To say that the ladder is a popular prop in WWE is an understatement. It is often seen in matches, it has a match type named after it, and there are two pay-per-views each year themed around the use of a ladder. If you’re not familiar with that last part, it refers to the TLC and Money in the Bank events.
Despite where we are in 2019, the ladder wasn’t always such a staple in WWE programming. Truth be told, the company took quite a while to figure out where the ladder fits into its arsenal. In homage to one of the most iconic weapons used in professional wrestling today, here are the 10 craziest uses of a ladder in WWE history.
10 The First Ladder Match
The very first ladder match in WWE history was between, then WWF Champion, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels on July 21, 1992. While this match pioneered the stipulation for WWE, it was never aired and went largely unseen for over a decade.
RELATED: 10 Best Siblings In Wrestling History
Prior to this match, Hart had competed in a ladder match with the Stampede Wrestling promotion in 1983. It was Hart’s suggestion to bring the match to WWE almost a decade later. This match may not have made headlines, but it would pave the way for one of the most popular match stipulations in WWE history.
9 The Second Ladder Match
The second entry on this list was also the second ladder match seen in WWE history. It shared a lot of similarities with the first ladder match: Shawn Michaels was involved, championship gold was on the line, HBK failed to win the Intercontinental Championship, and history was made.
Nearly two years after the initial ladder match was held by WWE, the sequel was arguably the promotion's first well-known ladder match. Aside from pioneering the match at WrestleMania, Michaels and Razor Ramon put on a masterpiece that has withheld the test of time.
8 Kofi’s Broken Ladder
While WrestleMania XXVI left a lot to be desired, it did bring a rather unique use of a ladder. Ever the innovator, Kofi Kingston competed in the sixth ever Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania, at one point, using the ladder as a pair of stilts in an attempt to snatch the coveted briefcase.
While Kofi would not win the match, he did create one of the highlights of the night. Not only did he hold both sides of the ladder together and walk to the center of the ring, but Kofi also attempted to climb one side for the win after being attacked. While it was ultimately fruitless, it was a unique moment that only Kofi Kingston could have produced.
7 John Morrison’s Moonsault
Kofi may have made his moment by climbing the ladder; however, two years prior, John Morrison made a splash using a ladder in a very different way at WrestleMania highlight.
After a moment of dominance by Chris Jericho, Morrison would knock Y2J down with his own smaller ladder and take to the top rope with it. Once atop the turnbuckle, Morrison would launch backward in a moonsault onto four other competitors.
While this didn’t lead to victory, the spot was unique. That gets a win in our books. Aside from being a memorable moment, this spot took a lot of confidence from Morrison. Imagine jumping backward, blind, and doing a flip with a metal object. The potential repercussions are almost cringeworthy, but the defiant highflyer performed the move magnificently.
6 Jeff Hardy’s Leg Drop
Another WrestleMania moment saw Jeff Hardy dropping from an insanely tall ladder onto Edge, crashing through another ladder propped between the ring and the barricade. The third Money in the Bank ladder match on this list would involve both Hardy brothers.
In a classic act of teamwork, Matt Hardy set Edge up on the outside across a ladder. Jeff knocked out Randy Orton before setting up the ladder and climbing up. Ignoring the briefcase, Jeff would crash through the ladder and by extension, Edge.
5 Crashing Through
This next entry shows two guys who won’t appear anywhere else on this list.
WrestleMania 31 featured a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. If you haven’t seen it, it was one of the highlights of the night, with Daniel Bryan walking away triumphant in typical Daniel Bryan fashion.
However, a certain bump taken by Dean Ambrose during the course of this match was anything but "typical." During a back and forth with Luke Harper, Ambrose appeared ready to ascend the ladder to victory. What he wasn’t ready for was a powerbomb outside the ring, with Harper sending Ambrose headfirst through a ladder propped conveniently between the apron and barricade.
4 The Seesaw
Armageddon 2006 lived up to its namesake for Joey Mercury.
As part of a Fatal 4-Way ladder match for the WWE Tag Team Championship, Mercury was competing with Johnny Nitro as one half of the MNM tag team. During a spot featuring, you guessed it, Matt and Jeff Hardy, Mercury saw the match go downhill in a big way.
Two ladders were set up to allow Jeff Hardy to leapfrog onto one, knocking the legs up into the faces of Mercury and Nitro. When he did this, Mercury took the full impact to his nose, breaking his orbital bone, and resulting in a wound that required more than 30 stitches.
3 The Double Whammy
Royal Rumble 2001 saw Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. During this match, each performer had at least one crazy and unique spot with the ladder.
After laying Jericho on the mat, Benoit climbed the ladder to perform a diving headbutt. That is insane. The thought of falling face-first from that height is seriously crazy.
To the lighter side of this altercation, shortly after Benoit missed his headbutt, Jericho would use the ladder to pin Benoit to the ground. While he wouldn’t win the match yet, it was an innovative use of the ladder which deserves mention.
2 Jeff Hardy’s Big Drop
At the 2009 edition of SummerSlam, CM Punk challenged Jeff Hardy for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Tables Ladders and Chairs match. While the match was an athletic bout between two noteworthy competitors, the loser of the match produced the most memorable moment.
Setting up an extremely tall ladder, Hardy would climb to the top, perfectly balanced, before dropping onto Punk and crashing through the announce table. Despite losing the match, Hardy added to his impressive highlight reel and made the match a more memorable affair.
1 An Extreme Return
It shouldn’t be any surprise that the arguable king of ladder matches would garner the top spot on this list.
After stunning the crowd with their WrestleMania 33 return, Team Extreme would return to WWE and win the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship. As a last-minute entry, the duo made the tag team bout a Fatal 4-Way ladder match.
In a recreation of his 2009 SummerSlam drop onto Punk, nearly a decade later, Jeff Hardy would drop from a huge ladder onto The Bar. Cesaro and Sheamus were both stretched across ladders between the ring apron and barricade, bringing shades of WrestleMania 23.
While Jeff only actually hit Cesaro with the move, the height and the pop garnered from the crowd easily makes this one of, if not the single most, craziest uses of a ladder in WWE history.