10 Overlooked WWE Ladder Matches

It's been almost 18 years since WWE Unforgiven 2004 went down.

Why is that important? Well, it's not really.

It's an arbitrary anniversary of a humdrum show where not much happened. Indeed, Unforgiven 2004 is one of the most unnecessary pay-per-views of its era.

On it, Triple H beat Randy Orton to recapture the World Heavyweight Title after the Legend Killer's disappointing month-long reign, Shawn Michaels had his first match in many months against Kane, Stevie Richards (dressed in drag) had a bowling-shoe ugly bout with Tomko and, well, not much else.

The best match on the night came courtesy of a ladder match that (possibly because it happened on such a nothing event) doesn't get talked about, despite being very good.

That's often the way with ladder matches. Because the classic ones are either so spectacular or historic, others tend to fall by the wayside somewhat.

Let's give them their due, eh?

10. Chris Jericho Vs. Christian - Unforgiven 2004

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When Intercontinental Champion Edge went down with a groin injury in the fall of 2004, WWE stripped him of the title and put it up for grabs in a ladder match between Chris Jericho and Christian.

Y2J and Captain Charisma had feuded at the start of the year, having grand matches at WrestleMania XX and Backlash (the latter of which also featured Trish Stratus). Christian himself was coming back from an injury layoff for this high-risk affair, having hurt his back during his cage match loss to Jericho on the May 10 episode of Raw.

The two took their time bringing the ladder into play, teasing its involvement while brawling around the ring, until Christian hit an Unprettier on the floor. After that they focused more on using the ladder as a weapon, throwing each other into and onto it.

Everything they did with the ladder had a viciousness to it (as it should have given the personal nature of their rivalry) and, eventually, they brought out the big bumps.

Few were bigger than Jericho using the ladder as a javelin on Christian, who was hanging from the belts suspended in mid-air. In an ugly moment down the closing stretch, Jericho took a bad bump off the top of the ladder when Christian pushed it over and ended up giving himself what he described in his autobiography as a 'steel enema'.

He recovered and, after one more big stereo tumble from the top, was able to climb up and claim his seventh IC Title.

9. Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri Vs. Team Angle - Judgment Day 2003

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Originally, Judgment Day 2003 was set to see Los Guerreros challenge Team Angle (Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas) for the WWE Tag Team Titles, but Chavo Guerrero suffered a biceps injury while wrestling a dark match at a SmackDown taping just days before the show.

With Chavito out, WWE drafted in Tajiri as his replacement.

Though thrown together at the last minute, the Japanese Buzzsaw and Latino Heat were an exciting prospect on paper and took to the task at hand well, putting on a thrilling match with Team Angle.

Haas and Benjamin had only been on the main roster for less than six months at this point and certainly didn't have any experience in ladder matches, so it was up to the veteran Eddie to piece things together and keep it on track.

There were a couple of ropey moments where the amateur standouts were, perhaps, a little timid or unsure in their approach, but the match was never anything less than exciting and featured several innovative spots.

All four men put their bodies on the line and took some ugly bumps for the cause, right up until the finish that saw Tajiri use the green mist to knock Shelton off the ladder and allow Eddie to snatch the straps.

8. Matt Hardy Vs. Edge - Raw Homecoming

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The personal 2005 feud between Edge and Matt Hardy was so intense that, really, it could only end with one man being banished from Raw. This brand ain't big enough for the both of us, et cetera.

Their big blowoff match was booked for the loaded Raw Homecoming show, a three-hour event heralding the flagship's return to the USA Network after five years away.

The Rated-R Superstar and the Sensei of Mattitude clashed in a ladder match where Edge's Money in the Bank briefcase was on the line and the loser would have to leave Raw.

As a match it was more about telling a story, violence and settling the score once and for all and the two didn't focus on spectacular spots in the way they had in the previous ladder and TLC matches the two had been involved in.

That's not to say the match didn't have some breathtaking moves in it, such as Matt's Twist of Fate off the top or Edge's big splash off the ring apron through a table at ringside.

