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The Ladder Match is one of the most dangerous matches in WWE. Many superstars have put their bodies on the line, in hopes of capturing some glory. It is not for the faint-hearted, and alters a WWE superstar's career forever.
The WWE Universe loves Ladder Matches. They are exciting, compelling and almost instantly get you on the edge of your seat. You just never know what is going to happen next. Who's going to jump off a ladder? Who's going to crash and burn through a ladder? It even sounds crazy just typing it out.
That being said, let's take a look at five WWE stars with the most Ladder Match appearances, including Money in the Bank Ladder Matches.
#5 Rob Van Dam competed in nine Ladder Matches
Ladder Matches wouldn't be Ladder Matches if it wasn't for the innovative and spectacular Rob Van Dam. The well-known high flyer captivated the WWE Universe with some stellar performances.
RVD's first Ladder Match came not long after he had signed with WWE. He competed against Jeff Hardy for the Hardcore Championship at SummerSlam in 2001 in a victorious effort.
Van Dam's next three Ladder Matches all came on Monday Night RAW. His first against the incomparable Eddie Guerrero with the Intercontinental Championship on the line.
The next against Jeff Hardy, unifying the Intercontinental and European Championships. And lastly, against Christian for the Intercontinental Championship.
The most significant Ladder Match in Rob Van Dam's career came at WrestleMania 22, where he won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. It catapulted RVD into the main event scene, where he ultimately won the WWE Championship against John Cena at ECW One Night Stand in 2006.
Rob Van Dam told Bleacher Report in 2014 about competing in a Ladder Match, particularly the Money in the Bank:
"The experience that I have goes with not only knowing what it takes to pull off a match like that, but also experience in knowing myself and knowing what I can do and how far out there my comfort zone is. I love a match like Money in the Bank, I love a hardcore match, and that’s what the Money in the Bank ladder matches are," Rob Van Dam said (h/t Bleacher Report).
Recently, Rob Van Dam was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Whether we will see him in another Ladder Match remains to be seen.
#4 Matt Hardy has competed in eleven Ladder Matches
Matt Hardy is an innovator when it comes to the Ladder Match. Competing with his brother Jeff, they made headlines for their performances in this match type and shaped the Ladder Matches that we see today. Even when competing on his own, Matt would always be the favorite to win.
His last Ladder Match in WWE came when The Hardy Boyz made a surprise appearance at WrestleMania 33. The duo had been absent from WWE for a number of years. They entered the Ladder Match for the Raw Tag Team Titles and came away victorious.
Matt Hardy discusses his return to WrestleMania 33 with SportBible:
"To return in that capacity on the biggest Wrestlemania that there's ever been, and to be in a ladder match, which is our speciality - we're obviously one of the pioneers of the ladder match, especially a tag team ladder match - the first deal that ever happened was us and Edge and Christian in a tag team environment - to return and have all the stars align, and then on top of everything, win the tag team titles it was truly amazing and almost like the beginning of a storybook tale in some ways as we have this next run, and in some ways too it was like the happy ending that so many WWE fans had waited for such a long time - we finally came back home and it felt like that to us," said Matt Hardy (h/t SportBible).
#3 Dolph Ziggler has competed in twelve Ladder Matches
Dolph Ziggler has competed in plenty of Ladder Matches throughout his career. His first appearance in a Ladder Match came at the 26th annual WrestleMania pay-per-view, in the Money in the Bank match.
He did have some victories in early Ladder Matches when defending his Intercontinental Championship. He also defeated John Cena to retain his Money in the Bank briefcase that he won in 2012. Following that in 2014, Dolph Ziggler defeated Luke Harper to win the Intercontinental Championship.
Ziggler generally has a mixed record in Ladder Matches. But generally, the 'Show Off' always puts on a show stealing performance. We're sure we'll see Dolph in another Ladder Match in the future.
#2 Christian has competed in twelve Ladder Matches
Who could ever forget the Triangle Ladder Match at WrestleMania 2000. It was a match that defined the tag team division during the Attitude Era and sparked off a wave of death-defying Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches. Christian had a hand in that, and is a veteran when it comes to competing in this gimmick match.
Christian discussed the first-ever match he and Edge had with The Hardy Boyz on the Steve Austin Show podcast:
"With the first ladder match we did against the Hardys, we were told we have three finishes. One was us winning, one was them winning, and one was me kind of turning on Edge and costing us the match. The Hardys won and there were some rumblings of that early on us even splitting up and doing something," Christian said (h/t Fightful).
Having had huge success with his on-screen best friend Edge, Christian ventured into his own singles career. It was in 2011 that Christian hit the jackpot. Following Edge's retirement, the World Heavyweight Championship became vacant.
Up-stepped 'Captain Charisma' to pick up the baton, and Christian won his first major world title in WWE, defeating Alberto Del Rio in, of course, a Ladder Match.
#1 Jeff Hardy has competed in thirteen Ladder Matches
The undisputed king of the Ladder Match ranks in at number one with the most appearances. When you think of a Ladder Match, you instantly think of the 'Charismatic Enigma' Jeff Hardy. From teaming up with his brother Matt to forging his own singles career, Hardy has risked it all and put his body on the line over and over again.
He's faced some of the very best in the WWE in this match type, including The Undertaker for the Undisputed Championship. The Undertaker discussed that match-up with Alex McCarthy at TalkSport:
"I do remember getting to the arena that day and I had no clue I was in a ladder match until I got there. I was like ‘hmmmm’ – I wasn’t real thrilled about it! I was like it’s really not my forte, it’s not what I do best. But it did put a shine on Jeff and the things that he did. It was good because it took me out of my comfort zone, made me try and reach for something else because I wanted the match to obviously be successful and we were fortunate that it was very successful," The Undertaker said (h/t TalkSport).
Hardy's last appearance in a Ladder Match came inside the WWE Thunderdome at Clash of Champions. He faced AJ Styles and Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship in what was a breathtaking match-up.
Will we see Jeff in another Ladder Match in the future? We certainly hope so, as Hardy has proved there is still plenty left in the tank.
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