SummerSlam Top 10 Countdown – By Michael Owen
No.2 (50 Points) Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) vs. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) – TLC Match (27/08/00)
Finishing in second place on our list and being eight points clear of its nearest rival, this is a worthy runner up in our countdown. The match itself will go down as one of the most innovative wrestling matches of the past 20 years. We are of course talking about the first of the now infamous matches known as Tables, Ladders and Chairs (TLC).
This was the long awaited rematch of the incredible battle that these three had at WrestleMania 2000. That match was a ladder match and was eventually won by Edge and Christian after a grueling twenty two minute encounter that saw each man take risks and bumps that we thought not possible, all whilst we sat and watched in awed amazement.
The three teams involved had a fascination with the weapons that made up the components of the match at SummerSlam ‘00. Edge and Christian were big fans of using chairs in a double team move known as the ‘conchairto’, which involved them both swinging a chair each and meeting in the middle on their opponents head. Famous for jumping off ladders were The Hardy’s, especially Jeff, who would perform his patented ‘Senton Bomb’ from atop the ladder in multiple matches. That leaves us with The Dudley Boyz, who brought the tables into the equation and used them in devastating fashion every time Bubba called for D-Von to ‘Get The Tables!’
The weapons represented how each team did their business in the ring. The chairs signified that Edge and Christian were a thinking team who would use the chairs to get an advantage if possible. The ladders represented a fearless attitude that perfectly summed up The Hardy Boyz highflying style. Last but not least is the tables, this object summed up The Dudley’s best, as a no nonsense, robust, kick your ass and expect the same back kind of team.
Many people forget that this match lasted less than fifteen minutes due to how frantic the pace was from the beginning. They took a page out of Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon’s book by taking what they had done at WrestleMania and building on it to create a masterpiece. It’s also easy to forget that this match took place on a rather lackluster SummerSlam card, it singlehandedly made the event worth putting your money down to see.
This contest felt extra special due to the fact that the event was being held in North Carolina, which is home to both Matt and Jeff Hardy. Although the crowd was in the corner of The Hardy Boyz, it did not stop them from appreciating how much effort each team had put into the contest. We could mention countless spots that happened during this match, but its more than likely that you’ve seen them countless times since, which means more than anything we could ever put into words.
It is still an incredible match to watch today, but this was one that you had to see on the night to truly appreciate what each man endured in this contest, I think its safe to say that this match shortened each teams career, but I doubt any of the teams would take a second of it back.
That’s it for the penultimate edition of The SummerSlam Top 10 Countdown. You’ll have to come back next week when we’ll have our number one all time greatest match from SummerSlam history, shortly before SummerSlam 2013 kicks off Sunday Night!
Click Below for Number 1!