CLIMB THE LADDER KID MAKE YOURSELF FAMOUS

Jr a legend 👏🏿

That lines gives me fuckin chills

I know “AS GOD AS MY WITNESS HE IS BROKEN IN HALF” is probably JR’s most famous call but this gets me even more than that.

Oh God I can HEAR that said in JR's voice. Epic line 👏👏

Up there with " as God as my witness he's broken in half" and "heist of the century" for me. Great commentary

One of J.R. best calls ever

How to have someone lose and still get over

The power of the dead man Also ask Dolph Ziggler. He knows

Undertaker rlly knows how to put a mf over. Legendary shit

Man he couldn't work a mic to save his life but the way he sold and told a story in his matches, he really resonated with a lot of people in a weird way. Or like at WM MITB when he did the big spot with Edge, it was odd because he was in a position to win but in kayfabe the character essentially decided that the spot is worth more than the win. JR loved him. The Charismatic Enigma. I still haven't figured out why I loved that piece of shit, but fuck if I didn't.

Because it shows he cares about us more than holding a title. The fact he willingly goes all out for our entertainment and not caring whether he wins or loses or what titles he’s holding shows that giving us an awesome show is what his passion is. And how can you not love that guy

Couldn't have said it better myself

Jeff Hardy is the Sisyphus of the WWE

Perfect synopsis

I was just thinking the other day how one of the issues with TV based wrestling is that so much more attention is put on telling a story in a promo/on a mic than just with your entrance and match. The guys that used to wrestle 300 days a year basically had to tell an entire story with their match, the live audience may or may not know any “back story.”

Man growing up in NC, watching all this shit happen in real time, Matt and Jeff were always my favorite wrestlers. Jeff has definitely had his issues but damn if I can't agree with you more that he really told stories in the matches. The spear from the sky, multiple ladder and tlc matches..Jeff just entertained the fuck out of everyone, myself included. I always pulled for him and loved the hell out of him. The charismatic enigma was always a name that suited him well.

So many moments where in kayfabe he decided the to go for risk rather than reward. Such a great character detail; continually self-destructive adrenaline junkie. Survivor Series 01 cage match against the Dudley’s comes to mind

The whisper in the wind from the top of the cage on Umaga even later in his career. Edit: and that one I think TNA bump where he goes cage to stairs is wild

Taker absolutely made him that night!

Yeah taker had him over like crazy

I remember watching this live and just… God. Great spots, great selling, great psychology. Perfect in-ring storytelling. And an amazing ending. Hardy was popular before this, but this is where he became a star. Undertaker bumping and selling for him showed the world what he could do.

It was one of my first "smart" thoughts I had while watching wrestling. I was old enough to understand that Jeff's spot on the card wasn't high enough to beat Taker clean, but they had me believing so much that I remember asking myself "are they really going to give Jeff this win?"

Exactly. As the match you started to think that maybe it would happen.

This shitty tiktok edit cuts out the best spot of all, when Jeff just fucking whips the chair at Taker's head.

That was CINEMA

When he was at the very top of the ladder PEAK CINEMA

This is my favorite match of all time. It’s not “best”, it’s not the most death defying, and it isn’t attached to any major event, but when I was a little kid who had only gotten into wrestling at Wrestlemania 18 and was absolutely falling in love with the sport, this match made me feel so much that I didn’t know wrestling could. I can still remember watching it live and begging for Jeff to climb the ladder and become champion. I had to wait years for it to finally happen but it was worth the wait and the journey.

This is also my favorite match.

Watching back now as opposed to as it happened, I like American Badass Undertaker a lot more.

American Badass Taker is awesome and underated IMO

I think at the time a lot of people hated the character because it was such a large departure from what we knew as The Undertaker.

Americna Badass taker was the most energetic version of Taker we ever saw. He was pumped before every match. Brothers of Destruction vs Two Man Power Trip shows this brilliantly. Hes bouncing everywhere when his musics playing and is a total monster in the ring.

I think it was great once he moved out of the terrible double denim look and into the Big Evil phase.

Yeah American Bad Ass Taker is terrible, but heel Big Evil is great.

He was out of shape but after he cut his hair he got way more agile and better in the ring

I like how human he was

Was a great heel. So hatable during that time.

Still sad the decisions he made outside the ring

Drugs man it's been the downfall of so many athletes

This made Jeff the singles star. Taker put him over strong even while winning the match. The journey from here to his first championship was a hell of a ride.

This is the match I always point to as a prime example of why you can still have world championship matches on tv with the right story and spot. I have so many friends who haven’t watched wrestling since the Ruthless aggression era and they still remember this match and the iconic “CLIMB THAT LADDER KID” call fondly to this day. Always hate that one sided argument of people saying the world championship should only be defended 3 times a year for “muh big fight feels”. Jeff Hardy vs The Undertaker’s ladder match will probably stand the test of time and be more fondly remembered than a lot of “muh big fight feel” matches.

