10 Historic Wrestling Moments You've Probably Never Seen

Ask most fans about the first ladder match and they'll point to Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon at WrestleMania X. Some might even cite their earlier clash in 1993. But the true origin of the ladder match goes back over 20 years earlier—in Canada, not WWE.

In September 1972, Stampede Wrestling in Calgary hosted the world’s first recorded ladder match, featuring Bret Hart’s future brother-in-law, Dan Kroffat, against Tor Kamata. The prize? A wad of cash suspended above the ring. The concept, reportedly pitched by Kroffat himself, was revolutionary at the time—climb a ladder, retrieve the reward, win the match. It was wild, unpredictable, and unlike anything the audience had seen.

And yet, barely anyone remembers it.

Why? Because no known footage exists. The match was never taped, never rebroadcast, and has become something of a folklore entry in wrestling history. WWE didn’t adopt the concept until years later—borrowing it through Bret Hart, who brought the idea to Vince McMahon in the early ’90s. By the time it made it to national television, its Canadian roots were quietly forgotten.

Stampede’s ladder match might be lost to time, but without it, one of wrestling’s most iconic stipulations might never have existed.