It was 22 years ago on this date that the famous ladder match involving Edge & Christian and The Hardys took place at the No Mercy pay-per-view.
After gaining attention with their tag matches throughout 1999, the two teams cemented their status in the WWE ranks with a phenomenal ladder match at the former Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
The match was the deciding contest in the “Terri Invitational Tournament” best-of-five series that led to Terri managing the winners.
The Hardys prevailed in the match and would be managed by Terri for several months before she turned on the duo the following February.
While the ladder match is fondly remembered as a breakout moment in their careers, the follow-up the next night on Raw assisted with their status among the audience. The four had an in-ring segment selling the effects of the match and receiving a standing ovation from the audience in Columbus, Ohio.
The ladder match would become synonymous with those four, who along with the addition of The Dudleys, would take the concept to new heights in 2000. The three teams would engage in another stellar ladder match at WrestleMania 2000 and escalate with the creation of the TLC (Tables, Ladders & Chairs match) at SummerSlam in August 2000.
The three teams would participate in follow-up TLC matches at WrestleMania X-7 in April 2001, and a four-way adding Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit in May 2001 on SmackDown.
Edge, Christian & The Hardys would all have their opportunities at singles runs with Edge and Christian in high positions in WWE and AEW respectively, while Jeff & Matt Hardy continue their careers across both companies.
22 years ago today we starting truly carving our path in the first tag team ladder match. 22 years later I’m about to face off with a talent who will go down as one of the best to do it. In Hell in A Cell. One helluva ride. pic.twitter.com/y2tr5CYEIk
— Adam (Edge) Copeland (@EdgeRatedR) October 17, 2021
The No Mercy card from this date in 1999 also featured Triple H retaining the WWF Championship against Steve Austin in Austin’s last pay-per-view match for an entire year as he would undergo neck surgery to fuse two vertebrae.
The 1999 event was the final night that Jeff Jarrett wrestled for the company, as he dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Chyna in a “Good Housekeeping Match” before moving to WCW. Jarrett dedicated an entire episode of his My World podcast to this story and explaining how the two sides agreed to work the pay-per-view after Jarrett’s contract had already expired prior to October 17th.
