Was the Ladder Match any good?

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

So tell me, was it?

[Guest Choken One]

Not a Great match in terms of Wrestling but it was a pretty exciting spot match where NOTHING was blown with innovative spots (the Gorilla Press/Moonsault was sick)...Just a great reminder why we watch this stuff...for fun exciting hot matches like this...

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

It was fun to watch. Don't expect a five star classic, but it was pretty fun. They basically went out and killed each other and themselves for about 15 minutes and put on a good match.

[Just call me Dan 0]

How did it measure up to the Eddie/RVD Ladder match(es)?

[jester 0]

I agree. Fun match, good excitement. I'm sure someone is going to bitch about RVD's selling as usual, but fugg 'em. It was the best match on free TV I've seen in awhile, and the best finish to a Raw in a long time.

[SamoaRowe 0]

I'd say this was on par with the Eddie/RVD match. The match was a good ***1/2 outing, and a definite reminder of why I'm a passionate wrestling fan.

[Downhome 0]

It was a pretty good match for WWE TV, and I enjoyed it, HOWEVER...

 

...tonight made one thing painfully obvious to me, even though I should have realized it long before. The Ladder Match is totally, 100% in every way, over done.

 

We need to put it away for a year, or more, and let it regain it's worth.

 

It just doesn't feel special in any way at all to me anymore, and it shouldn't feel that way. It just seems routine, that's all.

[Guest Mindless_Aggression]

I had a lot more fun with it than say RVD/Jeff Hardy. It was more brutal sick stuff than "Look it how high I'm gonna fall!" stuff.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

If people are going to complain about selling it would have to be on both sides...as the only way to sell that match would be fore them to still be laying there...and being taken to the hospital.

[Guest Choken One]

RVD was selling the ribs pretty decently I thought...

 

It doesn't touch the Eddy Ladder Match but it was some of the best stuff free tv will give you...

[SamoaRowe 0]

I'm not sure RVD had to sell the ribs, I think he was he legitimately in pain.

 

 

And yesh, Ladder matches have been overdone with between Raw and TNA. Same goes for cage matches (though I really like the TNA cage matches).

[Guest Mulatto Heat]

It doesn't touch the Eddy Ladder Match but it was some of the best stuff free tv will give you...

If it didn't touch the RVD/Eddie ladder match then it couldn't have been very good.

 

RVD/Eddie had more than one glaring blown spot and I'm not just talking about the fan run-in. SK overrated that match, probably because he was there.

[Downhome 0]

I just don't see anything special about this sort of match anymore, at least for right now.

[Guest Mulatto Heat]

DH, I agree with you 100%. When I first heard about the ladder match set for tonight I thought that the gimmick needs to be retired for a solid year.

[Just call me Dan 0]

Star ratings people! star ratings! Like 'em or not, they are a good summary of how you felt. No matter what you say in detail, the star rating can say it better. Needless to say, thanks Ernierowe, now more star ratings please!

[Guest Choken One]

*** for the tv scale...

[Golgo 13 0]

I wouldn't rank it with the RVD/Eddie match.

 

It was pretty standard by my count, but was better than what we usually get on Raw. Just don't expect anything mindblowing, although there were a few cool spots.

 

I didn't have a problem with the selling at all. The only thing that made me groan was RVD leaping up to the top rope before he missed the 5 Star.

[Guest RollingSambos]

Ignore all comments about selling, psychology, etc. The match was phenomenal. RAW MOTY, tons of excitement, hot crowd, crazy spots, rollercoaster ride...it had it all. RVD got more over in 15 minutes than anybody on the RAW brand has in 2 years.

[A Happy Medium 0]

***3/4 I'd give it. That may be a bit generous, but that's what I think of it. Plus, the Chicago crowd ate it up, which I think helped RVD and Christian perform at a higher rate than normal. RVD is very freaking over..at least in Chicago.

[Downhome 0]

DH, I agree with you 100%. When I first heard about the ladder match set for tonight I thought that the gimmick needs to be retired for a solid year.

It's just, I don't like the idea of having a gimmick match just for fucks and shits. I'm one to believe that most gimmick matches should have some sort of true meaning behind it, some sort of back story which has a logical reason for the gimmick match taking place. I don't like them going "hey, next week we're having a ladder match BAH GAWD", it means nothing to me at all.

 

Take this match on RAW.

 

Sure, it was a great match for what it was, and I enjoyed it. Still, just imagine had this been the climax of a feud between Christian and RVD. Imagine had there actually been a reason that this match took place. Imagine if they allowed some sort of time to be used in order to create some sort of connection between this match and the fans via long term build up.

 

Had it been the exact same match, it could have been so much more had they not had the match just for the hell of it.

 

It just feels like the industry has totally forgotten just what in the hell gimmick matches are even for.

 

Besides all of that, we've see the ladder match so many times by now over and over again in the past few years, that when we see one like tonight, as I said before, the match just feels routine.

 

Retire the match for a year at least, and the NEXT time they bust it out, let's have it have some reasoning behind it.

[Downhome 0]

RVD got more over in 15 minutes than anybody on the RAW brand has in 2 years.

Was it RVD that was so over, or was it his high spots and his bumping? Sure, it's great to see him be over for the moment like that, which he hasn't been for a while now.

 

Still, if they don't continue to push him strong, it'll mean nothing, and the fans will once again start to chill down to him once again.

[Guest Mulatto Heat]

It seems (and if there are examples to the contrary please point them out to me) that RVD can only seem to give performances like that when there's a ladder around. That's dangerously approaching Jeff Hardy territory, IMO.

[Guest BDC]

Nah, RVD was pretty over. I mean, when the fans are chanting with the fingerpoint in his opening, yeah, that's fairly over. Not as loud as before his big spot, but still.

[Guest JMA]

I thought the match was very well done. I also think it helped put over both men. There were NO blown spots so the RVD haters can't complain about that. RVD sold pretty decently, too (although he may have been in legit pain, but whatever works).

[2GOLD 0]

I ended the night happy I had watched RAW which hasn't happened in a long time. Considering before that match I really felt the need to rip my eyes out, I'll say it was an amazingly good match.

[BifEverchad 0]

Ah poop, I missed it too...

 

Anyone know where I can download it perhaps?

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

I would go with about ***1/2 for the ladder match. It was a good idea for them to have RVD win it too. It feels like for the first time in a while on RAW, they had a legitamate title contest that was fun to watch. The selling was a little lackluster but after all the crap we've been fed on RAW lately I ain't bitchin.....

[humongous2002 0]

I thought it was a great match, almost as good as RVD/Eddy's match but still up there. RVD was over last night like it was 2001.

[Guest ManKinnd]

****, and I can't go higher since it was ALL spots, but there was nothing blown, it was very innovative, very few repeated spots, and it was awesome energy the whole way. Great stuff for TV.

[Guest MikeSC]

So tell me, was it?

I'll stretch and give it **. So friggin' slow. Dead time-Mania was runnin' wild.

 

It was match of the night --- but is that really high praise for RAW?

-=Mike