The ladder match at NXT Takeover: New Orleans kicked off WWE's televised weekend well, and left many thinking it was the most exciting match of the entire WrestleMania experience.

As first revealed on FightfulSelect.com this weekend, the six participants got help from both Shawn Michaels and Michael Hayes in producing the match. The wrestlers involved were heavily influential in pitching spots that would take place.

Shawn Michaels is one of the early innovators in the ladder match in WWE, having experience against Bret Hart, Razor Ramon, Goldust, and Triple H with a ladder in the ring. His WrestleMania 10 match with Razor Ramon was long considered among the best gimmick matches of all-time and a highlight of that year's show.

The Hall of Famer Hayes has developed a reputation over his over two-decades of work behind the scenes in WWE as having a knack for coming up with clever (and sometimes over-the-top) high spots across different kinds of matches.

We're told several of the guys in the match are banged up, but no serious injuries came out of it. Lars Sullivan even wrestled the next day against Keith Lee, as did Adam Cole.

You can see Fightful's full NXT Takeover: New Orleans coverage at this link, as well as our post-show podcast at this link. You can also see exclusive content over at our Fightful Select service.