The Top Ten 6.12.07: Ladder Matches

Posted by Julian Williams on 06.12.2007

Brutal. Dangerous. Bloody. Sounds like Rosie O'Donnell on her period.

Good morning folks and welcome back to another high-flying (Holy Christ, that was corny) edition of The Top Ten. This week we're going to take a look at The Top Ten Ladder Matches. I got the idea due to the WWE's recent Ladder Match DVD release and I must say that it is one of the best DVD's the 'E has ever done. Every single match ranges from very good to classic. If you're a newer fan to the WWE and haven't seen some of the earlier ladder matches, you NEED to pick this up and even if you've seen all of them you should still pick it up to have them all in one nice DVD package. Ok, enough of me shilling for Vince like I'm on his payroll. I included TLC matches on this list since they are basically just glorified ladder matches and honestly, you can use a table or chair in a regular ladder match since there's no DQ. No feedback this week, but it'll be back next week. Let's get right into the list, shall we?

The Top Ten Ladder Matches

Honorable Mention: Ric Flair vs. Edge (Raw, 1/16/06)
I'm sure that many of you, like myself, were thinking, "What the fuck" when reading that Ric Flair was scheduled to take on Edge in a TLC match for the WWE title. Ric Flair had never been in a ladder match EVER in his illustrious career, so all of us were expecting a train wreck. What we got was a pleasant surprise as these two went out and put on one hell of a match. Edge's splash from the ladder in the ring to a prone Flair on a table set on the outside of the ring is one of those highlights you'll see for years to come in the WWE. When Flair dumped Edge off the ladder and through a table set on the outside, you really thought that the Nature Boy was about to capture his 17th world title. Edge was able to recover(with help from the slut-tacular Lita) and retain his title, but the winner of the match didn't matter because it was just a thoroughly entertaining match that none of us were expecting.

Honorable Mention: AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Low-Ki (TNA Weekly PPV, 8/28/02)
Easily the best ladder match in TNA's history and one of the best ladder matches EVER! These three guys went out and first put on a wrestling clinic before incorporating the ladders. Once the ladders came into play, things really picked up. You had Low Ki receiving a double hip toss into an elevated ladder, you had AJ get belly to belly suplexed into a ladder sitting in the corner, you had Ki deliver a hurricarana to Lynn and drive him back first into a standing ladder, and finally you had Jerry Lynn deliver a MOTHERFUCKING CRADLE PILEDRIVER from the middle of the ladder and dropping Low-Ki right on his head. Sick, sick shit. Low-Ki was out of his damn mind for taking that bump.

Honorable Mention: Kane vs. Spike & Bubba Ray Dudley vs. Jeff Hardy & RVD vs. Christian & Chris Jericho (Raw, 10/7/02)
This was a surprise match on this episode of Raw due to the Raw Roulette which placed these four teams into this match. Kane & The Hurricane came in as the champs, but The Hurricane was jumped prior to the match by HHH & Ric Flair so Kane had to go into the match by himself. The match featured some insane action like Jeff Hardy giving a legdrop to Kane through a table, RVD delivering a Van Terminator to Kane, Jeff Hardy being backdropped from inside the ring through a table on the outside, and Chris Jericho doing one of the most insane spots I've ever seen in a TLC match when he fell from the top of a ladder FACE FIRST to the outside of the ring. Kane was able to defy the odds and win the match for his team despite not having a partner. This match was named the best match in the history of Raw at the Raw 10th anniversary show and while I don't necessarily agree with that, it isn't hard to see why it would be in consideration for the title.

Honorable Mention: Edge vs. John Cena (Unforgiven '06)
Going into this match, most fans expected it to be a good bout with maybe a few high risk spots, but these two guys let it all hang loose on that night. Both men were smacked with insane chairshots(well maybe Cena's shot wasn't that insane) and took some high risk bumps. Major props had to be given to Edge who took not one, but two NASTY bumps and The Champ was no slouch himself as he took an insane bump from the top of a ladder through a table on the outside of the ring BACKWARDS. This was just nasty, brutal stuff but what else would you expect from a TLC match?

