wrestlers fighting inside the cage or forming some sort of alliance.
Once "eligible", the wrestler may win the match by retrieving the belt and hanging it on the hook suspended above the ring with the aid of the ladders. A TNA official maintains possession of the belt and circles the ring, staying out of the action as much as possible. When a wrestler wishes to hang the belt, he must retrieve it from the official. Once the belt is in play, any other wrestler who is eligible may attempt to steal the belt and hang it. Once the belt has been dropped and no wrestler is attempting to hang it, a referee returns the belt to the official.
The matchup is similar to the more common ladder match, which has the belt suspended above the ring and the winner is the one who retrieves it with the use of a ladder. The King of the Mountain match is considered backwards in nature to the ladder match, as the competitors attempt to hang the belt instead of retrieving it.
After a six-year hiatus the King of the Mountain match returned at Slammiversary XIII on June 28, 2015, with the winner becoming TNA King of the Mountain Champion.[1]
As of 2016, Jeff Jarrett has won the most King of the Mountain matches with three. Also, Samoa Joe, Suicide, Eric Young and Bram are the only wrestlers to retain a championship in the match.
Match history
| # | Match | Stipulations | Event | Date and Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Jarrett defeated Ron Killings (c), A.J. Styles, Raven and Chris Harris | King of the Mountain match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | TNA Weekly PPV 97 | June 2, 2004 Nashville, TN |
| 2 | Raven defeated A.J. Styles (c), Monty Brown, Abyss and Sean Waltman | King of the Mountain match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | Slammiversary 2005 | June 19, 2005 Orlando, FL |
| 3 | Jeff Jarrett defeated Christian Cage (c), Abyss, Ron Killings and Sting | King of the Mountain match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | Slammiversary 2006 | June 18, 2006 Orlando, FL |
| 4 | Kurt Angle defeated Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles, Christian Cage and Chris Harris | King of the Mountain match with winner to become the first TNA World Heavyweight Champion | Slammiversary 2007 | June 17, 2007 Nashville, TN |
| 5 (X Division) |
Kaz defeated Chris Sabin, Curry Man, Jimmy Rave and Johnny Devine[2] | King of the Mountain match with winner to earn a future TNA World Heavyweight Championship match | TNA Impact! | June 5, 2008 Orlando, FL |
| 6 | Samoa Joe (c) defeated Robert Roode, Booker T, Rhino and Christian Cage | King of the Mountain match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship | Slammiversary 2008 | June 8, 2008 Southaven, MS |
| 7 (X Division) |
Suicide (c) defeated Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley[3] | King of the Mountain match for the TNA X Division Championship | Slammiversary 2009 | June 21, 2009 Auburn Hills, MI |
| 8 | Kurt Angle defeated Mick Foley (c), Jeff Jarrett, A.J. Styles and Samoa Joe[3] | King of the Mountain match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship | Slammiversary 2009 | June 21, 2009 Auburn Hills, MI |
| 9 | Jeff Jarrett defeated Matt Hardy, Eric Young, Drew Galloway and Bobby Roode | King of the Mountain match for the reactivated TNA King of the Mountain Championship | Slammiversary 2015 | June 28, 2015 Orlando, FL |
| 10 | PJ Black defeated Lashley, Chris Mordetzky, Eric Young and Robbie E | King of the Mountain Match for the vacant TNA King of the Mountain Championship | Impact Wrestling | August 12, 2015 Orlando, FL |
| 11 | Eric Young (c) defeated Will Ospreay, Big Damo, Bram and Jimmy Havoc | King of the Mountain Match for the TNA King of the Mountain Championship | Impact Wrestling | March 8, 2016 Birmingham, England |
| 12 | Bram (c) defeated Eli Drake, Andrew Everett, Jessie Godderz and Robbie E | King of the Mountain Match for the TNA King of the Mountain Championship | Impact Wrestling | April 22, 2016 Orlando, Florida |
King of the Mountain records
List of winners
| Wrestler | Year |
|---|---|
| Jeff Jarrett | 2004 |
| Raven | 2005 |
| Jeff Jarrett | 2006 |
| Kurt Angle | 2007 |
| Kaz (X) | 2008 |
| Samoa Joe | 2008 |
| Suicide (X) | 2009 |
| Kurt Angle | 2009 |
| Jeff Jarrett | 2015 |
| PJ Black | 2015 |
| Eric Young | 2016 |
| Bram | 2016 |
Participant list
| Wrestler | Victories | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Jarrett | 3 | 4 |
| Kurt Angle | 2 | 2 |
| Kaz | 1 | 1 |
| Suicide | 1 | 1 |
| PJ Black | 1 | 1 |
| Raven | 1 | 2 |
| Bram | 1 | 2 |
| Samoa Joe | 1 | 3 |
| Eric Young | 1 | 3 |
| Monty Brown | 0 | 1 |
| Sean Waltman | 0 | 1 |
| Sting | 0 | 1 |
| Curry Man | 0 | 1 |
| Jimmy Rave | 0 | 1 |
| Johnny Devine | 0 | 1 |
| Booker T | 0 | 1 |
| Rhino | 0 | 1 |
| Jay Lethal | 0 | 1 |
| Consequences Creed | 0 | 1 |
| Alex Shelley | 0 | 1 |
| Mick Foley | 0 | 1 |
| Matt Hardy | 0 | 1 |
| Drew Galloway | 0 | 1 |
| Lashley | 0 | 1 |
| Chris Mordetzky | 0 | 1 |
| Will Ospreay | 0 | 1 |
| Big Damo | 0 | 1 |
| Jimmy Havoc | 0 | 1 |
| Eli Drake | 0 | 1 |
| Andrew Everett | 0 | 1 |
| Jessie Godderz | 0 | 1 |
| Ron Killings | 0 | 2 |
| Abyss | 0 | 2 |
| Chris Harris | 0 | 2 |
| Chris Sabin | 0 | 2 |
| Robert Roode / Bobby Roode | 0 | 2 |
| Robbie E | 0 | 2 |
| Christian Cage | 0 | 3 |
| A.J. Styles | 0 | 4 |
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.impactwrestling.com/news/item/6455-King-of-the-Mountain-Returns-To-Slammiversary
- ↑ Banks, Bill (2008-05-30). "iMPACT: Cage/Rhino v Booker/Roode/X Division King of the Mountain". TNAwrestling.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-31. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
- 1 2 http://www.tnawrestling.com/content/view/1515/84/