In a recent podcast episode of “Something To Wrestle”, WWE executive Bruce Prichard shared the backstory of the Punjabi Prison Match, first brought to life at WWE’s 2006 Great American Bash, and compared it to TNA’s King of the Mountain match.
When it came to the Punjabi Prison Match, Prichard said, “The Great Khali used to be a prison guard in India, besides being a policeman. The idea was to play off that background without replicating Big Boss Man. As the concept evolved, we pictured what a Punjabi prison might look like, resulting in the proposal to construct it out of bamboo. Designs were drawn and looked impressive, but the rules of the actual match were undecided.”
Explaining further, he stated, “Eventually the notion that a gate would open for only five minutes, providing an escape route, was agreed upon. Today, it stands as the second most baffling and frustrating match stipulation ever. The first place goes to TNA’s confusing and illogical King of the Mountain match.”
Discussing the King of the Hill match, Prichard expressed his frustration vehemently – “What in the world is a reverse ladder match? The objective is supposed to be capturing a prize, not giving it away. It’s the dullest match concept. Similarly, I can hardly remember the Punjabi Prison match’s complicated rules. However, I firmly believe that the King of the Mountain match outdoes it in terms of stupidity and absence of logic.”