WWE TLC: Top 5 December PPVs in History

With TLC set to launch on Sunday, it brings to mind other December WWE pay-per-views from years past. With Royal Rumble in January and WrestleMania in April, December hasn't traditionally been a very fruitful month for the WWE.

There have been plenty of solid December shows in the company's history, but there have been disasters as well.

This slideshow will attempt to sift through the garbage and name the WWE's five best December pay-per-view events ever. Don't worry–the ill-fated, ECW-only December to Dismember pay-per-view from 2006 is most certainly not included.

Without further ado, here are the top five holiday-season pay-per-view cards WWE has ever come up with.

Armageddon (2002)

From 1999 through 2008, Armageddon was a December staple for the WWE. While many of the Armageddon shows ultimately flopped, the 2002 version was one of the best.

The card was highlighted by a Three Stages of Hell match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

That match featured a street fight portion, a steel cage portion, and finally a ladder portion. Michaels, who entered the match as the champion, spent most of the bout getting battered by Triple H. It was a true testament to his stamina and selling ability.

The near-40-minute match ended with a great spot in which Triple H pushed Michaels off a ladder and through four stacked tables.

The undercard wasn't the stuff of legend, but it was serviceable.

Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero put on a technically-sound classic. Batista defeated Kane in a battle between monsters. And Kurt Angle defeated the Big Show for the WWE Championship.

This wasn't an all-time great pay-per-view, but it was certainly a solid all-around show.

Armageddon (2008)

The 2008 version of Armageddon is the most recent December event on this list and the most worthy of distinction.

This pay-per-view will always be remembered for the main event–a triple-threat match with Edge defending the WWE Championship against both Triple H and Jeff Hardy.

The main event was a fast-paced affair that featured plenty of action and near falls. Hardy won the title as he followed up a Triple H Pedigree of Edge with a Swanton Bomb.

Hardy was vaulted to superstardom.

Although he is now in TNA, many people credit Hardy's continued popularity to this Armageddon match.

As expected, there were a couple throwaway matches on this card. The auxiliary matches, however, were generally strong.

Batista beat Randy Orton in a solid singles match. CM Punk defeated Rey Mysterio in the finals of an Intercontinental Championship No. 1 contender tournament. And John Cena defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Chris Jericho.

While the card certainly would have benefited from more titles being defended, it is hard to argue with four high-quality matches in a single show.

Rock Bottom: In Your House (1998)

As much as the Attitude Era was known for its great personalities and feuds, it was also known for some strange storylines and lame matches.

I don't think there is any question that 1998's Rock Bottom: In Your House exemplifies this notion.

There were stupid matches like The Brood vs. The J.O.B. squad, but the card was ultimately saved by the heavy hitters.

This pay-per-view was headlined by an extremely entertaining Buried Alive match between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Undertaker, as well as a WWE Championship match between Mankind and The Rock.

The Mankind vs. Rock match was particularly fun.

Mankind essentially had to combat The Rock, Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon at the same time. He wreaked havoc and eventually made The Rock pass out from the mandible claw. Not to be outdone, McMahon used his corporate stroke to help The Rock remain champion.

The Austin vs. Undertaker match involved brawling throughout the arena and exemplified the Attitude Era style. The ending of the match was great, as Kane appeared from inside the grave and tombstoned Undertaker before Austin buried him by with a backhoe.

If you're looking for technical wrestling this isn't the pay-per-view for you. But for pure entertainment value this was great.

Armageddon (2000)

Armageddon 2000 was yet another Attitude Era pay-per-view that was hit and miss. In the end, the big matches delivered.

There is no question that the highlight of the card was a six-man Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship. The bout featured incumbent champion Kurt Angle, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Triple H, The Undertaker, The Rock, and Rikishi.

In other words, essentially every major star at the time was battling in one thrilling match.

As expected, there were tons of cool spots with each man hitting his signature move and scoring near falls. Angle was ultimately able to outlast this bunch of iconic wrestlers and retain his title, but he was a bloody mess in the end.

The card also featured Chris Jericho defeating Kane in a very well-wrestled Last Man Standing Match; Chris Benoit defeating Billy Gunn for the Intercontinental Championship; and a great Fatal Four-Way tag-team match in which Edge and Christian won the Tag Team Championships.

Again, not every match was a winner, but there were several memorable moments.

Vengeance (2001)

The main element of a great pay-per-view is an iconic moment.

2001's Vengeance had that.

After "Stone Cold" Steve Austin defended his WWE Championship over Kurt Angle, a four-man tournament took place to unify the WWE and WCW Championships. By the end of the night, Chris Jericho held both titles high in the air.

Jericho first defeated The Rock in a hard-fought match for the WCW Championship. The Rock was on the verge of winning when Vince McMahon distracted him, allowing Jericho to low blow The Rock and land a Rock Bottom for the win.

This led to a winner-takes-all showdown between WCW Champion Chris Jericho and WWE Champion Steve Austin.

Interference from McMahon and Booker T allowed Jericho to defeat Austin and become the first ever WWE Undisputed Champion.

Jericho had long been a rising star in the business, but this night made him a legend.

If that wasn't enough, solid matches between Edge and William Regal, Jeff and Matt Hardy, and the Undertaker and Rob Van Dam make Vengeance 2001 the greatest WWE December pay-per-view of all time.