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The first ever TLC match, which is also known as a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, took place back at WrestleMania X-Seven. It was a three way Tag Team Championship match where The Dudley Boyz defended the Championships against The Hardy Boys and Edge & Christian, as Edge & Christian won the titles. Matt Hardy was also a part of this match.
The TLC match is almost the same as the Ladder match; it is just a little more brutal with the use of Tables and Chairs. At WrestleMania 2000, these three teams competed for the Tag Team titles in a ladder match, and after the success of this ladder match, Vince McMahon decided to do something more special with the Tag Team titles at WrestleMania X-Seven.
Matt Hardy remembers the first ever TLC match
And this was the way the idea of the TLC match was pitched. Needless to say, this match became extremely popular among the fans, and it is still considered one of the best and most entertaining matches in WrestleMania history. Matt Hardy, who was a part of this match recently remembered Vince McMahon's pitch for this match. Speaking on his “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” podcast, he said;
Matt Hardy was a part of the first ever TLC match
“After the success of the triangle ladder match at WrestleMania 2000 — a week, a couple of weeks later, the conversation starts circulating. And I think Vince had already made up his mind, like, ‘Hey, let’s redo this, but let’s brand it in a more specific way.
"You know, I think people associate The Hardys with ladders, people associate The Dudleys with tables, maybe we can associate something with Edge and Christian, and we’ll go with the chairs. And we’ll figure out a way to brand this match. It’s all about tables, ladders, and chairs as weapons. And that’s ultimately what we’ll do.’
The latest TLC match took place at SummerSlam 2025
“And then I am still not sure of who officially came up with the term TLC, Tables, Ladders, and Chairs. But as we’ve said now a lot of the last couple of weeks… the fact that Mick Foley branded it with saying, ‘Tables, Ladders and Chairs, oh my!’ You know, that was a huge selling point for that first-ever TLC.”
The match became extremely successful, and the legacy of the TLC match continues even to this date. At one point, WWE even hosted a pay per view match fully dedicated to the TLC match named TLC itself. The latest TLC match took place at SummerSlam, and it was for the WWE Tag Team Championship match where a total of six teams were performed.
