Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match

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TLC 2.

A Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, often abbreviated as a TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match originated within World Wrestling Entertainment, but can be seen in other wrestling variations.

The TLC match is a variation of a ladder match with a particular emphasis on the use of the three most popular "foreign objects" in wrestling. The TLC match usually pits three or more tag teams against each other, but is available for a one-on-one match. The goal is to acquire the item (usually championship belts) which starts the match suspended above the ring. A TLC match can be seen as a more complicated ladder match, where tables and chairs, along with ladders, can also be used as legal foreign objects. This, compared to the relative ages of the wrestlers involved, gives the match an atmosphere similar to that of a hardcore match.

Matches are typically referred to by number (like "TLC I" and "TLC II") due to the rarity of these matches.

The wrestler that has been in the most TLC matches in WWE so far (5) is Edge. There are three wrestlers with four appearances in TLC matches (Christian, Bubba Ray Dudley, and Jeff Hardy)

1 History
2 Match history
3 Extreme Championship Wrestling
4 Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
5 Wrestling Society X
6 Trivia
7 References

[edit] History

The first TLCs were originated in ECW around 1996 the creator was Adam Girvan with matches like Sabu & RVD vs. The Eliminators but they were referred to as Tables & Ladders (chairs were included though). WWE adapted the matches to make it known today as a TLC match. The idea of the TLC match in the WWE had its origins in a tag-team ladder match for the managerial services of Terri Runnels between Edge and Christian and the Hardy Boyz at No Mercy 1999, with audiences giving all four wrestlers a standing ovation at the end of the match due to the sheer number of potentially dangerous ladder spots used by the wrestlers; in stark contrast to previous ladder matches. The move catapulted both tag teams to the top of the tag team world. The following months had the Hardy Boyz face the Dudley Boyz in a tag-team Tables match, which had similar success.

The three teams would be known for their three respective foreign objects, as well as the hardcore wrestling styles associated therein: the Dudley Boyz often had a spot in their tag team matches where Bubba Ray Dudley would say "D-Von, get the tables!" when a table spot was imminent; the Hardy Boyz, in singles matches, would challenge main-event singles wrestlers (such as The Undertaker) in Ladder matches, considered at that time to be the "signature match" of the team; while Edge and Christian developed the "Con-Chair-To" finishing move, which involved the two hitting an opponent's head simultaneously with chairs (each would, after the tag team broke up, use the solo "Con-Chair-To" as part of his arsenal). Eventually, the three teams were brought together in a Triple Threat Ladder match in WrestleMania 2000, in what would be the forerunner of the TLC in terms of the spots involved (tables were involved in some of the major spots, even though it was technically a Ladder match).

The first TLC match was contested between these three teams using the weapons (and to a lesser extent, the type of match) that they had made famous at SummerSlam 2000. These TLC matches frequently involved members of these three teams, and are largely remembered for the dangerous stunts, injuries, and length. However, the TLC matches slowly met its end when Edge and Christian broke up and Jeff Hardy was released. Additionally, the matches that have incorporated more weapons created an overall trend of increased concussions and neck injuries that plagued the WWE roster, and as a result, led to the return of a more traditional mat-based style of matches. Although the tables remain, to this day, a Dudley Boyz (now known as Team 3D) gimmick, Team 3D is virtually the only tag team to use it, and thus table matches are now few and far between. Chairs were reduced to their former roles as a mainstay form of interference and disqualification in wrestling matches, while ladders and Ladder matches are now used every once in a while.

Lita remains the only female to ever be physically involved in a TLC match. In fact, she was involved in four of them: the debut of the TLC match at 2000 edition of SummerSlam. Lita was speared by Edge after checking on Matt Hardy, after he was dropped from a ladder in the ring through a table on the outside. The WrestleMania X-Seven match as the Hardyz' backup (Rhyno was the backup for Edge & Christian, and Spike Dudley was the backup for Bubba Ray and D-Von (the Dudley Boyz)), and the WWE Championship match on RAW between Edge and Flair as Edge's girlfriend and valet, all three of which involved her physically hitting and getting hit by her intended targets. As expected, she got involved in the Edge/Cena match at Unforgiven 2006 as well, but her interference backfired.

[edit] Match history

There have been six televised TLC matches in WWE so far.

