Ladder matches are one of the most iconic match types in pro wrestling history. With a championship or contract hung above the ring, the wrestlers have to battle each other and climb a ladder to retrieve the prize to win the match. Over the years, ladder matches have taken various forms, including the TLC matches, which also involve the use of chairs and tables. Despite the variations, the final goal of said contests remains the same, and that is to retrieve the prize hung above the ring.
It is one of the most widely used stipulations across various promotions all over the globe, and numerous talented wrestlers like Edge and Jeff Hardy made a name for themselves by competing in high-profile ladder matches. With that said, let's take a look in the opposite direction and look at ten wrestlers who we forgot competed in a ladder or TLC match.
10 Paul London
Paul London is well-known among wrestling fans for his time in WWE between 2003 and 2008 and his reigns with the Cruiserweight and Tag Team Championships during that time.
From his debut in 2000, London was an active in-ring competitor until December 2018, when he stepped away from the ring. During his time as a wrestler, London has competed in multiple match types but has participated in only one ladder match.
It took place at the 2006 WWE Armageddon PPV, where he competed alongside Brian Kendrick in a fatal-4-way ladder match in a winning effort to retain their WWE Tag Team Championship.
9 Spike Dudley
While his on-screen brothers Bubba Ray and D-von Dudley revolutionized the ladder match concept, Spile Dudley has competed in only one notable ladder match in his career.
The match took place on the October 7, 2002, episode of Raw and was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, in which Kane single-handedly defended the World Tag Team Championship against three other teams, including Bubba Ray & Spike Dudley, Chris Jericho & Christian, and Jeff Hardy & Rob Van Dam.
Spike Dudley competed in three other ladder matches apart from this, but they took place in independent promotions hence it went under the radar.
8 Charlie Haas
Charlie Haas is known for his tag team with Shelton Benjamin in WWE and for being a 3-time tag team champion in the company. While his partner Shelton Benjamin has competed in several high-profile ladder matches throughout his career, Haas, on the other hand, has only been part of two such matches so far.
His first ladder match took place at Judgment Day 2003, where he and Shelton Benjamin lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri. Haas' second ladder match was at the 2007 One-Night Stand PPV, where he and Benjamin unsuccessfully challenged The Hardy Boyz for the World Tag Team titles.
7 Bo Dallas
Throughout his time as an in-ring performer, Bo Dallas was able to Bolieve himself to compete in only one ladder match. It took place at the NXT Arrival event in February 2014, where he defended his NXT Championship against Neville.
They competed in the main event of the show and put on a decent performance that lasted 16:04 minutes. In the end, Neville took out Dallas with a Red Arrow on top of a ladder to incapacitate the latter long enough for him to retrieve the championship.
6 James Ellsworth
James Ellsworth rose to sudden stardom in WWE when he made his main roster debut as AJ Styles' mystery tag team partner. He became involved in the feud between Styles and Dean Ambrose over the WWE Championship and even got the chance to compete for the title against Styles.
One of the matches he competed against Styles was a ladder match that took place on the November 22, 2016, episode of SmackDown. Ellsworth competed in the match for a SmackDown contract and a future WWE Championship match against Styles, and he won the match to everyone's surprise after Dean Ambrose helped him to retrieve the contract.
It was the second ladder match in his career, and his first bout took place in an independent event in 2009.
5 Lars Sullivan
Lars Sullivan's WWE career turned out to be completely forgettable after he asked for his release from the company due to him unable to overcome his anxiety problems.
He rose to stardom during his time in NXT, where he competed in a ladder match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans to crown the inaugural North American Champion.
He competed against Adam Cole, EC3, Killian Dain, Ricochet, and The Velveteen Dream in the match but couldn't get the job done as Cole went on to make history by becoming the first-ever NXT North American Champion at the event.
4 Big Boss Man
The late WWE Hall of Famer Big Boss Man's in-ring career dates between 1985 and 2004, during which time he competed for several notable promotions including WWE. However, while the fans remember him for various other reasons, they would find it hard to recall him competing in a ladder match as he participated in only one ladder match in his entire career.
It took place on the November 30, 1998, episode of Raw, where he defeated Mankind in a ladder match to win the Harcore Championship to start his first reign with the title.
3 Jerry Lawler
It is surprising to realize that in his lengthy career as an in-ring performer, Jerry Lawler has competed in only one ladder match. It took place on the November 29, 2011, episode of Raw, where he challenged The Miz for the WWE Championship in a ladder match.
He was so close to winning the championship at the event, but interference from Michael Cole and Alex Riley helped The Miz to retain the title. Following this, Lawler did compete in several matches for WWE and other promotions, but didn't participate in a ladder match again.
2 William Regal
Throughout his 27-year career as an in-ring performer, William Regal has competed in only one ladder match. It took place at the 2006 WWE Armageddon PPV, where he teamed up with Dave Taylor to compete for the WWE Tag Team Championship.
It was a fatal-4 way tag team ladder match, also including champions Brian Kendrick & Paul London, Joey Mercury & Johnny Nitro, and The Hardy Boyz.
Regal and Taylor were close to winning the titles at the event, but Brian Kendrick knocked them off the ladder to allow Paul London to climb it and retrieve the belts to win the match.
1 Ric Flair
As much as the fans remember Ric Flair for his iconic world title reigns and high-profile matches, they do not remember The Nature Boy competing in two ladder matches in the final stage of his career.
Both matches took place in 2006, and the first was a TLC match against Edge for the WWE Championship on the January 16, 2006, episode of aw, while the second was in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 22. Flair lost both matches and didn't compete in another ladder match.