Since 2005, the Money in the Bank ladder match has been the perfect vehicle to launch promising WWE Superstars into title contention.
The premise is simple: climb the ladder, retrieve the briefcase suspended from the ceiling, and earn a world title shot at any time of your choosing. Want to cash in the briefcase immediately after the champion just competed in a brutal match? No problem! That's how most briefcase winners have successfully become world champions.
The Money in the Bank ladder match is heavy on highlight reel spots and low on narrative and emotional investment. The goal is to cram as many eye-popping, death-defying stunts as possible.
But in a more traditional format, and properly built to and performed well, the WWE ladder match is the perfect climactic last match to a hotly contested feud. It's what happens when two wrestlers have exhausted their more civilized options, and are now resorting to drastic measures, where the goal is not only to beat the opponent, but to shorten his or her career.
In preparation for the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view on May 19, these are the 10 greatest ladder matches in WWE history. We're including all permutations of the concept: the classic ladder match, the Money in the Bank ladder match, and the TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.
Contested for: WWE Intercontinental Championship
Event: WWE Wrestling Challenge
Date: July 21, 1992
In present-day ladder matches, the ladders are tucked under the ring, and are made out of wood or a light metal. But in the first ladder match, there was only one ladder—a real, heavy, industrial one—and it had to be dragged from the top of the ramp to the ring. Bret Hart, crafty as ever, took advantage of this, and let Shawn Michaels expend his energy dragging the ladder to ringside before flooring him with a punch.
Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels
Edge & Christian vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz (Triangle Ladder Match)
Contested for: WWE Intercontinental Championship
Event: Royal Rumble
Date: January 21, 2001
There's not much to say here, other than the obvious: at the time, Jericho and Benoit were two of the most skilled WWE performers, and they put on a master class of narrative fighting. This is what it looks like when the participants in a ladder match use the steel organically, rather than only using it to jump from high places. Unfortunately, because of Benoit’s later actions and death, this match is often forgotten. But it remains a classic.
Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian ( TLC II)
Contested for: WWE Tag Team Championship
Event: WWE SmackDown!
Date: May 24, 2001
Another iconic match "erased" from WWE history due to participant Chris Benoit's involvement, the third TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match was a phenomenal affair. That it occurred on weekly television was a rare, unlikely occurrence. Featuring a Twist of Fate from the top of the ladder by Matt Hardy to D-Von Dudley, and the sight of an injured Benoit, willing himself back into the match after being medically treated backstage, this was an incredible match with an "underdog triumphs against the odds” vibe.