TLC has become a popular annual PPV for WWE that typically is the final show of the year. The success of the TLC match and other variations of it features tables, ladders, and chairs as the main weapons in play. Multiple matches usually feature the use of one or all weapons in the stipulation. WWE tries to sell the weapons as the main selling point of what makes the show special compared to others.
We will look at back at all the TLC shows to take place over the past decade. Each had dangerous and exciting matches, but only a few stand out as being stronger than the rest. Find out just which events from this annual theme are the ones worth going out of your way to watch. These are all the WWE TLC shows in company history ranked from worst to best.
10 TLC 2014 (Bray Wyatt vs Dean Ambrose main event)
2014 featured the worst of the TLC events main-evented by Dean Ambrose vs Bray Wyatt. The feud between both rising stars hurt them as their matches often failed to deliver. Many fans would struggle to even remember them having a TLC match.
Seth Rollins and John Cena had a lackluster Tables match in the mid-card to further hurt the show’s momentum. Other attractions like Ryback vs Kane, Big Show vs Rowan and Rusev vs Jack Swagger all disappointed. The only standout match was Dolph Ziggler vs Luke Harper in the opening Ladder match.
9 TLC 2015 (Sheamus vs Roman Reigns main event)
WWE struggled to build up Roman Reigns’ first WWE Championship reign which just hurt him. Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank title shot to end Reigns’ first title run within minutes at the prior Survivor Series event.
The rematch here featured the crowd heckling the violent TLC match that ended with a lackluster Sheamus win. Most of the other matches were average at best with Charlotte vs Paige and Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger disappointing. The match of the night was a three-team Ladder match with New Day coming out on top over the Lucha Dragons and Usos.
8 TLC 2013 (Randy Orton vs John Cena main event)
The build to John Cena vs Randy Orton in a title unification match just featured fans wanting to see Daniel Bryan in the role. It led to Orton and Cena having a struggle to win over the crowd as their TLC match failed to leave a positive impact.
The rest of the card was strange with handicapped matches of CM Punk vs The Shield and Daniel Bryan vs The Wyatt Family. Nothing on the show was that bad, but there weren’t any must-see matches either making it a very average event.
7 TLC 2010 (John Cena vs Wade Barrett main event)
The storyline of John Cena vs Nexus culminated at TLC 2010 when Cena defeated Wade Barrett in a Chairs match to main event the show. Randy Orton and The Miz had another lackluster match for the WWE Championship to hurt the overall memory of the show.
Better matches on the night featured John Morrison vs Sheamus in a Ladder match, Edge vs Alberto Del Rio vs Kane vs Rey Mysterio in a TLC match and the first-ever women’s tables match of Beth Phoenix and Natalya vs Laycool. The depth was there but the main events disappointed.
6 TLC 2018 (Asuka vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair main event)
The most recent TLC event featured the women main eventing TLC 2018 in the first-ever women’s TLC match. Becky Lynch was on fire after gaining momentum defending the Smackdown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair and Asuka in a great match.
Daniel Bryan vs AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, Finn Balor vs Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton vs Rey Mysterio added strong depth for the rest of the card. The one major disappointment was Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins having a lackluster match as their feud lost all momentum on this night.
5 TLC 2009 (DX vs Chris Jericho and Big Show main event)
The first official TLC event for WWE took place in 2009 with a rare tag team match main eventing. Shawn Michaels and Triple H won as DX to defeat the dominant heel tag team of Chris Jericho and Big Show in the dangerous TLC match.
Another memorable moment in the night featured the newcomer Sheamus shocking the world by beating John Cena in a Tables match to win the WWE Championship. TLC 2009 also gave us fun matches of Christian vs Shelton Benjamin, Randy Orton vs Kofi Kingston and Batista vs The Undertaker.
4 TLC 2017 (The Shield and Kurt Angle vs Braun Strowman, Kane, The Miz, and The Bar main event)
TLC 2017 was one of the strangest WWE shows in recent memory due to last minute changes of Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt missing the show. Kurt Angle replaced Reigns in The Shield making his first WWE match appearance in over a decade. The Shield defeated five heels in a violent TLC match.
Another huge change saw AJ Styles replace Wyatt to face off with Finn Balor in a dream match. Balor pulled off the win in an instant classic that fans loved every second of. The undercard was impressive as well with a fun cruiserweight tag match and Asuka impressing in her Raw debut against Emma.
3 TLC 2011 (CM Punk vs The Miz vs Alberto Del Rio main event)
The historic title reign of CM Punk started one month earlier as he was forced to defend the WWE Championship against two heels of The Miz and Alberto Del Rio at TLC 2011. Punk delivered an outstanding performance with the main event becoming a classic.
Daniel Bryan had a huge night as well cashing in his Money in the Bank title shot to become World Champion by defeating Big Show. Other fun attractions on the card included Cody Rhodes vs Booker T, Zack Ryder vs Dolph Ziggler and Air Boom vs Primo and Epico. The one big negative was Triple H vs Kevin Nash in a Sledgehammer Ladder match.
2 TLC 2016 (AJ Styles vs Dean Ambrose main event)
TLC 2016 was one of the first Smackdown exclusive shows following the brand split that proved Smackdown was ahead of Raw. AJ Styles retained the WWE Championship over Dean Ambrose in a classic TLC match to main event the show.
The entire card was a fun time with The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler and The Wyatt Family vs Heath Slater and Rhyno delivering strong impacts on the show. WWE saw the women’s division also have a strong night with Alexa Bliss vs Becky Lynch and Carmella vs Nikki Bella impressing.
1 TLC 2012 (Dolph Ziggler vs John Cena main event)
TLC 2012 was the first WWE show at the Barclays Center as another first took place on the event. The Shield wrestled their first WWE match defeating Kane, Daniel Bryan, and Ryback in a classic match. This was one of the best matches of the entire decade to make all three newcomers relevant stars instantly.
Dolph Ziggler pulled off an upset in the main event defeating John Cena in a Ladder match thanks to the help of AJ Lee. The opening Tables match of Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow vs Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara set the tone for the night. Other entertaining bouts included Wade Barrett vs Kofi Kingston and Big Show vs Sheamus.