Top 5 matches in WWE TLC history

WWE has one pay-per-view left in this whirlwind calendar year, a pay-per-view that most certainly promises drama. Around nine years ago, WWE altered the structure and line-up of their pay-per-views and focused on events named after different matches. Some of them were lame, especially the terribly named Fatal-4-Way. However, some of them caught on well and remain on the calendar to this very date. WWE Tables, Ladders and Chairs is part of this list.

For almost a decade, WWE has brought to us a night which features a barrage of weapon-based matches. We have seen TLC matches, Tables matches, Ladder matches and Chairs matches on this show on a consistent basis. We even saw a Stairs match at the 2014 edition of this pay-per-view. So with all these different stipulations, it is obvious that there will be high drama and carnage at the event.

There have been many memorable moments and matches at TLC since 2009, including shocking world title wins and spectacular debuts, among other things. A few of these matches stand out. These matches show how good TLC or ladder matches can really be. With high spots and high stakes involved, here are the five greatest matches in the decade-long history of the TLC pay-per-view. But first, here are a few honourable mentions.

Sheamus vs John Morrison: Ladder Match (2010)
Edge vs Rey Mysterio vs Alberto Del Rio vs Kane: TLC Match (2010)
Dolph Ziggler vs John Cena: Ladder Match (2012)

#5 AJ Styles vs 'Demon' Finn Balor (2017)

This is the only regular singles match on this list and it wasn't even supposed to happen. The original plan heading into last year's TLC pay-per-view was to have Sister Abigail face off against the Pumpkin Demon. However, Bray Wyatt was struck with meningitis and was ruled out of the show just days prior.

This forced WWE to act drastically and come up with something big as a replacement. Hence, we got this dream match. AJ Styles and Finn Balor had never faced each other before, making this match even more special.

The hype was enormous and expectations were through the roof. Despite that, these two wrestling artists painted what was pretty much a masterpiece in the ring. They left it all at TLC in a match filled with brutal spots and seamless sequences.

The match came to an end when the face painted Irishman hit Styles with a devastating Coup de Grace, probably the best one he has ever hit. After the match, the two former Bullet Club leaders shared a collectively well-earned moment of respect. An incredible match followed by a sweet ending.

#4 The New Day vs Lucha Dragons vs The Usos: Ladder Match (2015)

Before the Usos and the New Day tore the house down with their unbelievable rivalry on Smackdown in 2017, they were doing what they always did best, have fantastic wrestling matches against each other. The best Tag Team Championship match they had before 2017 came in the form of a triple threat ladder match which also involved the Lucha Dragons. Xavier Woods was on commentary for the opener of the 2015 edition of TLC, with Kofi Kingston and Big E defending their tag titles.

The match was probably one of the most spot-heavy ones in the PG Era. It was brutal and exciting, filled with carnage. The star of the show was Kalisto, who hit a Salida Del Sol on Jey Uso from the top of a ladder through a bridged ladder in the ring.

However, the good Lucha things were not enough to secure the victory as Woods threw his trombone at Kalisto as he was about to retrieve the titles. The New Day managed to retain, in what was probably the best match of their record-breaking 483-day reign with the WWE tag team titles.

#3 Dean Ambrose vs AJ Styles: TLC Match (2016)

During the last quarter of 2016, AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose were embroiled in a really entertaining feud for the WWE Championship on the recently revitalised Smackdown Live. After lots of shenanigans, primarily involving James Ellsworth, the two would clash for the final time at the brand-specific TLC pay-per-view, in the titular match.

It was every bit as exciting and brutal as people expected from Styles and Ambrose. The drama was off the charts, so much that the Phenomenal One literally tore his tights.

This accident happened amongst the chaos, involving elbow drops from ladders and springboard 450 splashes through tables. Another brutal spot in this match was the very painful looking rolling release suplex from the Lunatic Fringe through a line of chairs.

The end came when the clueless jobber, Ellsworth himself, would push the ladder and cost his friend, Ambrose, to allow Styles to retain. The end may have been questionable and weird, but everything preceding it was top-notch and brilliant.

#2 Dolph Ziggler vs Luke Harper: Ladder Match (2014)

The only good thing from this horrendous pay-per-view.

The worst ever TLC event came in 2014, it was part of a terrible final quarter of that year. With no WWE Champion on regular TV, the Authority angle was rammed to death. Aside from the classic Survivor Series match which saw the evil stable fired from the company (For only a month), Dolph Ziggler vs Luke Harper in a ladder match was one of the scarce highlights during this dreadful period.

Ziggler was coming off the biggest moment of his career, coming from a 3-on-1 deficit to win the Survivor Series match for Team Cena. His momentum carried forward to the December pay-per-view.

The Showoff challenged Luke Harper for his Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match and the results were fantastic. The innovation and brutality in this absolute war were tremendous. They truly stole the show, with the match concluding with a Superkick from Ziggler, who was on top of the ladder, as he retrieved the belt to win IC gold for the fourth time in his career at that point.

It may have had some terrible company on the show, in the form of Kane vs Ryback in a Chairs match and Erick Rowan vs The Big Show in a Stairs match(!) among other bizarre disappointments, but Ziggler vs Harper was indeed one of WWE's best matches of the entire 2014, and the second best match in this event's history.

#1 Ryback and Team Hell No vs The Shield: TLC Match (2012)

At the end of 2012, a trio of developmental wrestlers arrived on the WWE main roster by launching vicious attacks on various babyfaces in the company. They did it in search of justice. They were the Hounds of Justice. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns had arrived, ready to make a major impact.

And make an impact they did. We now know how successful each member of the Shield has become since their debut, with each of them winning the WWE title. Their first match in WWE was at TLC 2012, facing off against Ryback and Tag Team champions, Team Hell No in the first ever pinfalls or submissions only TLC match.

From the opening bell until the end of this match, the action was immense. There were high spots throughout the 20-plus minute long duration, with each wrestler taking a lot of punishment. One of the most memorable spots of the match, and the night as a whole, came when Reigns speared Kane through the barricade.

However, the most brutal spot in the match was towards the climax, with Ryback sending Rollins through two tables from an extra tall ladder. The Architect looked like he had just died. The Shield won when Reigns and Ambrose hit an aided powerbomb through a table on Daniel Bryan. This would be the first of many classic six-man matches involving the Shield, and probably the best.

Edited by Sripad