summerslam

Wrestling Recap: Rock vs. Lesnar (SummerSlam ’02)

Dr. KLeave a comment

The Date: 25 August 2002
The Venue: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum; Uniondale, New York
The Commentary: Michael Cole and Tazz
The Referee: Mike Chioda
The Stakes: Singles match for the Undisputed Championship

The Build-Up:
By 2002, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was in a state of flux. After their main rival, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), went out of business and the company was purchased by Vince McMahon, an ill-fated “Invasion” angle saw WCW superstars appear on World Wrestling Federation (WWF) programming. Once this storyline was abruptly ended, the WWF was legally forced to rebrand as WWE and, to keep the spirit of competition alive, the first-ever “brand split” occurred. This meant WWE Superstars and championship belts would be exclusive to either Raw or SmackDown!, with each brand favouring a different presentation (Raw focused more on storylines while SmackDown! focused on in-ring wrestling). Despite this, there was still one top prize in the company, the WWE Undisputed Championship, which “The People’s Champion”, the Rock, had captured the previous month. In a first for the WWE, the Rock’s SummerSlam challenger was decided at the annual King of the Ring tournament, which was won by newcomer Brock Lesnar. Debuting the night after WrestleMania X-8 and embarking on a tear, the monstrous Lesnar was an accomplished amateur wrestler and champion who quickly made a name for himself by decimating his opponents. Coined “The Next Big Thing” by his agent, Paul Heyman, Lesnar went unpinned following his debut and even made short work of the legendary Hulk Hogan on his path to the championship. After winning the King of the Ring, Lesnar immediately targeted the Rock, interfering in his matches and engaging in brawls, and much of the build-up for the match emphasised the training and conditioning the two were undergoing in preparation for it.

The Match:
I remember when Brock Lesnar first debuted, decimating opponents with powerbombs and his sick-ass F-5. At the time, I was somewhat unimpressed; he just looked like a generic big guy, after all. He rarely spoke (and, when he did, he sounded awful), and he didn’t have the same aura or charisma as, say, Batista, who debuted around the same time. Yet, I remember being very surprised when Lesnar won the King of the Ring and was catapulted to this main event match and I have to at least give the WWE credit for actually trying to push new stars in the main event scene. While the audience was in relative awe of Lesnar during his entrance, the Rock’s initial pop was soon joined by a chorus of boos since everyone knew he was leaving to film The Scorpion King (Russell, 2002). Yet, undeterred, the Rock sprinted out to kick off a slugfest with his monstrous young challenger. With the crowd chanting “Rocky sucks!”, Lesnar shut down the Rock’s flurry with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex and repeated backbreakers, scoring a couple of two counts. Targeting the Rock’s already injured ribs, Lesnar repeatedly drove his shoulder into the Rock’s gut in the corner and then punted him out of the ring, where Heyman landed a cheap shot to the champion. Lesnar followed, knocking the Rock over the barricade and muscling him into it before the braying crowd. Back in the ring, Lesnar landed an overhead throw for another two count and Heyman tripped the Rock as he mounted a comeback, leading to the champion being stomped and choked on the canvas. A powerslam shut down another Rock comeback, who continued to be berated by the extremely vocal crowd as Lesnar worked the ribs. This eventually cost him when the Rock caused Lesnar to hit the ring post and, after both leapt to their feet and Lesnar challenged the Rock to knock him down, the Rock scored his first two count off a DDT. The Rock decked Heyman and then tied Lesnar into a Sharpshooter (to a sea of boos), but Heyman tossed a chair into the ring. With the referee distracted, Lesnar drove the chair into the Rock’s injured ribs and slapped on the bearhug that “retired” Hulk Hogan. Much to the chagrin of the crowd, the Rock fought out of the hold, hitting a low blow when the referee was distracted (to yet more boos!)

Lesnar’s dominating performance saw the monstrous youngster capture his first WWE Championship.

