10 Money Matches WWE Rushed To Give Away For Free

7. TLC III (24 May 2001, SmackDown)

TLC 3 WWE Edge
WWE

Both of WWE's first Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches took place on pay-per-view, so why was the third different? The table-breaking, chair-swinging, ladder-smashing carnage had elicited a massive response from fans at SummerSlam 2000 and WrestleMania X-Seven the following year, and it didn't make sense to chuck one out on SmackDown.

On the 24 May '01 episode, that's precisely what the writers did.

The beauty of the original TLC matches was that they didn't happen often. That helped them feel special; if one wanted to see them, one would have to plonk down some dollars and pay for the privilege. This was before TV became the dominant stream, too. Something changed in May. Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit faced Edge and Christian, The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz in the first ever four-way variation.

Judgment Day, a pay-per-view that had taken place four nights earlier, could have done with a match like this. Rather than do that, the company put on a pointless Tag-Team Turmoil showcase for Benoit and Jericho's titles. One question: why!?

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