A tables, ladders, and chairs match, often abbreviated as TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match that originated within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE).
The TLC match is a variation of a ladder match, which is modified to co-emphasize two other weapons: tables and chairs. The goal is to acquire the item (usually championship belts) which starts the match suspended above the ring. A TLC match can be seen as a more complicated ladder match, where tables and chairs, along with ladders, can also be used as legal foreign objects.
TLC matches that could also exist as a variation of a hardcore match, where tables, ladders, and chairs can also be used as legal foreign objects, but the only way to win this variation of the TLC match is by pinfall or submission.
Origin The match originates around the tag teams of The Dudley Boyz, The Hardy Boyz, and Edge and Christian. The particular weapons of tables, ladders and chairs were seen as unique to each team's style. The Hardys were seen as high-flying daredevils with a penchant for using ladders, the Dudley Boyz would often use tables as weapons, and Edge and Christian became notable for using steel chairs in tandem against opponents.
WWF/WWE World Wrestling Federation created and adapted the matches to make it known today as a TLC match. The idea of the TLC match in WWF had its origins in a tag team ladder match for the managerial services of Terri Runnels between Edge and Christian and The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy), at No Mercy 1999 during the Attitude Era, with the audience giving all four wrestlers a standing ovation at the end of the match. The move catapulted both tag teams to the top of the tag team world. The following months had The Hardy Boyz face The Dudley Boyz, (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) at the Royal Rumble 2000, in a violent and chaotic tag-team Tables match, where ladders and chairs were used as much as tables, had similar success.
The three teams would be known for their three respective foreign objects, as well as the hardcore wrestling styles associated therein: the Dudley Boyz often Powerbombed or Death Dropped their opponents through tables during or after matches (usually brought out by Bubba Ray telling D-Von to "get the tables"); the Hardy Boyz, in singles matches, challenged main-event singles wrestlers (such as The Undertaker) in ladder matches, considered at that time to be the "signature match" of the team (as they were both high-flyers, they specialized with high spots, and doing them off the top of ladders amplified their effectiveness), while Edge and Christian developed the "con-chair-to", which involved the two hitting an opponent's head simultaneously, on opposite sides, with chairs. Eventually, the three teams were brought together in a triangle ladder match at WrestleMania 2000, in what was the forerunner of the TLC in terms of the spots involved (tables were involved in some of the major spots, including Jeff's big Swanton Bomb on Bubba Ray far from the ring, even though it was technically a ladder match).
The first official TLC match was contested between these three teams using the weapons that they had made famous at SummerSlam 2000. These matches frequently involved members of these three teams, and are largely remembered for the dangerous stunts, object destruction, chaotic pace, injuries and length.
The second TLC match happened at WrestleMania X-Seven, with each of the three teams joined by a third member who tried to help their team win the match (Matt and Jeff were joined by Lita, who had also been with them for the SummerSlam bout, Bubba Ray and D-Von were joined by their half-brother Spike, and Edge and Christian were joined by Rhyno). Lita hit Spike Dudley with a chair shot to the head, Christian and D-Von Dudley hung 20 feet in the air, Bubba Ray Dudley and Matt Hardy jumped off a toppling ladder (pushed over by Rhyno) and crashed through 4 stacked tables on ringside, and Edge speared a hanging Jeff Hardy by jumping off a 20-ft ladder. After TLC I and II, every subsequent TLC match was toned down to reduce the high risks and dangers they posed.
Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches No.MatchStipulationsEventDateLocationLength1Edge and Christian (c) defeated The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) and The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley)SummerSlamAugust 27, 2000Raleigh, North Carolina14:512Edge and Christian defeated The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) and The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) (c)WrestleMania X-SevenApril 1, 2001Houston, Texas15:533Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit (c) defeated Edge and Christian, The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley), and The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy)WWF SmackDown!May 24, 2001Anaheim, California21:004Kane (c)Originally The Hurricane was to defend the titles with Kane, but was taken out before the match. defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and Spike Dudley), Christian and Chris Jericho, and Jeff Hardy and Rob Van DamWWE Raw RouletteOctober 7, 2002Las Vegas, Nevada25:085Edge (c) defeated Ric FlairRawJanuary 16, 2006Raleigh, North Carolina16:406John Cena defeated Edge (c)UnforgivenSeptember 17, 2006Toronto, Ontario, Canada25:287Edge defeated The UndertakerOne Night StandJune 1, 2008San Diego, California23:508CM Punk defeated Jeff Hardy (c)SummerSlamAugust 23, 2009Los Angeles, California21:349D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) defeated Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show) (c)TLC: Tables, Ladders & ChairsDecember 13, 2009San Antonio, Texas22:3210The Miz (c) defeated Jerry LawlerRawNovember 29, 2010Philadelphia, Pennsylvania11:5211Edge defeated Kane (c), Alberto Del Rio and Rey MysterioTLC: Tables, Ladders & ChairsDecember 19, 2010Houston, Texas22:4712CM Punk (c) defeated The Miz and Alberto Del RioTLC: Tables, Ladders & ChairsDecember 18, 2011Baltimore, Maryland18:2513The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) defeated Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan) and RybackTLC: Tables, Ladders & ChairsDecember 16, 2012Brooklyn, New York22:4614CM Punk (c) defeated RybackRawJanuary 7, 2013Tampa, Florida18:5215Randy Orton (c - WWE) defeated John Cena (c - World)TLC: Tables, Ladders & ChairsDecember 15, 2013Houston, Texas24:3616 El Torito defeated Hornswoggle This match was not a TLC ladder match, rather, it was a traditional singles match won by pinfall, countout or submission.Extreme Rules May 4, 2014East Rutherford, New Jersey 10:53 17Bray Wyatt defeated Dean AmbroseTLC: Tables, Ladders & ChairsDecember 14, 2014Cleveland, Ohio26:5818Sheamus (c) defeated Roman ReignsTLC: Tables, Ladders & ChairsDecember 13, 2015Boston, Massachusetts23:5819AJ Styles (c) defeated Dean AmbroseTLC: Tables, Ladders & ChairsDecember 4, 2016Dallas, Texas30:5020The Shield (Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins) and Kurt Angle defeated The Miz, Braun Strowman, Kane and Cesaro and SheamusTLC: Tables, Ladders & ChairsOctober 22, 2017Minneapolis, Minnesota35:2521Seth Rollins (c) defeated Baron CorbinRawDecember 10, 2018San Diego, California24:3022Braun Strowman defeated Baron CorbinTLC: Tables, Ladders & ChairsDecember 16, 2018San Jose, California16:0023Asuka defeated Becky Lynch (c) and Charlotte Flair21:4524King Corbin defeated Roman Reigns TLC: Tables, Ladders & ChairsDecember 15, 2019Minneapolis, Minnesota 22:2025The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) (c) defeated Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair26:0026Io Shirai (c) defeated Candice LeRaeNXT: Halloween HavocOctober 28, 2020Orlando, Florida16:3027Drew McIntyre (c) defeated AJ Styles and The MizThe match started as it was originally scheduled in which Drew McIntyre was defending the WWE Championship against AJ Styles in a singles TLC match, but midway through, The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, converting the match into a Triple Threat. However it was revealed that since John Morrison cashed in the contract on Miz's behalf, the cash-in was nullified - since only the contract holder is permitted to cash-in the contract - and the contract was returned to Miz.TLC: Tables, Ladders & ChairsDecember 20, 2020St. Petersburg, Florida 27:0528Roman Reigns (c) defeated Kevin Owens24:4529The Creed Brothers (Brutus Creed and Julius Creed) defeated Angel Garza and Humberto CarrilloNXT: Halloween Havoc October 31, 2023Orlando, Florida14:0330Tony D'Angelo (c) defeated Oba FemiNXT Halloween HavocOctober 27, 2024Hershey, Pennsylvania15:2031 The Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) (c) defeated #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) and Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley)SmackDownApril 25, 2025Fort Worth, Texas22:5632 The Wyatt Sicks (Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy) (c) defeated Andrade and Rey Fénix, #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa), Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer and Axiom), Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley), and The Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) SummerSlamAugust 3, 2025East Rutherford, New Jersey16:00
Usage in other promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling In other promotions, the TLC match has quite the following, appealing to a niche market within professional wrestling. Predating the TLC matches, two "Tables and Ladders matches" took place. These were traditional matches won by pinfall or submission, not by climbing the ladder for the belts. However, the term "TLC" itself was trademarked by WWE, thus other promotions give different names to these types of matches despite having an identical setup. In more hardcore-style promotions, the chairs were often replaced, or were used alongside, chains. One example of a variation of the TLC match is the Tables, Ladders, Chairs, and Canes match. This match is a TLC match with the addition of Singapore Canes. The first and only TLC match was at Guilty as Charged on January 7, 2001 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York, involving Steve Corino, Justin Credible, and The Sandman.
Tables and Ladders/Tables, Ladders, Chairs and Canes matches No.MatchStipulationsEventDateLocationLength1The Eliminators (Perry Saturn and John Kronus) (c) defeated Sabu and Rob Van DamCyberSlamFebruary 22, 1997Philadelphia, Pennsylvania20:402Sabu defeated The SandmanNovember to RememberNovember 30, 1997Philadelphia, Pennsylvania20:553The Sandman defeated Steve Corino (c) and Justin CredibleGuilty as ChargedJanuary 7, 2001New York, New York13:20
TNA Wrestling TNA Wrestling (TNA) – known as Impact Wrestling from 2017 to 2024 – promotes their own modified version of the TLC match called Full Metal Mayhem.
The inaugural Full Metal Mayhem match featured Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss at Against All Odds 2005. Abyss defeated Hardy by climbing the ladder to retrieve a contract for a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on a future episode of TNA Impact!.
There have been 19 Full Metal Mayhem matches held in TNA.
Full Metal Mayhem matches