Aladder match is a type ofmatch in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item.[1] The ladder itself becomes a key feature of the match, as wrestlers will use the ladder as a weapon to strike the opponent(s), as a launching pad for acrobatic attacks, and frequently these matches include impressive falls from the top of the ladder.[1] There have been a few matches in which the hung item must be used in a special manner in order to win the match, such as striking the opponent with the item (seeBam Bam Bigelow vs.Scott Halltaser match, where one must strike the opponent with the taser, regardless of who retrieved the taser first).
Ladder matches are often used as a finale to storylines and it is more common to have symbolic briefcases (usually "containing" a contract for a future championship match) or championship belts hung above the ring. Ladder matches and their variants (such asTLC matches andFull Metal Mayhem) are often used in feuds that involve a dispute over possession of an item (such as a stolen title belt or the "paperwork" for the contractual services of a manager). Ladder matches are almost always fought underno disqualification rules.
Ladder matches are perceived as having greater level of realism than other types of wrestling performances, with some scholars arguing that the use of ladders serves to buttress the performances underlying themes of achievablemasculinity.
The ladder match could have been invented by eitherDan Kroffat of theStampede Wrestling organization fromCalgary, Alberta, Canada or British wrestlerKendo Nagasaki. In September 1972, Stampede Wrestling held the first ever ladder match between Dan Kroffat andTor Kamata, where the object to be grabbed was a wad of money.[2] In a match aired in 1987 but recorded in December 1986, Kendo Nagasaki competed in a "disco challenge" ladder match against Clive Myers on the popularWorld of Sport. The aim of this match was to retrieve a gold coloured disco record suspended above the ring.[3]
In July 1983, Stampede Wrestling held a ladder match in whichBret Hart faced off againstBad News Allen. Hart went on to join theWorld Wrestling Federation in 1984, and, in the early 1990s, suggested this type of match to promoterVince McMahon, years before the gimmick achieved its eventual popularity.
The first ever ladder match in the WWF, in which Hart defeated Shawn Michaels to retain the WWF Intercontinental Title, was held in Portland, ME on July 21, 1992. The match was taped for Coliseum Video and included on the 1993 VHS releaseSmack 'Em Whack 'Em, but never aired on television and remained widely unseen until its inclusion on the 2007The Ladder Match DVD and among the bonus material on the 2011 DVD and Blu-ray collectionWWE's Greatest Rivalries: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart. The two performers tell interviewerJim Ross how the match was planned along with an intended ladder rematch that never materialized.
From the perspective ofthing theory, the ladder serves as a storytellingactant, serving as a bridge between the actors and the action.[4] Moreover, the ladder serves as the wrestlers' inanimate opponent, facilitating a "man versus machine"narrative conflict and providing ademonic structure.[5] Such a narrative structure imbues a modicumliterary realism into the performances, highlighting the underlying athleticism in the theatric performance.[6]
Sharon Mazer, a sociologist, opines that ladder matches, such as that performed atWrestleMania X, serve to placate thecastration anxiety of fans, commenting that, although wrestling is permeated withhomoerotic pageantry, the use of a ladder adds realism by ensuring only one performer avoids the metaphoricemasculation of defeat.[7]
The ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon is a hard-core fan's dream. The men are apparently evenly matched, displaying a high degree of athletic and performative prowess as they work each other over. When the aluminum ladder enters the ring, it is used both as a weapon and as an instrument for prolonging the suspense. Michaels, in particular, climbs multiple times to its top and from there slams himself and the ladder against Ramon's body. Ramon also uses the ladder to hit Michaels, and both men repeatedly take turns exposing themselves to danger by climbing almost to the top as the other knocks him down. The match climaxes when Ramon reaches the belts just as Michaels swings the ladder out from under him. Ramon crashes to the mat, the victor and new Intercontinental Champion. The arena twinkles with thousands of camera flashes, and the crowd roars its triumph as the visibly exhausted victor raises the championship belt over his head.
What is the difference between Michaels and Ramon? It seems that, in the end, only the question of who wins and how distinguishes one manly man from the other. Both wrestlers swagger, strut and show, boast and bully. Both get down to all-out wrestling, hitting and being hit, climbing and falling, apparently struggling to the limits of their endurance regardless of the wear and tear on their bodies. The very ambiguity of the presentation of the differences between these two men as men ironically problematizes the signs by which men are to be recognized. Perhaps the "real" man in the end is the one who proves his masculinity by winning, and the not-so-real, not-so-manly man is the loser in an arena where masculinity is as contested as are belts and titles. What a wrestler risks in the wrestling performance is perhaps not so much injury, but emasculation.
