Tag: TLC - Page 4

Figure Four Weekly 10/23/2017: Recapping WWE’s unusual TLC PPV

Posted on October 24, 2017 by F4W Staff

Making the most of a bad situation, Sunday night’s TLC pay-per-view provided a fun ending for what must have been a rough week for WWE.

Two wrestlers (Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt) being pulled from a PPV due to a viral infection just days before the show is always a bad situation. But TLC being built almost solely around the in-ring reunion of The Shield made the timing especially awful. Having a mediocre PPV is forgivable in the Network era, but WWE knew that they had to give ticket holders worthy replacements. AJ Styles stepping in for Wyatt against Finn Balor was a logical choice with both being former leaders of the Bullet Club, but Kurt Angle returning on such short notice to team with Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose was surprising.

The strong fill-ins led to inevitable claims about WWE

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WWE TLC fan feedback

Posted on October 23, 2017 by F4W Staff

Thumbs Up

Best Match: AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor
Worst Match: Enzo Amore vs. Kalisto

Overall I thought TLC was a good show. Banks vs. Fox was a reasonably good pre-show match and the fans seemed into it. The fans were pretty good for most of the show which helped things. Asuka vs. Emma was good, although maybe a little too much offense for Emma. Asuka obviously had to win. Hope they don’t book her like they book everyone else that has come up through NXT and that includes Shinsuke losing clean a bunch and Roode already losing to Dolph etc.

Alexander and Swann vs. Kendrick and Gallagher was a good tag match. Good action. They need to keep that up on 205. Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James was a solid match and the women’s matches were more hard hitting then they have been on WWE. NXT usually allows for it more. Enzo vs. Kalisto was lame. Enzo having the title since he’s an obnoxious heel is okay, but he is lousy in the ring. He really should just be a manager for guys who need them like Corbin, Cass etc. Back of the line for you Kalisto, or so I hope. Time to move Cedric or Swann or someone more exciting to the front of the line.

Balor vs. Styles was a lot of fun. Very good match and Balor going over puts him in a good position. Hopefully these guys will be on opposite Survivor Series teams so we can see some more. Jordan vs. Elias was fine, but nothing great. That finish seemed like it wasn’t planned, but who knows. I’m sure they will meet again tomorrow night. Main event was wild, although certainly not the way I would have liked to see Angle return especially when he is wearing Shield gear. I guess Braun is a face now and he will destroy Kane in time for Glen’s election. But overall a solid show. War Games and Survivor Series here we come and the obliteration of Jinder by Brock.

– Robb Block

**********

Thumbs Up

Best Match: AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor
Worst Match: Kalisto vs. Enzo Amore

It amused me to hear WWE’s announcers try to explain the history of Styles and Balor leading Bullet Club in New Japan without mentioning the faction or the promotion aside from just saying Japan, like “the New York territory” or “up north” by WCW wrestlers (and others) referencing WWF/WWE back in the day.

The main event was a car crash spot fest with tons of crazy stunts. Generally speaking, I’m not particularly fond of WWE weapon-heavy matches. But these guys worked very hard and it was a difficult choice for me for Best Match between the main event and Styles/Balor.

I still don’t think burning through Angle’s return to a WWE ring was worth it, though at least they tried to make the most of it, complete with saving the pop from Angle’s music for his mid-match return from nap time. Maybe they didn’t actually change the match layout all that much from what was planned for Roman?

They clearly tried to protect Angle, though the bump he took landing head-first on the apron late against Miz didn’t look good. It’s ridiculous to me that WWE will allow Angle to wrestle and take bumps but not Bryan Danielson, but WWE is a strange company that plays by its own rules — even when those rules make no sense.

If nothing else, there are all kinds of merchandising options for the Shield version of Kurt Angle, even if it was a one-time only thing. Perhaps something like the CM Punk action figure made by Mattel with the Macho Man tribute outfit Punk wore once on TV.

– Lou Pickney

**********

Just wanted to give my thoughts on the TLC show from tonight. I gave the show a big thumbs up, I thought it was great considering the revamping they had to do, and as a result probably ended up with a better card than originally planned. I thought the best match of the night was the main event TLC match and worst match of the night being the Jordan / Elias match as it was just basically a long comedy segment.

Banks / Fox — Good match, surprised it was on the pre show segment of the night, but otherwise a good match. Banks is great and hope they are elevating Fox into the title picture eventually or just having more of an impact in the women’s division as they really haven’t don’t much with her. Good win for Banks, but would have elevated Fox if she had won.

