TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs (2013)

TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs (2013)
Promotional poster featuring a bouquet of roses on one side and tables, ladders, and chairs on the other.
Tagline(s)	It's NOT Tender Loving Care...It's Tables, Ladders and Chairs
Theme song(s)	"Never Never" by Korn
Information
Promotion	WWE
Sponsor	Wingstop Mattel
Date	December 15, 2013
Attendance	14,120[1]
Venue	Toyota Center
City	Houston, Texas
Pay-per-view chronology
Survivor Series (2013) TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs (2013) Royal Rumble (2014)
TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs chronology
TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs (2012) TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs (2013) TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs (2014)

TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs (2013) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE, which took place on December 15, 2013, at the Toyota Center in Houston.^[2] It was the fifth annual TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs event, and WWE's last pay-per-view event in 2013. The theme of the event is that the main event was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.

Nine matches, including the pre-show took place at the event. The main event saw WWE Champion Randy Orton defeat World Heavyweight Champion John Cena to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, thus unifying both titles.

Background

TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs featured eight professional wrestling matches and one pre-show match that involved wrestlers from pre-existing feuds, plots, and storylines that played out on WWE's primary television programs Raw and SmackDown. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.^[3]

John Cena challenged Randy Orton in a Unification match

The main rivalry heading into TLC featured the World Heavyweight Champion John Cena, and the WWE Champion Randy Orton, over who was the proverbial "face of the WWE". Ever since SummerSlam in August, Orton had been engaged in a feud with Daniel Bryan over the WWE Championship, and owing to his alliance with The Authority (Triple H and Stephanie McMahon), finally settled his rivalry with Bryan at the Hell in a Cell event, defeating him in a Hell in a Cell match to win the WWE title for the eighth time. However, over time, The Authority started showing doubt over Orton's ability to win matches on his own accord. To prove he still was their chosen "face of the WWE", Orton was made to defend his championship against the anti-Authority Big Show at Survivor Series in November, who Orton defeated to retain his title, but only after Big Show was distracted by Triple H. Concurrently, Cena defeated Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series to retain his World Heavyweight Championship in a rematch from the Hell in a Cell event, where Cena returned from an elbow injury seemingly before schedule, yet still defeated Del Rio to win the title for the third time. After Orton's victory at Survivor Series, Cena came down to the ring with his title, and celebrated with the crowd as The Authority looked on, much to Orton's chagrin. The next night, on the November 25 episode of Raw, after another confrontation between the two world champions, Triple H announced that Orton will face Cena in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, with both the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship on the line, at the TLC pay-per-view, with the winner becoming the "Champion of Champions". At the event, it was announced that the unified titles would be called the "WWE World Heavyweight Championship".

Since late October, both CM Punk and Daniel Bryan had been assaulted by the eerie Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, and Erick Rowan), which led to a tag team match at Survivor Series in November with Punk and Bryan going up against - and defeating - Harper and Rowan. The next night, on the November 25 episode of Raw, Bryan was (kayfabe) "abducted" by the Wyatt Family, while Punk was ambushed by The Shield, another notorious three-man faction consisting of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns. On the December 2 episode of Raw, Punk tried tracing back the reason for the attack on him to Triple H, believing he called for Punk to be taken out for the latter's rebellious comments against The Authority. After these allegations were rebuked by Triple H's wife, Stephanie McMahon, WWE's (kayfabe) Director of Operations, Kane, also came out to support The Authority, and after being insulted by Punk, announced a three-on-one handicap match at the TLC event, pitting Punk against all three members of The Shield. Also, on the same night, after defeating Erick Rowan, Bryan too was put in a three-on-one handicap match by Kane - much like Punk - to face all three members of the Wyatt Family at the TLC pay-per-view.

Another championship match at the TLC pay-per-view saw AJ Lee defending the WWE Divas Championship against Natalya. At Survivor Series, Natalya, along with Nikki Bella, were the "Survivors" after making AJ submit in a seven-on-seven Survivor Series elimination match between the "True Divas" and the Total Divas. On the December 2 episode of Raw, Natalya pinned AJ, to secure a victory for her team in a six-Diva tag team match. After this string of non-title wins, Natalya was officially announced to challenge AJ for the Divas Championship at the TLC event.

