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WWE will bring their sixth annual TLC pay-per-view from Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on December 14th and though the pay-per-view might not have a rich history like the other so called ‘big four’ ones, but the gimmick that the pay-per-view is centered around has a lot of backstory.Ever since its inception in the WWE, the TLC matches have been always welcomed with warm hands by the fans. This might be the case at the company’s latest venture as well but before we get into that, there is some numbers worth noting.All these stats and facts might change over the coming years but just for the sake of warming up before the Sunday pay-per-view outing, here are some of the facts that WWE Universe should know about TLC.
#5 The Numbers that matter
Let’s start off with some heavy numbers. The first ever TLC match happened at the 2000 edition of SummerSlam and it was between Edge & Christian, Dudley Boyz and the Hardyz for the Tag Team Championship. Edge & Christian ended up winning the match and since then, there has been 14 TLC matches in the WWE.
Though the gimmick was initially designed for Tag team matches, it was later used for singles feuds as well and gave off some great after affects as well.
Over 28 wrestlers have competed in those 15 matches with Edge being the most consistent name with 7 separate appearances. Jeff Hardy clocks in at 5 matches so far and it’s these two men that form our next two statistics.
#4 Edge is the Master of TLC
Edge has featured in 7 out of 15 TLC matches in the WWE history and he also holds the record for most wins. The Rated R Superstar managed to win five from those seven matches as well.
He has defeated the lights of Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz, and even the Undertaker in TLC matches. Edge also holds the record for the longest TLC match ever when he and John Cena went over the 25 minute mark in the 2006 Unforgiven clash.
He did take a lot of punishment in all those matches and that might’ve been one of the reasons for his early retirement. Edge’s record number of wins is still a long way for most superstars but thanks to his retirement, it will eventually be broken.
#3 Jeff Hardys streak
Whenever a wrestling fan starts to talk about some streak, it would probably come down to Undertaker’s WrestleMania one or Goldberg’s WCW one. However, some streaks always gets overlooked, Jeff Hardy’s association with TLC matches is something like that.
Though Hardy has been synonymous with TLC matches, the truth is: he has never won one. He competed in five separated occasions but always somehow managed to lose each one.
Jeff was part of the losing tag team on four occasions. He teamed up with his brother on three while the fourth one came when Jeff had Rob Van Dam as partner. The fifth loss came thanks to CM Punk and also marked the end of Jeff’s World Heavyweight championship reign.
#2 Then there is CM Punks streak
CM Punk might’ve left his dream of headlining WrestleMania incomplete but when it came to TLC matches, he was an Undertaker whose streak never got conquered.
Punk competed in three TLC matches in his WWE career and won each one of them. His first TLC win came against Jeff Hardy back in 2009 where he won the World Heavyweight Championship.
The other two matches came during his famous 434 day title reign. He fended off the challenges on both occasions. First one was a triple threat match involving Alberto Del Rio and The Miz while the second match saw Punk defeat Ryback on Monday Night Raw.
#1 The significance of Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt
The match between Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose would be the only TLC match at this year’s TLC pay-per-view and it will also be the first ever singles TLC match that doesn’t involve any championship.
All the singles TLC matches that have happened before involved either the WWE Championship or the World Heavyweight championship. Out of the 15 matches that happened so far, 14 has involved some kind of gold while the six man tag team match where Shield faced off against Ryback and Team Hell No wasn’t about the titles.
This shows that when Bray and Ambrose would lock horns at the pay-per-view, it will be only about punishing eachother.