Inevitably, it was Lita that proved to be the difference maker, distracting Matt and hitting him with a kendo stick in order to allow her man to recover and land one final major blow.

While Hardy was tied up in the ropes, Lita ensured that he was unable to escape by wrapping herself around his arms while the Ultimate Opportunist retrieved his briefcase and sent Matt to SmackDown.

7. Edge & Christian Vs. The Hardys - Raw (September 25, 2000)

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A good five years before Raw Homecoming, WWE were also loading up a Raw card for a switch to pastures new, as they left the USA Network for TNN.

In a bid to help pop that crucial first rating, WWE booked the Hardys to defend their newly-won Tag Team Championships against Edge and Christian in a ladder match, just 24 hours after the two teams had gone to hell and back inside a steel cage at Unforgiven.

Though they were beat up and probably hoping for an easier assignment, professional pride would not allow them to turn in a bout that would harm their legacy, a legacy which had started almost one year ago when they met in the first-ever tag team ladder match at No Mercy 1999.

This one was shorter and without such promotion behind it but was still spectacular and a worthy addition to their series.

They beat each other up good and proper and the first 'holy sh*t' moment came when Edge speared Jeff as the Charismatic Enigma was holding onto the belts, a spot that would be done again from even greater heights during TLC II at WrestleMania X-Seven.

In another scary moment, Matt hit Christian with a back suplex off the ladder, with both men's heads coming within centimetres of the bottom rope.

Getting desperate, E&C tried to knock Matt off with a Con-Chair-To from the top of the ladder, but Jeff and Lita intervened to keep the titles in the Team Extreme camp.

6. King Sheamus Vs. John Morrison - TLC 2010

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A great clash of styles with something worthwhile on the line, the Sheamus versus John Morrison ladder match from TLC 2010 is an unheralded triumph.

The two had been feuding in the aftermath of the Celtic Warrior's victory over the Shaman of Sexy in the King of the Ring tournament finals, and a future WWE Title shot was up for grabs.

The story of the match was the surly Sheamus using his brute force to counter Morrison's high-flying, parkour-inspired offsense. His strategy was to ground JoMo by targeting the knee in vicious fashion.

Morrison, ever the valiant babyface, kept coming back and showing guts while fighting through the pain as the bout completely devolved into them absolutely clattering each other with the steel.

The match was more about the drama, which was increased thanks to Morrison's consistent selling, and they really built things up nicely towards the big bump of the match, which saw the Great White take a fall through a ladder that was bridged between the ring apron and announce desk.

After almost twenty minutes of great action and storytelling, Johnny Drip Drip was able to pull down the contract and book himself for a future WWE Title contest.

5. Rob Van Dam Vs. Christian - Raw (September 29, 2003)

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By the fall of 2003, Rob Van Dam and Christian were two of the hardest-working and most exciting superstars on Raw, but both had to fight for every opportunity in a landscape dominated by the likes of Evolution, Goldberg, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels.

WWE threw them a bone when they pencilled them in for a ladder match main event on the September 29 episode of the show, with Van Dam's IC Title up for grabs.

Captain Charisma was a ladder match veteran, while Mr. Monday Night had been involved in his fair share, too, and the pair conspired to steal the spotlight with a topsy-turvy stuntshow that played to both of their strengths.

Van Dam's controlled meshed beautifully with Christian's well-plotted approach. Highlights included Van Dam doing a big flip dive over the top onto the Canadian (who was holding a ladder), Christian catapulting Rob's head into a bridged ladder, a massive reverse DDT off the top and a pair of Rolling Thunders onto the steel.

A Five-Star Frog Splash from the tippy-top rung proved enough to help RVD retain his title while proving he was the Whole F'N Show. Christian, for his part, looked every bit the main-eventer-in-waiting as he held the contest together and worked hard to put the match, himself and his opponent over.

4. Christian Vs. Edge - No Mercy 2001

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The ladder match between Edge and Chrsitian at No Mercy 2001 suffered from having expectations that were too high.

After all, this was Edge and Christian, two masters of the ladder match who had practically made their names and reputations by participating in some of the genre's best ever.

