TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs (2010)

Background

TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs featured professional wrestling matches involving different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storylines that were played out on World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) television programs. Wrestlers portrayed villains or heroes as they followed a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

In November, Edge was named the #1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. In his quest for the title, Edge abducted and psychologically tormented Kane's dad, Paul Bearer. At Survivor Series, Edge failed to win the title after the match ended in a draw. With Edge still in custody of Bearer, he continued to taunt Kane leading to a match on the December 3 episode of SmackDown. Edge beat Kane and in result, determined the stipulation to be a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match (a match type that Edge helped pioneer) for the World Heavyweight Championship. On the December 17 episode of SmackDown, General Manager Teddy Long added Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio, who were previously in their own rivalry and scheduled to be in a Chairs match against each other, to the World Heavyweight Title match making it a Fatal 4-way Tables, Ladders and Chairs match.

Just after Randy Orton successfully defended the WWE Championship against Wade Barrett on the November 22 episode of Raw, The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, defeated Orton for the title. On the December 6 episode of Raw, Orton tried to invoke his rematch clause, but the Raw General Manager said that The Miz didn't have to defend the title that night, but would instead defend it at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, with The Miz choosing the stipulation. After interfering in Orton's match with The Miz's apprentice, Alex Riley, The Miz made the stipulation a Tables match.

In November at Survivor Series, former Nexus member John Cena lost his job after Randy Orton defeated Wade Barrett under the stipulation that if Barrett didn't win the WWE Championship, Cena would be fired for not following Wade's orders. However, after his firing, Cena continued to attack Nexus members knowing that since Nexus attacked the security upon their debut, Cena would be free to attack Nexus without any restraints. This came to a head when on December 6, John Cena stated that his attacks on Nexus may stop, but the attacks on Barrett won't, causing a mutiny within Nexus. The next week, during the Slammy Awards, Barrett would rehire Cena, who would have been kicked out by the other members of Nexus had he not, under the condition that Cena would face Barrett in a Chairs match.

Another rivalry involved Team Laycool against Divas Champion Natalya and Beth Phoenix in a Divas tag team tables match. After Natalya defeated Laycool in a two on one Handicap match to become Divas Champion in November at Survivor Series they attacked her after the match until Phoenix who has been out with an ACL injury since May made her return and saved Natalya. Soon after Natalya and Phoenix formed an alliance. Two weeks later during the Slammy Awards Laycool would win two awards, one for Knucklehead moment of the year and another for Diva of the year after McCool won a battle royal. After the match Raw's anonymous General Manager announced that Laycool will face Natalya and Phoenix in Divas tag team tables match.

Also In November both Sheamus and John Morrison competed in the 2010 King of the Ring tournament. Sheamus qualified by defeating R truth while Morrison qualified by defeating Tyson Kidd. They faced each other in the finals in which Sheamus defeated Morrison to win the Tournament and renamed himself to "King Sheamus". The two were later booked into a match to determine the number 1 contender for the WWE Championship in a ladder match.

Preliminary matches

The first match was the triple threat ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship involving Dolph Ziggler defending against Kofi Kingston and Jack Swagger. Ziggler was the first to climb a ladder only to be stopped by Kingston and Swagger. Ziggler performed a leg drop bulldog on Kingston onto a ladder which Swagger was lay under. With all three men down, Ziggler's manager Vickie Guerrero attempted to climb the ladder. Kingston tried to tip her off the ladder but was stopped by Swagger. Swagger applied an ankle lock on Kingston whilst he was trying to climb the ladder. Ziggler attempted to grab the title but was stopped by Kingston, Ziggler locked in the sleeper hold on him at the top of the ladder but Kingston managed to escape. Kingston tried to grab the title but when Swagger arrived up the ladder, both of them unhooked the title and it fell. Ziggler took the opportunity to retrieve the title and retained the championship.

The second match was the first Divas tag team tables match which saw LayCool (Layla and Michelle McCool) face off against The Divas of Doom (Beth Phoenix and WWE Divas Champion Natalya). Phoenix and Natalya wasted little time as they brought in the customized pink table which featured a caricature drawing of Lay-Cool. McCool and Layla dominated the duo for a while, they tossed Phoenix out of the ring and focused on Natalya. McCool attempted to put Natalya through one of the standard tables only for Phoenix to come to her rescue. Phoenix and Natalya picked Layla up ready to put her through the table but McCool knocked the table over. Later, Natalya applied a double sharpshooter on Layla and McCool whilst Phoenix prepared the caricature table. McCool and Layla gained control and attempted a double superplex on Natalya but Natalya pushed the two onto the customized table and performed a crossbody, which broke the table and The Divas of Doom won the match.

The third match was for the WWE Tag Team Championship. The champions Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov faced The Nexus members Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater. The match went back and forth with Gabriel and Slater tagging in and out regularly. Eventually, Gabriel and Slater were disqualified when fellow Nexus member Michael McGillicutty interfered. Afterward, the rest of the Nexus attacked Marella and Kozlov until Nexus leader Wade Barrett arrived with a steel chair and attacked the two with it.

