WWE TLC is only a few weeks away, and perhaps the biggest match on the card is for none other than the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Becky Lynch will defend her title against Charlotte Flair and Asuka in the first ever women’s Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.
However, this isn’t the first time women have been in matches where tables and ladders were involved. So, without further ado, here are 3 women’s TLC-related matches you might not remember!
1. Beth Phoenix vs. Katie Lea: Ladder Match for the OVW Women’s Championship (Dec. 23, 2006)
Starting things off is a contest from WWE’s old developmental territory, OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling).
Beth Phoenix was originally on the RAW roster at the time, but returned to OVW in August after sustaining a fractured mandible against Victoria in June. She would win the OVW Women’s Championship that October, then lose it on Nov. 1 in a gauntlet match won by Katie Lea.
The Glamazon would begin to bring her own title to the ring, claiming that she was still the champion. A ladder match was announced to determine the undisputed women’s champion, with both belts hanging above the ring.
Lea would go on to win the match and the championship, while Phoenix would continue to wrestle in OVW until she returned to the main roster in July of 2007.
While some may not remember this contest, it still stands as the first and only one-on-one women’s ladder match in WWE history. At the rate the current women are going, however, it won’t be long until we possibly get to see this kind of match again.
2. Natalya & Beth Phoenix vs. LayCool: Divas Tag Team Tables Match (WWE TLC – Dec. 19, 2010)
Up next was a more well-known contest from just eight years ago.
Phoenix was in the midst of a feud with Layla and Michelle McCool in early 2010, winning the Divas Championship from McCool at Extreme Rules in April. But in May, she tore her ACL and subsequently lost the title to Layla a week later in a 2-on-1 handicap match.
She would return in November at Survivor Series, coming to the aid of Natalya after she won the Divas Championship from LayCool. The four would continue their rivalry for the rest of the month, culminating at TLC in December.
Natalya and Phoenix won the match, turning heel and forming the Divas of Doom shortly after. LayCool slowly started to implode after the loss and officially broke up in April of 2011. The two would come to blows at Extreme Rules in a no-DQ, no-count out, loser leaves WWE match, which was won by Layla.
The match was well-received by many, and remains the only women’s tag team tables match in WWE history.
3. Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss: Tables Match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship (WWE TLC – Dec. 4, 2016)
Finally, we come to the most recent TLC-themed bout in WWE.
Becky Lynch became the inaugural SmackDown Women’s Champion at Backlash in September 2016 after winning a six-pack elimination match. She was supposed to have her first title defense against Alexa Bliss at No Mercy the following month, but it was postponed after she sustained a legitimate injury.
Bliss would finally get her shot at the title in November, but failed to capture the belt. The match had a controversial ending, however, given that the referee did not see Bliss’ foot on the rope as she tapped out to the Dis-Arm-Her. Her rematch came at TLC in the first ever one-on-one women’s table match, where she defeated Lynch for the title.
The two would continue their feud for the next few months, with Mickie James being added to the mix. Bliss would lose the title to Naomi at Elimination Chamber in February of 2017, while Lynch would go on to be a part of various other feuds in the SmackDown Live women’s division.
Fast forward two years later, and The Man now looks to continue her reign as the current SmackDown Women’s Champion. Will she leave the SAP Center in San Jose, California with the title? We’ll all have to wait until December 16 to find out.