WWE is Having an Unsanctioned Match This Weekend — What is It, Exactly?
These are the rules and history of the rare WWE Unsanctioned Match type.
On March 1 at Elimination Chamber 2025, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will meet — possibly for the final time — in an Unsanctioned Match.
It’s a match type rarely seen in WWE, even more so than Hell in a Cell matches or Last Man Standing matches. While many of you will simply sit back and enjoy the ride on March 1, for the members of the WWE Universe who want to know more about this historic match type, read on.
Here’s everything fans need to know about an Unsanctioned Match.
What is an Unsanctioned Match?
On the surface, an Unsanctioned Match looks like a standard WWE bout — it begins inside the ring, there’s a referee, and there will be a winner, most likely by pinfall. But the major difference in this kind of match is almost too off-putting to comprehend: WWE wants nothing to do with this match.
That’s right; the largest wrestling company on Earth refuses to be held responsible for the carnage that will undoubtedly unfold in the ring in Toronto!
Yes, there will be a referee, but their only job will be to count a pinfall or otherwise signal the end of the match — it will be “no holds barred." While it may look like a “normal” match on the surface, an Unsanctioned Match is anything but — don’t be surprised if the mat is stained with the blood of both Owens and Zayn by the time the final bell rings!
In a sense, it’s a match that happens when the animosity has built and built to a point where not even Hell in a Cell can contain all the bad blood. It’s the match that happens when WWE sees two Superstars who absolutely hate each other and says, This ends in the ring once and for all — but we are not responsible for anything that happens to you physically or emotionally.
The tensions have been sky-high between Owens and Zayn in recent weeks:
In other words, WWE agrees to have this match take place at their event and provide the referee, but they want nothing else to do with it. It’s just too dangerous — and too career-altering.
At Elimination Chamber in Toronto, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will compete in this legendary grudge match. While they’ve battled each other in violent matches before, neither man has ever gotten himself into a position like this — in the premiere singles match of a Premium Live Event where absolutely anything goes!
When was the last Unsanctioned Match in WWE?
The last time two Superstars competed in a match wholly unsanctioned by WWE was during NXT: Stand & Deliver 2023 when former NXT Champion Johnny Gargano collided with the cocky Grayson Waller.
You can watch the match itself on Peacock. Fortunately, the intense build-up to the match is just as crazy as the Unsanctioned Match itself, and after watching this it becomes clear just why Gargano and Waller needed to settle things once and for all in this type of bout:
The parallels to the Owens/Zayn storyline are clear — after all, what WWE Superstar wouldn’t be out for revenge after nearly being put out of commission permanently due to a Kevin Owens package piledriver?
In Zayn’s mind, enough is enough. It’s time to beat the hatred out of each other and end the rivalry that has followed them throughout their entire careers. (And we’re sure Owens feels the same.)
How many Unsanctioned Matches have occurred in WWE history?
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in Toronto will mark only the tenth time in WWE history that an Unsanctioned Match has occurred. Before the former best friends exchange blows for what could be the final time in their respective careers, they should be aware that being part of this match at all puts them in rare company.
These are the other nine Unsanctioned Matches in WWE history:
- Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H — SummerSlam 2002
- Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho — Unforgiven 2008
- Randy Orton vs. Shane McMahon — Raw, 2009
- Triple H vs. Seth Rollins — WrestleMania 33
- Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa — NXT TakeOver: New Orleans 2018
- Drake Maverick vs. Mike Kanellis — 205 Live, 2019
- Randy Orton vs. The Big Show — Raw, 2020
- Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly — NXT Stand & Deliver 2021
- Johnny Gargano vs. Grayson Waller — NXT Stand & Deliver 2023
One thing jumps out at you when looking at this list. Whether it’s HBK and Triple H or Gargano and Ciampa or Cole and O’Reilly — if you were once best friends with someone, there’s a decent chance you’ll meet them down the line in an Unsanctioned Match!
So, while all eyes will be on the men’s and women’s Elimination Chamber matches, traditionally the most exciting matchups of the annual event, don’t overlook what will arguably be the defining moment in the Owens/Zayn relationship.
Get your popcorn ready, fans — it’s going to be a wild one.
You can tune in to Peacock to watch Elimination Chamber 2025 on Saturday, March 1. In the meantime, catch up on all things WWE Universe on Peacock.