Asuka / Emma — I thought it was a good match, good to see Asuka on the main roster finally. I thought it was a very physical match and Emma plays a great heel. I’ve seen better matches in NXT with Asuka, but it was still a good match and worked well. Good win and debut for Asuka on the main roster.

Kendrick / Gallagher vs. Cedric / Swann — Good tag match, good win for Cedric / Swann. Would like to see the cruiserweights featured more on Raw and given the time to have good matches. Raw definitely has the time available to showcase the cruiserweights in great matches but they often don’t. The 3 hrs for Raw is constant replays of segments all night. They should dedicate more time on PPV and Raw to this division as they have the talent.

Bliss / James — Was a good match. Good win for Bliss to retain the title, but was hoping Mickie would win and get another run with the title. But Bliss definitely has the “it” factor going and is good for being so young, she can really play to the crowd. Good match.

Kalisto / Enzo — A good win to put the title back on Enzo as he draws attention and hopefully this will spark more interest and more focus on the cruiserweight division. Enzo is by far not the best cruiserweight but can elevate interest in the division I think. Would rather see him stay face as clearly the crowd does not want to boo him. Good win for Enzo

Balor / Styles — A true dream match that would have been given more time if it happened in New Japan. This match could have gone 45 minutes to an hour as both men have the cardio for it and I would have loved to see a match go that long with these two. But I know that would never happen in WWE. So it was great for the time given and told a great story. Good win for Balor, AJ did not look weak in getting pinned as it was a strong match. Ended great with a “too sweet” in the ring and respect shown between both competitors. Would have been awesome if the Young Bucks did a run in, but one can only dream, lol. Almost had my vote for best match of the night and it was a very close match for match of the night if the main event had not been so entertaining. Hopefully we will get a rematch somewhere down the line and Styles gets the win and sets up best of 3 series. Maybe at Survivor Series since it’s a combined roster show?

Jordan / Elias — Comedy time filling match. And I’m sure to buffer the crowd between the Balor / Styles match and the TLC main event.

Angle, Ambrose, Rollins vs. Miz, Braun, Kane, Cesaro, Sheamus — Was a great main event and very entertaining. Was given plenty of time since the match was going to have limitations with 3 on 5 and Angle being limited to what he could do. This match was all over the place and everyone was very physical. Was hoping for a surprise teammate for the Shield crew since Angle is the GM and could have authorized someone to compete on their team such as a surprise return by Brock Lesnar or even Undertaker. But no complaints at all as I thought the main event was great and just had a fun time watching the match and how physical it was.

I don’t think Angle should do anything else other than tag matches on rare occasions as I don’t think he has a singles career match really left in him to have a great match but his limitations can be hidden in matches like this. Would have been a good career boost for Jason Jordan if they instead threw him into this match to protect Kurt, but could have also botched the match as well. It was great for what it was. An excellent and wild main event match. Told a good story. Was given the proper time. It was a fun match to watch and good to have Angle get the win.

– Jon Southerland

**********

Thumbs Up

Best Match: Balor v Styles
Worst Match: TLC Match

There was a lot of choices on TV tonight (Super Bowl rematch, Walking Dead premiere) so flirted with watching later on demand but did go with watching live and was entertained by the card.

That main event though was something else in the vein of the doomsday cage match. Way too many aspects where you’d have to suspend disbelief too far for the nonsense. Don’t think Roman being in it would change it either the dynamic was always too weird. I Think folks will be talking about this spectacle for a while in the bad way.

Balor Styles was insane especially given the short notice and AJs schedule. Hope we get a rematch at Survivor Series if they are doing a number of interbrand matches.

Both main card women’s matches were good as were the cruiserweight matches. Elias Jordan didn’t need to be dragged out over all those segments; one to lead to a match would have been fine. I enjoy both more than others so end result was fine.

Do we still get a Miz led coalition against the Shield match when Roman is back? If so man I hope its a six man.

– Michael O’Brien

**********

Thumbs up show

Best Match: Styles vs. Balor
Worst Match: Enzo vs. Kalisto

I thought this was the best WWE PPV in recent memory. The two last minute changes made the show way better than originally conceived. The show never dragged, the Enzo and Elias matches were lame, but they served to Pace the show well. I thought Mickey looked really sharp in her match and her promo was well received by the crowd. I would like to see her get a run with the title soon. The too sweet at the end of Styles match added to the match immensely, especially since the guy in the cease and desist shirt was on hard cam all night. This was a classic match that paid off huge smart-fans. I like seeing Angle again, he didn’t take dumb chances. The same can’t be said for Ambrose. He took some crazy bumps. His two botched table spots look painful. It was a nice brawl with good heat. It was the most fun I’ve had watching a WWE show in a long time.

