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5 Wackiest Stipulation Matches In Pro Wrestling History

If you thought an "Eye for an Eye" was slightly unrealistic at this Sunday's 'The Horror Show' at WWE Extreme Rules...

To be a fan of professional wrestling, you're accepting a certain level of wholesale absurdity to start with. It's hard to take wrestling too seriously when you consider the improbabilities inherent to the everyday product (not least of all the mechanics of the time-honoured "Irish whip"). But sometimes, wrestling goes so far outside the realm of plausibility that it leaves us stupefied. Consider the recent promotion of the "Eye for an Eye" match between Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins.

In a match that would've made more sense as a promotional tie-in with See No Evil, Mysterio and Rollins are both tasked with removing the other's eyeball in order to win. Sounds messy and, uh, slightly unrealistic. But you know, who are we to quibble when we've watched The Undertaker summon lightning?

And besides, pro wrestling has a rich history of gimmick matches that go waaaaay too far. We're not talking simple, believable barbarism like your standard steel cage and weapons-based matches. We're talking contests that rely on death, or at least taking serious liberties with the legal system. These are the more egregious ones.

5. Buried Alive

The undertaker buried alive

Putting anyone except The Undertaker in this match tends to somewhat dilute the unrealistic stipulation since he's an unrealistic character. But really, what state athletic commission is sanctioning a match where to win, you have to literally bury your opponent alive?

Nothing is ever said about the aftermath, when the poor loser of the match is exhumed from the dirt-filled chasm. After all, AJ Styles managed to liberate himself from that Boneyard at some point - how did he do it? The match has many unanswered questions.

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Justin Henry

Written by Justin Henry

In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.