A Last Man Standing match is a special stipulation and the only way to win it is if your opponent is unable to stand up after a 10-second count
Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura have been hoping to go at it for a while, and they will finally meet at WWE Fastlane 2023 in a Last Man Standing match.
Rollins, the WWE Heavyweight Champion will be defending his title against the Japanese star, and this match could be perfect for the challenger.
A Last Man Standing match in wrestling is a special stipulation. To win this match, you need to ensure your opponent is unable to move or stand up after a 10-count by the referee.
Pins and submissions do not work in Last Man Standing matches, however, the referee can stop a match if a wrestler is knocked out or is unable to fight anymore.
This is different from other stipulation matches such as the I Quit match where a wrestler has to say the words “I Quit” for the fight to stop. Here too, submissions and pins aren’t counted, similar to the Last Man Standing Match.
Of course, there are no countouts here and a wrestler could lose the match outside of the ring. Wrestlers have to be at their feet by the count of 10, which has led to some dramatic moments. Further, weapons can be used, and that has also led to some gruesome Last Man Standing matches.
The first ever Last Man Standing match in WWE history took place in February 1999 at In Your House 27: St Valentine’s Day Massacre.
This was a match between the WWF Champion, Mankind, as he took on The Rock. The match was the first of it’s kind though variations of the Last Man Standing match, called Texas Death Match or Armageddon Rules match had taken place earlier.
Mankind came into the clash as the champion and was able to retain the belt. The match ended in a no contest and the clash lasted for 22 minutes.
This is considered one of the greatest Last Man Standing matches, and many other big names have participated in this match.
Triple H, Kane, Ric Flair, The Undertaker, Great Khali, Batista, John Cena, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Edge CM Punk, Alberto del Rio, Bio Show, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Sheamus and many others have taken part in such matches.
Nakamura has some experience in Last Man Standing matches and this should be a great clash at Fastlane.
It is difficult to predict who could win such a match given that outside interference is a possibility. Seth Rollins could bring some help from the outside to help keep his title.
However, Shinsuke Nakamura could use some of his MMA training in this. There are no real rules here, and the Japanese star could produce a shock and become the new champion.
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