Shining a Spotlight 6.14.07: Climbing to Success (Or Pain)
Posted by Michael Weyer on 06.14.2007
Inspired by the new DVD, a look at the history of the ladder match, from gimmick to brilliant storytelling to the "spotfest" label.
Ah, I do love me some nice WWE DVD compilations. Just when I think they've done all they can with these DVDs, they come up with even more great collections. Their entry on wrestling families is truly great, one of those "never saw it coming" DVD sets that enthralls with classic footage of the past and I plan to cover it soon. But it's the other DVD that just hit that gets the attention here. A DVD I have long been waiting to see.
The ladder match. Mention it to fans and the images come of incredible action and amazing spots. It's a match so simple yet so dangerous: A goal (be it a title belt or a briefcase) hanging over the ring and you have to get a ladder to reach it. Of course, using a ladder in normal circumstances is dangerous enough. Throw in the way you can use it as a weapon and you've got a match that can be incredibly dangerous.
The recent release of the DVD showcases an interesting evolution of the ladder match. It started off like almost any other match and actually added to the powerful storyline of the participants' feud. But starting in about 1999, it began to transition to spotfests that would have little real flow, just setting up one "Holy SHIT!" moment after another. But there would be ones in between that could return to the original intent. It's that unique evolution that I wanted to track in this column.
As the DVD notes, it was Stampede Wrestling that first invented the ladder match, the brainchild of star Daniel Kroffat. He used it during his feud with Tor Kamata where the goal was a bag of money held over the ring. Kroffat grabbed the bag to win the match and tossed some of the money to the crowd. In 1979, another bout was held (which is on the DVD) between Jake Roberts and Big Daddy Ritter (better known as the Junkyard Dog). Ritter was the heel and not only was there a thousand dollars above the ring but also the North American title. Both matches were much different than ladder matches today; Instead of the regular stand-alone ladder, there was a large leaning ladder that had to be moved against the large lighting rig above the ring. In fact, the matches needed to have a ring attendant inside the ring to help the ladder stand straight which took some of the drama out of things. Ritter would end up beating Roberts for the money and the title.
In 1983, another ladder bout was held between Bret Hart and Bad News Allen for a $5000 prize. This time, the match used the regular stand-alone ladder, a great battle (clips of which are on the Bret DVD) and ended with Dynamite Kid interfering to knock Allen out of the ring so Bret could win. Bret soon signed on with WWF and suggested to Vince McMahon that a ladder match would be a good idea. Bret was still low on the totem pole, however and Vince didn't pay him much mind then.
By 1992, of course, things had changed with Bret into his second reign as Intercontinental champion and a stop star. This time, when he suggested the idea to Vince, he was open to it and so on July 21, 1992, the first ever WWF ladder match was held at a house show. I actually had an old VHS tape with this match on it for years but it's nice for the DVD to showcase it as Bret defended his IC belt against the freshly solo Shawn Michaels. Obviously, Bret had the experience but Michaels showcased for the first time the ladder skills he'd bring to the fore in the future, handling himself quite well. A lot of it was a bit light contact (not surprising for WWF at that time) but still good spots with Shawn dropkicking Bret off the ladder only to have it land on Shawn's back. But more importantly, they built up the suspense with the climbing, making that the real show, something you sadly don't quite see a lot of lately. The pitched battle would end with Shawn falling off the ladder and outside the ring, allowing Bret to climb up and win.
Despite the fact the crowd was hot for the match, it never took off afterward. Of course, you can argue that WWF was just saving it for something special. And in 1994, that came with a series of circumstances setting up a match that would be an influence for years to come.
In September, 1993, Michaels was riding high in his second reign as IC champ and one of the top heels of the company. He seemed unstoppable, becoming the first man to retain the IC title at SummerSlam against Curt Henning. But in mid-September, Michaels was suddenly bounced from WWF and stripped of the title. Now, the reasons why vary depending on who you ask. The most commonly held viewpoint is that with his contract coming up, Shawn decided to hold out for more money, threatening to walk to WCW. Since Shawn wasn't quite as big either on camera or backstage as he is now, Vince called his bluff and let him dangle unemployed to teach him a lesson. Others believe that WWF wanted to transition the title but Shawn refused to do the job. The most intriguing story is by Shawn himself as his autobiography claims that the front office said he failed a drug test, despite not being on anything at the time and so sent him home.
