10 Most Ridiculous Variations Of WWE Matches

In essence: what is a TLC match? You could say that they’re a ladder match with extra gimmicks. Ordinarily, you’d be correct. However, in 2012 and 2014, WWE exposed them for what they really are: a naked excuse to do spots with tables, ladders, and chairs. You see, there’s nothing that stops competitors from utilizing spots with those weapons in other extreme stipulations (I Quit, Last Man Standing, etc), but when you add the name TLC, the fans are conditioned to expect spots with those weapons and those weapons alone.

Such was the case in 2012, when The Shield took on Team Hell No and Ryback, and in 2014, when Dean Ambrose fought Bray Wyatt. There were no titles on the line, so using the ladder was pointless aside from being something off which to jump. But really, these were just No Holds Barred matches with fancy names.

Now granted, the match between The Shield and Ryback/Team Hell No from TLC 2012 is awesome, but why was it a TLC match? Well, simple: they were at a show called TLC, and WWE cares more about branding than they do making sense. It doesn’t matter if the original logic behind TLC is watered down. What matters to management is cramming a match called TLC onto a show called TLC.