3. Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match
Vince McMahon named Mankind the first-ever WWE Hardcore Champion on the November 2nd, 1998 episode of Raw is War. This acknowledgement from the top transformed hardcore wrestling from something untrained workers did at recreation centers for a buck into a multimillion-dollar draw.
One of the biggest money-making ideas that came from this creative period was the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match (or “TLC” for short). There are no pinfalls, count-outs, or disqualifications. The winner of the match is the man who climbs to the top of a ladder and retrieves the Championship Title suspended above the ring.
The high risk nature of these matches has led to a number of injuries both in the independents and in WWE such as dislocated ankles, blown-out knees, broken noses and concussions. Originally conceived as a stipulation for a tag team championship match between Edge & Christian, The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz at Summerslam 2000, TLC is now its own annual pay-per-view titled TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs.
Prior to creating the pay-per-view, TLC made it’s Raw is War debut on October 7th, 2002. This classic encounter features Kane defending the Tag Team Championships alone against the teams of Rob Van Dam & Jeff Hardy, Bubba Ray & Spike Dudley and Chris Jericho & Christian.
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