– Adam Bogan

**********

Thumbs in the middle.

Best Match: AJ v. Finn
Worst Match: Enzo v. Kalisto

Only thing keeping this from being a thumbs down is the AJ/Finn match and Angle during the last part of the main event. Asuka was fine as well, although I think she should’ve won more decisively.

– Michael Askounes

**********

Thumbs Up.

Best Match: AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor
Worst Match: Enzo vs. Kalisto

TLC Main Event was exactly as advertised (well, not the actual participants but the style of the TLC match itself). Aside from the obvious caution signs in booking high spot demolition derbies like this and the Summerslam main event when it comes to the “law of diminishing returns” and basic fan inoculation it sure as hell was entertaining for a total schmoz, even though they took it a bit too goofy/overboard with the dumpster stuff and had the fans chanting “This is Murder”, which was weird (I loved Cesaro’s response to the crowd’s chant). This wasn’t my personal flavor of match but I still enjoyed it.

AJ/Balor was really great and babyface vs. babyface matches are usually a harder story to tell and it reached that point of excitement, to where I didn’t mind which guy won and really didn’t want it to end yet and could’ve watched them go all night. One negative to the match (and it was a throughline for the entire show), was how detrimental Booker T is while on commentary and how silly and asinine his contributions are, to the point where it feels like he’s not really paying attention to the matches. That said, really impressive showings by both AJ and Balor.

Mickie/Alexa Bliss picked up as it went along but felt a bit rudderless and I’m not sure if Alexa got lost but it seemed a bit clunky in spots and the crowd seemed fairly quiet and disengaged. I get heels cheating to win, but I don’t like the WWE booking of referees interfering in the babyface’s aggressive comeback (Mickie and Kalisto), which leads to the heel getting the upper hand and win, since it doesn’t make sense that the referee lets so much go on in a match but then inserts themselves at that moment. It’s weird logic to me and almost makes the referee a heel by cutting off the babyfaces at selective moments of the match.

Enzo/Kalisto wasn’t very good, didn’t really have much flow and there was a spot where Enzo went for a version of the hiptoss/rockerdropper reversal spot and looked to land directly on his head. I thought the cruiser tag was much, much better technically, although the finish looked a bit awkward. I really enjoy both Swann and Alexander and think they have loads of potential to be an exciting babyface tag team to challenge for the RAW titles, since they’ve got fire and can sell from underneath and are also in purgatory in 205 Live, where there is no tag division.

Asuka/Emma: I enjoyed the opener and thought it was a really solid showing from Emma, although it was a bit of a head scratcher since I’m not sure tonight was the night for them to have a competitive match, since they’ve touted Asuka’s RAW debut as such a big deal and pushed her as this undefeated wrecking ball and by contrast, they haven’t really booked Emma as anything significant in years. As a result, it didn’t feel like the fans believed in any of Emma’s pinfalls as a real threat, so there wasn’t any heat to them and I think it might’ve been more beneficial to just give the fans a more dominant Asuka showcase here.

Overall, a better-than-average WWE PPV, which was likely saved by the AJ Styles replacement, that elevated the show from being a “one match card” with the main event, to having two really entertaining “PPV caliber” matches and an undercard of pretty bland, run of the mill filler that was solid but unspectacular.

– Jeff Parker

**********

Thumbs Up

Best Match: AJ Styles vs Finn Balor
Worst Match: Jason Jordan vs Elias

One a first impression, AJ vs Finn is a strong contender for me personally in terms of WWE MOTY. I do wish they’d had another five minutes or so to build to the finish a little more.

TLC was ridiculous in a mostly fun way. Seemed obvious that they tried to protect Kurt, at times he looked rough, but I’m not sure how much was him selling vs actually struggling. It went longer than I would have liked; if Kurt feels ok, I’d be interested in seeing him have a few limited one on one or traditional tag matches.

I can’t tell if Elias gets good heat or go-away heat. In ring he’s one of the most boring guys on the main roster.

**********

All in all, TLC was pretty underwhelming. Initially, I was excited for the changes, but WWE found a way to not capitalize on them (ex: not letting Kurt come out in his ring attire after he returned).

Thumbs up: AJ/Finn — Pretty good match, but it should’ve been given more time (shave 10 minutes off that main event).
Thumbs down: The rest of the card — Emma looked way too strong, Cruiserweight Division is dying, the main event was all over the place (seriously, they killed a guy).

