Ladder match
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A ladder match is a type of match used in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself inevitably becomes a key feature of the match. Specifically, the wrestlers will use the ladder as a weapon to strike the opponent(s), as a launching pad for acrobatic attacks, and frequently these matches include impressive falls from the top of the ladder.
As mentioned above, Ladder Matches typically end when the item suspended above the ring is retrieved. However if a weapon is placed there, the match may proceed to a second phase in which the weapon may be used by the wrestler who obtained it and the match ends when one wrestler is able to pin the other. In team matches, this privilege is typically extended to the other members of the team. There are two notable forms of this particular type of Ladder Match. The first is Extreme Championship Wrestling's "Stairway to Hell" match, in which the item hung above the ring was a roll of barbed wire(on other occasions a kendo stick). The second form took place in World Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s where the weapon hung above the ring was a stun-gun.
Ladder Matches are often used as a finale to storylines, and as such, it is more common to have symbolic briefcases (usually "containing" a contract for a future championship match) or championships belts hung above the ring rather than weapons.
Because of the relatively extreme flow of the match, ladder matches are often fought under no disqualification rules, encouraging the use of ladders along with other weapons as opposed to the sole exception to the ban on foreign objects. As a result, some consider ladder matches in particular as spotfests, where wrestlers continue to take death-defying bumps for the entertainment of the audience, without regard to their own health and safety. Similarly, ladder matches have been frowned upon by promoters because of the easy ability to injure their wrestlers as a result of errant stunts.
Contents |
[edit] Origins
Contrary to common opinion, the first ever Ladder Match was not the WrestleMania X classic between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon, nor was the Ladder Match even a product of World Wrestling Entertainment. The Ladder Match was invented by Dan Kroffat of the Stampede Wrestling organization out of Canada. In September of 1972, Kroffat fought Tor Kamata in the first Ladder Match, where the object above the ring was a bag of money. Kroffat won the match and tossed some of the money into the crowd.
In July of 1983, Stampede Wrestling held another Ladder Match where, again, the object was to retrieve a bag of money. This time, Bret Hart faced off against Bad News Allen (more commonly known as Bad News Brown). This match is noteworthy because Hart went on to join the WWE (then the WWF) and suggested this type of match to promoter Vince McMahon. McMahon took Hart's suggestion and scheduled a Ladder Match between Hart and Shawn Michaels for the WWE Intercontinental Title on July 21, 1992. Less than two years later, the Ladder Match seemed like a perfect choice for the WrestleMania X contest between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels. Their match was of such high quality that the concept of the Ladder Match caught on and has been used very widely ever since.
[edit] Ladder Matches in World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
| No. | Match | Event, Date and Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Bret Hart defeated Shawn Michaels to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship |
WWF House Show July 21, 1992, Portland, Maine |
||
| II | Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship |
WrestleMania X March 20, 1994, New York, New York |
||
| III | Razor Ramon defeated Jeff Jarrett to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship |
WWF House Show May 19, 1995, Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
||
| IV | Shawn Michaels defeated Razor Ramon to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship |
SummerSlam August 27, 1995, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
||
| V | Triple H defeated The Rock to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship |
SummerSlam August 30, 1998, New York, New York |
||
| VI | The Rock defeated Mankind to win the WWF Championship |
WWF RAW is WAR February 15, 1999, Birmingham, Alabama |
||
| VII | Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin to gain the 100% WWF ownership | King of the Ring June 27, 1999, Greensboro, North Carolina |
||
| VIII | The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff) defeated Edge and Christian in the final of Terri Invitational Tournament to win the Terri's managerial services |
No Mercy October 17, 1999, Cleveland, Ohio |
||
| IX | Edge and Christian defeated The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) to win the WWF Tag Team Championship | WrestleMania 2000 April 2, 2000, Anaheim, California |
||
| X | The Hardy Boyz defeated Edge and Christian to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship |
WWF RAW is WAR September 25, 2000, State College, Pennsylvania |
||
| XI | Chris Jericho defeated Chris Benoit to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship |
Royal Rumble January 21, 2001, New Orleans, Louisiana |
||
| XII | Rob Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy to win the WWF Hardcore Championship |
SummerSlam August 19, 2001, San Jose, California |
||
| XIII | Edge defeated Christian to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship | No Mercy October 21, 2001, St. Louis, Missouri |
||
| XIV | Rob Van Dam defeated Eddie Guerrero to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship | WWE RAW May 27, 2002, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
||
| XV | The Undertaker defeated Jeff Hardy to retain the WWE Undisputed Championship | WWE RAW July 1, 2002, Manchester, New Hampshire |
||
| XVI | Rob Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy to unify the WWE Intercontinental Championship and the WWE European Championship |
WWE RAW July 22, 2002, Grand Rapids, Michigan |
||
| XVII | Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri defeated Team Angle (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) to win the WWE Tag Team Championship | Judgment Day May 18, 2003, Charlotte, North Carolina |
||
| XVIII | Rob Van Dam defeated Christian to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship |
WWE RAW September 29, 2003, Chicago, Illinois |
||
| XIX | Chris Jericho defeated Christian to win the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship |
Unforgiven September 12, 2004, Portland, Oregon |
||
| XX | Rey Mysterio defeated Eddie Guerrero to win the custody of Dominick |
SummerSlam August 21, 2005, Washington, D.C. |
||
| XXI | Edge defeated Matt Hardy (Loser Leaves RAW Money in the Bank ladder match) |
WWE Homecoming October 3, 2005, Dallas, Texas |
||
| XXII | Sabu defeated Rob Van Dam to become the No.1 Contender of the ECW World Heavyweight Championship | ECW on Sci-Fi August 15, 2006, Washington, D.C. |
||
| XXIII | Rob Van Dam defeated ECW World Heavyweight Champion The Big Show in a non-title match | ECW on Sci-Fi October 24, 2006, St. Louis, Missouri |
||
| XXIV | Jeff Hardy defeated Johnny Nitro to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship | WWE RAW November 20, 2006, Baltimore, Maryland |
||
[edit] Other variations
- King of the Mountain match - Essentially a ladder match in reverse. The winner is the first person to attach the object to the wire above the ring.
- Money in the Bank ladder match - Used in WWE this match sees 6 men compete in a ladder match for a suspended briefcase. In this briefcase is a contract entitling the holder to a World Heavyweight Championship/WWE Championship match at any time in the subsequent calendar year. (First held at WrestleMania 21, and has now been continued at WrestleMania 22) The two winners of the matches were Edge and Rob Van Dam.
- Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match - Variation where tables and chairs, in addition to ladders, are permitted and encouraged. Referred to at times simply as TLC matches.
