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From Bo Dallas vs. Neville to LA Knight vs. Cameron Grimes, NXT's ladder matches are hardly ever a disappointment.
While they aren't featured on every NXT pay-per-view or in every high-profile main event, they're usually a highlight and a sight to behold when they are.
The most recent of all was the aforementioned match for the Million Dollar Championship between LA Knight and Cameron Grimes at NXT TakeOver: In Your House.
In honor of the match, here are a few NXT ladder matches from yesteryear that you may or may not have forgotten about.
#4. The Street Profits vs. The Undisputed Era vs. The Forgotten Sons vs. Oney Lorcen & Danny Burch - NXT TakeOver 25
After their debut on Monday Night Raw, War Machine (now renamed The Viking Raiders) relinquished the NXT Tag Team titles. This would leave the door open for a new team to capture the titles.
As a result of the titles being vacated, a four-team ladder match was announced for NXT TakeOver 25, featuring Oney Larcen & Danny Burch, The Street Profits, The Forgotten Sons, and The Undisputed Era.
The early goings of the match featured a tope suicida through the ropes (and a ladder), stereo German suplexes (also with a ladder being involved), and Ford hitting his frog splash, proceeded by a picture-perfect handstand.
As the match progressed, all 4 teams got their time to shine and came up with some pretty innovative ways to punish their adversaries. When it was all said and done, it was ultimately The Street Profits picking up the win.
The icing on the cake would have to be Ford's meme-worthy reaction at the top of the ladder after winning.
#3. Johnny Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Bronson Reed vs. Damian Priest vs. Cameron Grimes - NXT Takeover 30
This next entry shares some similarities with the previous one. Like the one before, this match was made after the current NXT Champion at the time, Keith Lee, decided to vacate the North American Championship.
However, unlike The Viking Raiders, Lee let go of the North American title in an effort to make sure that others got the same opportunities as him, not because he was leaving NXT.
While it's a shame Lee's North American title reign came to an end without him losing the title, at least we ended up getting this fantastic ladder match out of it instead.
It begins with Damian Priest punching Dream dead in the face. No intense stare-downs, no sizing each other up, and no cheap shots... just Priest punching Velvateen square in the mush.
The end of the match came during a brief tug of war at the top of the ladder between Damien Priest and Johnny Gargano. Priest managed to get the better of the exchange and was crowned the new NXT North American Champion, as a result.
#2. Dakota Kai vs. Mia Yim vs. Chelsea Green vs. Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai vs. Tegan Nox - NXT 4/8/20
After defeating Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 36, Charlotte Flair's new challenger was announced to be determined via a 6-way ladder match on the April 8th edition of NXT in 2020.
Highlights include Shirai keeping her balance on the top rope after being tipped off a ladder and then smoothly transitioning into a springboard crossbody. Then, there was Raquel Gonzáles sticking her nose where it didn’t belong by getting involved in the match on Kai’s behalf multiple occasions.
Then of course, there was Robert Stone... just being Robert Stone.
In the end, it came down to Shirai and LeRae with the latter being tipped off the ladder. This would give Shirai enough time to unhook the briefcase and win the match.
It's a shame this match happened during the beginning of COVID, as there were literally no fans in attendance, taking away a lot of the emotion/impact. But the fact that there wasn't a live crowd and it still delivered makes it that much more outstanding.
#1 EC3 vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Adam Cole vs. Ricochet vs. Killian Dain - NXT TakeOver: New Orleans
From one 6 way to another, it wouldn't be a list of outstanding NXT ladder matches without this one, the ladder match to crown the first ever NXT North American Champion.
Anyway, much like the previous entry, this certainly delivered. NXT fans chanted the ever so iconic "this is awesome" chant before any of the participants in this match laid a single pinky on each other.
This match had all the makings of an instant classic. A hyped crowd, Mauro Ranallo on commentary, and 6 of NXT's best pulling out all of the stops.
It was also a shining example of just how entertaining it can be to watch a super heavyweight and another superheavyweight clash. In this case, that's Lars Sullivan and Killian Dain.
In the end it looked as though the win would go to Ricochet for a split second, but ultimately Cole tipped him off the ladder and became the first person to hold the new NXT title belt.
