A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becomes a key feature of the match, as wrestlers will use the ladder as a weapon to strike the opponent , as a launching pad for acrobatic attacks, and frequently these matches include impressive falls from the top of the ladder. There have been a few matches in which the hung item must be used in a special manner in order to win the match, such as striking the opponent with the item .