The Scaffold Match: The Most Dangerously Stupid Gimmick Match In Wrestling History, Explained

Scaffold matches were not only boring to watch due to the lack of action, but also incredibly dangerous. Thankfully, they are a gimmick of the past.

Scaffold matches in wrestling were a popular and controversial feature of professional wrestling in the 1980s and early 1990s. While scaffold matches were intended to be a thrilling spectacle, they were ultimately stupid and dangerous, putting wrestlers at risk of serious injury or even death.

One of the main problems with scaffold matches was obviously the height of the scaffold. Wrestlers would often find themselves fighting on a narrow platform that was several feet above the ring, with no safety net or padding to protect them if they fell. This meant that even a minor misstep or slip could result in a wrestler falling to the ground below, potentially suffering serious injuries or worse. In fact, there have been several instances in which wrestlers have been seriously injured.

Not only is the match type incredibly dangerous, but it's also utterly dumb as there is barely any real action. Due to the narrowness of the scaffold and the increased risk of an unplanned fall, there was limited space available for wrestling moves. Because the scaffold was so narrow, wrestlers were unable to perform many of the extreme maneuvers and other acrobatic moves that were becoming a staple of professional wrestling at the time. This made the matches feel slow and boring, as wrestlers were forced to rely on basic strikes and grapples rather than more exciting moves.

RELATED: The 10 Most Violent and Bloody Matches In WWE History

To date, there have been 23 scaffold matches in major promotions and not one of them has been easy to watch. The Scaffold Match originated in Memphis, Tennessee in 1971 during a bout between Jerry Jarrett and Don Greene. Although initially obscure, its popularity grew and spread to other promotions in the 1980s. Mid-South Wrestling adopted the Scaffold Match in 1984, and it became a featured event. One memorable Scaffold Match took place in 1986 at Starrcade: Night of the Skywalkers, featuring The Midnight Express and The Road Warriors.

Prior to this event, Scaffold Matches had been confined to regional wrestling promotions, with the Memphis territory being the most well-known. However, with the advent of national events like Starrcade, the Scaffold Match was given a platform to showcase its unique blend of danger and excitement to a wider audience. The last Scaffold match happened in TNA in 2008, which saw Rhyno defeat James Storm. Since then the concept seems to have been dropped and for good reason.

RELATED: 13 Violent Wrestling Matches That Are Hard To Watch

During the first nationally televised scaffold match between The Road Warriors and The Midnight Express, the conclusion of the match went according to the original plan, with Paul Ellering pursuing Jim Cornette up the scaffold until they reached the Road Warriors. However, the outcome was altered when Cornette did not get hurled off the scaffold by Hawk and Animal but instead fell off by himself. The idea was for Dennis Condrey to catch Cornette, but since he was inexperienced, he was not in the right position. When Cornette fell straight down, he landed in an incorrect spot, causing severe injury to both of his knees.

This wasn't even the most brutal injury though. In ECW at the Living Dangerously PPV event in 2000, New Jack and Vic Grimes were set to engage in a high-risk move during their match. The plan was for the two wrestlers to jump from the scaffold onto tables that had been set up below. However, during the match, Grimes got nervous and backed out of the stunt. Despite this, New Jack decided to proceed with the plan and forcibly pulled Grimes off the balcony. The move went disastrously wrong, as Grimes landed on top of New Jack's head, causing his skull to crack on the concrete floor. This resulted in brain fluid oozing from New Jack's nose, and he suffered permanent blindness in one of his eyes as a result of the injury.

But that wasn't the end of it all for both these wrestlers. After ECW's closure in 2001, both New Jack and Vic Grimes signed up to XPW. In 2002, they were scheduled to participate in another scaffold match. During the match, both wrestlers ascended to the top of the scaffolding, which was positioned at a height of approximately 30–40 feet. New Jack then pulled out a taser and used it on Grimes, rendering him immobile. Following this, he flung Grimes off the scaffold, missing all but one of the tables below. Grimes eventually hit the ropes and rebounded back into the ring, resulting in a broken ankle. It's a blessing that these matches have been stopped.

Tony Parker is a lifelong WWE fan. He has worked as a writer, producer, and content strategist in the wrestling industry.