10 Best WWE TLC Matches EVER - According To Dave Meltzer

5. Edge Vs John Cena (Unforgiven 2006, ****1/4)

Ryback Seth Rollins
WWE.com

A gripping finale to their original series, John Cena and Edge's Toronto tour de force was a rites of passage for 'The Champ' as he sought to beat the WWE Champion at his own game.

Largely unimpeded by anybody else in his maiden year as the company's brave new home, John Cena had only found true opposition in the form of a red hot 'Rated-R Superstar', with Edge twice managing to finagle his way into the WWE Title picture by screwing with 'Big Match John'.

His second reign had kicked off with a win over then-Champion Rob Van Dam, but Edge had proved too slippery for Cena since, adding further stakes to what was announced as the challengers last chance at the prize.

Not fancying a move back to SmackDown at the time, Cena was positioned unfamiliarly as an underdog, both in his desperation to win and in the body of the contest itself. Considered a TLC veteran for good reason, Edge combined his natural wile with fierce tenacity, propped up further by the boisterous support of his home town crowd.

It wasn't enough. Never giving up, Cena overcame the odds before doing such a thing was one of his most tired cliches. His triumphant FU on Edge through two tables represented a fresh anointment as 'the man'.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett