The King of the Mountain match is a professional wrestling match exclusive to Total Nonstop Action (TNA).
The five competitors in the match start out as "ineligible" to win. In order to become "eligible", a wrestler must score a pinfall or submission on an opponent. The opponent who submits or is pinned is forced to spend two minutes in the "penalty box" cage. More than one wrestler can be in the cage. This often results in wrestlers fighting inside the cage or forming some sort of alliance.
Once "eligible", the wrestler may win the match by retrieving the belt and hanging it on the hook suspended above the ring with the aid of the ladders. A TNA official maintains possession of the belt and circles the ring, staying out of the action as much as possible. When a wrestler wishes to hang the belt, he must retrieve it from the official. Once the belt is in play, any other wrestler who is eligible may attempt to steal the belt and hang it. Once the belt has been dropped and no wrestler is attempting to hang it, a referee returns the belt to the official.
The matchup is similar to the more common ladder match, which has the belt suspended above the ring and the winner is the one who retrieves it with the use of a ladder. The King of the Mountain match is considered backwards in nature to the ladder match, as the competitors attempt to hang the belt instead of retrieving it.
After a six-year hiatus the King of the Mountain match returned at TNA Slammiversary 2015, with the winner becoming TNA King of the Mountain Champion.
As of 2016, Jeff Jarrett has won the most King of the Mountain matches with three, winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship twice in the process. Also, Samoa Joe is the only wrestler to retain a world championship (The TNA World Heavyweight Championship), while Suicide, Eric Young and Bram are the only other wrestlers to retain a championship in the match (Suicide retained the TNA X Division Championship while Eric Young and Bram retained the King of the Mountain Championship).
List of Winners
- Jeff Jarrett - 2004
- Raven - 2005
- Jeff Jarrett - 2006
- Kurt Angle - 2007
- Kaz - 2008
- Samoa Joe - 2008
- Suicide - 2009
- Kurt Angle - 2009
- Jeff Jarrett - 2015
- PJ Black - 2015
- Eric Young - 2016
- Bram - 2016