– Jordan Kirkland

**********

Best match of course AJ and Finn
Worst match The Main EVENT

I thought the main event was confusing and all over the place and a lot of other people did too I think it was a waste of a Kurt angle return and it reminded me of a WCW Vince Russo booked gimmick match terrible pay per view.

– Mathew Pritchard

**********

– Thumbs Up

Best Match: AJ Styles vs Finn Balor
Worst Match: Elias Sampson vs Jason Jordan

So Kurt Angle had his first match back in WWE in 11 years and got cheered like crazy, got the W, even his “son” got a W, but the storyline made no sense.

Finn Balor got a W over AJ Styles and this will probably continue with a Survivor Series team matchup.

Enzo Amore won the Cruiserweight title back – and got cheered, even in his heel persona.

Two-match show that still delivered.

– Jeff Cohen

**********

I give the show a Thumbs Down, I thought AJ Vs Finn Was amazing, best match without a doubt, and (it sucks that bray got sick but) it saved us from a pumpkin Finn vs Sister Abigail so that’s great!

The rest of the Card was forgettable, it felt like a long episode of main event, Enzo in my opinion is so annoying that I went to the kitchen to get a snack during his match, I know he is the heel and I’m supposed to hate him, but I cant stand to see him anymore.

Asuka vs Emma was ok, nothing special.

and the TLC main event was sooooooo damn stupid, made no sense, and I was so happy to see Kurt back, but It was a clusterf*ck of chair shots that made no damage, nobody sold injury and that garbage truck was the cherry on the shit sundae they gave us.

hope my opinion is useful, have a nice week!

– Fernando Leon

WWE TLC live results: Kurt Angle returns to the ring, Styles vs. Balor

Posted on October 22, 2017 by Dave Meltzer

With a card that had to be revised due to a major shakeup in the days leading up to the show, WWE returns to pay-per-view as TLC takes place at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota tonight.

Both Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt had to be pulled from the PPV due to medical issues. In Reigns’ place, Kurt Angle will wrestle in a WWE ring for the first time in over a decade as he teams with Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose against The Miz, Cesaro, Sheamus, Braun Strowman & Kane in a tables, ladders, and chairs match.

Wyatt will be replaced by AJ Styles on the show, with Styles facing Finn Balor at the otherwise Raw-exclusive PPV. This will be the first time that Styles and Balor, both former leaders of the Bullet Club, have wrestled each other.

We’re looking for your thoughts on tonight’s show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]

Also scheduled for tonight, Asuka will make her main roster debut against Emma, Alexa Bliss will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Mickie James, Enzo Amore challenges Kalisto for the Cruiserweight title, and Rich Swann & Cedric Alexander team up to take on Jack Gallagher & Brian Kendrick.

On the pre-show, Sasha Banks faces Alicia Fox and Drew Gulak’s PowerPoint presentation continues. Our coverage begins with that before the main card starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

**********
Drew Gulak was told he was cut for time. He was just doing a promo for the TV crowd. He wants no more chanting, flying, flipping, coming off the top rope, chanting and then they went to a commercial while he complained that Elias has been given time on the PPV. They teased the idea of an Elias vs. Jason Jordan angle.

SASHA BANKS VS. ALICIA FOX

Banks won a standard match using the bank statement after Fox missed an ax kick. A few cool things, including Fox doing two great bridging Northern lights suplexes and a spinning backbreaker on the floor.

ASUKA VS. EMMA

A little longer than I expected for Asuka’s debut but of course she won with a high kick and the Asuka lock. The crowd seemed into her. It was definitely slower moving than her NXT matches. Emma got some good offesne with the biggest thing pulling her by the air off the apron and throwing Asuka to the floor.

Miz, Cesaro and Sheamus were backstage doing an interview. Sheamus said he wanted to Brogue kicked a gold medalist. Miz said Kurt Angle would never have stepped in for Sheamus and Cesaro. He said Kurt Angle only cares out himself and waited for the perfect moment to put himself in a main event against me. Miz was taunting Angle, said Angle thinks he’s a super hero but he’ll be meeting a monster among men. Strowman said told them to stay out of his way as he’s snuffing out Angle, Rollins and Ambrose. Kane showed up and confronted Strowman. Miz after tonight with Angle done and Ambrose & Rollins broken down they will rule raw. Kane said he’s turning the match into hell on Earth. The story here is Miz & Cesaro & Sheamus are together and the other two are for themselves.

Elias is out. Jason Jordan was throwing vegetabels adn bannana peels at him. So that’s a new program. And then the segment ended.

