The Texas Death Match has earned a reputation as wrestling's ultimate blood-soaked spectacle. These matches commonly churned out over 30 falls across marathon sessions, with some lasting well over three hours, before town curfews shut them down. The gruesome tradition continued into regional circuits.

Today, this type of match remains a cherished legend, in part because so few promotions dare stage them live. When they do, anything goes, and if the pinned wrestler can't react to the referee's count, the match ends. If they rise, the carnage continues until only one man (or woman) is able to remain upright.

Origins - Born in Amarillo, Forged in Blood

Before we get into specific matches that have left their mark on pro-wrestling, let's rewind to where it all began. The very first recorded Texas Death Match took place in Amarillo, Texas in the mid-1960s when Dory Funk Sr. faced off against "Iron" Mike DiBiase under his Western States Sports banner. The two engaged in a grueling battle that reportedly lasted between three and four and a half hours, with over thirty falls exchanged.

Ultimately, the town curfew forced the bout to end in a draw, and both men required medical treatment afterward. Funk Sr. reportedly needed 32 stitches. It was a brutal match template, without time limits or fall limits, where endurance, weaponry, and sheer stubbornness defined its legacy. Terry Funk later carried that tradition forward, turning it into a hallmark of hardcore wrestling in the Southern territories.

The Rules: Not Just Another No-DQ Brawl

What exactly makes a Texas Death Match a spectacle, rather than just another brawl? First off, there are no disqualifications or count-outs. Anything goes, and any weapon is fair game. A fall only counts if a wrestler is pinned (three-count) or submits. But this doesn't end the match. Instead, after each fall, the pinned wrestler is given a 10-count to get to their feet or return to the ring.

If they cannot respond to the count, the match ends, and their opponent becomes the winner. If they succeed, the match continues until someone eventually can't stand at the 10-count. In essence, it's the classic Last Man Standing stipulation, but with the extra wrinkle of requiring a pin or submission first. This formula has made the Texas Death Match a uniquely punishing storytelling device, built for ultimate closure.

The Best Texas Death Matches To Watch Right Now

Looking to check out some of the best and most entertaining Texas Death Matches? Below, we explain the who's who and what's what of some of wrestling's most famous matches. 

Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk – SuperBrawl 2000 (WCW)

At WCW's SuperBrawl 2000, Ric Flair dug deep to deliver a Texas Death Match with the legendary Terry Funk. This was gritty, rough, grind-it-out storytelling with multiple falls, brutal weapon shots, and the palpable sense that it was the passing of the torch through blood and sweat. Critics gave major props to both men's endurance, though some fans thought the pacing lagged amid the marathon structure. Still, it remains a top-tier example of how to use age and history to elevate a Texas Death Match's gravitas.

Big Van Vader vs. Cactus Jack – Halloween Havoc 1993 (WCW)

This match is considered legendary for being reckless and ridiculously unforgettable. During WCW Halloween Havoc 1993, things kicked off right from the ramp when Cactus Jack attacked Vader before the bell. What followed was chair shots to the head, bites, fan cameras as weapons, fighting through the entranceway, and even into a graveyard stage set marked RIP Vader. Cactus scored the first two falls, Vader responded with moonsaults and a DDT on a chair. Harley Race intervened with a stun gun while the referee was distracted, handing Vader the win.

Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer - Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night 1 2020 (NJPW)

Jon Moxley and Lance Archer tore it up at one of NJPW's most prestigious events in a US Title Texas Death Match that felt like an indie horror show in wrestling boots. Forks, kendo sticks, trash can lids, and Moxley's signature Death Rider through two tables. Each weapon choice seemed to hold more meaning than simply being used as a gimmick. Moxley took the title back after Archer didn't answer the 10-count. Pacing was tight, and physical storytelling was on point in NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14.

Mickie James vs. Deonna Purrazzo – Hard To Kill 2022 (Impact Wrestling)

In what may be the most surprising yet fitting use of the Texas Death Match format, Mickie James and Deonna Purrazzo went toe‑to‑toe in a Knockouts World Title match that delivered vicious storytelling in a violent package. Thumbtacks, tables, and even a guitar had a part to play in Impact Wrestling: Hard to Kill 2022. Purrazzo busted Mickie open with a road case, and Mickie answered by nailing Purrazzo with a guitar shot and stacked a chair and table over her opponent so she couldn't rise before the 10-count.

