Tables, Ladders, and Chairs...Oh my! It has been nearly fifteen years since three tag teams got together at WrestleMania and redefined the concept previously known as the Ladder match. Unofficially, Mania 2000 became the site of the first TLC match. The specialties of three dynamic duos - the Dudley Boyz and their use of the table, the Hardy Boyz and their mastery of death defying leaps off of ladders, Edge/Christian and their steel sandwich otherwise known as the "conchairto" - combined into a format once made famous by Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. It was an exercise in hardcore visual artistry. What a legacy it has left... On the eve of the sixth annual TLC pay-per-view, it is almost hard to believe that such a popular gimmick had such decidedly mid-card origins. Somewhere, its forefathers should be grinning through gritted teeth, likely still dealing with the pain on a daily basis from the wounds inflicted by their invention of an instrument for bodily destruction. Good thing Mick Foley was not around for the TLC Era. The stipulation has seen many changes since the "old" days. Edge made it a main-event happening. You may note that half of the upcoming list features TLC matches for the World Championship. Though violence has been kicked to the curb in the last half decade in favor of a creative flavor, TLC still remains a must-see affair. There have been 16 TLC matches in WWE history with the 17th involving Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt coming up next Sunday. In preparation for the future, let us celebrate the past.
16. John Cena vs. Randy Orton (TLC 2013)
There's something about an Undisputed Championship that elicits goosebumps. The WWE and WCW Championships merging together was an epic moment of the early 2000s. For all intents and purposes, expecting something of reasonable epicness was not asking very much when the World titles once exclusive to respective WWE brands, Raw and Smackdown, were merged together a year ago. The stage was set for perhaps the two most recognizable stars of the Brand Split Era, Randy Orton and John Cena, to offer an incredibly memorable match for the ages. Unfortunately, the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs hindered the ultra-methodical Orton; and the ever-adaptable Cena merely went along for the ride. It's not that the TLC match between Orton and Cena was bad, but it was completely underwhelming when you consider the importance of what they were fighting for. Title unification matches should be outstanding spectacles or, at the very least, leave a lasting impression. The only impression left on that night was that the WWE fanbase was sick and tired of seeing Cena and Orton be put in such positions. The crowd was lukewarm, the spots were largely unimaginative, and the wrestlers seemed out of their element.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
