What is Ambulance match in WWE? Everything you need to know ahead of Damian Priest vs Aleister Black on first SmackDown of 2026

The two men will collide once again this week on WWE SmackDown.

The feud between Damian Priest and Aleister Black seemed to reach a decisive conclusion on the October 10, 2025, episode of SmackDown, when Zelina Vega helped her husband secure a victory over Priest. However, the rivalry flared up again following Priest’s return.

Rhea Ripley joined forces with Damian Priest recently to take down Black and Vega in a mixed-tag team match. The two are now set to settle the score themselves on the first SmackDown of 2026. Priest and Black will lock horns once again, this time in Buffalo, New York, in an ambulance match.

Also Read: What is Three Stages of Hell match in WWE? Everything you need to know ahead of Cody Rhodes vs Drew McIntyre on WWE SmackDown (January 9, 2026)

Ambulance Match Rules

An Ambulance Match in WWE is a hardcore wrestling stipulation, and similar to other hardcore matches, is designed to end feuds in a brutal and decisive fashion.

The objective of the match is simple: you win by incapacitating your opponent and loading them into the back of an ambulance, then closing the doors. The fight often spills all around the arena and backstage.

Additionally, there are no pinfalls, submissions, count-outs, or disqualifications in the match, and the only way to win is by placing your opponent in the ambulance, hence the name.

An ambulance driver is also part of the match: for a win to count, the ambulance doors must be closed, and it must be driven away out of sight into the backstage area. Usually, after the match ends, the broadcast will show the ambulance leaving the arena, emphasizing that the wrestler inside is being “taken to the hospital.”

When did the last Ambulance match take place in WWE?

Former friends and NXT Tag Team Champions Andre Chase and Ridge Holland battled in an Ambulance match on the 2024 edition of NXT Halloween Havoc. Holland defeated Chase to emerge victorious. This was the last Ambulance match in WWE.

When it comes to the main roster, the clash between Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at the 2020 edition of Clash of Champions was the last Ambulance match on the main roster. McIntyre defeated Orton to retain the title.

The upcoming clash between Priest and Black will be the eleventh Ambulance match in the promotion and the ninth on the main roster.

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