In the fourth match John Morrison faced Sheamus in a ladder match to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. Not long after the bell, the match spilled outside the ring, where Sheamus bridging a ladder between the ring apron and a broadcast table. Sheamus backed Morrison into the corner using the erect ladder but Morrison leapfrogged over it and performed a corkscrew on Sheamus. Later, Sheamus trapped Morrison by causing him to hang upside down on the ladder by his knee and then tipped the ladder over. Sheamus continued to target Morrison's knee. Morrison attempted to climb the ladder but Sheamus executed a "Brogue Kick" to Morrison's knee. Sheamus tried to grab the contract but Morrison stopped him. After brawling, the pair eventually fell with Morrison falling to the outside whilst Sheamus fell through the bridged ladder, which broke in half. Morrison climbed the ladder and Sheamus tried to tip him off but Morrison delivered a kick to Sheamus and retrieved the contract win the match.

Main event matches

The fifth match was a Tables match for the WWE Championship. This match saw the champion The Miz (accompanied by Alex Riley) square off against Randy Orton. After the two fought in the ring, Orton performed a suplex on The Miz outside the ring. The Miz set up a table outside the ring and Orton attempted to put him through it but The Miz countered. The Miz then set up another table in the corner and Orton tried to suplex The Miz through the table from the turnbuckle but Riley dragged the table away. Orton retrieved another table and delivered a clothesline to Riley. With the table set up, Orton prepared to put The Miz through it but Riley distracted him. The Miz attempted a "Skull Crushing Finale" but Orton countered it, and the referee was accidentally knocked down. Orton performed an "RKO" on Riley and powerbombed him through the table. The Miz then gave Orton a "Skull Crushing Finale", moved Riley away from the broken table and put Orton in his place. He then tried to tell the referee that he had put Orton through the table so the referee called for the bell and The Miz was declared the winner of the match. However, the referee saw the replays after the match and restarted the match. Orton attacked Miz, who retreated to the ring. As Orton climbed the apron, The Miz pushed Riley into Orton, who fell through a table outside the ring. This meant that The Miz retained the championship.

The sixth match was a fatal four-way TLC Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. This match saw defending champion Kane take on Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio and Edge. Wasting little time Mysterio set up the first ladder and climbed it but was pushed off by Del Rio and landed outside the ring on top of Kane and Edge. Del Rio tried to climb the ladder but was stopped by Mysterio. Mysterio used a smaller ladder to perform a seated senton on Del Rio with the ladder sandwiched between them. Edge and Kane went one on one for a while until Kane turned his attention to everyone which resulted in the other three participants teaming on him. After placing Kane on a table outside the ring, Edge climbed the ladder inside the ring and jumped straight onto Kane breaking the table. Del Rio and Mysterio took the opportunity to fight one on one. Edge performed the "Spear" on Mysterio and climbed the ladder, Kane pushed the ladder over. Kane then went on to dominate all three men. All four of them took the match to the stage where Edge gave Kane a "Spear". Mysterio climbed onto one of the tables that was hanging from the stage and jumped off it landing on Kane. Del Rio, Mysterio and Edge returned to the ring where Edge blocked Mysterio's "619" with a chair. Mysterio and Edge both climbed the ladder and both fell to the canvas too. During this time Ricardo Rodriguez climbed the ladder only to be chokeslammed by Kane. Del Rio tried to grab the title but Mysterio pushed the ladder sending Del Rio through a table outside the ring. Mysterio was stopped from climbing the ladder by Kane and received a tombstone piledriver. Edge speared Kane off the apron through a table. With all three men down, Edge climbed the ladder and grabbed the title to become the new champion.

The final match was a Chairs match between John Cena and The Nexus leader Wade Barrett. CM Punk made his way down to the ring for commentary. Not long into the match Barrett picked up a chair and tried to strike Cena numerous times but was unsuccessful. Cena delivered a bulldog to Barrett on a steel chair. Later, Barrett dominated and slowed down the pace of the match as he followed Cena around the ring and up the ramp whilst hitting him with a chair. Barrett then set the steel steps upright at the bottom of the ramp. Cena went backstage and returned with a swivel chair. He sat a groggy Barrett in the swivel chair, threw water at his face and pushed him down the ramp straight into the steel steps. Barrett quickly recovered, placed a steel chair around Cena's neck and pushed him into the ring post. Barrett tossed Cena back into the ring and trapped Cena under a chair by sitting on it. Barrett continued to dominate again as he trapped Cena's arms between the top and middle ropes and attacked him with a chair. Cena managed to kick Barrett away, escape from the tangled ropes and build some momentum. However, Cena's dominance was quickly diminished as Barrett seized control once again. Barrett went to the top rope with a steel chair and attempted an elbow drop but Cena rolled out of the way. Cena went to the top rope this time and successfully performed a leg drop with a steel chair. He then set up six chairs, in two rows and delivered an "Attitude Adjustment" to Barrett through them. Cena then got the pin fall on Barrett to win the match. Afterward, Cena followed a crawling Barrett up the ramp with a steel chair. He positioned Barrett under the hanging steel chairs at the side of the stage and pulled the set down which led all the chairs to come crashing down on top of Barrett thus ending the show.

Reception

11,500 people attended the event live at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The pay-per-view received 195,000 buys, down from the 228,000 that the previous year's event received.