BRIAN KENDRICK & JACK GALLAGHER VS. CEDRIC ALEXANDER & RICH SWANN

Good match, best so far. Short but all action with some cool moves. Kendrick had the captain’s hook on Alexander, but Swann broke it up with a Phoenix splash. Swann gave Kendrick a spin kick and then Alexander pinned Kendrick after the Captain’s hook. The highlight was Alexander doing a running flip dive onto both Gallagher & Kendrick, and actually pretty much missed both and landed on his feet.

The whole show is being pushed around Kurt Angle’s return.

Alexa Bliss did an interview. She doesn’t know what biscuit butt means and she said she likes her butt and it’s cute. Mickie is just a mom, when I was young I idolized Mickie James, she’s gone toe to toe with Trish Stratus, Lita and Beth Phoenix. Bliss said James talks about her good old days but now it’s just old.

ALEXA BLISS VS. MICKIE JAMES FOR WOMEN’S TITLE

Bliss pulled James’ shoulder into the turnbuckles and hit the DDT for the pin. So far favorites are up 4-0 although these were pretty easy bouts to call. Bliss worked over the left shoulder during the match. Match told a story, there was a hot slapfest after kind of a slow open. The crowd disrespected them with a “We want tables” chant for no reason.

Charly Caruso interviewed. James. She said she’s proud of her perforrmance and said she gave her heart and soul and hoped she proved she was worthy of the title shot and it won’t be her last time getting a title shot and she’ll win the title again.

Rollins, Ambrose and Angle were backstage. Angle said he doesn’t know what he has left, but says he’ll give 100 percent. Rollins gave Kurt a Shield jacket. So he’ll be wearing the outfit and basically said Kurt was in The Shield. The crowd popped for this.

Elias is out again. Crowd booed him pretty heavy. Jordan threw lettuce at him again. He was pelting Elias with food. Weird that the heel commentator was backing Jordan (Graves) and Michael Cole was backing Elias.

Enzo’s voice is almost gone. He joked that he lost his voice. He said his voice is the only thing I’m losing. There are three types of people, people who make things happen like me, those who watch things happen like you fans who are losers, and the third type of person is the one who sits around and wonders what happened. He did the SAWFT deal with the fans.

KALISTO VS. ENZO AMORE FOR CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE

Amore regained the title with a thumb to the eye when Enzo pulled the apron drape into the ring and the ref tried to pull it out of the ring. Enzo used tthe Jordanzo for the pin. The fans cheered the title change. Nothing much to the match. Kalisto kept working for a Salida del Sol but never got it. Enzo did a cool flying DDT for a near fall. There was a very light “We Want Neville” chant.

Enzo said he wanted to thank himself and told the fans he’s giving them a no thank you.

DEMON FINN BALOR VS. A.J. STYLES

Really good match. Not close to a match of the year or anything but two great wrestlers both working hard. Balor won witht he Wooo dropkick and a killer coup de gras for the clean pin. They did the “too sweet” sign together after. Balor did a running flip dive. Styles tackled him over the German table. They did most of their regular stuff. Styles did a springboard Frankensteiner for a near fall. It was very professional in the sense everything was good, everything made sense. The crowd was very into it with “This is awesome chants” before the match even started..

JASON JORDAN VS. ELIAS

Elias was singing and said that he was having a match with Jordan.

The finish Jrodan reversed a suplex into an inside cradle. Samson kicked out before the three but his shoulder was actually down even though he kicked out. But they will play it up like Elias had his shoudler up for controversy to set up a rematch and probably a longer program. Jordan looked impressive here. They were put in the death spot on the show but the work was solid and people were okay with it.

The Survivor Series commercial is built around Raw vs. Smackdown matches.

The Miz said he had a surprise at the end and said they were going to treat the other team like garbage and send them to the dump.

