The following is a guest editorial by PWTorch reader Eric G....

Last night, I watched two guys beat the crap out of each other in a “lights out” match. A ladder was destroyed, as was a table, and more than a few chairs. Blood ran freely; cringe-worthy moments grabbed your attention while simultaneously making you more and more uncomfortable.

There were two chairshots to the head, though somewhat mitigated. I’m talking, of course, about the instant classic that was the blow off to the El Generico-Kevin Steen match at ROH’s Final Battle 2010. This match, while brutal and probably crossed the line of responsibility a few times, had a reason for being. It was the final chapter, the Final Battle, as it were, of a great, year-long feud. It also involved two guys who know each other intimately and are accustomed to wrestling in matches with such accoutrements.

That brings me to tonight’s WWE PPV, TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs. To say nothing of the ridiculous naming of a pay-per-view based on a certain kind of match, let alone basing a whole event on that, let's look at another reason this should be the last TLC PPV ever.

If the obviously forced nature of the show, of shoe-horning every title match and feud into a gimmick match stipulation, wasn’t enough to convince those in power at WWE that this isn’t a good idea, let's talk about safety. After all wrestling has gone through; after all we now know about concussions, a PPV from the industry-leading company shouldn't be celebrating the riskiest aspects of the business.

Tables in matches have been used in wrestling matches since the early-'90s. By themselves, the risk factor isn't all that high, but setting up multiple tables and involving them in more complex spots ups the possibility of a needless injury. Chairs are probably the most talked about element here; chairshots to the head cause concussions. Now, they can be mitigated with hands placed up or diverting the swing to the shoulder or such, but the more we know about head trauma, the more chair matches don’t seem like such a good idea.

The biggest element I have a problem with is the ladder match. You can’t fight physics; falling ten feet or more just shouldn’t happen to the body. Landing on your head after a fall from a ladder will probably, at least, give you a concussion. We don’t need another Joey Mercury incident again.

Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, and Jack Swagger have a Ladder Match. All three are pretty athletic, which is good unless you think they might try some ill-advised, unnecessary risks. The Divas are having a Tables Match; this shouldn't be much of a problem, but you never know. Sheamus-Morrison are in another Ladder Match; Morrison likes twisty, jumpy moves. This could get uncomfortable. Cena-Barrett have a Chair match; unless headshots are a problem, this could be manageable. Miz-Orton in a Tables Match; this shouldn’t be an issue with safety, I’d think. Kane-Edge-Rey-Del Rio in a TLC match; lots of variables here and lots of things that could go wrong.

I understand that WWE has taken the issue of concussions more seriously as of late, and I hope with Linda McMahon's electoral race over, this hasn't subsided. As a publicly traded company, setting the standard for safe working conditions should be a great public relations move. Why not be pro-active about this? You can ignore smart marks; you can dismiss the dirt sheets, but you can’t dispute science. Bodies in motion tend to stay in motion, unless something goes wrong and more pounds per square inch than is at all safe hits someone. Think about it.

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