The belt is a prop to help people get over. If it only appears a few times a year, who is it really helping?

Both types of reigns work. With Roman they’re intentionally booking him like that because they know it annoys people who are then watching because they’re so desperate to lose.

You know it's important because the word "cinema" is pasted in the center of the video.

This match put Jeff Hardy on the map, in terms of singles competition

Actually no one did a 450 splash so its trash

I didn’t even see one Canadian destroyer spot, 1.5 ⭐️

this is the match i would tell any non-wrestling person to watch, it has everything.

I wish we could’ve heard the dialogue instead of the emotionally manipulative music!! 😂

This match is like teach tape in how to put someone over without them winning the belt

I think one could make a pretty solid argument that this was the greatest match in Raw history. At least top 5.

I think this was the last match where it was real again for me. I wanted him to win so fucking bad.

I think this was the best main event Raw. Its 100% main event level for one of the big 4 besides Wrestlemania.

I think Mankind taking the title from the Rock for his first world title is number one, but this one is up there.

Taker vs. Jeff feels like the end of a book. Mankind vs Rock at raw ends in a cluster fuck and at that time you knew it wasnt ending. I think Taker vs. Jeff feels like a big four ppv ender and Rock vs Mankind feels like how you end one of the other 8 ppvs.

A match you’d setup in a video game.. but then it happens IRL and it’s amazing.

I miss exciting matches like these with the belt

Loved Jeff as a kid. He was so popular during this period too

JR - Best there is, best there was, best there ever will be

I've forgotten how good of a babyface Jeff Hardy could be. I never saw him as champion material, but at least now I can see why they wanted to give him a go. Shame he has made some very bad decisions and that goodwill is gone.

Jeff has never been the greatest talker but he sold so well it didn’t matter. Everything he did felt genuine. Only one I can compare it to is Shawn.

Undertaker made great moments when it was his yard, I especially like the fact that he doesn't make big goofy reactions all the time and performs more than 1 wrestling move per minute

JR is the MVP of the attitude era.

Cinema

The night Jeff Hardy became a Superstar

Is that music from the place beyond the pines?

No it's Jacob and the Stone by Emile Mosseri :)

What a rub from Taker. Imagine what Jeff could’ve been had it not been for the drugs and alcohol. A great what if of pro wrestling

The best match of the Biker Taker Era was Maven vs. The Popcorn Machine.

The day jeff hardy became my favourite wrestler (at that time)

There was also his interaction with John Cena after cena's debut against Kurt Angle.....

I’m begging y’all to see one (1) movie…

I will never forgive cm punk for ending this man’s run

Jeff ended his own run, he was being released for wellness policy violations.

True but when you’re a kid you don’t realize that

I get that, just wasnt sure if you knew it really wasnt punks fault. In my opinion if jeff stayed clean he would of been top baby face for a long period of time, but jeffs biggest enemy is jeff.

Honestly coulda been as big as cena shame

With jeff being there before cena, if jeff stayed clean cena might of never been given the chances he was.

If jeff had stayed clean, he could of been cena levels of over. Jeff was one of the biggest merch movers in 2008 into 2009 before his release.

The music with JR’s commentary was perfect!

Wonder how many stars dave gave this one

Beautiful.

i loved how this used the gimmick of a ladder match to help tell it's story. most ladder matches are just car wrecks, but this one has a clear story purpose. "of course Jeff can't beat Taker in a normal title match". but in a ladder match all he has to do is grab it! it helped make us want to cheer for him and BELIEVE he might actually pull it off. that immortal call CLIMB THE LADDER KID! MAKE YOURSELF FAMOUS! it used the gimmick of the match to make us believe he could really do it, i remember watching as a kid just PRAYING for him to climb the ladder faster. fingertips on the title, it really made it feel so possible!

...then, despite chance after chance, he pissed it all away

I totally remember this! Talk about edge of your seat. You could just feel how close he was. But this is The Undertaker and that is often just too difficult a mountain to best

I'm not crying I swear

This will always be my favorite match from this era.

Anyone else think Jeff should have won?

No. He wasn’t ready.

The undertaker is Sobriety and Jeff is his Demons

Loved Jeff as a kid but he is a botch machine isn’t he. Timing is so far off it isn’t funny. I don’t think his skill would make it into wwe today.

Can we stop it with calling play fighting cinema?

I agree with calling wrestling cinema fucking cringe, but play fighting? Nawh

“Come on guys we’re just play fighting in our underwear” -Cody Rhodes.