Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels

[7.0] "Fun match and good end to the Michaels Jericho feud. Not as big into ladder matches in general and I felt parts of the matches didn't keep me as engaged as I would have hoped but they also had some pretty creative spots with the stipulation."

[6.0] "I've never been big on the ladder stipulation honestly but this match is decent. The finish is kind of ridiculous and overbooked. One of those matches that I think could've benefitted from a blade job but WWE had banned those by this point."

[10.0] "An absolutely phenomenal match between both men with phenomenal action, spots, psychology and storytelling between each other, their performances were absolutely spectacular, and this was easily the best match in the god tier rivalry that was Jericho Vs Michaels 2 in 2008."

[9.0] "What a way to cap up this legendary feud. While you could argue that the Cade interference was unnecessary, the match was absolutely amazing."

[7.0] "It doesn't have the most exciting spots and moments, but it's a solid ladder match nonetheless. There's one really bad spot where Jericho was supposed to land with a ladder on top of himself so Shawn can do flying elbow, but the ladder didn't fall on him so he not so subtly put it on himself anyway. That was quite silly."

[9.0] "Shawn Michaels' other classic ladder match. Only this time it was contested for the world championship instead of the intercontinental belt. Boy oh boy, was this better than I remembered it being. Sure, I recalled it being great, but it was even better than that upon rewatch. First and foremost, this feels like a homage to pre-TLC ladder matches in how the ladder is actually utilized. The focus is not on setting up and executing contrived but spectacular bumps, but instead of actually using the ladder in creative but less flashy ways to maim your opponent so you can focus on unhooking the titles above. That really helped the pacing feel brisk the whole way through, as there wasn't a great deal of time wasted on carefully setting up spots beforehand. The match built toward the finish very nicely, and you could tell the crowd was getting more and more into it as the danger of the spots gradually escalated. Jericho's bump off of the ladder to the outside was especially great. Sure, he didn't plummet through four tables, but it looked even more brutal for his having not done so. Instead, he logically sells it like he has blown out his knee, and it plays into the match nicely with it slowing Jericho down during the final climb. I also liked the little story throughout with HBK constantly costing himself opportunities at going for the title because of his desire to punish Jericho for all he has put him through in the build to this match. Like, you know, punching his wife in the face. The finish was great as well; Michaels overcomes Cade's interference and struggles with Jericho as they both unhook the championship. Michaels causing his own defeat by headbutting Jericho was a great way to cap the feud. The suspense was really palpable by the end, and they had the crowd going as crazy as you will see for a ladder match during the final sequence. One of the best matches of either guys career. Well worth going out of your way to watch, especially if you're looking for a fresher take on the usual ladder match formula. ****1/2"

"I have such fond memories of this amazing feud so glad to see it still feels the same watching now. Jericho and Michaels are truly amazing performers."

[10.0] "This was a 90s-style ladder match, of which Shawn has proven himself to be the master. Rather than crazy stunts and creative placement of tons of different sized ladders, old school ladder matches focus on using a single ladder and telling a story based on the struggle for that one ladder. I think Shawn and Jericho only ever used like 2 ladders throughout this entire match. That finish was an all-timer, with Jericho and Michaels playing tug of war on top the ladder, and the title just barely slipping through Shawn's fingers at the end."

[10.0] "One of the best wwe matches ever. The promo leading up to the match, the buildup, the chemistry, the pacing, the finish. All so amazing this match deserves all the praise and more. Easily match of 2008 in wrestling. This is such an underrated gem to the naked eye of common viewers I feel I don't wanna sound like that but it's true"

[7.0] "It feels like a different kind of WWE ladder match; the ladder spots feel more psychologically sound and less flashy, with fewer daredevil risks taken by the characters to justify them. Great match well worth watching, but the average rating of 9 on here feels too high for me. It just isn't in that tier."

[8.0] "This is a good match, if a little overrated here on cagematch. There is some creative stuff with the ladders, a few impressive spots, and there is some drama, but it drags in several sections. Seems like it's going to be a fuck finish but it ends up being suspenseful and clever. Again, it's good, but I wouldn't think of this as a match of the year contender."

[7.0] "While I preferred their previous, more psychological match, this one was still an example of how to do the Ladder Match and if you compare it to Edge's and Taker's TLC bullshit this one's miles ahead. Most importantly this bout makes sense, there are not spots just for the sake of spots and they're implemented nicely into the match, so you don't have the situations where they build some silly structures or readjust their positions multiple times. Also it just shows you that you don't need any fancy spots to make things look incredible - just look at Jericho's bump to the outside."

