Unpopular Opinion: TLC is the worst WWE PPV name

When WWE first started promoting TLC matches, it came with a touch of irony. Yes, there was a literal acronym associated with the name—the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs synonymous with Edge and Christian, the Hardy Boyz, and the Dudleys and their epic three-way feud. Just the same, WWE was surely not oblivious to overlapping acronyms like tender loving care or, secondarily, The Learning Channel.

Based on the overwhelming success of the first two TLC matches between the top three teams of the Attitude Era, WWE only broadened the match’s brand, including bringing it to singles matches. That transition largely coincided with Edge moving up to the main event picture and bringing the gimmick match along with him.

There have been a lot of good TLC matches over the year, but few that really touch the original efforts that made the match type famous. WWE dedicating an annual PPV to the concept felt less like an organic development than an obvious effort to brand an additional specially gimmicked PPV. After all, the Royal Rumble and Survivor Series survived as institutions in no small part because they featured signature match types to distinguish them from other shows. Specifically, as WWE committed to an average of more than one PPV per month, it moved toward similarly branding other shows around big time gimmick matches like the Elimination Chamber, Hell in a Cell, and Money in the Bank.

Hardcore fans have balked at these programming steps, in part because they result in contrived situations. Whereas historically a TLC or Hell in a Cell Match would develop organically out of heated feud, now we know WWE is going to wedge some storyline, no matter how awkwardly, into the gimmick.

TLC is the least organic of the speciality PPVs, the name is opaque to non-fans, and the whole event winds up feeling silly as the last PPV of the year. That’s especially so with the Starrcade brand, with its own rich identity and history, at WWE’s disposal, and largely squandered on an annual house show (and this year a one-hour special).