Leyla Hirsch vs. Diamanté - Death Before Dishonor 2024 (ROH)

At Ring of Honor's streaming-exclusive Death Before Dishonor event, Leyla Hirsch faced Diamanté in a rare ROH Texas Death Match. After several pinfalls and a few near‑falls, the match reached its end when Diamanté couldn't answer the 10-count following a piledriver through a table. Hers was a hard-earned, decisive victory that stunned the ROH faithful. Fans applauded the bold move to bring this hardcore stipulation into their women's division, while critics praised both wrestlers for their commitment to their craft.

Where To Watch The Most Famous Texas Death Matches Online

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What if you could talk with the animals? Such is the question poised by the Doctor Dolittle series of films. Based on the children’s novels by English-American author Hugh Lofting, the stories follow the titular character, an eccentric doctor who can speak with animals. 

To call the films a franchise feels disingenuous, at best. What the films encapsulate is no fewer than three attempts at making the property into a film franchise. One technically worked, though the returns diminished into oblivion as it went on. If you want to experience the totality of Doctor Dolittle on film to date, look no further than our list of every Doctor Dolittle movie and where you can find them on streaming. 

Doctor Dolittle (1967)

The first film, Doctor Dolittle, hit theaters in 1967. Starring Rex Harrison (then best known for appearing in the film adaptation of My Fair Lady), the movie adapts elements from multiple original Doctor Dolittle novels and follows the eccentric Dolittle as he attempts to prove his ability to talk to animals and clear his name after being accused of stealing a horse. Though the film’s reception was poor at the time, it became beloved in later years. The film never got a sequel but an animated series, The Further Adventures of Doctor Dolittle, made its way to television in 1970. 

Dr. Dolittle (1998)

Eddie Murphy was on something of a hot streak in the ‘90s when he dipped his toes into family-friendly films. While he still starred in more mature affairs, like Metro and Life, Murphy began featuring in all-ages properties, rebooting The Nutty Professor and lending his voice to Mulan. That same year came 1998’s Dr. Dolittle, which reimagined Dolittle as a medical doctor who had repressed his ability to speak to animals. Also starring Raven-Symoné and Kyla Pratt as Dolittle’s daughters, the film was Murphy’s biggest opening weekend until 2000’s Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Despite the box office, though, the film received a somewhat middling reception from critics.  

Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001)

Given the success of the first film and Murphy’s hot streak with The Nutty Professor and its sequel, Dr. Dolittle 2 seemed to be an inevitability. For the sequel, Dolittle, now a renowned veterinarian thanks to his power to speak to animals, is trying to save a forest from being destroyed by a corporation by repopulating it with an endangered species. Like the first film, it also starred a cavalcade of big-name stars as animal voices, including Norm Macdonald, Steve Zahn, and Lisa Kudrow. Dr. Dolittle 2 was a modest success with a strong reception, though it failed to conquer that year’s most surprising hit, The Fast and The Furious. 

Dr. Dolittle 3 (2006)

Murphy would find himself tied to the Shrek franchise following Dr. Dolittle 2, and the property would be dormant for a few years. By 2006, the decision was made to revisit the property with a series of direct-to-DVD sequels. Neither Murphy or Raven-Symoné would reprise their roles for Dr. Dolittle 3, with the plot instead shifting to focus on Dolittle’s youngest daughter, Maya. For the film, Maya and her dog are sent to a ranch, where they use their ability to speak to animals to save it from being taken over. Like most direct-to-DVD cash-grab sequels of the era, this didn’t generate much of a reaction. 

Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief (2008)

While Dr. Dolittle 3 may not have had a huge reception, it still warranted a sequel. Logically, there’s only one place left for the franchise to go at this point: politics! Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief brought Kyla Pratt back as Maya Dolittle, this time attempting to get into college. In the process, she winds up recruited by the President to both help find out why his dog is attacking dignitaries after one such incident jeopardized efforts to save a rain forest. The film did not make a huge impact when it landed on DVD in 2008, but reviews were more gentle, with most giving it middling reviews and regarding it as serviceable all-ages fare.

Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts (2009)

Obviously, after helping the President and saving a rainforest, the next logical step is to become a movie star. Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts is the last iteration of this franchise, bring Kyla Pratt back for a final outing. This time around, Maya, wanting to skip the tedious process of going to college and getting an education, finds herself starring on a reality show under the pretense of helping animals. Million Dollar Mutts marks the end of this iteration of the Dr. Dolittle franchise, and it would be over a decade before an attempt at a new Dolittle film would find its way into theaters. 