[7.0] "Ok ok ok.... Im not a huge fan of 1 on 1 ladder matches. They tend to all be the same and have a lot of slow slow very slow crawling for the belt spots. and so did this. But the again it's HBK and Jericho and you never can go wrong with them. I just wish it was a basic 1 on 1 match."

[9.0] "This was an amazing main event. There were a ton of risky spots and moments as well as actual storytelling, drama and in ring psychology as well as feeling like a legit fight. The two had a tug of war for the title on top of the ladder where Y2J ultimately retained."

[7.0] "I love both Michaels and Jericho, but I feel like it's some weird psyop to try convincing the greater wrestling world that these two are something special together. Every match of theirs is somewhere between above average and pretty good, yet whenever they get together people go absolutely feral for it."

[7.0] "For some reason this just didn't click that well with me, I don't know what it is. Just a weirdly unmemorable for a match between arguably the two best wrestlers of all time, decent match though, some cool spots here and there, just not as amazing as I expected."

[6.0] "Honestly don't think these two have much chemistry as oppentants which is a shame because this fued is great but this match was very going through the motions for me. Not even really any spots that standout to me. And the end of the day is a Ladder match the way to settle a blood fued"

[6.0] "I feel the same way with this match as I do towards their other also highly acclaimed Wrestlemania match, and that is that its a solid match but nothing too special. I consider this one slightly worse as it suffers from the sin of having pretty predictable ladder spots."

[9.0] "It's a great match and a successful Main Event, Michaels and Jericho take big risks in this Ladder match. (4*1/2)"

[10.0] "A grudge ladder match for the World title between two men who have destroyed each other for the better part of the year... SIGN ME UP! Michaels was the resilient, vengeful challenge while Jericho was the wily and opportunistic champion. This match was everything it needed to be. Either one could have won this, but Jericho was too hot to stop"

[10.0] "Genuinely couldve gone another 5 minutes and I wouldnt have complained its that good. Probably the best singles ladder match of all time the storytelling and psychology mixed with great high spots is something I dont Ive ever seen in any other singles ladder Match. The perfect way to end the legendary 08 feud of HBK Vs Y2J no complaints here 4.75/5"

[9.0] "A match that should have been more in ever sense. Longer, more brutal, anything. Also I'm really critic about dirty endings, they take me away and looking at a rivalry ended not cleanly was awful. Anyway the action was great and the Crossbody onto the commentary table was great. ****1/2"

[10.0] "Absolutely incredible. Without a doubt, one of the best ladder matches Ive ever had the pleasure of watching. And I hate how it took me 15 years to finally watch it. The action here was amazing. While not a true spotfest in the modern sense, this had one of the best spots Ive ever witnessed. That being when Jericho got tipped off the ladder to the outside with nothing to break him fall. It looked terrifying and Jericho probably shouldnt have done that in hindsight, but in the end, it did fit the narrative of a blood feud. Furthermore, I love how the ladders were a focal point of this match. It wasnt just a match that happened to feature a ladder, nor was it a ladder match where they ended up using tons of other weapons that arent ladders. They beat up each other with them and I think we dont see enough of that anymore. Nowadays, its just spot after spot after spot with no real story tying it all together. With this match, everything made sense. They had a nice pace throughout and never sidetracked. You could complain about the lack of urgency when it came to either guy trying to get the win as soon as possible, but I would argue that it makes more sense that way. This was a blood feud, so they wanted to beat the shit out of each other. I could only spot two negatives regarding this match. Both of which arent really that big of a deal when looking at the bigger picture. The first being the complete lack of selling on Jerichos knee in the opening minutes. Michaels targeted it quite a bit, but Jericho didnt sell at all except for the immediate aftermath. In other words, there was no payoff and it never led to anything. The second is the interference of Lance Cade. I guess it did fit the storyline considering him and Jericho were buds, but it just kinda threw the match a little bit off for me. Also, while not necessarily a negative, I do feel like the finish couldve been a little bit better with Jericho dropping to the canvas while still holding onto the championship rather than him simply knocking Michaels down to the mat. Anyways, regardless of how you look at this match, there is no denying that it truly is an all-timer and a must watch for any wrestling fan. 10/10. *****"

[10.0] "I wanted this match to never end, I could have easily watched ten hours of Shawn and Chris smacking each other with ladders. One of the greatest matches of all time, ladder or otherwise."