Lesnar quickly recovered, though, muscling the Rock into the corner, only to get dropped by a massive clothesline and smacked out of the ring. Visibly pissed by the crowd’s apathy and boos, the Rock tore apart the Spanish announce table, slamming Heyman face-first into it and absolutely launching Lesnar into the ring post! This gave the Rock the chance to hit a Rock Bottom on Paul Heyman through the announce table before tossing Lesnar back into the ring to hit another Rock Bottom. However, Lesnar kicked out at two, much to the delight of the crowd and the astonishment of the champion. Lesnar then surprised the Rock by suddenly hitting his own Rock Bottom (or “Brock Bottom”, as Tazz coined it) for another near fall! The Rock then countered an Irish whip, hit with a spinebuster, and prepared to hit the People’s Elbow…only for Lesnar to spring up and whip him out with a clothesline. However, the Rock slipped free when Lesnar went for his patented F-5 and tried for the Rock Bottom twice more. Each time, Lesnar fought back, but the second time saw him scoop the Rock up and annihilate him with the F-5! And, just like that, Brock Lesnar became the youngest WWE Champion in history, much to the adulation of the crowd, who showered the Rock with boos and insults. This was a decent enough match that told a very simple story of the fired-up veteran being absolutely dominated by his young, upstart challenger. The Rock showed no fear, constantly fighting out of the challenger’s holds, but was no match for Lesnar’s pure power. There was a story here about how the Rock’s veteran instincts weren’t to be counted out, but it wasn’t played into much since he spent most of the match on the receiving end of a beatdown. The most interesting thing, for me, is the crowd completely turning on the Rock, to the point where he was clearly annoyed by their jeers. When he tried to do a speech after the match, the crowd absolutely tore him apart, leading to him washing his hands of them.

The Aftermath:
As mentioned, the Rock left the WWE for about six months to film The Scorpion King, so he never got a rematch with Brock Lesnar for the title. In fact, the two never fought again in a televised match and, when the Rock did return, it was as an arrogant Hollywood superstar heel. Lesnar’s win meant the WWE Undisputed Championship became exclusive to the SmackDown! brand, leading to the belt being rechristened the WWE Championship. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff repurposed the WCW Championship as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for Triple H, kicking off his “reign of terror” with the belt. As for Lesnar, he spent the next few months defending the belt against the Undertaker, leading to a brutal and dominant Hell in the Cell victory at No Mercy, and Edge, before being screwed out of the championship when Paul Heyman turned on him in favour of the Big Show at Survivor Series. Lesnar would turn face in the aftermath, regain the belt (and suffer a nasty concussion) at WrestleMania XIX, and spent most of 2003 feuding with Kurt Angle. He eventually turned heel again and realigned with Paul Heyman before finally dropping the belt to Eddie Guerrero and eventually leaving the WWE in controversial fashion.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to the generational clash between the Rock and Brock Lesnar? Were you impressed by Lesnar back then? What did you think to Lesnar’s dominating performance? Were you surprised that the crowd turned on the Rock? What did you think to Lesnar’s first run in the WWE? Which SummerSlam match or event is your favourite? Whatever your thoughts on Rock vs. Lesnar, and SummerSlam, leave a comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.

Wrestling Recap: Hulk Hogan vs. Shawn Michaels (SummerSlam ’05)

Dr. KLeave a comment

The Date: 21 August 2005
The Venue: MCI Center; Washington, D.C.
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Jonathan “The Coach” Coachman
The Referee: Mike Chioda and Chad Patton
The Stakes: Legend vs. Icon dream match

The Build-Up:
When you think of wrestling, it’s hard not to picture “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan. For years, the Hulkster was not just a wrestling icon, but a mainstream star who was largely responsible for putting the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on the map. A controversial figure, to be sure, one who used his backstage power and star appeal to his advantage more than once, Hogan would later be the linchpin of the “Monday Night Wars” when he jumped to rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and formed the ridiculously popular New World Order (nWo). During that time, many wrestlers would jump back and forth between WWF and WCW, but one who remained loyal to Vince McMahon’s company, despite the appeal of WCW, was the “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels. An equally controversial figure, HBK was known for his athleticism and arrogance, a culmination of factors that earned him a reputation as “The Showstopper”. One thing both men had in common was that they both returned to the WWF, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), in 2002 after a significant time away; Hogan due to his WCW contract and HBK due to a career-threatening back injury. While Hogan’s tenure with WWE was as tenuous as his relationship with McMahon, HBK embarked on an unexpected and much celebrated second run that saw him capture the World Heavyweight Championship, and the two finally crossed paths in mid-2005, initially as a tag team. HBK needed a tag team partner to face Muhammad Hassan and Daivari and literally begged Hogan to join forces with him. At first, it seemed this “dream team” was a match made in heaven but, after another victory over Kurt Angle and Carlito, HBK shocked everyone by delivering his patented Sweet Chin Music to Hogan. What followed was a hugely entertaining and systematic attack upon the Immortal One by his upstart opponent in which HBK attacked Hogan’s ego, backstage politics, and his hogging of the limelight. HBK famously imitated a frail, broken Hogan in a memorable backstage skit and went out of his way to rile up Hogan, who was insulted by HBK’s underhanded tactics. With tensions mounting, spilling over into verbal and physical alterations, the stage was set for this once-in-a-lifetime main event bout between two legitimate icons of the industry, though, as we’ll delve into later, it was initially set to just be the tip of the iceberg between these competitors.