Also, on the December 2 edition of Raw, Damien Sandow defeated Dolph Ziggler to earn the right to face Big E Langston for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at the TLC event.

Also, on the December 13 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that Cody Rhodes and Goldust will defend the WWE Tag Team Championship against The Real Americans (Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro), RybAxel (Ryback and Curtis Axel), and Big Show and Rey Mysterio in a Fatal Four Way tag team match at the pay-per-view.^[4]

The TLC Kickoff pre-show featured Fandango squaring off against Dolph Ziggler. This match was announced at the 2013 Slammy Awards edition of Raw on December 9, 2013.

Kofi Kingston and The Miz teamed together to face The Real Americans on the October 21 episode of "Raw", but at the end of the match, Miz turned on Kingston. This led to a match on the Survivor Series pre-show, which Miz won. The feud continued and culminated in a no disqualifications match between Kofi Kingston and the Miz at the TLC event.

In December 2014, CM Punk revealed in his podcast interview with Colt Cabana that he requested the day of the event off to attend C.J. Wilson's wedding; however, the company failed to fulfill his request. As a result, his and his girlfriend at the time (now wife) AJ Lee's matches went first and second so they could leave on time and attend the wedding in California the same day.^[5]

Event

Before the pay per view started, Fandango defeated Dolph Ziggler on the pre-show.

Preliminary matches

The first match of the main card was a 3-on-1 handicap match between The Shield and CM Punk. Punk claimed the victory after pinning Ambrose, who was accidentally speared by Reigns.

The second match of the night was for the WWE Divas Championship between Natalya and AJ Lee. AJ retained her title after she countered the sharpshooter and rolled up Natalya with a handful of hair.

The third match of the night was Big E Langston vs Damien Sandow for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Langston would retain his title after a huge clothesline and a Big Ending to Sandow.

The fourth match was a Fatal 4-Way tag team elimination match for the WWE Tag Team Championship between Cody Rhodes and Goldust, Big Show and Rey Mysterio, Ryback and Curtis Axel, and The Real Americans. The first team to be eliminated was Rybaxel, after Goldust rolled up Ryback. The Real Americans were eliminated next, after Big Show KO'd Cesaro, who was coming off the top rope. The last team to be eliminated was Rey Mysterio and Big Show after Cody Rhodes performed Cross Rhodes to Mysterio, thus Rhodes and Goldust retain the titles.

The fifth match of the night was a Singles match between R-Truth and Brodus Clay. The match lasted for six minutes, as R-Truth pinned Clay after a rollup.

The sixth match was a No Disqualification Match between Kofi Kingston and The Miz. Kingston would try to go for an SOS attempt, but Miz countered and tried to go for a Figure Four Leglock, but Kingston kicks him into the exposed turnbuckle. Kingston would then win the match after a trouble in paradise.

Results

Fatal Four Way tag team elimination match

Aftermath

The next night on Raw, The Authority celebrated Orton's unification of the championships. John Cena proclaimed that since Orton won, his first title defense should be against Daniel Bryan, insisting that was the right thing to do. Orton refused, but The Authority said that Orton would, in fact, face Bryan in a non-title match later that night. Bryan went on to win that match via disqualification, which was caused by a blatant low-blow from Orton - right in front of the referee. Orton then continued to attack Bryan until Cena came out to aid Bryan. Orton scattered, but when Cena went to check on Bryan's condition, Orton reemerged, striking Cena with an RKO. The show ended with Orton standing triumphantly over his fallen foes with both titles raised overhead. On the December 30 episode of Raw, Stephanie McMahon announced that Cena would get his rematch against Orton at the Royal Rumble with no outside interference or added stipulations, which Orton won.

Big Show and Rey Mysterio would face WWE Tag Team Champions Goldust and Cody Rhodes in a non-title tag team match with Show and Mysterio emerging victorious.

Fandango would face Dolph Ziggler in a rematch with Ziggler winning due to a Roll-up.

See also

• List of WWE pay-per-view events
• WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs

References

External links

• Official TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs website
• TLC 2013 at ProFightDB.com