[9.0] "One of the best ladder matches ever. Innovative and creative with the use of the ladders for spots, both men felt like they really wanted to hurt the other as much as win the belt. The tug of war for the belt at the top of the ladder as the finish was great too."

[8.0] "I was at this show live when I was 8 years old and I remember really liking this match at the time, hell the readers of the observer said this was the best match of 2008. Watching it back? Yeah it's still good but not a MOTY Contender if you compare what ROH, NOAH, BJW, Dragon Gate, and it goes on and on and on. I do commend them for doing some cool spots here and there with limb focused offense but I personally didn't enjoy the spots they teased that they didn't end up doing. I'd rather Shawn do a moonsault or elbow drop from the ladder to announce table than reverse a back suplex off the ladder to Jericho. I'd rather Jericho do a superplex off the ladder in the corner to Shawn. I think if those two moments happened I'd definitely consider this an All Timer as the action we got was good but not classic stuff, it's more about the Story, and they tell it well (except for that collar and elbow tie up in the beginning, that was fucking stupid.) But it just needed more substance. Great Match but not the best of the Year."

[6.0] "I couldn't see anything special about this match, the fact of having a great feud behind it and having won the MOTY prize automatically makes anyone who hasn't seen it put their expectations high, in the end I thought it was a very weak match and with nothing that filled my eyes at any time (***1/4)"

[7.0] "Maybe it's just me but matches between Jericho and Michaels seem to be pretty disappointing in general. There's just too many moments that take me out of this match, like Shawn completely missing a top-rope elbow drop or Jericho calling a spot on top of a ladder as he's being dumped off it. There are cool spots throughout but I expect much better from a PPV ladder match between these two amazing wrestlers."

[7.0] "It was fine. Some spots seemed too obvious, the offence from both men did not excite me, just a good match"

[9.0] "This ladder match is so damn good. This wasn't led by OMG spots and acrobatic moves, but it was a cruel storytelling masterpiece with Jericho and Michaels using the ladder to hurt the other one. But don't worry, there are still some spectacular moments, this match is so complete. A must-watch for all ladder match lovers"

[10.0] "This is a fantastic match and a fantastic end to one of the best rivalries of all time this is a instant classic so good. *****"

[9.0] "One hell of a ladder match here between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels. While this wasn't necessarily the flashiest ladder match of all time, it might have been the most brutal. Jericho looked like a mess by the time this was over. There were some really cool bumps, and this wasn't so much of a spotfest and more of a showcase of brutality. It really felt like both of these guys wanted to disfigure each other. Michaels almost got the win but Lance Cade interrupted (maybe the one minor thing about this I didn't like). The final tug of war between Jericho and Michaels was great drama. Fantastic match."

[9.0] "This is the best match that these two have had so far in their rivalry to me. Michaels is the challenger trying to get revenge on everything Jericho has done to him so far in this blood rivalry meanwhile Jericho is trying to prove that he's right as the vicious heel. This had everything you want in a ladder match brutal spots and good psychology.****1/2"

[10.0] "One of my favorite Chris Jericho matches. One of the best ladder matches. A 10/10 rivalry that had a perfect ending."

[10.0] "An all time favorite of mine, and as good today as the first time I saw it. This feud was beautiful and Jericho and Michaels were doing some of the best work of their career. Big credit to Jericho for putting on an amazing performance even after getting his mouth seriously banged up early on."

[8.0] "One benefit this match had is that it took a step back from what the feud had been based upon upto this point. I think the last match showed that there are some severe limitations on these two when they tried to have a hate filled match, so reverting back to basics and having a traditional ladder match while keeping some elements of the feud was a totally right choice. They made great use of the ladder whether it was for Shawn's high flying or to attack each other with it. Loved Jericho kicking the ladder that was perched in the ropes, causing it to fall and land right on Shawn's face. Him slamming Shawn's head in between the ladder legs was, again, a great spot. However, there were some uses of the ladder that made me roll my eyes. Any move that involves the person jumping on the ladder to hurt the person inside or beneath gets automatic hate. The Elbow off the top by Michaels did nothing to hurt Jericho while hurting himself more, same with Jericho's lionsault to Michaels. I really hated those spots. The match got really back on track with a scary landing for Jericho when Michaels pushed Jericho off the ladder to the outside floor. Jericho really could've broken his leg there. The match keeps with the hits, finally having a Lance Cade interference that's good and/or useful before a great tug of war finish. Great match. A great match between these two while doing a stipulation that suits both more than an unsanctioned match. ****"

[5.0] "Yeah, big time overrated for me, love HBK and Chris Jericho but this one wasn't anything special, much like their entire 2008 feud."