Dolittle (2020)

For his first big outing after the MCU and Tony Stark’s death in Avengers: Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. made his way to a big-budget reimagining of the Dolittle franchise. Released in 2020, Dolittle returns to the original source material and tries to lean very hard into the fantastical nature and whimsy of being able to speak with animals. Unfortunately, all the whimsy in the world couldn’t stir interest in the film. Dolittle was a box office flop, losing somewhere between $50 and $100 million dollars. Critics were even harsher, with the film ending up with an abysmal 14% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Where To Watch All Doctor Dolittle Movies Online

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Nathan Fillion has been a consistent presence on film and television for a quarter of a century. The son of retired English teachers, Fillion first gained notoriety when his performance as Joey Buchanan on the long-running soap opera One Life to Live got him nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award. While he found consistent roles in shows like Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place, it was his starring role as Malcolm Reynolds in Firefly that helped cement him as a cult classic star. 

Since then, the actor has anchored network TV shows and brought his unique mixture of swagger, arrogance, and charm to plenty of ensembles. Fillion has delivered many memorable performances, finding chances to deploy his talents for heroic leading men, comedic scene-stealers, and even a few memorable villains. Given his recent scene-stealing turn in Superman and with The Rookie set to return in 2026, it’s never been a better time to be a fan of Fillion. Here are the best Nathan Fillion movies and shows featuring and where you can find them on streaming services like Netflix, Apple TV+, and more!

10. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

One of Nathan Fillion’s first notable (and most memorable) film roles, his brief appearance in Saving Private Ryan as James Frederick Ryan was a great showcase of the charm and comedy that Fillion can bring to any of his roles. He briefly appears in the Steven Spielberg-directed war epic as a soldier named Ryan, whom the main platoon of soldiers mistakenly believes to be the Ryan they’re looking for. '

A painfully human narrative with some of the best action of any entry in the war movie genre, Fillion’s scene is an emotional beat that becomes unexpectedly hilarious when they all realize the truth of the situation. It’s perfectly attuned with the emotional core of the film, and a part of what makes it one of the best movies in Spielberg’s canon.

9. Justice League Unlimited (2004)

Although he only guest stars in a few episodes of Justice League Unlimited, Nathan Fillion leaves a lasting impression in the DC Animated Universe series. Fillion has played plenty of animated characters over the course of his career, with one of his most high-profile being the antagonistic business owner Sterling in Cars 3. However, his best vocal performance for an animated project might be Justice League Unlimited, an underrated classic of the 21st century superhero genre.

Coming not too long after the end of Firefly, Fillion brings back a touch of his space cowboy performance in his guest appearance as Vigilante. The cowboy-themed superhero is a minor background character for much of the epic superhero series, but Fillion’s performance in "Hunter's Moon" and "Patriot Act" lends the character a natural roughness and edge that makes him particularly compelling opposite characters like Hawkgirl and Green Arrow. While he doesn’t appear much in Justice League Unlimited, it’s a great early showcase for how well Fillion fits into a superhero story.

8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)

Nathan Fillion’s collaborations with Joss Whedon are among the better entries in the writer/directors career, with Fillion even making the leap to Buffy the Vampire Slayer before the long-running series came to an end. Fillion appears in Season 7 of the show as Caleb, the mortal champion for the seasons big bad, the First.

Caleb was a chance for Fillion to twist his natural charms for a villainous character, creating a menacing and unsettlingly pleasant preacher with an affinity for cruelty. Caleb is exactly the kind of villain that Buffy the Vampire Slayer always excels at, a compelling urban fantasy riff on the horrors of the real world. Caleb is one of the highlights of the later episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which remains a benchmark of modern television, even if elements haven’t aged the best.

7. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (2008)

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is a purposefully goofy tragic love story, using a parody of the superhero genre as an excuse to give Neil Patrick Harris and Felicia Day a musical showcase. Opposite Harris’ ambitious but sweet-hearted supervillain Dr. Horrible is Fillion’s Captain Hammer.

Fillion turns his swagger up to 11 in the role to create the most aggravating of cinematic jerks, a sexist, self-centered narcissist who seems to target Dr. Horrible less because he’s a villain and more because Hammer finds it funny to bully him. Gifted with powers and popularity that make him impervious to pain, Fillion embodies a level of privilege with Captain Hammer that’s just the right amount of awful to be hilarious. He fully commits to the performance, which helps ensure that the big comedy swings of the story fully land. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is an acquired taste, but fans of wacky comedies, catchy musicals, and Nathan Fillion should make sure to check it out.

6. Castle (2009)

Airing for eight seasons on ABC, Castle is the definition of a crime comfort show. The mystery series focuses on Fillion's Richard Castle, an initially self-centered but gradually heroic mystery novelist who finds himself working with NYPD Detective Kate Beckett to solve murders in New York City.