KURT ANGLE & DEAN AMBROSE & SETH ROLLINS VS. BRAUN STROWMAN & KANE & THE MIZ & CESARO & SHEAMUS IN A TLC MATCH

Long crazy match which ended when Angle & Rollins & Ambrose gave Miz a triple power bomb and pinned him. The match told a ton of different stories. At first the faces had the edge with tons oof chair shots. Then Cesaro & Sheamus came back with chair shots. Rollins & Ambrose both came off high on ladders to splash Strowman & Kane both through two different announcers tables. Angle did a shine spot with Gemran suplexes on everyone until Strowman broke up an ankle lock and powerslammed Angle through a table. Angle was carried to the back to make it 5 on 2. Then Strowman and Kane argued and Strowman shove down Kane. Ambrose, who took a ton of punishment, was given a double crucifix bomb and bounced off the table that didn’t break. They set the table up in the corner and Strowman threw Ambrose through the table. Kane turne on Strowman and choke slammed himi through a gimmicked part of the stage. Kane pulled down chairs hanging from the ceiling and the chairs all fell on Strowman. This looks to be the Strowman face turn to feud with Kane. Kane choke slammed Ambrose & Rollins through a table. Ambrose landed badly again. Stormwn recovered and threw Miz iuto the wall. Strowman was beating on the heels until Kane put Strowman down. All the heels beat him down and threw him into the back of a garbage truck. In theory, Strowman was crushed into a million pieces in the garbage truck but he’ll be fine. The truck drove off and that was it for Strowman. Angle then came back out and destoryed Sheamus & Cesaro. Kane went to give Angle a tombsone piledriver but Rollins hit Kane with a chair to the back. Rollins & Amborse gave Kane a double tackle through the barricade. Miz hit the skull crushing finale on Angle, who kicked out. Angle got the ankle lock on Miz, but Miz kicked Angle out of the ring. Rollins gave Miz the knee, Ambrose gave him Dirty Deeds, Angle gave Miz the Angle slam and then they used the Shield triple power bomb on Miz for the pin.

WWE: Three of our performers have been diagnosed with viral infection

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Joseph Currier

After announcing some major shakeups to the TLC card earlier this afternoon, WWE issued a statement to ESPN about the reason behind the changes.

“We have confirmed that three of our performers have been diagnosed with a viral infection,” a WWE representative told ESPN. “As a precautionary measure, we are ensuring in-ring performers and staff are tested and immunized in accordance with recommended medical guidelines.”

The company revealed earlier this afternoon that Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt won’t be wrestling at Sunday’s pay-per-view due to medical issues that are impacting them. Reigns had been scheduled to team with Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose against The Miz, Cesaro, Sheamus, Braun Strowman & Kane in the show’s tables, ladders, and chairs main event but will now be replaced by Kurt Angle.

Stepping in for Wyatt is AJ Styles, who will now be facing Finn Balor at the otherwise Raw-exclusive PPV. Our Bryan Alvarez tweeted that their match is currently scheduled to get a good amount of time on Sunday and that creative is working on big changes for Raw with Reigns out.

Wyatt, Bo Dallas, and Jojo have been off of TV in recent weeks, with Dallas sidelined by an undisclosed illness. Reigns wrestled Strowman in a steel cage match in the main event of last Monday’s episode of Raw.

Kurt Angle returning to the ring, Styles facing Balor at WWE TLC

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Joseph Currier

There’s been a major shakeup to the TLC card ahead of Sunday’s pay-per-view.

WWE.com announced today that Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt are off of the show due to medical issues that are impacting them. In Reigns’ place, Kurt Angle will be wrestling in a WWE ring for the first time in over a decade as he teams with Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins against The Miz, Cesaro, Sheamus, Braun Strowman & Kane in a tables, ladders, and chairs match.

The in-ring reunion of The Shield, which the PPV was heavily built around in the weeks leading up to the show, will now be delayed until some point after TLC.

SmackDown’s AJ Styles will fill in for Wyatt in his match against Finn Balor, which means that the two former leaders of the Bullet Club will be facing off for the first time on short notice. Wyatt, his brother Bo Dallas, and Jojo have been off of TV, with Dallas having an undisclosed illness. Dave Meltzer noted in yesterday’s daily update that Wyatt is said to be ill as well.

The Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota will host TLC on Sunday night. The rest of the card will have Alexa Bliss defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Mickie James, Asuka making her main roster debut against Emma, Kalisto defending the Cruiserweight title against Enzo Amore, Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher vs. Rich Swann & Cedric Alexander, and Sasha Banks vs. Alicia Fox.

Three more matches set for WWE TLC

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Joseph Currier

WWE rounded out the card for TLC on tonight’s go-home edition of Raw.

As expected, Finn Balor will be facing Bray Wyatt at Sunday’s pay-per-view — or rather The Demon will be taking on Sister Abigail. Balor delivered one final message to Wyatt on Raw tonight, which ended with his face transforming into an orange version of his Demon persona.

The match will be the third time Balor vs. Wyatt has happened on PPV in recent months. While wearing his Demon paint, Balor defeated Wyatt at SummerSlam in August. Balor then got another win over Wyatt without the paint in a match that was billed as “man vs. man” at No Mercy last month.

With much of the Raw roster involved in the main event, there will be multiple matches in the women’s and cruiserweight divisions at TLC. Sasha Banks vs. Alicia Fox is set for the pre-show, and WWE lists that there will be a cruiserweight tag match with Cedric Alexander & Rich Swann teaming against Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher.

The Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota will host TLC on Sunday night. Here’s what the updated lineup for the show looks like:

The Shield (Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins) vs. The Miz, Cesaro, Sheamus, Braun Strowman & Kane in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Mickie James
The Demon (Finn Balor) vs. Sister Abigail (Bray Wyatt)
Asuka vs. Emma
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Kalisto defending against Enzo Amore
Cedric Alexander & Rich Swann vs. Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher
Sasha Banks vs. Alicia Fox (pre-show match)

Kane returns on WWE Raw, gets added to TLC main event

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Joseph Currier

Kane returned to WWE television on tonight’s episode of Raw, and he’ll be involved in the main event of TLC on Sunday.

Kane will be teaming with The Miz, Cesaro, Sheamus & Braun Strowman against The Shield in a tables, ladders, and chairs match at the pay-per-view. That was decided after Kane’s interference helped Strowman defeat Roman Reigns in a steel cage main event on Raw tonight.

The storyline was that the heels would get to add another member to their team if Strowman won, but it would have been three-on-three with him removed from the match if he lost. WWE had been teasing who Miz’s choice would be for the additional partner. It was assumed to be Curtis Axel, who was beaten down by The Shield after he tried to attack Reigns, but Miz said that he had different plans.

Cesaro, Sheamus, Rollins, and Ambrose had gotten involved in a brawl during the cage match that ended up backstage, with Miz closing a garage door and preventing them from being able to get back in. Reigns appeared to have the match won, but Kane emerged through the ring and gave him a chokeslam and a tombstone. Strowman got the win with a powerslam, then Miz officially announced that Kane would be the fifth member of their team.

Sunday will be the first time that Kane has wrestled this year. Much of his time has been spent campaigning for mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, with both the primary and general election for that mayoral race set to take place in 2018.

Asuka to debut against Emma at WWE TLC

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Joseph Currier

Asuka officially has an opponent for her main roster debut.

Emma won a fatal five-way elimination match on Raw tonight and will be facing Asuka at TLC on October 22nd. Dana Brooke, Bayley, Alicia Fox, and Sasha Banks were also in the fatal five-way match, with Emma sneaking up on Banks for the last elimination after Banks had submitted Fox with the Banks Statement.

Though TLC is where Asuka will be making her main roster debut, it won’t be the first time that she’s faced Emma on a WWE Network special. Asuka previously defeated her at NXT TakeOver: London in December of 2015.

TLC is Raw’s last pay-per-view before November’s dual-branded Survivor Series show. Here’s what the card for the PPV looks like so far:

The Shield (Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins) vs. The Miz, Cesaro, Sheamus & Braun Strowman in a TLC match
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Mickie James
Asuka vs. Emma

The Shield reunites, main event set for WWE TLC

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Joseph Currier

The Shield’s first match as a reunited trio is officially set after the group joined forces again on Raw tonight.

Kurt Angle first announced that Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins would be taking on The Miz, Cesaro & Sheamus in a tables, ladders, and chairs match in the main event of the TLC pay-per-view later this month. It was later changed to a three-on-four match, with Braun Strowman joining Miz, Cesaro & Sheamus after The Shield powerbombed him through the announce table.

Their reunion came after Miz TV with Cesaro and Sheamus opened Raw tonight. The Miz gave out some “Mizzie Awards” during the segment, including a best supporting actor one to Cesaro and Sheamus for their help in attacking Reigns last week. Miz tried to give himself an award for proving that he’s the real Big Dog of WWE, which brought out Reigns and then Ambrose and Rollins.

TLC will take place at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 22nd. Alexa Bliss defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Mickie James was previously announced for the PPV, with Asuka also set to make her main roster debut on the show.

Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James set for WWE TLC

Posted on October 3, 2017 by Joseph Currier

The first match is officially set for Raw’s TLC pay-per-view.

As expected, it was confirmed on Raw tonight that Alexa Bliss would be defending her Women’s Championship against Mickie James at the PPV. Their storyline began last week when James confronted Bliss for calling her an “old lady” on the No Mercy post-show, with James then laying Bliss out with a kick when she repeated the insult.

James defeated Nia Jax by disqualification tonight after Bliss broke up a pin. The match was set up earlier in the night when James found a walker and a package of Depends in her locker room. She went looking for Bliss, who was with Jax after apparently rekindling their friendship. Bliss didn’t want to face James, but James agreed to face Jax.

In a segment after the match, Kurt Angle made Bliss vs. James official for TLC.

TLC will take place at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 22nd. There will be at least one other women’s match on the show, with Asuka set to make her main roster debut at the PPV.

