Top 10 Ladder Matches In WWE History

10. Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam - RAW May 27, 2002

Rob Van Dam vs Eddie Guerrero (Raw 05.27... by zep81videos

10. Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam - RAW May 27, 2002

Eddie Guerrero had just returned to WWE after time off rehabilitating from his drug and alcohol abuse, and he was better than ever before. Rob Van Dam was the breakout star of the Invasion and needed a good beating. Eddie Guerrero did just that, absolutely destroying him in a one-sided affair to win the Intercontinental Championship. After Guerrero cheated to retain his title, a ladder match was needed to settle the score. This was the era that didn't have 15 minute matches every week on RAW, so not only is this a great match, but the period in which it occurred helps make it a classic.

9. The Rock vs. Triple H - SummerSlam 1998

Triple H vs The Rock (IC Title Ladder Match... by dwalk316

9. The Rock vs. Triple H - SummerSlam 1998

Triple H vs. The Rock is a storied rivalry that went from the bottom to the top, with the first prize on the line being the Intercontinental Championship. This match is much different from the crazy spotfest ladder matches people are accustomed to seeing these days; they did very little falling from high places and were smart with the work they did. It was all about preventing the other guy from being able to climb the ladder, not showing off who could do the craziest and dumbest thing possible. We need more matches like this one.

8. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit - Royal Rumble 2001

Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit (Ladder Match... by RicardoHHH

8. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit - Royal Rumble 2001

People often ignore this match due to the extenuating circumstances, but this match is one of the more brutal ladder matches in WWE history. Benoit and Jericho had been fighting over the title for almost a year at this point and something had to give. Check this match out for a couple of iconic moments you aren't likely to see again -- the Benoit dive to the outside meeting a chair and the Walls of Jericho on top of the ladder.

7. Money In The Bank Ladder Match - WrestleMania 21

It's hard to imagine that this match happened 10 years ago, but it's true. The match that created the monster that is the Money in the Bank briefcase began as an annual WrestleMania tradition. This match started a series of great matches that eventually became overkill, however it still stands as one of the better spectacles ever. It also became the tool to help Edge make it through the glass ceiling to become the main event guy that he was ready to be.

6. Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins - Money In The Bank 2015

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose is one of the better feuds of this era, if only because of the talent of the two men involved. When Rollins broke up, The Shield Ambrose was the one who got the first chance at revenge, and a year later he got another shot this time with the WWE Title on the line. When it came down to a ladder match, they showed their chemistry and ability to put on a match that was both athletic, brutal, innovative and personal.

5. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon - WrestleMania X

Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon -Ladder Match for... by pratik-biswas

5. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon - WrestleMania X

This is the first ever big time ladder match in WWE history, the second one after the Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels test run in 1992. It set the standard for ladder matches and it defines what HBK is all about. Many people consider this to be the best ladder match of all time, and while it is great, innovative and historic, it has been topped.

4. Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian - No Mercy 1999

No Mercy 1999 - $100,000 Ladder Match by yocroate

4. Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian - No Mercy 1999

The final match in the Terri Invitational Tournament, which was just a best of 5 series of matches between the Hardyz and E&C (such a clever name for a series!) saw the two teams square off in the first tag team ladder match. There's a ton of innovation and excitement, and even though it's been surpassed in those respects, this was the first and it started the tag team renaissance (sort of... it was only these teams and the Dudleyz). Plus, Jeff Hardy's fall from the top rope gave us the animation for the winners of ladder matches in the 'No Mercy' video game, which is easily the best American pro wrestling video game ever.

3. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon - SummerSlam 1995

Shawn Michaels VS Razor Ramon by finash

3. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon - SummerSlam 1995

The rematch from the WrestleMania X classic is the arguably better match of the two, but gets less love because it wasn't the first of its kind and happened at a less important event. They played off of spots from the previous match and had the added benefit of this being on the card with a lot of bad matches, compared to the universally loved WrestleMania X event. Even as a pair of standalone matches, SummerSlam 1995 edges out WrestleMania X.

2. Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz - WrestleMania 2000

This is the match that started the storied three-team rivalry. The Hardyz and Edge & Christian squared off in a ladder match in October 1999, then The Hardyz took on the Dudleyz at Royal Rumble 2000 in a tables match. Then all three teams came together at WrestleMania 2000 in a three way ladder match, which was the predecessor to the now famous TLC matches. This match had it all -- Jeff Hardy introducing the 20-foot ladder that he jumped off of with the Swanton Bomb, scaffolds made out of tables and ladders, ugly chairshots -- it was every spot you would never imagine that they could ever top -- that they all topped in the years to come. This match was both a blessing and a curse. It created a different kind of monster, one that has yet to be slain, in the insane spotfests that WWE still does in multi-person ladder matches.

1. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho - No Mercy 2008

Shawn Michaels' final ladder match was the greatest ladder match of all time. At WrestleMania XIX, five years earlier, it was the brash, cocky, rude and boisterous Jericho, very similar to the old HBK, taking on an older version of Michaels, who was similar to his old self but now in possession of a moral compass. Chris Jericho returned from a hiatus as a good guy with a new look but not much else different. In 2008 he was absolutely on fire when he adopted a completely new character unlike any he had played before. He was cold, calculated, and not at all Y2J. Shawn Michaels was no longer the brash out-of-his mind party guy who just wanted to fly around and goof off. This was two grown men with families and new mindsets. This match was the apex of a brutal rivalry that saw Jericho destroy Michaels' face by putting it through his video screen (eerily similar to Michaels putting friend and partner Marty Jannetty through a window). The match displayed the brutality and emotion that was the heart of the feud and the creativity that typified the careers of both men. You don't get much better than this.