We've all wrestled with ladders in one way or another, whether it’s a case of getting it back on to a roof rack, extending it, putting it in a cupboard or setting it up for use.  However, there is a wholly different way of wrestling with a ladder, one that involves outlandish outfits, a well-rehearsed script and two or more grown men fighting over a belt, bag or money.  Welcome to the world of the wrestling Ladder Match.

How did this all start?

The first record of a ladder match was in 1972 in America, where one of the top guys at the Stampede Wrestling organization, Dan Kroffat, had the idea to place a prize above the ring, with the only way to get the prize being to climb up the ladder and grab it before your opponent did so. Dan wrestled (and won) against Tor Kamata, the prize being a wad of cash.  The next Stampede ladder match was not for another seven years.

Dan Kroffat is almost universally credited with inventing the ladder match, although a British wrestler, Kendo Nagasaki, brought the ladder match to the UK in 1983, wrestling Clive Myers over a gold disco record suspended above the ring.  Some people credit him with reintroducing the ladder match to wrestling.

The first ladder match to take place in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) was held in 1992 and featured Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels (Hart won).  The ladder match gained popularity from exposure within WWF, which is attributed to Bret Hart; formerly a wrestler with Stampede, he won a match against ‘Bad News Allen’ in 1983 and when he went on to join WWF he suggested introducing this type of match to a wrestling promoter named Vince McMahon.  McMahon liked the idea and started setting up ladder matches.

What are ladder matches for?

The ladder match is typically the culmination of a storyline, or a way or settling a feud between two wrestlers.  Wrestling matches (as everyone knows, but hardcore fans are reluctant to admit) are choreographed and rehearsed, as well as being part of a larger scripted story between a couple of wrestlers, or a group of them.  Wrestling characters are developed over a wrestler's career and a parallel can be drawn between the melodramatic world of wrestling and soap operas, with wrestlers creating feuds, alliances and engaging in 'trash talking' in order to create a sense of theatre around the matches. Fans usually support a few wrestlers, and they get whipped up in the excitement surrounding the matches, cheering on their favourite and booing anyone who dares threaten them.

Ladder matches are popular with fans as the ladder allows for some pretty dramatic moves, and there are often real injuries sustained during these bouts.  Despite the careful planning and rehearsing of moves, when these men are using something as large as an aluminium ladder as a weapon there is a real margin for error. This means that older, more experienced wrestlers tend to stay away from such matches, as the risk of serious injury is much more dangerous for them than for a younger wrestler.  It is often these younger wrestlers who engage in ladder matches to build their exposure to fans and also to build their reputation.  Ladder matches are not as regular as they once were due to these injuries.

Ladder matches – what happens?

In a ladder match a prize, or item of contention is suspended above the ring, and the first person to reach the item wins the match (usually, although there are different types of match).  The only way to reach the item is by climbing the ladder, and of course the opponent can and will pull the ladder away, knock the wrestler off the ladder, and use the ladder as a prop weapon.  It is also common for one wrestler to climb part way up the ladder and use it as a launch pad from which to land on his opponent from a height (similar to the way they stand on the corners and throw themselves into the ring).

The ladder does not start off in the ring every time, there are matches where the wrestlers fight for a few minutes before one either gets thrown out of the ring, or deliberately leaves the ring to get the ladder. From the moment the ladder enters the ring both wrestlers fight over getting on it.  They have to climb right to the top of the ladder (an A-frame aluminium ladder is the standard, allowing both wrestlers to climb a side of the ladder at the same time) and almost stand on the top in order to retrieve the prize.  This is not good ladder safety practice, but then again, wrestling is supposed to look dangerous.  From the moves that these wrestlers perform with the ladders it is doubtful that any of them have completed a ladder safety training course; you would be hard pressed to find a training programme which teaches how to perform the crazy looking stunts these wrestlers pull off!

The ladder is also included as a prop in TLC (Tables, Ladders and Chairs) matches within WWE, where the ladder can be used as a prop alongside other furniture.  These matches are usually run on a 'no disqualification' rule, which means that effectively it is a no-holds-barred match.

The various types of ladder match differ in the item that is suspended over the ring, and also what must be done with the coveted item when it is taken.  A 'King of the Mountain' ladder match is a sort of reversed ladder match, where the aim is to attach something to a wire above the ring, rather than take something down.  A 'Stairway to Hell' match features a weapon (such as barbed wire or a stick) hanging above the ring.  The contenders have to climb the ladder to get this weapon, which they can then use to beat their opponent with (literally).  'Money in the Bank' ladder matches are the most common type, and in these matches either money, or an agreement for another title match is hung above the ring.  The ladder must be climbed to get the money or the challenge for the next match.  Similar to the TLC matches there is another type of TLC match, although this time the 'C' stands for cerveza, which is the Spanish word for beer, and contenders use the tables, ladders and beer bottles as prop weapons in the fight.

Ladder matches are not only fought between two wrestlers, they can also take place with a tag team, where two or more wrestlers work together to fight another team.  In a tag team match, only two wrestlers are allowed in the ring at any one time, so this allows for a bigger sense of drama and danger, as a choreographed move can seemingly injure one wrestler, who then makes his way to the corner of the ring where he swaps with his team mate to take over the match.  The 'injured' wrestler then makes a great show of being in pain, and swiftly recovering before the same thing happens to his team-mate and they swap again.

In addition to ladder matches being fought by more than two wrestlers, there is usually more than one ladder available to the wrestlers outside the ring, so they can fight each other with the ladders, and even both climb up to reach the prize and fight each other at height.  Having two ladders in the ring at the same time increases the sense of danger, and also the possibility of real injury.  The choreography of these matches has to be exact, as with two metal ladders at play in the same move the wrestlers have to know where to attack the ladder or their opponent in order for the opponent to be able to fall clear enough of the ladder not to sustain any serious injury.

Possibly the worst injury sustained in a ladder match was in 2006, when Joey Mercury was hit in the face by a ladder during a four way ladder match (between four two-person tag teams).  The impact of the ladder sliced open Joey's face, and he had to leave the match for medical attention.  He was temporarily blinded and had 20 stitches in and around his nose.  He returned to wrestling briefly before retiring and took to wearing a face mask, such was the extent of his very real injuries.

Although ladder matches may be great entertainment for wrestling fans, it's obvious that this type of action is very dangerous, even with all the rehearsal and planning that goes into one of these bouts.  Leave the scary stuff to the professionals, and only 'wrestle' with your ladders in a safe way!