They were also doing a big breakup angle and feuding over the Intercontinental Title, adding to the sense that their blowoff match should have been something special.

And while not an all-timer or anything, the match is very, very good. They got the time they needed to tell their story and they told it well, barely looking at the ladders for the first portion of the match and instead deciding to brawl around the arena.

Once again, this was a match more about animosity spilling over into intense violence and they were more concerned with finding new ways to use the ladder as an offensive weapon.

There were some big moves and bumps towards the end, including reverse DDTs, Edge-O-Cutioners and Spears from the top of the ladder. The finish was suitably definitive, too, as Edge lay Christian's head on a chair on top of a ladder and unleashed a particularly nasty one-man Con-Chair-To to put their rivalry to bed and regain the IC Title.

3. Edge Vs. Jeff Hardy - Extreme Rules 2009

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It was heartening to see Jeff Hardy and Edge, two talented and popular performers who had grafted for years (and paid the price physically) finally getting the chance to face each other, in their signature match, in the main event of a pay-per-view with the World Heavyweight Title at stake.

They were no longer the young up-and-comers hoping to break through the glass ceiling, but rather established and assured stars who looked at home in their lofty surroundings.

Their match was certainly creative, featuring some good wrestling in the early going before the ladders got involved and things kicked off. Edge tried to ground Jeff by targeting the knee, but couldn't successfully stop the Rainbow-Haired Warrior from taking risks, even if he did crash and burn on a few of them.

The biggest bump saw both men simultaneously fall off a huge ladder on the outside, crashing straight through another ladder that was propped up at ringside.

Playing off their earlier (tag) matches under the same stipulation, the finish saw Jeff counter Edge's big Spear off the top of the ladder by catching him with a truly impressive mid-air Twist of Fate, before trapping him between rungs and winning the Big Gold Belt for the first time...

...for a few minutes, until CM Punk came out, cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and put him to sleep to win his second.

A fantastic headliner capped off with a brilliant post-match angle.

2. Shelton Benjamin Vs. Christian - TLC 2009

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Up there with Edge, Christian as the Hardys as a ladder match innovator is Shelton Benjamin.

The Gold Standard emerged as a ladder match specialist in the initial Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania 21, totally stealing the show by busting out some moves that nobody had ever seen before.

In the years after, he was involved in many other MITB matches as well as a tag ladder match (with Charlie Hass vs. The Hardys at One Night Stand 2007), but finally got to show what he was capable of in a singles scenario against Christian at TLC 2009.

They kicked off the show, scrapping over the ECW Title, with Benjamin dominating early before nearly breaking his neck on a ridiculous flip dive off the top of a ladder that was standing outside of the ring (after Christian got his busted eye patched up by EMTs).

Benjamin unearthed more crazy offense by hitting a clothesline off a falling ladder and an outlandish powerslam off the ladder, before Captain Charisma rallied and eventually hit a Frog Splash onto Benjamim through a ladder bridged between the ring apron and announce desk to get the win.

A total showstealer from two underrated workers who, at the time, deserved far better than life on the 'C' show.

1. Four-Team Tag Team Title Match - Armageddon 2006

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Those who ordered Armageddon 2006 on pay-per-view received an early Christmas present when General Manager Teddy Long changed a standard Tag Team Title match between the teams of Paul London & Brian Kendrick and William Regal & Dave Taylor, adding both The Hardys and MNM while making it ladder match.

Unlike many of the examples on this list, with so many bodies in there this one was destined to become a spotfest. If you're going to do a spotfest, however, you might as well go for broke and do as much as you can to stand out.

One of the great things about the match was the fact that all four teams had distinct styles, and it was interesting to see them collide at the same time in such a frenetic scene.

Unfortunately, the match is probably best remembered for the horrific injury Joey Mercury suffered when a corner of a ladder shattered his face, resulting in him having to leave the match and get medical attention.

His ejection didn't slow down the action any as the big moves came thick and fast, until perennial underdogs London and Kendrick were able to outlast the rest and retain their titles.