Regardless of the real reason, puppet President Jack Tunney announced on TV that due to missing several mandatory title defense, Michaels was suspended and the belt vacated. A battle royal was held on RAW with the final two men to face off the next week for the title. Razor Ramon and Rick Martel were those two and after a pitched fight, Ramon pinned Martel to win the title, allowing Scott Hall to forever wipe the label of ‘underachiever" that had haunted him his entire career.
Ramon had been getting over big with the crowds and being the champ just made him hotter. As he was taking off, Michaels returned in November with a gimmick he himself thought up: Since he had never been beaten in the ring for the title, he declared he was still the Intercontinental champion and even had his own title belt to prove it. He and Ramon would clash on and off for the next few months, including Shawn almost costing Ramon the belt against IRS at the 1994 Royal Rumble.
This was a great example of how storylines used to be in those long-ago days when you didn't have four hours of prime time TV and monthly pay-per-views. Michaels and Ramon fought at house shows to no conclusion so it was decided that the ladder match was the way to settle it with both title belts hung over the ring. It was to be at Wrestlemania X and as most of the IWC knows, it was a match that would change so much of wrestling in the 1990's.
I know some will be surprised that this isn't included in the Ladder DVD except for clips. If you want it, I do recommend the overlooked Shawn Michaels: From the Vault which not only has the match in its entirety but very good promos and video packages of the setup for it. What's interesting is that a school of thought among newer fans is that the match is actually overrated, that the action isn't as amazing as they expected and at times, it seems slow. But these newer fans should keep in mind the context of the time. This was 1994, WWF was still highly into cartoonish characters and they had never put on a match like this on the biggest show of the year. Of course, that's because they weren't going for a spotfest or a high-risk battle, they just wanted to put on a damn good match. In that regard, they succeeded in spades.
It wasn't just the battles to go up the ladder and getting hit down. Fans expected that. What they didn't expect was the way Ramon and Michaels would actually use the ladder as a weapon. The first big moment was when Ramon brought it to the ring, lying it at the apron and just as he was about to climb up, Michaels baseball-slid it into his gut. They would trade such blows, with Ramon smacking the ladder into Michaels' face when he was leaning against the ring post outside and later monkey-flipping Michaels into it. Michaels would return the favor by smashing the folded end into Ramon's sternum and then climbing up the ropes with the ladder standing and jumping off to bring it smashing across Ramon's body. Michaels would also add the great spot of jumping off the ladder to splash Ramon while Ramon would send Michaels bouncing off the ladder and into the ropes. It all ended with Michaels being pushed off the ladder, landing with his legs between the ropes and getting his foot caught, allowing Ramon to scale up and grab the titles.
The match was an instant classic, the unanimous winner of Match of the Year by just about everyone and the ladder match immediately became a fan favorite. Surprisingly, WWF would hold off on it for a while although Ramon and Jeff Jarrett would trade the IC title between them at ladder match house shows during a week in 1995. With SummerSlam '95 shaping up to be a rough card (Diesel versus Mabel was the main event), WWF realized they needed something to sell it. So, the planned IC title match between champion Shawn and Sid was instead changed to a ladder rematch between Ramon and Michaels. This is the match that's on the DVD and frankly, it's criminally ignored as it's actually better than the Mania 10 one.
It wasn't just the fact that both men were faces that added to the heat. It was also how they used the history of the past match to add on to this one. There were repeats of some spots (like Michaels climbing the ladder with Ramon pulling down his tights so Shawn mooned the crowd) but others did twists to the first match. For example, once again, Ramon brought the ladder to the ring apron and once again Michaels did a baseball slide. But this time, Ramon pulled the ladder and himself out of the way so Michaels slid to the outside where Ramon nailed him with a punch. They also added a great bit with Ramon suplexing Michaels outside, Shawn catching his ankle on the ringside barrier. Ramon then went about working on Shawn's leg, at one point putting it in between the ladder and slamming it down and later placing the ladder in the corner and dropping Shawn knee-first on it. This of course not only removed the "Sweet Chin Music" but also would hurt Shawn's chances for climbing the ladder. Shawn did a good job selling it and then the burst of adrenaline as he fought back. In the end, Shawn was the one who managed to climb up and grab the belt, ending 25 minutes of wild action that left fans in a good mood for a bad show.
