10 Wrestling Facts We Didn’t Know Last Week (Aug 10)

4. TLC 2014's Ladder Match Wasn't Supposed To Be So Violent

Luke Harper Dolph Ziggler
WWE.com

The Intercontinental Title Ladder war between Luke Harper and Dolph Ziggler at TLC 2014 is one of those under-rated classics that flies under the radar for most fans. If you've never seen it, it's worth a watch. Harper and Ziggler belted the absolute p*ss out of one another for a good 16 minutes, and they opened the show brilliantly.

According to Harper on E&C's Pod Of Awesomeness, it was never supposed to be that good.

In fact, the pair were never booked to do half the stunts they did or let things get quite so violent; memorably, Harper almost broke his arm during a dive spot, and bruising was visible on both men just a few minutes in. It was almost as though they had a point to prove (something Luke said they did).

This was Dolph's chance to prove he could be a killer babyface, and Harper's to show how well he'd do without The Wyatt Family backdrop following him around. WWE didn't complain when the guys returned backstage. They couldn't. The match had been immense despite going off script.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.