On Sunday night, WWE returned to a popular SummerSlam tradition with a tables, ladders, and chairs championship match. But unlike some of the legendary TLC matches of the past, this year’s featured a whopping 12 participants from six different teams. A TLC record that is likely to never be surpassed. Or hopefully it won’t.
At its core, the match featuring the Wyatt Sicks, #DIY, Motor City Machine Guns, the Street Profits, Rey Fenix and Andrade, and Fraxiom was entertaining. But, in the end, it did not do what violent gimmick matches should. And that is to create memories fans will remember for years, and new stars to root for in the weeks ahead.
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This year’s SummerSlam TLC match was an entertaining failure that WWE should never revisit. We explain why.
Who will remember the 2025 SummerSlam TLC match?
In a way, this year’s TLC match became like a Battle Royale with a mass of bodies in or around the ring all at once. And like a Battle Royale, fans may remember the winners, but will they remember the other stars that took part?
Just think about the idea of trying to recollect this match a year or two from now and having to list off the six teams and 12 performers in it. It would seem like the opposite of what WWE should want from such a match. Having so many participants created a cornucopia of car crash moments that became a blur after all was said and done.
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At one point, there were four straight table spots. The last of which was a Spanish fly from Axiom to Angelo Dawkins. That will probably be the most memorable. Making the other three pointless brutal bumps that will be forgotten. The goal of so many participants is to lessen the amount of damage taken for talent. Yet, having several painful moments that won’t be remembered in a few weeks also seems very counterproductive.
At the end of the match, the biggest highlight was Candice LaRae going through a ladder on the outside. She had a star moment yet wasn’t even in the match.
This year’s TLC match created an enjoyable but forgettable chaos derby. Which takes us to our next point: It didn’t make any stars.
No one was elevated by being a part of SummerSlam’s TLC tag title match
Before Sunday’s TLC match, WWE pointed out that both the Hardy and Dudley Boyz were ringside for the bout to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first TLC match at SummerSlam 2000. Their appearance was notable not just because they were in the original, but that bout and the other ladder matches they were in helped turn them, as well as Edge and Christian, into legendary tag teams.
In those matches, there were just three teams and six participants. Back then, it was a lot, but just a fraction of what we saw over the weekend. However, those three teams crafted amazing and violent stories in each of those matches. All six had memorable moments that have earned them a place in WWE fans’ hearts a quarter of a century later.
That is usually the ultimate goal of TLC, ladder, table, or even Hell in the Cell matches. To create legendary moments that help elevate talents into new stars, or stars into icons. None of the six teams was truly elevated at SummerSlam 2025.
At a time when the tag division on SmackDown is jam-packed, the match badly needed to do that. Instead, the performers got participation earnings, which is nice now, but does nothing for their careers long-term.