Again, however, the ladder match would take a long absence from the WWF scene although ECW would often use it. Of course, being ECW, they would make it unique. Some matches had the ladder used to grab a weapon hanging over the ring that could then be used on the opponent. Other bouts had nothing hanging and the ladder was just openly used as a weapon. ECW also added the idea of tag team ladder matches, which of course turned into wild brawls. Surprisingly (or maybe not, given who we're talking about), it took WCW until 1997 to start doing ladder matches. The first came at Souled Out, the all-NWO PPV with Eddie Guerrero beating Syxx (Sean Waltman) to retain the US title, a poor match with the ring announcer actually referring to Eddie as "the Mexican jumping bean."
In 1998, the ladder match returned to WWF as the Rock defended the IC title against HHH at SummerSlam '98, the climax of the DX-Nation feud that had been raging for months. The match was a true turning point for both men who did an awesome job using the ladder in their battle. At one point, the Rock even lay HHH onto the ladder to give him the People's Elbow. Adding to the madness were Mark Henry and Chyna who would interfere and lead to more wild action. HHH also took a brutal fall off the ladder and seemed to do a great job selling it. Eventually, HHH would manage to win the title but a lengthy reign was not to be. As it turned out, HHH wasn't selling all that much, he really had injured his leg (the same injury that's kept nagging at him today) and was forced to vacate the title immediately afterward. The bigger effect would be for the Rock as his determination and great work during the match finally got him the respect of fans, paving the way to his face turn.
The ladder match would continue to pop up in WWF a few times as 1999 moved on. On a February RAW, the Rock would beat Mankind to regain the WWF title after the Big Show interfered to chokeslam Mankind off the ladder. The '99 King of the Ring would see a wild ladder match with Steve Austin (appointed CEO of the WWF by Linda McMahon after another of Vince's crazy schemes) faced Vince and Shane in a handicap ladder match for control of the company with the briefcase of papers hanging over the ring. This was pretty much an excuse for Austin to beat the hell out of both McMahons, which he freely did, including a great spot where he got them by the entranceway under a set of ladders set up for decoration and, with a few tugs, brought the whole mess down on them. However, the match was marred by multiple run-ins and then the fact that the briefcase suddenly started to rise whenever Austin went for it only to lower to allow Shane to grab it and win. So while a good setup, the Russoified antics ended up hurting the match.
WCW would do a few more ladder matches, several of which (Goldberg vs. Scott Hall at Souled Out and a Bigelow/Hall match on Nitro) would involve climbing the ladder to grab a weapon to use on the opponent. A November Nitro would have Hall winning the US title in a four-way ladder match with Bret, Goldberg and Sid which, as you can imagine, was pretty ugly with the three men trying to keep it at a pace to allow the slowed Hall to win the belt. Only nominally better was a Starrcade '99 bout with Chris Benoit beating Jeff Jarrett to win the US title, a match that could have been great but was cut to ten minutes. Of course, being WCW, the very next night had a rematch on Nitro with Jarrett regaining the belt.
But in October of 1999 there would come the ladder match that would set a new high mark for the bouts: the Hardyz vs Edge & Christian at "No Mercy." I covered this in detail in a column on E&C last year but the match led to a revival in interested in ladder bouts and made all four men instant stars. Again, it had to do with the times as a tag team ladder match wasn't that common then. It also helped that all four were willing to do what it took to stand out, leading to spots never even dreamed of, let alone attempted such as Jeff sending the ladder seesawing into the faces of Matt and Edge or Edge and Christian slamming the ladder across Matt's body ten times. The Hardyz ended up winning the match, grabbing a bag containing $100,000 and the "managerial services" of Terri Runnels but all four men were winners in the eyes of the fans. The Hardyz followed that up with a tag title match against the Dudleyz at the Royal Rumble where tables were used frequently, the Hardyz doing double leg drops from the ladder onto the table-bound Dudleyz which had never been seen in WWF before.