[10.0] "Who would've thought that two of the best Ladder Match participants of all time would have a fantastic f**king ladder match? Could've fooled me. I love this match. The psychology of Michaels going after Jericho's leg and Jericho targetting Michaels' eye, using the ladders in super creative ways to damage both parts. The fact that Michaels used the Figure Four Leglock on Jericho which calls back to the start of this whole feud with Batista and Flair involved. The awesome high spots like Michaels' elbow drop on the ladder and Michaels tipping Jericho off the ladder at what seemed like just over 10 feet which nothing to break his fall. Jericho getting stuck in the ladder and having Lance Cade come out to save him, which, unlike their Unforgiven match, actually added to the intensity of the closing moments. That goddamn tug of war to finish things off which Michaels being his own downfall and swinging Jericho towards him only for Jericho to deliver a headbutt. Watch. This. Match. Now. ****3/4"

[9.0] "It's a ladder match between two experts of the stipulation. They try to innovate it even further with some dangerous spots that are more rare in 2008. It's the big main event that delivers a strong conclusion to the HBK vs Jericho feud. Broken table, ladders everywhere and a lot of action, I can't ask for more. ****1/2"

[10.0] "The best match, anywhere in the world, in 2008. Chris and Shawn always delivered great matches, and especially together. No Mercy was a very appropriately titled PPV for this match... *****"

[7.0] "7. 7/10 : A very very good match, especially considering the era of WWE history it came in. Some very innovative spots, but not the greatest thing like it might seem from the ratings."

[9.0] "A great ladder match that was not spotty. These two veterans had an intense rivalry that culminated in this match."

[9.0] "Fantastic blowoff to a brilliant feud with a fantastic finish, showing how equally matched the two were which was a common theme throughout the feud. Deserved the main event spot and Match of the Year for 2008. (****1/2)"

[6.0] "Really? This? Botched spots, lame spots, little psychology. I guess this is mildly "brutal", but there is nothing here to rank amongst the best matches ever, let alone in the pantheon of ladder matches! ***."

[6.0] "The first match between HBK and Y2J from their 2008 feud that I actually thought was good, although not as great as the Cagematch rating here. The fact that this was a ladder match as opposed to just a typical hardcore match allowed both men to show off a lot more impressive spots than in their last two matches, which I found incredibly mediocre. This match had quite a few impressive bumps and it finally felt like both men were really trying to hard to beat the other down in fantastic fashion. Cade's interference yet again added nothing at all to the match. The 50-50 finish with both men gripping the belt from either side of the suspended hook was very cool and tense. I had never seen such an idea used before. The big spots definitely carried this match, although I did also appreciate Jericho's heel character work here too. ***1/4"

[6.0] "I found this okay, but lacking the ferocity of past matches in the series like when Jericho beats Michaels to a bloody pulp and the use of ladder convoluted or predictable many times. Jericho mostly fails to occupy my attention when he's on offense like their past two matches."

[10.0] "One of my all-time favorite matches. The build up was probably the best build up \ feud I've ever seen. Easily should be a 5 star match!"

[10.0] "This is an amazing ladder match and the best one in WWE History. The storytelling was done really well and I was hooked into this. Jericho sold the damaged knee really well and his performance here is one of his best honestly and HBK was good here as he sought revenge in the worst of ways. The big match feel was all here and you could tell they were going all out since this was the conclusion of their feud. Amazing match and highly recommended. (****1/2)"

[6.0] "Used to absolutely LOVE this match (had it at ****1/2), but on a re-watch, it just didn't hold up. Them setting up the ladder spots were so predictable, and that is something that can take me out from Ladder/TLC matches in general. The match had some absolutely brutal spots though, and I did like some of the stuff they did in here. Just did not view it as a great match. **3/4"

[6.0] "I'm not a big fan of ladder matches, but this one specifically entertained me. Some nice spots between two great in-ring performers. *** 1/4 stars out of 5."