Shawn Michaels' 10 Best Matches Ever
7. Vs. Chris Jericho (No Mercy 2008)
The ladder match gimmick has been saturated not just from overuse, but from prioritizing mindless stunts over the story of the match. Stunts are one thing, but give me a ladder match with a little more hatred between the opponents. There aren't too many ladder matches in this particular one's league.
Jericho and Michaels had been feuding since the spring, and by this point it was as intensely personal as a grudge could be. As such, their ladder match at No Mercy 2008, for Jericho's World Heavyweight title, was more hate-filled than stunt-based. Little things like a dazed Jericho seeing the ladder's positioning and kicking it into a groggy Michaels' face (knowing his prior eye injury) added to the fiery tone.
The match is sadly neglected when one looks at the greatest ladder matches ever, and it was even overshadowed when considering the best matches of 2008 (Michaels/Flair was the "sentimental" pick). Give it a look some time, and you'll see why ladder matches are better when there isn't necessarily an arbitrary PPV dedicated to shoehorning them in.