This would set up the big ladder match with the Dudley Boyz at Wrestlemania 2000, a match that ended up being even wilder than expected due to the Dudleyz bringing in tables and all six using the ladders as weapons in new and more brutal ways. There would be the high spot of Jeff leaping off a 20-foot ladder to swanton Buh-Buh Ray and E&C would use a table spread between two ladders to grab the belts and win. Not since the Michaels/Ramon bout had a ladder match become so instantly acclaimed so the rematch at SummerSlam was inevitable. Of course, this would have the addition of being the first TLC match which just made the action more insane. The DVD would show how the bout slid into a formula repeated several times: All three teams would beat each other up for a bit with various ladder spots before the Dudleyz would clean house and do the "Wassaup!" flying headbutt to the crotch. That would lead to the cry of "D'VON! GET THE TABLES!!!!" and things would get really nuts with at least one guy getting a 3-D through a table. At the SummerSlam one, the Dudleyz would set up a stack of tables outside the ring so when Buh Buh Ray climbed up the 20-foot ladder, Edge & Christian pushed it over to send him smashing through the tables. Edge and Christian would then climb up only to have Lita run out and push that ladder over. That set up Matt climbing up the big ladder but Edge pushed it back, sending Matt sailing backward over the ropes and through another table on the other side. To top it off, Edge then speared Lita, hitting her head on the end of the ladder, a pretty ironic move considering how the two would end up. There was a brief continuity moment in the midst of it all with Jeff trying to hit a Swanton on Buh Buh Ray only for him to move so Jeff went through the ladder. Edge & Christian would end up winning, which I think may have been a bad move as the crowd was so hot for the Hardyz.
A wild match to be sure but as you can tell, not that much in real storytelling to go with it. The Hardyz and E&C would have another ladder match on RAW in September, basically a more intense version of their No Mercy '99 match with additions of moments like Matt hanging from the cables containing from the belts with no ladder underneath him, allowing Edge to leap out and spear him off. Meanwhile, WCW would get into ladder matches a bit more with the cruiserweights showing their stuff. While they weren't as wild as WWF's, they still had some good action with the Starrcade 2000 match between Three Count, the Jung Dragons and Jamie Noble and Evan Karagias fighting for a contract to be number one contender to the Cruiserweight Championship on the DVD. It was good, marred a bit by the finish of Shane Helms and Shannon Moore deciding to grab the contract together to become co-winners and showed some improvement to WCW. Sadly, it came about a year too late to do any real good.
As 2001 dawned, WWF put out another great ladder match with Chris Benoit taking on Chris Jericho for the IC title at the Royal Rumble. As you can guess from these two, the match was amazing, a throwback to the old-style brutal ladder fights but still with high spots like Jericho giving Benoit the Walls of Jericho across the ladder. Jericho ended up sending Benoit down to scale the ladder and win the match. Wrestlemania would have the big TLC rematch which again played much like the last two, even copying spots like the massive stacked table crash (this time with Matt joining Buh Buh Ray). There would be the addition of the interference of Spike, Rhino and Lita, who took just as many bumps as the main competitors with Rhino getting a hurricarana and a chair shot from Lita, Spike sent through a table and Lita eating a 3-D. Again, it ended with Edge & Christian winning the tag titles which I've always felt was the real weakness of the three bouts. I mean, when the same guys keep winning, it takes a bit off from the whole point of a rematch.
Judgment Day in May would have Benoit facing Kurt Angle in a two-out-of-three falls match with a ladder match being the first fall, an interesting twist with Angle ending up winning. On SmackDown days later, TLC III would have all three teams going at it with tag champions Benoit and Jericho. While some spots would be repeated, the addition of the two Chris actually helped out and there were nice twists like the Dudleyz giving Christian a 3D off the ladder. Benoit would add to the drama by selling an arm injury beautifully and then leaping off the ladder to headbutt D-Von. Also, the Hardyz brought out the bit of doing a flying double leg drop onto Buh Buh Ray through an announcer's table. The champs would retain but Benoit would suffer a severe neck injury that would end up putting him out of action for a year.
It was about this point that it became clear that the ladder match was starting to suffer from the "spotfest" label. The TLC matches had lost the storytelling the earlier ladder bouts had, turning into places to set up one big "holy shit" moment after another. Worse, they had the weakening tendency of men taking massive bumps yet still able to fight and climb up. Add to that the "slow climb" aspect as wrestlers would be obviously taking their time climbing up the ladder, going slower than any human being should in order to give their opponents time to recover and attack. That took a lot of the impact out of such matches, ignoring the overall story aspects to become the basic "stunt work" a lot of workrate freaks hate. SummerSlam 2001 with Rob Van Dam beating Jeff Hardy for the Hardcore Title didn't exactly stop that trend.