The Match:
Despite everything Shawn Michaels had said and done, all the spiteful comments and him revisiting much of the egotistical jackassery that defined his early career, HBK still received his fair share of cheers and crowd support at the beginning of this match, and throughout, though it’s equally fair to say that he had done a masterful job of briefly turning heel and turning much of the crowd against him. Thus, loud and consistent chants for Hogan permeated the arena and led to a massive pop when the Immortal One made his way to the ring accompanied by the familiar tunes of “Real American” and bathed in the shadow of Ol’ Glory itself, as fired up and ready for action as the arrogant HBK, who initially lingered on the outside, refusing to let the bell ring and winding Hogan up even more. Eventually, both men stood face to face and, after milking the crowd and the anticipation, finally got into a lock up and the match immediately took a turn for the ridiculous as, when Hogan shoved HBK away, Shawn comically bounced across the ring as though knocked over by a gust of wind! Twice more Hogan shoved HBK, the second being a simple push to the chest, and again Shawn pinballed to the mat and the shock, the confusion, was visible in Hogan’s stunned expression. He had to know, even in the early going, that HBK was mocking him by over exaggerating his selling. Indeed, this seemed to be the case as Hogan tore off his bandana and tossed it HBK after the Showstopper pinwheeled across the ring and out to the floor off a simple shoulder block, playing up his frustration at Hogan’s apparently superhuman strength even as the Hulkster showed visible anger at HBK’s antics.

HBK bounced around like a madman for Hogan and viciously busted the Hulkster open.

Once back in the ring, HBK took control with a knee to the gut and some knife-edge chops in the ring corners but found himself launched into the far corner off an Irish whip and receiving some hard boots to the gut as he lay prone across the top rope, which Shawn sold as though he were being tossed up to the rafters! After landing some shots to HBK’s forehead, Hogan rammed Michaels into the top turnbuckle pad and Shawn comically backflipped out of it, selling it like a shotgun blast and only regaining control of the match after a desperate thumb to Hogan’s eye. After some more chops, Shawn tumbled head over heels and some ways up the aisle off a basic clothesline over the top rope and started swinging wildly, punch drunk, as though dazed by Hogan’s incredible power. After regrouping on the outside, Shawn was forcibly returned to the ring when Hogan powered him over the top rope and floored by more shots and another clothesline, though HBK avoided a back body drop and returned to lighting up Hogan’s chest with some chops. When Hogan avoided having his head ran into the top turnbuckle, HBK haughtily slapped him across the face a couple of times and used his speed to keep the pressure on with the chops, only to be turned inside out when launched into the opposite corner and knocked off the ring apron. This time, Hogan followed HBK to the outside and slammed him into the barricade and across the Spanish announce table for some rapid shots to the forehead and then launched the Showstopper shoulder-first into the ring post. However, HBK returned the favour by wriggling out of Hogan’s power lift and shoving him face-first into the same ring post, then doubled down by awkwardly pushing Hogan into another ring post and aggressively targeting Hogan’s head with repeated blows that, eventually, turned Hogan’s face into the proverbial crimson mask.

HBK’s underhanded ways were nothing against Hogan’s superhuman aura.