No.	Match	Event, Date and Location
I	Edge & Christian defeated The Hardy Boyz, and The Dudley Boyz to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship	SummerSlam August 27, 2000, Raleigh, North Carolina
II	Edge & Christian defeated The Hardy Boyz, and The Dudley Boyz to win the WWF Tag Team Championship	WrestleMania X-Seven April 1, 2001, Houston, Texas
III	Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho defeated The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian to retain the WWF Tag Team Championship	SmackDown! May 24, 2001, Anaheim, California
IV	Kane & The Hurricane* defeated Chris Jericho & Christian, Spike Dudley & Bubba Ray Dudley, and Rob Van Dam & Jeff Hardy to retain the World Tag Team Championship	RAW October 7, 2002, Las Vegas, Nevada
V	Edge defeated Ric Flair to retain the WWE Championship	RAW January 16, 2006, Raleigh, North Carolina
VI	John Cena defeated Edge to win the WWE Championship	Unforgiven September 17, 2006, Toronto, Canada

* The Hurricane was attacked prior to the match, Kane defended the titles on his own

The first one occurred in the 2000 edition of SummerSlam and the second at WrestleMania X-Seven the following year. These matches involved the three aforementioned teams, with each having Edge and Christian winning. TLC III occurred on the May 24, 2001 edition of Smackdown!, when the tag team of Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit had to face the usual other three tag teams in order to retain their tag team championship, which they did. This TLC is sometimes referred to as the Forgotten TLC due to the fact that there was no hype prior to the match and it was on TV. On the August 28th 2006 episode of WWE Raw, Edge mentioned how he had never lost a TLC match, however, the outcome of TLC III had him and his then tag team partner Christian losing, thus making his comment false. In an interview with WWE.com in 2002, Chris Jericho stated that if he ever came out with another home video, TLC III would be on it. To date, the match has not been included on any WWE produced DVDS, despite DVD releases of the Hardy Boyz (2001) and Chris Benoit (2004).

The fourth TLC match, TLC IV, occurred on the October 7, 2002 edition of RAW, where four tag teams had drawn, as a result of "RAW Roulette" (where the match type of every match of the card was determined by spinning a wheel), a TLC match. The match saw defending champions Kane and The Hurricane putting their World Tag Team Titles up against the teams of Christian and Chris Jericho, Bubba Ray Dudley and Spike Dudley, and Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam. Being the veterans that they were to the match itself, general manager Eric Bischoff allowed Jeff, Christian and Bubba Ray to choose their own partners, as their former parters Matt Hardy, Edge, and D-Von Dudley were absent from the RAW brand at the time. Before the match, The Hurricane was assaulted backstage, leaving Kane competely alone in the match. Despite this, Kane managed to retain the titles. This is the only TLC match where Edge has not participated in.

On the January 16, 2006 edition of RAW, WWE had its fifth TLC match, the first in over three years. Edge successfully defended his WWE Championship against Ric Flair. It was the first TLC match to be held in singles competition and the first to have the WWE Championship on the line. It also marked the first (and only to this point) TLC match where a wrestler has Bladed, when Ric Flair bladed.

TLC VI was held at Unforgiven on September 17, 2006, where John Cena won the WWE Championship from Edge in his first TLC match. This was also the first Pay-per-view TLC match that wasn't one of the Big Four Pay-per-views. The Big Four Pay-per-views are the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series Pay-per-views.

TLC VI marked Edge's 5th overall TLC match. He currently holds a record of 3-2. On-screen, Edge claimed that he has never lost a TLC match, but his loss to Cena ended that. Although he did participate in TLC III (also known as "The Forgotten TLC"), it was Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit who won the match.

[edit] Extreme Championship Wrestling

ECW or Japan (it is disputed as to where it began in its current form) is where TLC matches started but were referred to as tables & ladders. In other promotions, the TLC match has quite the following, appealing to a niche market within professional wrestling. However, the term "TLC" itself was trademarked by WWE, thus other promotions give different names to these types of matches despite having an identical setup. In more hardcore-style promotions, the chairs were often replaced, or were used alongside, chains.

One example of a variation of the TLC match is the Tables, Ladders, Chairs, and Canes match. This match is a TLC match with the addition of Singapore Canes. The most notable match was during ECW Guilty as Charged on January 7, 2001 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, involving Steve Corino, Justin Credible, and The Sandman.

[edit] Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

TNA Wrestling used a variation of the TLC match called "Full Metal Mayhem" as a bout between Jeff Hardy and Abyss at TNA Against All Odds 2005. The added stipulation to the match was that "anything metal is legal", though this only included the use of Abyss' trademark chain and bag of tacks. In reality, anything is legal; it's just that TNA provides tables, ladders, chairs and chains.

Abyss defeated Jeff Hardy by climbing the ladder to retrieve a contract for a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on a future episode of TNA iMPACT!. Abyss was never granted such title shot, and the story was retconned to state he lost his title shot to A.J. Styles at Lockdown, even though the shot Styles won was at Hard Justice and not on iMPACT!, though Abyss would later get title shots at Slammiversary and No Surrender that year.

TNA used the "Full Metal Mayhem" match again at Sacrifice 2006 on May 14, 2006 when Abyss went one on one with Christian Cage for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Cage defeated Abyss to retain the championship.

[edit] Wrestling Society X

WSX uses a variation of the TLC match called a "Tables, Ladders, and Cervezas" match, where the match ends in a pinfall or submission. This match debuted on the February 13, 2007 taping.