The 10 Best TNA/Impact Ladder Matches Ever, Ranked
Ladder matches were first introduced into pro wrestling in the early 1970s and were made mainstream by WWE thanks to the classic Razor Ramon/Shawn Michaels bout at WrestleMania X. But by the time that TNA (now known as Impact Wrestling) started up in 2002, the ladder match concept was growing in popularity thanks to WWE’s tag team division putting on some pretty crazy matches.
In the nearly two decades since, Impact Wrestling has had a ton of ladder matches, doing at least three every year and sometimes more. But let’s take a look at the very best ladder matches in the promotion’s history, which often involved the X Division roster -- but not always.
10 Crazzy Steve vs. Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Manik vs. Sanada vs. Tigre Uno (Slammiversary XII, 6/15/2014)
The 2014 iteration of Slammiversary XII opened up with a great X Division Championship match, not unlike how WCW used to lead its pay-per-views with Cruiserweight bouts back in the day. This ladder match had Sanada defending his title against pretty much the entire division in a fast-paced, exciting affair full of the crazy spots fans expect not only of the X Division, but also of a match that features a luchador, TJ Perkins pretending to be a luchador, and both of The Wolves.
9 Brian Kendrick vs. Daniels vs. Kazarian vs. The Amazing Red (Destination X, 3/21/2010)
Somewhat appropriately, Destination X also opened with an X Division bout -- a four-way ladder match to determine a #1 Contender to the title, featuring some of the best wrestlers to perform for the division. Running nearly 14 minutes, the spot-heavy bout is actually more than twice as long as the actual X Division Title match on the show but was crucial in getting Destination X started on the right foot.
8 Gail Kim vs. Taryn Terrell (Impact Wrestling, 7/11/2013)
Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell had one of the best women’s matches in TNA history -- at least, the best that didn’t involve Awesome Kong -- when they went head-to-head in a surprisingly brutal Last Knockout Standing match. This #1 Contender’s ladder match followed a few weeks later and isn’t as famous, but it’s still really, really good.
Gail Kim’s reputation as one of TNA’s best “Knockouts” is pretty well known, but Taryn Terrell really surprised fans during this time thanks to her matches with Kim, regaining some of the division’s former glory.
7 Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt (No Surrender, 9/14/2008)
In 2008, Jay Lethal was a fun X Division talent going unappreciated in TNA despite winning fans over with an entertaining gimmick. Sonjay Dutt can be considered one of the most underrated X Division wrestlers of all time, given that he spent years in that division without really gaining wider recognition. In 2008, these under-the-radar talents feuded for the love of SoCal Val in a “Ladder of Love” with a wedding ring suspended over the ring. Despite the silliness of the feud, the match itself more than delivered with some great ladder-based violence.
6 AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe (Hardcore Justice, 8/12/2012)
The Bound For Glory series is one of TNA's more underrated ideas, wherein wrestlers compete in various matches over the course of the summer to earn points, with the winner getting a World Title shot at the Bound For Glory pay-per-view. One of the best matches of the 2012 Series was ladder match at the Hardcore Justice PPV, with four of TNA’s best wrestlers -- and biggest stars -- competing for a whopping 20 points.
5 Ace Austin vs. Acey Romero vs. Daga vs. Jake Crist vs. Tessa Blanchard (Bound for Glory, 10/20/2019)
Impact Wrestling these days is more low-key than it had been in recent years thanks to some seriously tumultuous leadership changes and losing a lot of its veterans throughout the mid-2010s. But Impact has largely stabilized and has proven still capable of putting on some great matches, like this five-way ladder match for the X Division Title at 2019’s Bound For Glory. It’s a really fun match with a surprise ending, and another great installment in Impact’s recent promotion of intergender wrestling.
4 Motor City Machine Guns vs. Beer Money Inc. (TNA Impact, 7/15/2010)
At Victory Road 2010, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley beat James Storm and Bobby Roode for the vacant Tag Team Titles. But instead of moving on or having a simple rematch, TNA opted to pit two of its best tag teams against one another in a Best of Five series, with each match having a different special stipulation.
While the best bout of the series was the concluding 2/3 Falls Match, they started off really strong with an action-packed ladder match that saw Beer Money Inc. score the first point against the champs
3 Christian Cage vs. Kaz (Genesis, 11/11/2007)
Christian Cage and Frankie Kazarian having a match sounds like a great idea, as both are generally liked by fans but are somewhat considered underrated compared to their more famous and beloved tag team partners, to the point of often being labeled “The Jannetty" of their respective tag teams. At Genesis 2007, the two clashed in a ladder match to conclude a “Fight for the Right” tournament to become #1 Contender to the World Title, and “Kaz” ended up coming out on top after some pretty nasty ladder bumps.
2 Austin Aries vs. Jeff Hardy (Turning Point, 11/11/2012)
At Bound for Glory 2012, Jeff Hardy beat Austin Aries for the TNA World Title, so they had a rematch a month later at Turning Point. Jeff Hardy gained a lot of his notoriety through pulling off wild stunts in ladder matches, so he’s a natural fit for this kind of bout. However, instead of trying to recreate the magic of those classic TLC matches, Hardy and Aries opt for something a little more hard-hitting while still offering some fun ladder spots.
1 Team 3D vs. The Wolves vs. The Hardy Boyz (Impact Wrestling - No Surrender, 9/17/2014)
One of the more awesome TNA storylines of the 2010s has got to be the Tag Team Title rivalry among legends Team 3D, The Hardy Boyz, and indie workhorse tag team The Wolves. Their feud was often based on mutual respect and putting on great matches, but that didn’t stop them from escalating to a Full Metal Mayhem match on the “No Surrender” edition of Impact. The result is easily one of the craziest TV matches possible.
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