100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)
19. Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz (SummerSlam 2000)
It was really hard to leave off matches like Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz from No Mercy 1999 or the pair's combined ladder match with The Dudley Boyz from WrestleMania 2000. The simple fact of the matter is that SummerSlam 2000's original TLC classic was just better than both of them; it was both historically more significant and more fluid in execution.
Edge, Christian, Matt, Jeff, Bubba-Ray and D-Von refined what had gone before to revolutionise what would be expected when ladders were involved going forwards. It was a genius move to combine the already-idolised ladder gimmick with two other tropes (chairs and tables) that had become cherished on WWF programming.
At SummerSlam, all 6 guys took some hellacious risks that'd shorten their careers and put their literal lives on the line. Some of the stacked table bumps felt like new ground when the likes of Bubba-Ray and Matt crashed through them. Lita got involved much like she would in several other matches in this collection. Typically for one of the best female superstars ever, she added to the occasion rather than taking away from it.
JR's sell job on commentary when Edge speared her was epic.
Better yet, these workers left some room for improvement by foreshadowing one of the most memorable spots in WWF/WWE history. Jeff dangled from the belts hanging high above the ring before being hit with ladders and falling to his doom. Remember that for higher up on the list. Oh, you know what's coming there!
The original TLC set a new bar for big bumps and death-defying bravery/stupidity.