10 Times The Independent Scene Met The WWE Machine
8. Luke Harper Vs. Dolph Ziggler - TLC 2014
Sweet heaven upon high this match is brutal.
Luke Harper was the Intercontinental Champion going in, but he had done a whole lot of nothing in the month he had held the belt and was determined to put on a show after being told he was losing it. He was dropping it to Dolph Ziggler, a perennially overlooked star who was performing in his home town.
The two had a ladder match that was arguably the best WWE singles ladder match in recent times. Neither man held anything back and were both bleeding by the end of it. Ziggler was the man to grab the title, and watching today I'm still baffled as to how Harper didn't break his arm with that suicide dive.
Harper was a nine-year veteran of the wrestling scene before arriving in WWE, working primarily in CHIKARA, Dragon Gate USA and Squared Circle Wrestling. Ziggler on the other hand was signed to WWE straight out of college after his outstanding achievements in college wrestling.