3. Ladder Match
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cegTir_Klo The first ladder match wasn't Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon at Wrestlemania X. As a matter of fact, that wasn't even the first ladder match in the WWF. That honor goes to Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels in a match that was released on various home videos in the early 1990s. Hart was trying to convince Vince McMahon that the ladder match (a Stampede wrestling favorite) would work in the WWF. McMahon didn't like it until a few years later when he booked Razor vs. Shawn and pretended it was all his idea. Anyways, the ladder match evolved in the 2000s as the bout went from a hard-hitting fight to a dangerous stunt show that featured wrestlers falling from heights that no man should approach. The Dudley Boyz, Hardy Boyz, and Edge and Christian took risks that electrified audiences but also probably shortened the careers of everyone involved. Today, you don't need the huge bumps or stunt jumps to make the ladder match work. At No Mercy 2008, Shawn Michaels faced Chris Jericho in a ladder match that had an honest fight feeling to it. HBK and Jericho are two of the best and they perfectly crafted their storyline around a ladder match and had a forgetten classic. There are ladder matches today, mostly at the TLC pay-per-view but that is actually part of the problem. The ladder matches are forced because "hey look, it's , it's time to have a ladder match!" Gimmick matches are the most effective when the storyline dictates them. An effective ladder match can be a great way or continue or even end a long-running feud.