WWE TLC 2011: Rob Van Dam and 4 Other Stars That Ruled TLC Matches

With the WWE’s TLC Pay-Per-View just a few hours away, it’s time to look back on the stars that made it possible for WWE to put a show together this intriguing.

For this slideshow, I ranked singles performers instead of tag teams because the trio of Edge and Christian, the Dudleyz and the Hardyz would be far and above the best ever.

The following list is of the best TLC workers in wrestling history.

While hardcore wrestling is a fairly new innovation in the sport, it already has a list of all-time greats that will give any wrestling fan a nice nostalgia pop.

Enjoy!

Check back for more on World Wrestling Entertainment as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s WWE Page to get your fill of all things wrestling. For more on WWE/TNA, check out Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics.

Follow @Donald_Wood

5. Jeff Hardy

Since this is based solely on single performers, I just couldn’t rank Hardy any higher than No. 5 on my all-time list. If this was tag teams, No. 1 would be a three way tie between the Dudley Boyz, the Hardyz and Edge and Christian.

Another factor in Hardy’s fifth place finish is the fact that many of the moves he does in his regular matches are just done on a bigger scale during a TLC match.

While his Swanton bomb is amazing from 25 feet up, its less impactful when I see Hardy hit it every single week on television.

4. John Cena

While John Cena is known as one of the greatest stars in WWE history, he is less known for his superior talents in hardcore matches; especially his one romp with TLC. Don’t forget Cena’s hundreds of matches with hardcore stipulations.

In one of the single greatest WWE title matches of all time, John Cena defeated Edge for the WWE Title in Edge’s hometown of Toronto, Canada.

There is no telling if he will be getting involved at this TLC PPV, but the fans would love to see their beloved star give the TLC style another go.

3. CM Punk

This will be CM Punk’s second TLC match in WWE, and it could be the match that sets him apart as one of the greatest of all time.

With Alberto Del Rio and The Miz not known for their air abilities, it will be up to Punk to carry this match. That means if there is a moment that has someone jumping off something high, you better believe it will be Punk taking the plummet.

If this match for the WWE Title is half the match Punk had with Jeff Hardy for the World Title in 2009, it will make him an all-time favorite.

2. Edge

The king of the WWE version of the TLC matches is far and above anyone else Edge. That’s one of the reasons he was forced to retire early.

Out of the 12 official TLC matches to ever take place in WWE history, Edge was involved in seven and won four. Every one of his TLC matches has gone down as instant classics.

While watching this star retire was tough to stomach, understanding how much he put on the line for the WWE fans each time he went at it in a TLC match makes him that much bigger of a star in the fan’s eyes.

1. RVD

Rob Van Dam is a walking, talking TLC match waiting to happen. While Van Dam only officially participated in one TLC match during his reign over the WWE, he practically invented the genre during his time in ECW.

Matches with Sabu, Tazz and many of the other stars that came out of ECW have gone down in history as some of the craziest moments in the sports history. That’s why Rob Van Dam has become the forefather of the TLC match.

No star has become more synonymous with the idea of chairs and ladders being used in a match than Rob Van Dam. Having any other star at No. 1 would be a travesty.