WWE TLC 2016: Greatest Title Matches in PPV's History
For all the talk that goes into WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs every December in WWE, the pay-per-view has consistently been home to some of the best championship clashes of any given year.
It began in 2009 with a tag team war between four future Hall of Famers and will continue into 2016, with the stars of SmackDown Live attempting to continue the legacy of the show with a series of superb title clashes.
Can AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose deliver a WWE World Championship match that lives up to the bar set by the likes of CM Punk, Edge and Roman Reigns?
Will Dolph Ziggler add to his impressive TLC resume?
Fans will get their answers Sunday night. Until then, relive the rich history of TLC's championship bouts with this look back at the titans and titles that have helped define the event, ranked in chronological order.
TLC Match for the Tag Team Championships: D-Generation X vs. Jeri-Show (2009)
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The main event of the inaugural TLC pay-per-view saw D-Generation X's Shawn Michaels and Triple H end Chris Jericho and Big Show's reign of terror.
The popular babyfaces had been the focus of the Raw brand for months, but as storied and decorated as those two men had been, they had never managed to hold tag team gold. That ended in a brutal main event that focused more on storytelling and creativity than the typical big bumps that defined the original TLC bouts.
With Big Show having destroyed all of the ladders, Triple H was forced to steady half a ladder while Michaels ascended to the top and grabbed the gold hanging high overhead.
A match that may not be as aesthetically beautiful and awe-inspiring as others, it is a bout that set the table for every one of the other bouts on this list.
TLC Match for the World Heavyweight Championship (2010)
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Edge and Kane were in the midst of one heated rivalry while Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio had their own feud ongoing by the time the 2010 edition of the show rolled around. The best way to settle the scores of all involved was an enormous TLC match for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Tables were key to the conclusion of the match.
Del Rio found himself crashing off a ladder and through one. Kane was speared through one. Speaking of The Big Red Monster, he disposed of Mysterio moments earlier, dropping him with a Tombstone.
All of that allowed Edge to scale the ladder and score the victory and World Heavyweight Championship.
The match outdid Raw's contributions to the show and was fueled by Edge's experience in the popular match type.
United States Championship Match: Zack Ryder vs. Dolph Ziggler (2011)
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Zack Ryder was the consummate underdog—a Superstar who got himself over with fans through an online YouTube show, by the time TLC 2011 arrived. He had developed into the hottest star in the sport, with fans chanting for him at the expense of industry icons such as The Rock and John Cena.
Long Island Iced Z constantly found himself fighting for a chance to prove he could be a star successful beyond the opening match. He wanted to prove he was worthy of bright lights and big stages, and he got his chance at the annual event, challenging real-life friend Dolph Ziggler for the United States Championship in the night's opening contest.
The fans in Baltimore erupted as Ryder scored the win and then emotionally celebrated with his father and friends.
The match, a roller-coaster ride of emotions put together by two Superstars who wanted so much to give each other the quality performances they knew they deserved, was a rare instance of management listening to fans and repaying one of its young stars with the moment he deserved.
Triple Threat TLC Match for the WWE Championship (2011)
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CM Punk was the hottest Superstar in wrestling when the 2011 edition of TLC rolled around. That he was the poster boy for the event was no great shock to anyone, nor was the fact that he was the man around whom the show was built.
On that December night, he would defend his WWE Championship against The Miz and Alberto Del Rio in a Triple Threat TLC match. The marketing materials focused on him, and with the absence of John Cena on the card obvious, his ability to portray a credible main event babyface would be tested.
Punk would face the odds, handcuffed to the turnbuckle by Miz and Del Rio and forced to watch as they battled for his title.
Resourceful, he removed the turnbuckle, slipped off the cuffs and successfully retained his title in a clever finish.
The match was the first hint of Punk's ability to carry a program on his own.
Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship (2014)
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Ziggler makes another appearance on our list, this time for a 2014 ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship against Luke Harper.
Born in the fallout from Survivor Series, the rivalry featured Harper capturing the title from Ziggler, earning his first singles accomplishment. He was big, nasty and a brawler in the same vein as JBL and Bruiser Brody. He had the agility and speed of a cruiserweight, though, and should have elevated even further up the card than he did.
Ziggler was the consummate underdog—the smaller, scrappier, resilient Superstar who withstood a brutal beatdown at the hands of Harper. The two delivered a thrilling match to kick off the event, one that proved difficult for Superstars elsewhere on the card to top.
The Showoff won, and fans rejoiced, but one could not help but feel as though Harper's run as a singles villain was cut painfully short.
TLC Match for the WWE World Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus (2015)
6 of 6The main event of TLC 2015 pitted Roman Reigns against WWE world champion Sheamus in a match that fans despised from the moment it was announced.
Sheamus was not a compelling villain whatsoever, but he was preferred heavily over Reigns, who was the subject of fan backlash. No matter how hard he worked, how much he improved or how many great performances he delivered, fans could not get past the fact that he was Vince McMahon's chosen one, creating a hostile environment in Boston.
The fans booed as Reigns threw caution to the wind, taking huge bumps through tables and into ladders.
In the end, it took interference from Triple H and The League of Nations to keep Reigns from winning the title on that night. For all of the backlash, though, the match was an extraordinarily built one that increased the drama over the course of the match rather than delivering nonstop bumps and high-risk maneuvers from the beginning.
It was a risky way to build the match, given the disdain for the two guys involved, but one that paid off as the bout progressed.
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