Castle was a big hit for Fillion, with the actor winning several People's Choice Awards for his performance as Richard. The series is perfect for audiences who are looking to relax with straightforward mysteries and embrace the show's long-term romantic subplot between Fillion's Castle and Stana Katic's Beckett. This is Fillion at his most romantic, especially as the dynamic between him and Katic deepens with time to become the show’s primary overarching throughline. Easy to binge and hard to quit, Castle is a great showcase of Fillion’s talents used to flesh out an initially one-note character.

5. The Rookie (2018)

Nathan Fillion’s The Rookie is a compelling and character-driven riff on the cop procedural that uses the actor’s full capabilities in effective ways. Fillion laid the groundwork for the series's success by bringing the potentially frustrating John Nolan to life. His ability to bounce off an ensemble cast and find different memorable dynamics is key to what makes The Rookie so entertaining, especially as the show embraces that larger cast to strong effect.

The series has gradually become more engaging as the other characters have been given more depth and personality, but it all orbits around Fillion, who deploys all of his likability to create a charming take on a midlife crisis. Even the show’s shift to Nolan becoming a mentor to a new class of students plays to Fillion’s strengths, letting him channel his age in a way that brings new depth to his performance.

4. Big Mouth (2017)

Fillion’s best comedic performance so far has been in Netflix’s Big Mouth, which features him as a recurring gag character. The initial celebrity crush of the intelligent Missy, Fillion, appears as a parody of himself inside the tween’s fantasies. These gags highlight the joke-a-minute tenor of the foul-mouthed but sweet-hearted animated comedy, as well as Fillion’s talent at self-deprecation and playing into his standard acting tropes.

There’s just something hilarious about Fillion representing Missy’s more innocent perspective on romance and desires, especially as she becomes more confident and intrigued by complex concepts. Fillion’s cameos in Big Mouth are among the most entertaining guest spots in the show and come with just the right amount of self-awareness to be hilarious to any of the actor’s long-term fans.

3. Firefly (2002)

Firefly and the subsequent sequel film Serenity were Nathan Fillion’s big break, cementing him as a leading man ahead of his starring roles in shows like The Rookie and Castle. The fusion of Western elements and sci-fi resulted in a cult classic for the ages, all anchored by Fillion’s Captain Malcolm Reynolds.

The outlaw space captain is a deceptively complex character, brought to life by Fillion’s often snarky, sometimes scary, and always engrossing performance. The entire cast and crew of Firefly benefit from the dynamics they find with each other to the betterment of the show’s episodic adventures, but Fillion’s performance as Mal is the standout in a strong cast that, by the time of Serenity, solidifies into one of the 21st century’s biggest fan-favorite sci-fi stories. Firefly proves how well Fillion can fit into an ensemble, especially when collaborators like Gina Torres or Alan Tudyk are on hand to match him.

2. Slither (2006)

A horror sci-fi about an alien race of slug creatures that end up on Earth, Slither is a gross-out horror for the ages that gives Fillion a perfectly ridiculous circumstance to bounce off of. His talent for playing straight-faced characters responding to absurd situations has rarely been utilized as well as it is in Slither, an early collaboration between James Gunn and Fillion that serves as a great showcase of both their skill sets. For Fillion, that means deploying just the right amount of heroic nerve and understated comic timing to make the absurd visuals really land.

Slither is an underrated modern classic of the body horror genre and a perfectly gruesome fusion of sci-fi and horror tropes that Fillion helps ground with his natural charm. It might be the best example of Fillion as a leading man, and this underrated sci-fi flick should have pushed him more into the spotlight.

1. Superman (2025)

Arguably the best use of Fillion’s comedic talents and ability to shift from smug to charming in an instant, Fillion’s performance as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern in Superman is a perfect showcase for what makes the actor such a fun presence in films and TV shows.

As one of the members of the Justice Gang (and the only person who calls the team that), Guy Gardner delivers a bunch of the film’s biggest action set pieces and silliest jokes. However, Fillion also finds a way to bring some gravitas to Guy Gardner during some charged scenes with Superman, showing off the harsher edges that Fillion has always been able to sneak into his best performances. Superman is a genuine highlight of the superhero genre, and it’s the best movie to feature Nathan Fillion in a major role.

Where To Watch The Best Nathan Fillion Movies & TV Shows Online

To discover more about TV shows and movies currently streaming in the US, check out the JustWatch streaming guide! You can filter your search by streaming service, genre, price, age rating, and score. Be sure to build your watchlist and receive helpful notifications on what to watch next based on your preferences!