But the DVD showcases how a No Mercy '01 match halted that trend. While it took longer than expected, the much-awaited Edge/Christian breakup occurred in July with Christian turning heel and eventually joining the Alliance. At the time, WWF still acted like the two were brothers with even a bit of Christian telling Edge their mom had been in an accident to lure him into an ambush, setting up Edge to lose the IC title to Christian. Given their history, a ladder match for the belt was a natural. I'm aware that some have slammed this match, saying the crowd wasn't into it but from what I can tell via the DVD, it was a good battle with both using the ladder in a one-on-one encounter, playing into the classic "former partners turned enemies" with the twist of knowing how to use the ladder against each other. It built up to a great ending of Christian lying atop the two ladder set up side by side, a chair under his head so Edge could give him a one-man Conchairto, letting Christina slump to the mat as Edge grabbed the belt to win. It was a great match that really told some old-style storytelling amidst the action.
A May, 2002 RAW match would continue that trend as RVD challenged Eddie Guerrero for the IC title. The match (on the Eddie DVD) was a great technical battle before using the ladder, less as a weapon and more as the tool it was originally intended to be. There would be a bit of a distraction as Chris Benoit made his big return to RAW, coming in to the crowd with a ticket to grab a seat. Also, if you watch the match on DVD, you'll miss something: On the original broadcast, some drunk in the crowd ran in to push the ladder over when Eddie was on it before being dragged out by security. At first, some thought it was part of the show but it turned out to be for real and security caught hell for it. But the DVD edited that part out, showing only the great fight with RVD winning the belt.
One addition on the Ladder DVD I'd argue with is the Jeff Hardy/Undertaker battle from RAW in 2002. Don't get me wrong, it was a fair match but WWE just seems to go a bit overboard talking about how great it was. First off, the idea of the Undertaker in a ladder match just doesn't seem right (the guy's already tall enough without a ladder), especially in his biker phase. The match was also marred by Jim Ross going over the top cheering Jeff on: "Climb the ladder, kid! Make yourself famous!" The Undertaker won but they still gave Jeff the rub by having Taker raise his hand in victory. That same overrated label pertains to the TLC match from an October RAW with Kane and the Hurricane (who was injured earlier and thus never actually came out to the match) defending the tag titles against Buh Buh Ray and Spike Dudley, RVD & Jeff and Jericho and Christian. This was a return to the "spotfest" but without the additions of Edge, D-Von and Matt Hardy, just didn't click as well despite table smashing and ladder falls. The ending, with Kane (after spending most of the match on the outside) coming in to climb the ladder and win, didn't sell it well either. That this was chosen as the greatest RAW match at the RAW 10th Anniversary show months later just seals the deal on the "overrated" label.
The ladder match would make a brief appearance, used as the final fall in a two-out-of three "stages of hell" match with HHH beating Michaels to regain the World title. Judgment Day '03 would have a good match with Tajiri and Eddie Guerrero beating Team Angle for the WWE Tag title. September would see a return to classic one-on-one ladder bouts with RVD beating Christian for the IC title at a Chicago-based RAW (it's on the RVD DVD) once again mixing technical battles with the ladder used as a weapon. Wisely, WWE decided to wait an entire year before bringing the ladder match back. Thus, it was all the more special when it was finally used for Unforgiven '04. Edge had been the Intercontinental champion but suffered a genuine groin injury and was forced to vacate the belt. Christian, getting over with his "Captain Charisma" character, insisted that he be given the title. Chris Jericho argued with that so RAW GM Eric Bischoff decided to put it up for grabs in a cage match. Christian argued due to being injured in a past cage match so Jericho suggested the ladder match. Not only was the title at stake but both men had been in a nice feud earlier in the year over the hands of Trish Stratus and Lita, adding another nice story layer to things. Again, the match was a mix of technical wrestling with high spots, Jericho pulling out the Walls on the ladder again before eventually climbing up to win the belt.
I'll take a break here to talk about the ladder match use in TNA. Given how it saw itself as the nearest thing to competition to WWE, it was no surprise that the ladder match would be used in TNA. Indeed, Jerry Lynn won his first X Division title in a ladder match against Low-Ki and AJ Styles at the 11th weekly PPV in the fall of 2002. During his first reign as NWA World Champion, Styles (then a heel) would have a ladder match against D-Lo Brown which would end with both men falling off the ladder together clutching the title belt. It was here that the ruling came that in matches ending in such controversy, the belt would go with the champion. But TNA would stay away from the standard ladder matches, instead adding a few twists to them.