Pleased with his efforts, HBK kept the pressure on a dazed and bloodied Hogan who could barely stay on his feet much less avoid being worn down to the canvas by a tightly-knit sleeper hold. The swell of crowd support naturally saw Hogan get his second wind; he powered to his feet and dropped HBK with a back suplex to create some separation but was too weak to avoid HBK’s signature flying forearm. Riding the adrenaline rush, Shawn went for his diving elbow, but Hogan rolled out of the way and finally got back into the fight with his “Hulk Up” spot. Hogan literally rocked Shawn with a series of clubbing blows, but Shawn avoided the Big Boot with another flying forearm and inadvertently sent referee Mike Chioda tumbling from the ring, forcing Chad Patton to run in and take over. In keeping with his newfound asshole tendencies, Shawn earned the ire of the crowd by clumsily tying Hogan up in the Sharpshooter. However, Hogan crawled to the ropes to break the hold, then accidentally took Chad Patton out while frantically kicking HBK off when he went for the hold again. Visibly limping from the Sharpshooter, Hogan stumbled right into a vicious low blow and was powerless to stop HBK from cracking a steel chair right across his skull! With Hogan downed, Shawn hit his big top-rope elbow drop, revived Chad Patton, and nailed Hogan with the Sweet Chin Music…for a two count! Livid, Shawn tried to pound on Hogan with right hands but the crowd went nuts as Hogan Hulked Up again, this time scoring with the Big Boot that hit so hard that Shawn bounced to his feet, twirled around, and cartwheeled to the canvas! Hogan then showboated before scoring with the Leg Drop for the three count, much to the delight of the crowd. Afterwards, HBK interrupted Hogan’s raucous celebration and, though annoyed by the loss, offered Hogan a handshake, saying he “needed to know” if he could defeat the Immortal One. Hogan accepted the handshake, turning HBK face again, and was left to celebrate in the ring with his classic strongman poses and taunts.

The Aftermath:
Oh my, is this a crazy match! Unlike the intensity of Hogan’s showdowns with The Rock, HBK decided the best way to showcase Hogan’s vaulted superhuman persona was to bounce around the ring like a pinball! It must’ve been so shocking and annoying for Hogan to see Shawn making a fool of himself, flipping inside out from the simplest of moves and really playing up the pantomime theatrics of Hogan’s larger than life persona. These antics, however, are used more sparingly than you might have been led to believe and are standout highlights of an otherwise fairly by-the-numbers match. Hogan seems quite slow and ungainly here, not able to do much more than his usual spots and take some chops, and I really don’t think we needed two ref bumps in this one. Still, for sheer spectacle, Hogan vs. Michaels delivers an entertaining match; the crowd loved every second of it, cheering themselves into a frenzy for everything Hogan did and jeering HBK whenever he did something underhanded while still appreciating his athleticism, however over the top it may have been. Of course, this was actually supposed to be one of a series of matches between these two wrestling icons but, behind the scenes, the two struggled to come to an arrangement. HBK never wanted to turn heel and was frustrated by Hogan’s resistance to a three-match series. Thus, Shawn decided to massively oversell Hogan’s offense to make him appear truly superhuman, an act that caused much ire backstage, and cut one last promo mocking Hogan on the following night’s episode of Raw, forever putting the kibosh on another match between the two. Following this match, HBK moved into a feud with “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters and would find himself embroiled in a rivalry with Vince McMahon by WrestleMania 22, while Hogan largely disappeared from television until WrestleMania 25, after which he left WWE altogether for a largely disastrous second run in Total Nonstop Action (TNA)/Impact Wrestling. However, Hogan and HBK would cross paths again during the infamous match between Triple H and Sting at WrestleMania 2015 that saw Hogan and his nWo buddies brawl with HBK and D-Generation X.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

What did you think to the epic classic between Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels? Did HBK’s overselling take you out of the match or did you find it entertaining? Do you think the match needed two ref bumps or did it add to the drama for you? Were you hoping for a different outcome, and would you have liked to see another match between these two? What are some wrestling dream matches you’d like to see, or wish we’d gotten? Which SummerSlam match or event is your favourite? Whatever your thoughts on Hogan vs. Michaels, and SummerSlam, leave a comment below and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.

Wrestling Recap: Edge & Christian vs. Dudleyz vs. Hardyz (SummerSlam ’00)

Dr. K3 Comments

The Date: 27 August 2000
The Venue: Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena; Raleigh, North Carolina
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler
The Referee: Jim Korderas and Tim White
The Stakes: Triple threat Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (TLC) match for the WWF Tag Team Championships

