There was a time in WWE where TLC matches did not necessarily come around once a year at a pay-per-view bearing its name. A time before pay-per-views were named after matches and the idea of adding tables and chairs to a ladder match was extremely innovative. At SummerSlam 2000 we were first introduced to the TLC match and there was actually a method to the madness. The legendary three-way rivalry between The Hardys, The Dudleys, and Edge and Christian began. The Hardys loved ladders, Bubba and D-Von loved tables, and Edge and Christian loved chairs. The only fair way to pit them all against one another was to put them in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. The concept was born over 17 years ago and today it has its very own show. There have been 19 TLC matches in total, but which ones have been the best?
4. Kane Vs The Dudleys Vs Christian And Chris Jericho Vs RVD And Jeff Hardy On Raw (October 7, 2002)
The fourth ever TLC match came in October of 2002 and was the first time the extremely popular gimmick match appeared on Raw. The competitors were a very mixed bag as most of WWE's recognizable tag teams had been split up via the draft, but that didn't stop this match from being one of the best in Raw's history. It also featured the first time that a man had to compete in a TLC match all by himself as Kane's partner, The Hurricane, didn't make it to the ring. That didn't stop The Big Red Machine from running rough shot on the rest of the Superstars in the ring. In fact, he won and managed to successfully defend his and Hurricane's Tag Team Titles single-handedly. He'll need to channel some of that TLC prowess against The Shield on Sunday.
NEXT: WHY HAS KANE JOINED TEAM MIZ FOR THE MAIN EVENT OF TLC?
3. Edge Vs The Undertaker At One Night Stand 2008
For the first few years of their existence, TLC matches were strictly multi-man tag team matches that made for car crash bouts that you simply couldn't take your eyes off of. Then, after the one on Raw mentioned above, the letters TLC were put on hiatus not to return for over three years. When it did return, it was as a singles match. For the most part, they still always had at least one of its originators in the match like with this example from One Night Stand 2008. Edge and The Undertaker's rivalry was maybe the best of The Rated R Superstar's career and the two of them had some incredible matches. This was one of them and it showcased some pretty scary table spots, especially considering The Deadman's longevity in the business, even at that point.
NEXT: WILL THE UNDERTAKER RETURN AT SURVIVOR SERIES?
2. The Hardys Vs The Dudleys Vs Edge And Christian At SummerSlam 2000
The roots of TLC can be found at WrestleMania 2000. At that event, the three teams that would make it famous competed in an epic triangle ladder match. Then, a few months later at SummerSlam The same year, commissioner Mick Foley would book a rematch, but added tables and chairs to the mix. It wasn't the only time Foley would make a multi-man massacre of a match, a few months later we would witness the first and to this day only six-man Hell In A Cell match. Naturally, the TLC match at SummerSlam was a hit otherwise, we wouldn't still be watching TLC matches today. With the addition of tables and chairs, the six men in question could perform things fans had never seen before.
PREVIOUSLY: HUGE TAKEAWAYS FROM LAST YEAR'S TLC
1. The Hardys Vs The Dudleys Vs Edge And Christian At WrestleMania X-Seven
The SummerSlam 2000 TLC match was such a hit that WWE decided they had to do it again with the same teams less than a year later at WrestleMania X-Seven. Surely, there was no way that the six Superstars could top what they had pulled off the summer before? Well, they did. WrestleMania X-Seven is often referred to as maybe being the best pay-per-view card ever from top to bottom with The Rock and Stone Cold main eventing, along with Triple H and The Undertaker facing off at WrestleMania for the first time. It's certainly saying something when the TLC match surpassed both those bouts to be the best on the show. It was also the TLC match that featured the famous spear to Jeff from Edge as The Hardy was hanging from the Tag Team Title belts.