The first was Ultimate X which is one of those ideas so brilliant you wonder why someone didn't come up with it before: A ladder match only with no ladder. Instead, you had to climb up and use the cables to scurry across and grab the prize. The highlight of the X Division, TNA wisely saves Ultimate X for special occasions to give it more impact. That also pertains to the King of the Mountain match which only takes place at Slammiversary and again puts a twist as the point is to attach the belt to the hook with the ladder rather than the other way around. Of course, the falls-count-anywhere and penalty box also add to the drama. They also use the "Full Metal Mayhem" which is basically their version of TLC, usually involving Abyss bringing thumbtacks into play. TNA also had a ladder match for the NWA title between Jeff Hardy and Jeff Jarrett be the main event of their first three-hour PPV in 2004. This did have the backstory of Hardy having an advantage as it was a ladder match and they did a good job but it was marred by Scott Hall and Kevin Nash interfereing to hit Hardy with guitars and allow Jarrett to win. I may give TNA some flack but they have managed to make the ladder match more intriguing.
Of course, in 2005, WWE would come up with a great twist of their own: The Money in the Bank match. Back in 2005, no one was quite sure what to expect from this bout but it turned out to be one of the best ladder matches ever. Sure, there were high spots but there was also great storytelling through it all like Benoit selling an arm injury for the entire match. What was truly impressive was that when the big spots came, they felt so natural, not as convoluted in setup. It wasn't perfect (if you watch the match closely, you can see that when Jericho rams Christian's face into the ladder, Christian pauses to make sure the other ladder is set up for Benjamin's run up it) but still led to surprises, especially by Benjamin. It was one thing in a TLC match when Jeff Hardy climbed a ladder or Buh Buh Ray was pushed on a ladder and everyone knew what was coming and got ready. But Benjamin suddenly running up a ladder to clothesline Jericho off was out of nowhere and just made you leap back in your seat with a "holy fracking crap!" reaction. Ditto for the earlier part with him and Edge fighting on the ladder and Benjamin hit a T-Bone off it. The rest of the match just gelled so perfectly up to Benoit trying to claim the briefcase but slowed by his injured arm so Edge could him with a chair to knock him off, climb up and win.
A few other ladder matches in 2005 would continue the unique vein such as Summer Slam. Watching the Eddie/Mysterio ladder match is rather bittersweet as you know it would be his last major match before he was taken from us too soon. I was never a fan of the whole Dominick storyline and that just adds more of a distaste to the match. (Having a "social worker" at ringside was really pushing it) But it did add to the passion both men brought to it, mixing technical skills with great action with Eddie doing his best to play the heel. For those who complain of Vickie's use since Eddie's death, it should bear noting that she played a big part in this match, pushing Eddie off the ladder and outside to let Rey win and bury this stupid storyline for good. That was a great point, with even Eddie's allies realizing how crazy he was and working to stop him and bring him to his senses, which played out with Eddie starting to go back to being a face just before his death. The RAW Homecoming special in October would feature Edge and Matt Hardy bringing their real life hatred to a "loser leaves RAW" ladder match which was a wild action-packed brawl that finally paid off on the feud, even if it was the last match. There was the hint it was more of a spotfest but given the emotions between these two, the action just came off so much hotter than usual with Edge coming out with the win thanks to help from Lita.
A nice bit on the DVD are the interviews with participants in the matches with Ric Flair talking about how, while his distaste for hardcore matches is well known, he is glad he took part in the TLC match with Edge for the WWE title in January of 2006. It was surprisingly good with Flair having his hometown crowd in the palm of his hand, selling and doing a great blade job while taking it to Edge just as well. And for once, you could forgive the slow climbing by Flair as he is getting up there a bit. His good showing in his loss no doubt helped him be added to the second MITB match at Wrestlemania 22 with RVD, Matt Hardy, Benjamin, Lashley and Finlay. Once again, it was a great mix of high spots that felt so natural like Benjamin leaping out of nowhere onto the ladders to pound RVD at the top. It really helped to sell RVD when he eventually won.
