Honorable Mention: Hornswoggle vs. El Torito – Extreme Rules 2014
Star Rating: 3.00 stars
The Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match remains one of WWE’s most beloved stipulation matches. You get all the fun of tables, ladders, and chairs rolled into one match. So naturally, we start this list with something other than a TLC match.
At Extreme Rules 2014, Hornswoggle took on El Torito in a WeeLC match. The most bizarre entry, but not at all a bad one. For as goofy a concept as this was, the match ended up being very good. El Torito can actually wrestle, not that you would know it from his WWE tenure, but during his career he was quite impressive.
With Hornswoggle backed up by 3MB and El Torito accompanied by Los Matadores, there were enough bodies to produce big spots, keeping the match exciting. In the purest sense of the word, this match was fun and at the end of the day, isn’t that what we want in our wrestling?
24. Jerry Lawler vs. The Miz – Raw (November 29, 2010)
Star Rating: N/A
It had been several years since WWE had put a TLC match on free television when Jerry Lawler challenged The Miz for the WWE Championship. The crowd that night was treated to a pretty solid little battle. Lawler is one of the best wrestlers of all time and his psychology was still intact in 2010.
While not the blow away athletic performance other matches on this list are, this match told a story and helped shape storylines for the months to come. As Lawler had the match and the title won, Michael Cole jumped in to save the match for his favourite wrestler, The Miz. The Miz got the win and Lawler got to punch Michael Cole, so really everyone wins.
23. CM Punk vs. Ryback – Raw (January 7th, 2013)
Star Rating: N/A
CM Punk was less than thrilled about having to return from surgery to face Ryback in a TLC match on Raw. Ryback was never the cream of the crop in the ring but involving stipulations like this helped to smoke-and-mirrors his performances.
The two battled over the WWE Championship with The Shield allowing Punk to retain his title. Unfortunately for Punk’s sanity, this would not be the last time Ryback in WWE but it would be the last TLC match he had to do. Take your victories where you can.
22. Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin – TLC 2018
Star Rating: 1.00 star
What a disaster this was. The furthest thing from a TLC match on this list, Baron Corbin and Braun Strowman battled in what was really a chairs match at TLC 2018. The two had been feuding on Raw during the Autumn of 2018 with Corbin acting as the “Constable” for the brand.
He made himself numerous enemies in the position, not limited to Finn Balor, Kurt Angle, Bobby Roode and Chad Gable. This really was more of a segment than a match. All of Corbin’s foes emerged to lay waste to the constable and keep him from fleeing this fight. They hit him with chairs before Strowman got the pin. Strowman was nursing an injury at the time, which is likely the reason for the smoke and mirrors nature of the match.
This match clocks in at just 2:31, making it the shortest TLC match in history and also the worst.
21. Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin – TLC 2019
Star Rating: 1.75 stars
Oh look, what a coincidence, Baron Corbin again at the bottom of the list. One of the most recent entries on this list, Corbin took on Roman Reigns in another “TLC match”. I put this in quotations because TLC matches that are won by pinfall are just no-disqualification matches and should be treated as such.
This match was not good. Typically a 1.75 star rating means below average but not attrocious. However, I am not sure that applies to TLC matches as the standard is higher than a normal match. As such, this was pretty attrocious. Corbin’s style is very slow and often boring and that is just not the pace a TLC match should be.
mailing list