Because readers keep begging for extra lists and there’s a never‑ending well of fascinating material, I’m back with a follow‑up to my original Top Ten Intense Three‑Way Rivalries published on November 16, 2010. This fresh roundup presents 10 more intense three‑way rivalries, each more tangled and thrilling than the last.
10 More Intense Rock Paper Scissors
You’ve tossed your hands into the classic game, but do you know where it began? The World Rock Paper Scissors Society traces its earliest probable appearance to Japan around 200 BC. From there the pastime somehow migrated westward, eventually reaching America via Jean‑Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, the commander of the French Expeditionary Force during the American Revolutionary War. If you like the alternate moniker, you can call it “Roshambo.”
Various offshoots exist, including a Japanese version that pits a chief, a tiger, and the chief’s mother against one another: the chief defeats the tiger, the tiger defeats the mother, and the mother defeats the chief. (I couldn’t locate the hand‑signs for that variant.) Want a guaranteed win at rock‑paper‑scissors? Check this guide.
9 The Second Roman Triumvirate
What shift in world history rivals the transformation of Rome from republic to empire? Between roughly 44 BC and 30 BC, a three‑way power struggle unfolded among Octavius, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Mark Antony.
This trio’s saga includes Caesar’s assassination, the Brundisium Treaty, bitter political convictions, relentless power grabs, strategic marriages (Antony’s union with Octavian’s sister Octavia), the famed romance of Antony and Cleopatra, the fall of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and the rise of Augustus, Rome’s first emperor.
8 The Race to the 4‑Minute Mile
In the early 1940s, Swedish runners Arne Andersson and Gunder Hägg pushed each other to a world‑record mile of 4 minutes 1.3 seconds. Yet the sub‑4‑minute barrier remained out of reach—until a new three‑way rivalry emerged a decade later.
Enter Oxford medical student Roger Bannister, Australian John Land y, and American Wes Santee. On May 6, 1954, Bannister shattered the barrier with a 3:59.4 run in Oxford, a feat soon eclipsed by Landy’s 3:57.9. Santee posted a personal best of 4:00.5 the following year. Their intertwined quests turned the mile into a dramatic three‑way contest.
7 Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Vince McMahon
Professional wrestling thrives on feuds, but 1997 delivered a triple‑layered drama. Bret “The Hitman” Hart faced “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in a legendary submission match at WrestleMania 13, a bout praised for its storytelling and rare double‑turn.
Simultaneously, Vince McMahon wrestled with the rise of WCW, which was poaching WWF talent. After a series of betrayals and lawsuits, Hart’s relationship with the WWF soured, culminating in the infamous Montreal Screwjob on November 9, 1997, where he lost the title under controversial circumstances.
McMahon’s on‑screen heel persona then clashed with Austin, propelling the WWF to dominate WCW by 1999. Though tragedy struck with the death of Hart’s brother Owen, Bret eventually reconciled with McMahon and returned to the WWF, even serving as MC for Hart’s Hall of Fame induction.
6 The Geocentric‑Heliocentric‑Tychonic Model Showdown
Before we could discuss beauty pageants, we first needed a cosmic framework. By the late‑1500s three competing worldviews vied for supremacy. Ptolemy’s geocentric model placed Earth at the center, surrounded by moon, sun, and stars.
Copernicus introduced a heliocentric system in 1543, positioning the sun at the center with Earth orbiting it. Tycho Brahe offered a hybrid: Earth fixed at the center, the sun revolving around it, while the planets circled the sun. His model even accounted for comet paths.
Galileo’s telescope and Kepler’s mathematical refinements eventually tipped the scales toward Copernicus, though Einstein later reminded us that motion is relative, subtly returning the “center” to the observer’s frame of reference.
5 The Grandfather‑Cousins of World War I
Three of the four major powers in World War I shared a surprising family tie: Kaiser Wilhelm II, Czar Nicholas II, and King George V were all grandchildren of Queen Victoria.
George V’s father, Edward VII, was brother to Wilhelm’s mother, while Nicholas’s mother was Edward VII’s sister‑in‑law, making the three monarchs double‑cousins. Despite these bonds, political alliances diverged, leading to the devastating conflict.
For a deep dive, see Barbara Tuchman’s Pulitzer‑winning “The Guns of August,” a text famously required reading for President John F. Kennedy’s cabinet during the 1962 Cuban Crisis.
4 Walt Disney, News Corp, Time Warner
The media landscape is dominated by three titans: The Walt Disney Company, News Corp, and Time Warner. Disney controls ABC, Pixar, Marvel, ESPN, the Disney Channel, and a host of theme parks and cruise lines.
News Corp’s portfolio includes 20th Century Fox, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The Sun, The Times, National Geographic, and even MySpace. Time Warner (now WarnerMedia) boasts Warner Bros., HBO, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network, and a suite of magazines like Time, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated.
These conglomerates create countless three‑way rivalries within their own ecosystems—think Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck/Elmer Fudd (Warner) or Batman/Joker/Catwoman (DC), as well as broader cultural clashes.
3 Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry
At first glance this trio seems more dessert than rivalry, but chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry have long vied for the top spot in classic American diners. All three flavors were introduced to the New World by the Spanish during their conquest of Aztec Mexico.
Beyond milkshakes, they dominate protein‑drink markets for bodybuilders and echo the original list’s “Blondes, Brunettes, Redheads” rivalry—each flavor uniquely beloved, each fighting for your taste‑bud loyalty.
Whether you sip a nostalgic diner shake or a modern muscle‑fueling drink, the eternal question remains: which flavor will you choose first, and which will you savor last?
2 The Daughters of King Lear
Shakespeare’s tragedy offers perhaps the most infamous sibling rivalry of all time. King Lear demands his three daughters—Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia—declare their love for him to win his kingdom.
Goneril and Regan lavishly flatter him, while Cordelia refuses to play the game, speaking plainly that her love is beyond words. Angered, Lear banishes Cordelia, who later marries the King of France. The elder sisters conspire against their father, leading to betrayal, poison, and a cascade of deaths, ending with Lear’s own demise cradling Cordelia’s lifeless body.
Ron Rosenbaum, in “The Shakespeare Wars,” highlights Cordelia’s line, “No cause. No cause,” as the ultimate expression of forgiveness, suggesting that true redemption lies beyond retribution.
1 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
When good meets evil, the clash is classic—but what happens when a third player enters? Sergio Leone’s 1966 western “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” dramatizes this, featuring Clint Eastwood (the Good), Lee Van Cleef (the Bad), and Eli Wallach (the Ugly) in a frantic hunt for buried gold.
The climactic Mexican standoff—three gunslingers facing off in a dusty circle—has become iconic, underscored by Ennio Morricone’s unforgettable score. Quentin Tarantino, a noted fan of the standoff, has called the film “the best directed film of all time.”
This entry caps the list as the ultimate three‑way showdown, blending suspense, music, and cinematic brilliance into a timeless rivalry.