The Build-Up:
For many, myself included, the year 2000 was a peak time in wrestling, particularly in the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Coming out of a widely criticised WrestleMania, the company really hit its stride after riding the surge of popularity following the engaging rivalry between WWF chairman Vince McMahon and the renegade “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. With Austin out with a serious neck injury, the WWF strapped the proverbial rocket to the Rock, who reigned as a super-popular fan favourite champion in the main event, but their undercard wasn’t exactly slouching, either. The tag team division, already full of some colourful characters, hit a new pinnacle with the many contests between Matt and Jeff, the Hardy Boyz, and Edge and Christian that stretched back to each teams’ time in the Brood stable. By this point, the two had already engaged in death-defying ladder matches but their rivalry reached new heights when Bubba Ray and D-Von, the Dudley Boyz, brought their own brand of hardcore action to their matches, specifically in the form of tables. The three teams had already clashed at WrestleMania earlier that year in a triangle ladder match that saw Edge & Christian utilise their trademark chairs (with the two being known for a double chair shot to the head known as the “Con-Chair-To”) and the Dudleyz had made a name for themselves by driving WWF Superstars, particularly women, through tables, much to the delight of the crowd. With the rivalry between the three only intensifying, WWF commissioner Mick Foley ordered Edge & Christian to defend their WWF Tag Team Championships against both teams in this, the first-ever TLC match, in which the competitors must scale a ladder to claim the belts like in a traditional ladder match but could also utilise steel chairs and tables for additional carnage.

The Match:
Edge and Christian hit the ring first and then wisely bailed as their opponents followed; the Hardyz were so desperate to throw hands with the Dudleyz that they rushed to the ring before Howard Finkel could finish his introductions. Edge and Christian tried to take advantage by attacking them with all with steel chairs, but the Hardyz intercepted them, relieving them of their chairs so they could use them against Bubba, D-Von, and Christian. However, while Bubba took a chair right to the face courtesy of Matt, he immediately got a measure of payback by knocking Jeff out of the air with a chair shot as he went for the Hardyz’ patented Poetry in Motion. Edge then caused Matt to take a powder following a clothesline and he and Christian worked over D-Von, with Christian using a steel chair to hit a big crossbody in the corner and then sending D-Von face-first into it with a drop toehold. The guys paired off and stomped at each other for a bit to buy Edge the time he needed to slip outside and bring the first ladder of the match into play; he slammed Bubba into it, but the damn Dudley easily sidestepped a running charge and sent the ladder back into Edge’s face using the ring ropes. Bubba then planted Christian with a DDT and, as the crowd chanted “We want tables!” over and over, climbed up the ladder to make a try for the belts. The Hardyz intercepted him, however, and planted him with a powerbomb-like slam off the ladder; while Matt beat down Christian, Jeff started a climb of his own only to face opposition as D-Von set up his own ladder right next to the first one. Both men were so distracted fending the other off and climbing for the belts that they were easily caught from behind with Edge, who took them both down with a double Russian leg sweep of sorts.

The action and the stunts built beautifully in the early going as the teams utilised their signature weapons.

Christian then tried to take advantage, climbing both ladders at once, but Bubba shut him down with authority by landing a big-time Bubba Bomb off the top rungs of the ladder! Jeff then took a hellacious bump when he tried climbing a third ladder only to be toppled off by Edge onto the other two ladders, which were stacked up on the mat, the impact of which also smashed the ladder into Matt and Bubba’s faces, as well. Edge and Christian went for the Con-Chair-To on Jeff, but he managed to drop to the mat at the last second; Bubba then went nuts with a ladder, running it right into the champions and using it to smash a steel chair back into Jeff’s face. To the absolute delight of the crowd, Bubba and D-Von hit their Wassup! headbutt to Edge’s groin and Bubba demanded that D-Von “Get the tables!!” Unsatisfied with the selection under the ring and suspiciously avoiding the tables already set up at ringside, D-Von retrieved a table from the entrance ramp and set it up in the ring as Bubba beat on Matt, Jeff, and Christian before the two successfully drove Christian through the wood with their Dudley Death Drop (3D) finish to a crescendo of applause. The Dudleyz then went outside and created a four-table stack right next to the ring but, before they could do anything with this structure, Edge attacked with a steel chair, cracking both right over the head (!) before Matt planted him with the Twist of Fate. The Hardyz then added to the assault by hitting stereo leg drops to a prone Edge from a nearby ladder set up in the ring corner. Matt then awkwardly sandwiched Edge between a ladder before launching Christian off the top rope and onto it, which had to absolutely suck for his ribs. Meanwhile, on the outside, Jeff laid Bubba over a table and went for a Swanton Bomb off a massive ladder only to crash and burn when Bubba rolled off the table at the last minute!