Everyone's run down the new ECW but they did try to bring the action with a few ladder matches. The first was in August with RVD facing Sabu with a contract for a title shot over the ring. It was a wild battle with the unique finish of the Big Show interfering, Sabu getting on his shoulders to pound him and using Show's height to grab the contract. RVD would later beat Show in a ladder bout to retain his contender spot. Not a bad match but again, given his size, Show isn't exactly a match for a ladder bout. November had OVW making history with the first ever women's ladder match (and interestingly, the first ever OVW ladder match) as Katie Lea beat Beth Phoenix for the Women's title. Just the sight of women being the one to take the bumps and bruises of a ladder bout made this so unique, each blow seeming more powerful as it was women. Lea kicking off the match by leaping off the ladder to splash Phoenix on the outside was a great start and Beth followed it by causing the ladder to smack right in Lea's face when she tried to bring it in. Lea giving Phoenix a reverse neckbreaker off the ladder was just insane and Phoenix took a nasty bump when Lea pushed the ladder over with her at the top as she actually landed on the top step before rolling out the ring. Honestly, why is neither woman signed on with WWE right now?
2006 would have a few more ladder bouts which are on the DVD. The TLC match from Unforgiven with Cena taking on Edge had the nice storyline additions of Cena having never been in a ladder match before and Edge having the hometown crowd in his hand so he was basically a face. Despite his inexperience, Cena once again showed how underrated he is as a champ and a seller, doing his best with the shots and some good stuff like a five finger shuffle from the ladder. He also showed his stuff like being shoved off the giant ladder through a table on the outside but soon returning the favor to Edge. Edge topped it off by taking a FU off the top through a table, allowing Cena to not only win the title back but also get cheer of respect from the Canadian crowd who recognized his gutsy performance. The RAW IC title match from October between Jeff and Nitro was a surprisingly good addition with a spot I've never seen with Nitro grabbing Jeff and dropkicking him from the ladder they were both standing on. No doubt, it led WWE to realize how well Nitro could handle a ladder even though Jeff won.
In a true case of "last but not least," the DVD ends with the surprise Armageddon 2006 four-way ladder match for the WWE tag team titles between London & Kendrick, William Regal & Dave Taylor, the Hardyz and MNM. The match has gotten infamy due to Joey Merucry taking the brutal ladder blow to the face (and indeed, Mercury prefaces the match talking about how many stitches he needed and losing 35% vision in his left eye) and was pushed as a MOTY candidate. Watching it now, you can see how it's more of a spotfest than given credit for. The most obvious is with Jeff setting up a ladder outside the ring to jump on Taylor with Michael Cole saying he doesn't get the strategy there. Of course, the real reason was so Nitro could leap out and dropkick the ladder, causing Jeff to land on the top rope. But there was the brilliant idea of Regal and Taylor having the ring to themselves, ready to scale up the ladders only to realize at the worst possible time that they were afraid of heights. London and Kendrick really proved themselves, especially Kendrick hitting Regal with a Sliced Bread #2 from off the top of the ladder so they really got respect after that.
So far this year, we've seen the third MITB match which had unique touches like the interference of Hornswaggle (complete with his own miniladder) and his getting dumped from the ladder by Kennedy. I do think its impact may be marred a bit by Kennedy losing the contract to Edge, which takes out the "MITB winner ends up getting the title win" aspect of the match. And I'm sure we can all agree the high point of One Night Stand was the Hardyz vs Benjamin and Haas in a great ladder match for the titles with some good tag action before the ladders were brought in. It did have the unique bit of all four bringing in ladders, the Hardys throwing their overhead to dropkick the WGTT and the nice move of Haas in the corner behind one ladder and Benjamin, holding another, was thrown into him, bouncing off with the ladder landing on top of him. Although honestly, can we drop the whole thing of setting up ladders as a seesaw so the Hardyz can use it? It's been done to death (almost literally in Mercury's case).
So as you can see, the ladder match started off as something rather unique, grew to a spotfest and a bit overused but has regained some of the luster that made it so special in the first place. It is a dangerous match with a long list of injured wrestlers, some quite brutal. But when it works (and its track record is better than most gimmick matches), it provides a show that constantly entertains, excites and makes you doubt the sanity of those involved. In a way, isn't that wrestling's supposed to do anyhow?
Also around 411mania:
Showing how great minds think alike, Julian counts down the Top 10 Ladder matches.
Ripple Effect continues its look at the new ECW.
The Fink, Schmoozes and Screwjobs and Can They Be Champ examine the Draft.
Quick Talkdown shares a meeting with Batista.
Why I Love Wrestling shares the Internet love.
Don't forget Column of Honor, Triple Threat, 3 R's, Ask 411, Fact or Fiction, Meehan and the rest.
