Hello again wrestling world! I’m back for my second column. If you missed my debut last week, it’s here. As a general rule, I love getting feedback, so please leave any thoughts that you may have on today’s column in the comments section.
This coming Sunday will be the 22nd annual Summerslam (and the first one that I will be attending in person). The main event is a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk. This rivalry has been absolutely amazing to watch, as the transition of CM Punk’s character from fan favorite to one of the most hated men in wrestling has fueled this writer’s anticipation for Smackdown on a weekly basis. In order to prepare for this epic encounter (and as an excuse to watch some old TLC matches) I will spend my column this week looking at the evolution of the TLC match.
Beginning as a tag team spectacle, the TLC match has been around the wrestling business for almost a decade. In the beginning it was to settle an epic three team rivalry over the WWE Tag Team Championship. Edge and Christian, the Hardys and the Dudleys revitalized tag team wrestling from late 1999 through 2001. The first TLC match took place at Summerslam 2000 and stole the show on an already stacked card. As this feud still developed the same teams were signed to compete in TLC II at Wrestlemania X-7. This match was even better than the original and became the standard that future Ladder and TLC matches would have to live up to.
The next two TLC matches took place on broadcast TV. TLC III on Smackdown in 2001 consisted of the three teams that originally defined the match and added a fourth team, Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. This match was absolute insanity. All four teams were on their game. The downside of the match was that it was unadvertised and on broadcast TV for free. This match should have been on Pay Per View. TLC IV was another unadvertised match, this time on cable TV. It was part of the original Raw Roulette. One representative from each of the original TLC teams picked a partner to go after the Tag Team Champions, Kane and The Hurricane. This was another spectacular match, but also the end of an era.
The TLC match would not be seen again for four years and has not been seen in a tag team format since TLC IV. Even the Tag Team Ladder match has barely been used since 2002. In that time, Tag Team wrestling fell into a slump that it is still in today (although Chris Jericho and Big Show are getting more attention and bringing more notoriety to the tag division than it has had in years).
TLC made an advertised return on Raw at the beginning of 2006. Edge had been involved in a war of words with Ric Flair. “The Rated R Superstar†then cashed in his Money in the Bank against John Cena and won the WWE Championship. This set up Edge vs. Ric Flair in a TLC match for the WWE Championship. This was the first ever singles TLC match. This was also the first one for a World Championship. Flair took Edge to the limit and made the hometown crowd believe the championship reign number 17 was seconds away. However, Edge (with some help from Lita) managed to retain his WWE Championship.
TLC V came at the beginning of the Edge vs. Cena rivalry and TLC VI finished it. In front of Edge’s hometown of Toronto Edge and John Cena had an amazing TLC match at Unforgiven 2006. This came at the end of what was, in my opinion, the best show of the split brand Pay Per Views. The match had drama and intensity. The fans were firmly in the corner of Edge, but John Cena was the man who walked out as champion on this night.
The last time we saw TLC was at One Night Stand 2008. I was at this Pay Per View live and watched in amazement as Edge took on The Undertaker. This match had a slower pace than the rest of the TLC matches because of The Undertaker’s limitations. However the match had some great drama and told a compelling story. The Undertaker’s career was on the line and on this night, he fell short and found himself banished.
In the six TLC matches, there has always been a participant from the original TLC matches. Edge has been in every singles TLC match and all but one of the tag team TLC matches. He is universally the King of TLC. Jeff Hardy has a chance to set out of Edge’s TLC shadow and show what he can do with a skilled opponent like CM Punk.
The TLC match at Summerslam will showcase the WWE’s hottest rivalry in one of the most intense and crowd pleasing matches that the company offers. CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy is ready made to be a classic TLC match and also a major step in the evolution of this groundbreaking match.
Leave some comments on your favorite TLC matches or moments! Be sure to check back on Monday for my thoughts on the Summerslam (and Axxess) live experience. I’ll be back with a regular column on Thursday!
