The First 10 WWE Ladder Matches, Ranked From Worst To Best

The ladder match is one of the most popular stipulations in WWE history for good reason. Fans have loved the match for almost three decades now with no end in sight. Ladder matches typically provide easy excitement of wrestlers trying to grab the title or item hanging above the ring before their opponent, along with wild moves using the weapon.

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WWE introduced the match in the early ‘90s when Bret Hart suggested it. Shawn Michaels and Hart had the first WWE ladder match on a house show, but Michaels vs Razor Ramon was the first televised one. Fans loved the concept and the company continued to move forward with it. Without further ado, let's find out which early battles stand out the most with the ranking of the first 10 ladder matches in WWE.

10 Big Boss Man Vs Mankind (Raw: November 30, 1998)

The first ladder match to take place on Raw featured Big Boss Man and Mankind facing off for the Hardcore Champion. Mick Foley was coming off the betrayal of Vince McMahon turning on him for The Rock to form The Corporation.

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The match was more of a smaller story in the grander picture with Foley getting cheated out of the title. Boss Man represented Vince and Shane in The Corporation, doing their bidding. Few fans will ever think of this one when looking back at great ladder matches.

9 Vince & Shane McMahon Vs Steve Austin (King of the Ring 1999)

Ladder matches are usually best when the competitors can fly around the ring using ladders. The King of the Ring 1999 main event featured Vince and Shane McMahon teaming up with the handicap match advantage against Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Control of WWE was on the line after Stephanie and Linda sold their shares to Austin, giving him half of the power. The match itself was a disappointment with the overall story featuring someone raising the briefcase whenever Austin was going to win, leading to the victory for Shane and Vince.

8 The Rock Vs Mankind (Raw: February 15, 1999)

WWE ran quite a few major Mankind vs The Rock matches in early 1999 when they traded the WWE Championship back and forth. An episode of Raw would see them utilizing the ladder match stipulation by having Mick Foley defend the top prize.

Rock won the title back with the win here in a solid ladder match. WWE ran into the issue of booking too many title changes for the ratings boosts, but Rock winning felt right since he was going to move forward as WWE Champion into WrestleMania 15.

7 The Hardy Boyz Vs Edge & Christian (Raw: September 25, 2000)

The tag team division of WWE would become dominated by The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian in the Attitude Era. Both duos faced off during an episode of Raw with the WWE Tag Team Championship on the line.

The crowd was electric since ladder matches didn’t air on free television too often. Matt and Jeff Hardy retained the title in a strong match. Even though it would be towards the bottom of their ladder matches, the two teams always delivered.

6 Shawn Michaels Vs Razor Ramon (SummerSlam 1995)

The rematch of the first ladder match saw Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels facing off for the Intercontinental Championship about a year and a half later. Things were different this time as Michaels was now a face successfully defending the title.

WWE wanted to make money off the highly anticipated rematch. Many fans felt that Michaels and Razor should have main evented the SummerSlam 1995 event instead of the lackluster Diesel vs Mabel bout for the WWE Championship.

5 Chris Jericho Vs Chris Benoit (Royal Rumble 2001)

WWE’s roster grew stronger in 2000 with names like Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit moving up the card. Both were stellar in-ring performers when competing over the Intercontinental Championship heading into the Royal Rumble 2001 event.

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The ladder match gimmick was used in a different way for the technical wrestlers to bring violence to their game. Jericho using the Walls of Jericho on the ladder is the spot most fans remember from this show-stealing match.

4 The Hardy Boyz Vs Edge & Christian (No Mercy 1999)

No Mercy 1999 was a star-making night for Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Edge, and Christian. The two tag teams faced off in a ladder match to end their best of five series with both a financial prize and the managerial services of Terri Runnels on the line.

WWE gave the young wrestlers a chance to make their names and it was an iconic bout. Both teams were pushed hard after this performance as it made management realize they had four future stars in the making.

3 Triple H Vs The Rock (SummerSlam 1998)

Triple H revealed that he and The Rock intentionally went into their ladder match at SummerSlam 1998 wanting to make it a fight more than a spectacle. The two future world champions were red hot in the upper mid-card picture at the time.

WWE told the story of the faction warfare with Triple H leading D-Generation X and Rock leading the Nation of Domination ahead of this match. Triple H scored the biggest win of his career to this point with the exceptional ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship.

2 Razor Ramon Vs Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 10)

WWE picked the right time to have the first televised ladder match at WrestleMania 10 between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. Michaels was suspended for a month and could not defend the Intercontinental Championship, leading to it being vacated.

Razor won the title during that time, but Michaels returned with his belt, claiming he should be champ since he never lost it. The ladder match was made to crown an undisputed Intercontinental Champion. Fans were in awe at the moves and tension involved in the stipulation leading to an instant classic. This was the first WWE match to ever receive the five-star rating from Dave Meltzer.

1 Edge & Christian Vs The Hardy Boyz Vs The Dudley Boyz (WrestleMania 16)

The game changed when Edge & Christian, The Hardy Boyz, and The Dudley Boyz were placed in a triangle ladder match at WrestleMania 2000. Tables were used as the weapon of Bubba Ray and D-Von along with chairs from Edge and Christian.

WWE realized the excitement from this instant classic would be strong enough to create the TLC match. All six wrestlers put their bodies on the line with a performance that saved the show. The three teams would face off in future matches involving ladders, tables, and chairs.

NEXT: Why Edge Is The Best Ladder Match Wrestler Of All Time (& Why It's Jeff Hardy)