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GUEST EDITORIAL
By Morgan Ruble of Ottumwa, Iowa, PWTorch.com Reader

Ahh, the Ladder Match. What began with Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon was taken to the next level by Edge & Christian, The Dudleys, and The Hardy Boys. Now it has become a staple at WrestleMania with the annual Money in the Bank match.

This match still draws from the original principal set up by Shawn and Scott all those years ago. Using ladders as weapons and for high-flying offense, these matches often steal the show at WrestleMania. They're always a nail-biting part of any event as you worry for the actual safety of the wrestlers and marvel at the highspots they innovate.

The problem is that “The Bank” is going bankrupt. The Bank might as well be Citigroup with the way it is being mismanaged. Throwing super-heavyweights like Mark Henry and Kane into a match about quick high-flying offense is both stupid and dangerous. The excitement of these matches is diminished every time they include someone too big (Henry, Kennedy) or too old (Finlay, Flair) into the chaotic proceedings.

Leave the ladder to the young workhorses and daredevils of the WWE. This year's perfect ladder match should include Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston, C.M. Punk, Christian, John Morrison, Shelton Benjamin, Jeff Hardy, and Rey Mysterio. If you have to sub some of these eight out then the spots could go to any number of other low-level talent (Chavo, Noble, Helms, Kendrick) who too often get overlooked even though they could masterfully handle a ladder match as well as any of the eight mentioned above.

Some might say that having the exact same 10-12 participants in the same match every year sounds like a repetitive idea, but each and every ladder match is unique. Some are better than others. Each takes an incredible amount of planning and care and should only include athletic flexible guys that can handle the punishment. That is why including guys like Mark Henry and Kane is a danger to everyone involved, themselves included.

Can you imagine Henry falling off the top rung of a ladder on top of someone? Falling and landing wrong and having one leg take all the force of the fall? It wouldn't be a pretty picture. No one wants WrestleMania 25 to be remembered as the one where someone got hurt badly for real.

Guys like Henry are slow methodical heels. They aren't known for their fast-paced styles or quick offense. Finley is a mat technician. These guys cannot and should not be asked to do aerial offense in a match this dangerous. They may not be asked to go up high, but then what is the point of them being in a ladder match to begin with?

Very few people want to watch a ladder match full of super-heavyweights. The Dudleys were the exception to this rule because they could take the big bumps and were known for their hardcore style. Ladder matches are for the Eddie Guerreros, C.M. Punks, and RVDs of the wrestling world. It seems as if WWE creative is sabotaging this years MITB because they want long-term contract guys like Henry and Kane to have a spot on the show, and they should. Just not in this match.

Cena vs. Edge? Seen it. Triple H vs. Orton. Done that. Michaels vs. 'Taker? It's been a few years but didn't they feud for half of the '90s? The point is, these matches are likely to be great but they have all been done before and a certain part of the wrestling audience is looking for something different.

This is the 25th WrestleMania and if they aren't going to throw in a match to really make the show pop (Hogan/Rock, Flair/HBK) they need to take great care with every other match on the card, especially Money In The Bank. It is always a show-stopper. Why not stack it up with guys who can really work a ladder match instead of dragging it down with big wrestlers who are going to be dead weight for the majority of the bout?

WWE risks making this match and this show the weakest one in years if they let too many more big guys into the proceedings and use screwed up booking logic like this on the whole card. The Big Show and Umaga could be the next participants while hard workers like Morrison - that the fans truly want to see in this match - sit out the whole event. If WWE is going to book WM 25 like last year (Chavo-Kane squash, JBL-Finlay) they need this match to be at least the fourth best on the card.

If this trend continues, not only are they going to need sturdier ladders, but we might be seeing Mike Knox in 2010 as the Money in the Bank briefcase holder.

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