Honorable Mention: London & Kendrick vs. MNM vs. The Hardys vs. Regal & Taylor (Armageddon '06)
This is the kind of match that gets better everytime that you watch it. When I first saw it, I thought it was pretty damn good, but everytime I've watched it since then, my appreciation for it has grown more and more. This was a great surprise for the fans who watched Armageddon because these four teams busted their ass to provide an instant classic. The amount of insane shit seen in this match is off the charts from Regal suplexing London onto a ladder to Nitro kicking a ladder from underneath Jeff Hardy which guillotined him on the ring ropes to Kendrick giving Regal Sliced Bread #2 from the top of a ladder to Joey Mercury having his face absolutely EXPLODE when he was hit in the face with a ladder. The image of Mercury's face swelled up and pissing blood is one of the most gruesome things I've ever seen in a wrestling match. This match was filled with high-flying action, death-defying spots, and unmeasured brutality and that's exactly how a ladder match should be.

Honorable Mention: The Rock vs. Triple H (Summerslam '98)
This match is seen as the coming out party for both these guys as it was the first true indicator that both were ready to be in the main event. This was a ladder match for the IC title and these two guys put on a performance that had Madison Square Garden rocking. This was during the height of popularity for DX and The Rock was in his awesome heel mode, but both men received the respect of the Garden as well as millions of fans around the world. And the People's Elbow on the ladder is still one of my favorite Rock moments ever.

10) Edge vs. Christian vs. Kane vs. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shelton Benjamin (Wrestlemania 21)
This was the first ever Money In The Bank match and the spectacular performance that these six men put on made it inevitable that this would become a yearly tradition at Wrestlemania. The match started off at a fever pace with five of the competitors diving to the outside onto their opponents, even The Big Red Machine! From there, we saw even crazier spots like Shelton giving Edge a T-bone suplex from the top of a ladder, Benoit german suplexing Jericho with a ladder in his hand, Christian giving Benoit an armbreaker from the top of a ladder, and of course Shelton doing one of the most insane moves ever by running up one ladder to knock Chris Jericho off another one. At the end, the opportunist Edge laid in wait until everyone was out of the equation and then cracked Benoit's already injured arm with a steel chair and climbed the ladder to become Mr. Money In The Bank. He would use that contract to win his first ever WWE Championship and this match was really the beginning for Edge becoming a certified main eventer.

9) Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam (Raw, 5/27/02)
This was the infamous ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship and it would become one of the most memorable ladder matches in wrestling history. Eddie entered the match as champ after defeating RVD at Backlash for the title. This match saw both men take an insane amount of high risks and bruising moves including a sunset flip powerbomb from the top of the ladder, a hilo onto RVD who was sandwiched between two ladders, and Eddie crashing to the mat after getting the ladder kicked out from under him while he was on the top rung. The match also saw an idiot fan run into the ring which got him an ass whipping directly from Latino Heat. This match is still fondly talked about by many fans to this day and it's no surprise because these two men went out and busted their ass for our entertainment and gave us a match to remember them by for a very long time.

8) Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Benoit & Jericho (SD, 5/24/01)
This was the third ever TLC match and it was made by Mr. McMahon as a way of insuring that Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho would lose their newly won tag team titles after defeating the Two Man Power Trip of Stone Cold and HHH. This match featured some absolutely insane spots including Jeff Hardy delivering a leg drop from the top of a ladder through Bubba Ray Dudley on an announce table and Chris Benoit landing sternum first through a table after attempting a diving headbutt. After that bump, Benoit's ribs were injured and he had to be taken to the back, leaving Jericho alone to fight for their tag team gold. Jericho put on a valiant effort, but it seemed as if the numbers were going to be too much for him. Suddenly, Benoit came back out to the ring with his ribs taped up and showed some tremendous courage by fighting off members of the opposing teams, but once E&C gave him a conchairto to the ribs, it seemed as if Benoit's night was over. Jericho was able to stave off the teams long enough for Benoit to recover and climb the ladder to retain their tag team gold. This was a great match that lived up to the insanity of the previous TLC matches and what made it even better is that we got to see it for free.

7) Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Summerslam '95)
Psychology? In a ladder match?!? The hell you say! Thus was the case in this classic match. This was the rematch to their classic Wrestlemania X ladder match and this one was fought with the ladder stipulation as well. This wound up damn near surpassing their Wrestlemania effort and only HBK botching the ending kept it from eclipsing the previous ladder match. This match included some unbelievable spots, especially for that time. Both men were faces and the crowd would go back and forth between who they were cheering and booing. Razor dismantled Shawn's knee early in the matchup after a suplex to the outside had Shawn CRACK his leg against a steel railing. From that point, Razor kept repeatedly ramming Shawn's leg with the ladder. HBK eventually fought back by suplexing Razor off the ladder and hitting a moonsault press on him off the ladder. The ending was suppose to come after Shawn hit Razor with a superkick from the top of the ladder, but he wound up falling off the ladder as well. Then when he tried to grab the belt a second time, it wouldn't come down at first. Eventually he was able to grab the belt and even though the ending kind of took away from the match, it was still absolutely awesome. Not so bad for a match that was added on at the last minute to avoid a HBK/Sid matchup.

6) The Brood (Hardy Boyz) vs. Edge & Christian (No Mercy '99)
This is the match that MADE these four men. Before this, both teams were middling in the tag team division but after this, they were the forefront of the division. This was the final match in the Terri Invitational Tournament (T.I.T.) and the winner would get the "managerial" services of Terri as well as $100,000 in cash. This was also the first ever tag team ladder match and these guys upped the level of brutality to a whole new level. They showcased moves that had never been seen before, like Jeff Hardy delivering a high angle legdrop from the top of the ladder and hitting both Christian and his own brother Matt with a ladder set up in a seesaw position. The match ended when Jeff grabbed the cash and came crashing down to the mat in the same crazy fashion that the majority of the match went. These four had the crowd standing on their feet in amazement and appreciation and after this match, the fans were dying to see more of these two teams.

5) Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz (Wrestlemania 16)
The levels of insanity seen at Wrestlemania was upped tremendously when three of the greatest tag teams of all-time squared off in this unforgettable match. This match featured some of the riskiest high spots ever seen in a WWE ring and left the crowd in the audience and those watching at home in absolute awe of it. Seeing Jeff Hardy swanton Bubba Ray through a table or seeing Matt Hardy get pushed off a table propped on two ladders through a table on the mat are moments that will live forever in Wrestlemania lore. The Dudleys, The Hardyz and Edge & Christian put their bodies on the line in this match and set a new standard for how ladder matches should be done. Shawn Michaels may have popularized the ladder match, but these six men helped to reinvent it.

4) Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz (Summerslam 2000)
This was the first ever TLC match and does anything else really need to be said about it. These three teams had an unbelievable ladder match at Wrestlemania 16 and decided to up the ante by putting on this spectacle that eclipsed their previous effort. The amount of sick spots and bumps in this match is almost impossible to count. The Bubbabomb from the top of the ladder on Christian. A ladder seesawed in Matt's face. Edge being crushed under a ladder after Christian was catapulted into it. Bubba going off a 20-foot ladder through a stack of tables. Matt falling BACKWARDS from the ring and onto a table on the outside. This match was spotastically jammariffic. I had to create new words just to describe how great it was, an absolute classic.

3) Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Wrestlemania 10)
This match may seem tame in comparison to the crazy ladder matches we've seen since then, but at the time, this match featureds some of the craziest shit anybody had ever seen in a wrestling match. These two men absolutely stole the show (which is saying something considering Bret/Owen was on the same card) and this match gave birth to all the ladder matches that we see today. The bumps these two took were unheard of during that day and seeing Shawn Michaels come off the top of the ladder with a splash was one of my favorite wrestling moments as a kid. This match is one that can still be viewed today and make you cringe from all the bumps and that says a lot about its importance and staying power because we've seen a lot of crazy shit since then.

2) Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho (Royal Rumble '01)
This match is also from the 2001 edition of The Royal Rumble and it was one of the better ladder matches that you'll ever see. This match featured some of the best action I've ever seen in a ladder match as everytime you thought that one man finally had the match won, they would get knocked down. Some of the awesome action in this match included Jericho applying The Walls Of Jericho on the TOP of the ladder, Jericho seesawing the ladder in Benoit's face, and Benoit taking an absolutely SICKALICIOUS bump by taking a chairshot to the face while in midair after diving through the ropes. Jericho picked up the win, but in a match this good, it really didn't matter who the winner was. A great effort by both men that stands as one of the greatest ladder matches ever.

1) Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz (Wrestlemania 17)
The Dudleyz, The Hardyz and Edge & Christian had set the bar so high in their two previous ladder matches that it seemed impossible that they could meet the standard of those two classic matches. Not only did they match the expectations, but they exceeded them by leaps and bounds. This match featured so much crazy shit, that it is hard to keep count. Just off the top of my head I remember Rhyno goring Matt Hardy through a table, Spike Dudley delivering an Acid Drop (I refuse to call it the Dudley Dog dammit) to Christian from the ring apron through a table on the floor, Lita cracking Spike Dudley's head with a steel chair and then taking her top off (Admit it, you'd bang Lita), Jeff Hardy giving a swanton to both Spike and Rhyno from the top of a ladder through two tables, Matt Hardy and Bubba Ray Dudley being pushed off the top of a ladder in the ring through a stack of tables on the floor, and Edge giving a spear to Jeff Hardy 20 feet in the air. That's just some of the insane spots that were seen in this match. This match brought the term high risk to a whole new level and it's a match that is never boring to watch.

Drive-By Pimpin'

Check out all these great columns by my 411 brethren:

-Andy Clark's "Shimmy"
-Ari's "Column Of Honor"
-Sean, Alex and David's "Triple Threat"
-Bayani's "Truth B Told"
-Weyer's "Shining The Spotlight"
-Byers' "Cheap Wrestling for Cheap People"
-Larry and Geoff's "4R's"
-Fact Or Fiction
-O'Dog's " Goodness"
-Sat and Uncle Trunx's "High Road/Low Road"
-Phill Feltham's "Quick Talkdown"
-Sarnecky's "Piledriver Report"
-Slimmer's News Report
-Hidden Highlights
-Carapola's "That Was Then" and "Friendly Competition"
-The Fink's Payload
-Gamble's "Just 'Spose"
-Cook's "Ask 411"
-Meehan's "Meethinks"
-Sforcina's "Evolution Schematic"
-Prag's "In Defense Of?."
-Wrestlers of the Week
-Sullivan's "Crystal Ball"
-Randle's "Wrestling News Experience"
-Joe Boo's "Ringside Or Cheap Seats"
-Linkous' "Why I Love Wrestling"
-Double M's Rasslin Report
-News To Start Your Weekend
-Dunn's Rawtopsy, Smackdown Breakdown, & ECW eXperience
-Your News, Larry's Views
-Zac Calhoun's "The Ripple Effect"
-Joe Estee's "Keys To The Game"
-Halden's "You're An Idiot And Here's Why"
-Buy......OR SELL!!

The Sign-Off

That's the list people. Be sure to send in all your thoughts and feedback and come back next week when the topic will be The Top Ten Wrestler Acquisitions. Until then, go wash your ass!