When was the first "three way match"?

[turkeysandwich]

Does anyone know when/where the first 3 way wrestling match took place?
The earliest I remember were ECW's Three Way Dances from early 1995. I remember WCW having a few "triangle matches" around 1995, too. I cannot remember the earliest "triple threat" in the WWF/E.

I have a feeling that they go way back before that somewhere.
Does anyone know who came up with this idea, or when they were first done.

Just curious.

[comahan]

I think I remember WWF billing a Triple Threat between I believe HHH/Owen/Goldust(not positive) as the first of its kind on Raw in 97. I could be way off on that though, as Im just going by a faint memory.

[Deleted]

I want to say the first three-way match was at "The Night The Line Was Crossed", February 5th, 1994. Shane Douglas vs. Terry Funk vs. Sabu going the one-hour draw.

But then again, I found this while searching the Wrestling Information Archive:
ECW Arena "NWA Bloodfest: Part 2", October 2, 1993
Triangle Steel Cage Match: Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) defeated Ian and Axl Rotten and Badd Company (Paul Diamond and Pat Tanaka) in a "triangle steel cage" match.

I knew I remembered this match for a reason. It was on "The Best Of Public Enemy" that I got from RF Video. Joey Styles and Don Muraco called the match and "the Magnificent One" was all confused.

So, more than likely (and aside from anything going on in Japan or Mexico), that's your answer.

[BlackoutCreature]

Smokey Mountain Wrestling - Beckley, West Virginia - March 28, 1993
The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. The Heavenly Bodies vs. Dutch Mantell and Jimmy Golden

SMW also ran some four-way matches about a year earlier.

As for the WWE, the earliest matches I can remember them billing as "Triple Threat Matches" were between Bret Hart, Diesel and The Undertaker at house shows in early 96. But they weren't worked like what we'd expect from a modern Triple Threat matched and had these weird round-robin rules where only 2 guys were in the ring at a time.

The first Triple Threat matches I can remember using the more traditional, modern Triple Threat rules that we'd associate with it were between Marc Mero, Goldust and Triple H back in late 96/early 97 for the Intercontinental Title, also at house shows. It never made it to TV though.

The first TELEVISED WWE Triple Threat match I think was between Faarooq, Crush and Savio Vega at the In Your House: Ground Zero in September 1997.

[thesam07]

Cornette clams to have booked the first three way dance in North America in SMW.

And I always liked the three way dance formula over the triple threat formula.

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

It involved Ric Flair, Caligula and a horse.

[ICBM]

I dunno but I wish I could go back and strangle the idiot who booked it. I have always hated them. They wasted too many main events over the years on those abortions

[Deleted]

Dec 19, 2010 9:42:42 GMT -5 BlackoutCreature said:

Smokey Mountain Wrestling - Beckley, West Virginia - March 28, 1993
The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. The Heavenly Bodies vs. Dutch Mantell and Jimmy Golden

SMW also ran some four-way matches about a year earlier.

As for the WWE, the earliest matches I can remember them billing as "Triple Threat Matches" were between Bret Hart, Diesel and The Undertaker at house shows in early 96. But they weren't worked like what we'd expect from a modern Triple Threat matched and had these weird round-robin rules where only 2 guys were in the ring at a time.

The first Triple Threat matches I can remember using the more traditional, modern Triple Threat rules that we'd associate with it were between Marc Mero, Goldust and Triple H back in late 96/early 97 for the Intercontinental Title, also at house shows. It never made it to TV though.

The first TELEVISED WWE Triple Threat match I think was between Faarooq, Crush and Savio Vega at the In Your House: Ground Zero in September 1997.

Actually, the one mentioned above with Goldust, Owen Hart, and Triple H was a couple of months earlier.

I know WCW used the concept as early as Fall Brawl 94, with Sting, Vader, and Guardian Angel.

[BigJerichool222]

LOL, remember Savio's shortlived "Triple Threat Expert" gimmick?

[BlackoutCreature]

Dec 20, 2010 0:17:18 GMT -5 @wordlifeecw said:

Dec 19, 2010 9:42:42 GMT -5 BlackoutCreature said:

Smokey Mountain Wrestling - Beckley, West Virginia - March 28, 1993
The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. The Heavenly Bodies vs. Dutch Mantell and Jimmy Golden

SMW also ran some four-way matches about a year earlier.

As for the WWE, the earliest matches I can remember them billing as "Triple Threat Matches" were between Bret Hart, Diesel and The Undertaker at house shows in early 96. But they weren't worked like what we'd expect from a modern Triple Threat matched and had these weird round-robin rules where only 2 guys were in the ring at a time.

The first Triple Threat matches I can remember using the more traditional, modern Triple Threat rules that we'd associate with it were between Marc Mero, Goldust and Triple H back in late 96/early 97 for the Intercontinental Title, also at house shows. It never made it to TV though.

The first TELEVISED WWE Triple Threat match I think was between Faarooq, Crush and Savio Vega at the In Your House: Ground Zero in September 1997.

Actually, the one mentioned above with Goldust, Owen Hart, and Triple H was a couple of months earlier.

I know WCW used the concept as early as Fall Brawl 94, with Sting, Vader, and Guardian Angel.

Yeah, but that was more of a mini-tournament with Sting just getting a bye in the first round.

[Woooooolhouse!]

The old WWF Raw Magazine had an article on a Shawn Michaels/Bret Hart/Pyscho Sid triple threat match. That would have been during the short period of time after the 1997 Royal Rumble where Michaels beat Sid, but before he forfeited the title. It mentioned many times that it was the First Triple-Threat match in WWF History.

For the record, the match ended when Bret was putting Sid in the Sharpshooter, and Shawn jumped off the top rope with a cross-bodyblock for the pin.