After putting their opponents down with some big spots, the champions retained their titles.

Matt brought the twenty-foot ladder into the ring and (eventually) made a climb for the belts. However, after Edge, Christian, and D-Von intercepted him, and all four men went crashing to the mat after Christian planted Matt with a reverse DDT and Edge and D-Von fell to the top rope. Shaking off the effects of a brutal chair shot to the head, Bubba stumbled into the ring and started climbing, only for Edge and Christian to tip the ladder over and send him crashing through the four-table stack on the outside! With the field clear of their opposition, Edge and Christian went for the belts only for Lita to interrupt their climb by dumping them crotch-first onto the top rope! Encouraged by Lita, Matt desperately set up the ladder and briefly brushed the tips of his fingers against the belts before D-Von went him careening through two tables stacked up outside the other side of the ring! Edge then Speared Lita on the outside, nearly cracking her head open on the edge of a ladder in the process as Jeff and D-Von competed to grab the championship belts. Both men grabbed onto them as Edge pushed the ladder out from under them and frantically kicked at each other while dangling high above the ring. D-Von was sent crashing to the mat, but Jeff refused to let go. Edge and Christian solved this problem by swatting Jeff out of the air with a ladder and, with all their opponents unconscious or incapacitated from their falls, the champions successfully climbed the twenty-foot ladder and retrieved their belts. This was, in a word, carnage; but controlled carnage. So much could’ve easily gone wrong, but it came together really well, even with a couple of awkward moments here and there as the guys prepared tables and ladders for later spots. There wasn’t much chair action here but, in a match involving ladders and tables, it makes sense to focus on these aspects and the crowd was super into all the big spots and, though livid that Edge and Christian walked away with the belts once more, clearly appreciated all of the death-defying action crammed into these twenty minutes.

The Aftermath:
Of course, this wouldn’t be the last time these three teams fought. They brawled the very next night on Raw is War and the Hardyz defeated the Dudleyz to become the number one contenders soon after. While the Dudleyz were side-tracked with teams like the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA) and the Right to Censor, the Hardyz beat Edge & Christian for the belts at Unforgiven, only for the wily Canadians to briefly outsmart the brothers by assuming the guises of masked lucha libres. The storylines then converged at the 2000 Survivor Series, where the Hardyz and the Dudleyz joined forces against the Right to Censor and Edge & Christian in a winning effort. Though Edge & Christian were able to regain the belts by winning a Fatal 4-Way match at Armageddon, the Dudleyz then defeated the Canadian duo (despite nursing storyline concussions) at the Royal Rumble event and successfully defended them against not just Edge & Christian but always the Undertaker and Kane at No Way Out at the start of 2001. The stage was thus set for another TLC match at WrestleMania X-Seven, this one even more chaotic than the last and featuring run-ins from not only Lita, but Rhyno and Spike Dudley as well, though Edge & Christian again came out on top as the champions by the end.

The TLC match became a staple of WWE programming over the years.

Over the next few years, the paths of these six men would regularly cross; even when pursuing singles glory, the three teams would butt heads in the ring, clashing or competing in eight subsequent TLC matches over the next ten years or otherwise utilising tables, ladders, and chairs as they fought for pride, vengeance, or championship gold. The TLC match evolved slightly as time went on, with the match occasionally allowing pin fall victories and shifting away from tag team action to primarily be used in singles matches for the various World Heavyweight Championships. The match even got its own annual pay-per-view slot, featured little persons competing in a “WeeLC” match, was used to unify the World Heavyweight and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Championships, and Kane once even captured the World Tag Team Championships all by himself on the first-ever Raw broadcast of the stipulation. The WWE’s first-ever women’s TLC match took place at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in 2018; this was a triple threat match for the SmackDown! Women’s Championship but, at the following year’s event, the first-ever women’s tag team TLC match took place.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

What did you think to the first-ever TLC match? Were you into the rivalry between these three teams? Which team did you want to see win and were you annoyed that Edge & Christian escaped with the belts? Were you impressed by the death-defying action in the match? Which TLC match is your favourite? Which of the matches featuring Edge & Christian, the Hardy Boyz, and the Dudley Boyz is your favourite? What are some of your favourite SummerSlam matches and moments? Whatever you think about these teams, the TLC stipulation, and SummerSlam, be sure to share them below or comment on my social media.