The iconic Tables Match is forever a staple in the world of professional wrestling. From the first time I saw Bubba Ray Dudley start powerbombing women through tables, to the incorporation of tables during the Edge/Christian, Hardy and Dudley’s battles over the Tag Team titles, Tables Matches have been a unique type of match that brought on a new level of violence that dedicated wrestling fans have appreciated over the years.
But lately, in the last couple of years since WWE moved into the PG era, Tables Matches have been watered down by booking so much that the outcomes were either hugely disappointing or mediocre at best. Don’t get me wrong, having the spontaneous table appear during a match still has its charms, but when a stand alone Tables Match is booked the violent element has been hampered to such a degree that without other elements such as ladders and chairs, probably other foreign objects, then Tables Matches haven’t been that attractive.
Not to mention that they are actually a very lousy way to book a title change. During a standard match for a title, at least when the champion is pinned or submitted by an opponent it looks believable. But if you’re the champion crashing through the table, it almost comes off as a fluke win for the other guy or gal who now looks like they just got really lucky.
Take Sheamus vs. John Cena in a Tables Match in December 2009. Cena had a table set up in the ring, and was going for a Superplex on Sheamus when Sheamus countered by shoving Cena off the top turnbuckle, resulting in Cena falling through the table in the ring. This is not to take away from Sheamus’ credentials at the time; he became the first Irish born WWE champion which is groundbreaking. The man is a bruiser who legitimately can be a champion, but it just seems like his first title win came off as a fluke because the other guy “fell by accident” in the context of the Tables Match.
Last years’ Smackdown exclusive TLC pay per view Tables Match for the Women’s Title between Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch had a similar ending. Both women were fighting on the ring apron when Becky was tripped up by Alexa, who then fell through a table set up just outside the ring. Coincidentally, Becky was the first Smackdown Women’s champion, and also she was Irish.
If you remember the Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes Tables Match for the Intercontinental Title, the ending was almost hilarious in its ridiculousness. Does anyone remember how that match ended? Big Show going in was IC, and Cody was the challenger. The match ended when Big Show lost his footing getting back in the ring, and he stepped onto a table propped up on the outside, putting his whole leg through the table. By the rules of the match, Big Show went through the table and therefore he lost the IC title.
It’s becoming a trend that Tables Matches are having really bad spots come up. During a 6 person match between the Dudley Boyz, Rhyno and the Wyatt Family, a botched sequence in which D-von was put through a table apparently didn’t count because Michael Cole said, “all three opponents on one team have to go through a table”. Um…since when???
The mystique of the stand alone Tables Match is rapidly disintegrating, especially in the case where championships are on the line. Perhaps it is time for WWE to abandon the match itself; keep tables as part of Extreme Rules matches or during TLC pay per views as part of the iconic TLC matches. But it’s high time for Tables Matches to go.
An average professional doing the 9-5 grind who really loves wrestling across all platforms. Here's hoping wrestlers finally get some basic workers rights in 2021.
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