The First Ladder Match In WCW History Was A Big Win For Eddie Guerrero
The late Eddie Guerrero is one of the most revered performers in wrestling history, but he definitely wasn't an overnight success. In fact, one of his first big star-making matches also happened to be the first ladder match ever held in WCW.
That match would pit rising star Guerrero against Syxx, formerly known as the 1-2-3 Kid and later to be known as X-Pac, but perhaps best known today by his birth name, Sean Waltman The pair battled it out for the company's United States Championship, held by Guerrero at the time. It is a belt with a storied history of its own that originated in NWA before moving over to WCW and eventually WWE, where it's still fought for today.
The bout would end in somewhat controversial fashion, with both Guerrero and Syxx pulling down the championship at the same time. The two fought over the title at the top of the ladder before Guerrero struck Syxx with the belt, who fell from the top, giving Guerrero the victory. This win helped elevate Guerrero within WCW, and paved the way for his eventual superstardom.
The Ladder Match Comes to WCW
Eddie Guerrero's run with the United States Championship would help the future "Latino Heat" rise to even greater heights in the eyes of wrestling fans, leading him to become one of WCW's biggest stars. When he eventually made the jump over to WWE along with Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Chris Benoit in 2000, it would be a huge blow to WCW, which would soon be bought out by its rival. Guerrero's life would be tragically cut short by his untimely death just a few years later in 2005, but he remains a beloved figure in professional wrestling to this day.
Considering Guerrero's penchant for taking to the air and thrilling crowds the world over, his victory in WCW's first ladder match is fitting, as when it comes to high octane in-ring action, few match types have reached the heights of the ladder match. The style first rose to popularity in the 1990s, though its origins stretch back to the Hart family's Stampede Wrestling promotion in the early 1970s.
The first-ever ladder match was contested between Dan Kroffat and Tor Kamata, with Kroffat supposedly being the one who pitched the idea to owner and booker Stu Hart. For a number of years after, ladder matches continued to be few and far between, with only a handful taking place before WWE first started putting on the match. The very first ladder match under that company's banner took place in 1992 between longtime rivals Bret "The Hitman" Hart and "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, and was surprisingly taped for home video use and not broadcast live.