Coliseum Corner: Shawn Michaels Climbing the Ladder of Success

Time for the latest entry into Coliseum Corner which (as you know by now) is the only place to get your brain into nostalgia mode, courtesy of Coliseum Home Video.

This week we’ll take a look at the origin of the Ladder Match in the WWF (which of course Coliseum Video captured). Having just come off the ‘Money in the Bank pay-per-view, let’s see where this match type began.

Now, the very first Ladder Match in WWF history was between sworn enemies Shawn Michaels and Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart. This encounter took place in July of 1992 and was featured on the 1993 release ‘Smack-em Whack-em’.  The match itself was never broadcast on television or PPV, seen for the first time months later on… you guessed it, Coliseum Video.

This match was unlike any other at the time.  Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels actually used the ladder as a weapon legally and with severity that no other match possessed.  The whole point of the match as you may well know was to climb up the ladder and reach for whatever was at stake.  In this case it was the Intercontinental title.

The second ladder match introduced to CHV was certainly going to be shown on pay-per-view. It was on March 20, 1994 at Wrestlemania X, as Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon defended his title against self-proclaimed Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels. Wait! There’s a pattern forming here. The match was so critically acclaimed it became a mainstay in the annals of WWF/WWE.  A grudge match and a war to settle the score in this instance only dramatized the feud between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels.

The following year Coliseum Video brought us the rematch from Summerslam 1995 between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels.  This again was a big build up that gave fans a huge reason to buy the PPV. By now fans were very familiar with the ladder match and saw some spectacular performances that elevated Shawn Michaels from mid-card to main eventer.

Yes, all three of the first ladder matches were for the Intercontinental Championship and Shawn Michaels was featured in all three.  There’s no doubt that this is a testament to his ability and a big part of his ascension to the top.

Join us next time Coliseum Fans for another leap into the video vault.