Are tables matches an inherently heel gimmick?

[Deleted]

Just something I got to thinking about from thinking that TLC almost definitely isn't going to be the end of Rusev / Lashley, and even if he wins Rusev wouldn't really be getting any meaningful revenge from it.

Besides it being very hard to have a finish that doesn't feel drawn out while still feeling satisfying, thus really calling for cheap finishes a lot of the time, I also can only think of Hardys / Dudleys in terms of ones of any kind of consequence (and really it's kind of a reach to say that match actually mattered, honestly) where the faces won, only other one coming to mind at all being Orton / Barrett which was unarguably completely pointless. Pretty much every one I can think of that had a belt or a stipulation attached the heel won.

I dunno. Might just be pulling stuff out of nowhere but it just kind of seems like a gimmick entirely designed for heels to win via flukes and run-ins, and when it comes to face wins it's just to pop the crowd with meaningless fluff.

[Mozenrath]

Cages, ladders, and indeed tables, are good for beating faces without ending in a pin or submission, in order to try to protect the face. That being said, it can do the same thing to protect a heel if that's their aim. Probably also comes down to the involved wrestlers and their finishing move, as well. Someone like Kane can win one fine since he can just chokeslam them, or Cena with the AA, but it gets more shaky when you have someone who doesn't really have a slam finisher.

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

I rememeber the Table Guantlet at No Mercy 2000 having a face Dudleys win after a reverse decision where there was a ref bump, the Dudleys broke a table, RTC interfered and put one of the Dudleys into the table debris, and the ref woke up and called for the bell, only for another ref to dispute the finish, and the Dudleys won the match again.

Man, that would be considered way overbooked if they did that again.