NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Total Nonstop Action (TNA) brought pro wrestling fans a lot of unique and interesting gimmick matches over the years.
Two that come to mind were the Ultimate X and King of the Mountain matches.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Chris Sabin celebrates his victory during SmackDown at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina on March 20, 2026. (Craig Melvin/WWE)
The Ultimate X match would have high wire ropes over the ring with pillars on the sides. For a wrestler to win the match, they would have to climb the pillar, reach across the rope, and grab the prize hanging in the middle. The match often featured the X-Division’s top players and provided some heart-stopping moments.
The King of the Mountain match was essentially a reverse ladder match that included a penalty box for those who were pinned, which also appears in the Iron Survivor Challenge held during WWE NXT events. Each wrestler starts out as ineligible to win and the only way to be eligible is to get a pinfall or submission.
The only way to win the match is to hang the title belt on top, retrieving it from the official to do so. Jeff Jarrett won the match three times in TNA. The men’s match had not been seen since 2016. A women’s match for the World Championship Qualifiers was held in 2022.
Alex Shelley enters the ring during SmackDown at the Bell Center in Montreal, Canada on August 8, 2025. (Michael Marqués/WWE)
WWE STAR DANHAUSEN REFLECTS ON FIRST MONTHS WITH THE COMPANY, GIVES UPDATE ON DANHAUSENETTES
WWE’s partnership with TNA could provide that opportunity for WWE to incorporate the types of matches into their own plans. Pak Gazette Digital asked former TNA stars (current WWE wrestlers) Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley if they would like to see that happen one day.
“I guess the door is open with WWE and TNA working together,” Sabin said. “So, I guess it’s always possible.”
Shelley said a King of the Mountain match could be a “good idea.”
“Man, I’ve never thought about the Mountain King,” he said. “I think it’s a good idea. I love King of the Mountain.”
Sabin added, however, that he would not like to be a part of any more Ultimate X matches.
“I would like to throw my name in the hat for Ultimate “I got tired of those games.”
WWE has already produced some interesting matches in recent years, including the aforementioned Iron Survivor Challenge and the Underground Match, which is its own version of BloodSport-style matches.
Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin enter the arena during SmackDown at the First Horizon Center in Savannah, Georgia on May 23, 2025. (Craig Melvin/WWE)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
It’s unclear if WWE would ever use TNA’s gimmick matches, but as Sabin said, the door is open given the partnership between both companies.
