Edge’s name is synonymous with the TLC gimmick. From the first ever TLC bout, Edge has put his unique stamp on the gimmick bout. However, could you really imagine The Undertaker in a TLC bout? Yes, you can imagine him in a Hell in a Cell…but a match involving ladders? Okay, so he had that great Ladder match against Jeff Hardy on a Raw twenty years ago…but apart from that one, ‘Taker doesn’t seem a good fit for the high spot, high risk bout. However, ‘Taker rose to the challenge, and the two created a TLC bout that must be included in any Top 10 TLC list!
After three straight singles battles on PPV, the only option to continue their feud were gimmick bouts. To be honest, their feud was becoming stale at the time. Vickie Guerrero, not only Smackdown General Manager but Edge’s fiancée, kept screwing around with The Undertaker…over and over again. It was barely about Edge and ‘Taker anymore; just about Vickie’s shenanigans. I do think that they only needed one rematch with a straight singles bout (the one at Backlash). Their bout at Judgment Day should at least have been No DQ/Extreme Rules.
We all knew Edge could go in a TLC bout…but could The Undertaker! Emphatically YES! ‘Taker throws himself into the bout, taking bumps just as big and cringe-inducing as those of Edge. You’ve probably seen the closing moments, a high spot involving ‘Taker that’s been repeated endlessly on WWE programming. However, the rest of the bout is a gruelling and brutal battle, with both contenders being hurled into ladders, hit with chairs, and slammed through tables. Just like any other TLC bout, it’s a spot fest, with little story connecting the spots together. But we don’t watch TLC bouts for the story, do we? We watch them for the spots. And this this is jampacked with of brilliant ones.
Once again, La Familia interfere, but that only adds to the chaos and carnage. Is it yet another forgotten battle in the forgotten Edge/’Taker feud? As singles TLC matches go, I’d rate this one very highly, without a doubt above the much-lauded TLC bout between Edge and John Cena (which is a tad overrated). These two went all out.
Hammy’s Rating: **** (out of 5)
Click here for ‘Reviews of Wrestling Matches’
Hammy Reviews 