Asuka to make her main roster debut at WWE TLC

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Joseph Currier

Asuka is officially set to make her main roster debut next month.

It was announced in a video that aired on last night’s pre-show and the main No Mercy broadcast that Asuka would be debuting at Raw’s TLC pay-per-view on October 22nd. The Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota will host that show, which is Raw’s last PPV before Survivor Series.

Whether Asuka would immediately be inserted into the Women’s title picture wasn’t indicated, though Alexa Bliss was asked about Asuka joining the Raw roster before No Mercy and on the post-show after successfully defending her title. She said that Asuka joining Raw is great for the division, but she’s never faced a goddess like Bliss.

During that appearance on the No Mercy post-show, Bliss also discussed running through her competition on the Raw roster after defeating Bayley, Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, and Emma in the fatal five-way Women’s title match last night.

Asuka left NXT undefeated and without ever having lost the brand’s Women’s Championship as she vacated the title in a segment that aired on the September 6th episode. It was later revealed that she would be heading to Raw upon her arrival on the main roster.

WWE SmackDown live results: Survivor Series fallout and the build to TLC

Posted on November 23, 2016 by Steve Khan

Date: November 22, 2016
Location: Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario

The Big Takeaway —

James Ellsworth defeated AJ Styles yet again, this time in a ladder match to earn a SmackDown contract and a future WWE Championship match. Dean Ambrose was repeatedly kicked out of the building by Shane McMahon, but returned one final time to help Ellsworth.

Several matches were made official for TLC. Alexa Bliss will get her Women’s title rematch against Becky Lynch. Dolph Ziggler and The Miz will go at it one final time for the IC Title in a ladder match. Finally, Nikki Bella will get another shot at Carmella in a no disqualification match.

American Alpha appeared to have earned a tag team title shot, but will have one final obstacle–a match against Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton next week.

Show Recap —

The show started with a video package of the men’s Raw vs. SmackDown match at Survivor Series.

Shane McMahon came out and walked very slowly to the ring. He got a big reaction and “You still got it” chants. Shane said he felt like he got into a car accident, but wanted to give Raw some credit, especially Roman Reigns. He was happy SmackDown won of course, and gave props to Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt for getting the win. He mentioned that AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose couldn’t get along, which brought out Ambrose.

Ambrose, who was mostly cheered, said Shane should be happy. It’s a new day, there’s snow on the ground in Ottawa, and SmackDown got the win. Shane brought up Ambrose almost risking everything by reuniting with The Shield and powerbombing Styles through a table. Ambrose blew this off and brought out the team MVP, James Ellsworth. Ellsworth is in a neckbrace and can barely walk.

Ambrose said Shane had a surprise for Ellsworth. Shane wanted to do this in private, but Ambrose went ahead and spoiled it and announced Ellsworth has a SmackDown contract. This got a mild reaction, probably because the crowd thought he was signed already.

Shane then told Ambrose he has the night off. Ambrose was cool with that, and wanted to go for wings or poutine. Shane told Ambrose he didn’t understand–he doesn’t just have the night off, he has to leave the building. (Note: Ambrose just said he wanted to go for food.) Ambrose left and crossed paths with AJ Styles, who came out next.

Styles told Shane that Ambrose deserves to be kicked off SmackDown altogether. He also couldn’t believe Ellsworth got a contract and wanted to make it clear that he didn’t earn it. Styles said he’s the one who earned his contract with years of blood, sweat and tears, “and all that stuff.” Styles challenged him to a ladder match as a warmup for TLC, with Ellsworth’s contract on the line.

Shane told Ellsworth he didn’t have to, but Ellsworth accepted because he’s already beaten Styles twice. Ellsworth said he wanted a future title match if he wins. Shane made it official. (Note: Ellsworth is wearing a neckbrace.) Ambrose suddenly appeared behind Shane and Ellsworth to pat them on the back, which was funny.

Backstage, Miz and Maryse were in the middle of a photoshoot when they were interrupted by Daniel Bryan. Miz wanted to know when his big celebration was and couldn’t wait for Bryan to thank him. Bryan said they humiliated SmackDown by the way they won. Miz mocked Bryan, so Bryan put him in an IC Title match against Kalisto.

After a break, Shane escorted Ambrose from the building. Ambrose was mildly concerned about going outside in Ottawa without his jacket.

Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (w/Maryse) defeated Kalisto

Kalisto hit a suicide dive and they went to commercial a minute into this title match. There was a nice spot where Miz tried a slingshot powerbomb but Kalisto countered into a hurricanrana for a nearfall. Kalisto went to the top, but Baron Corbin ran out to distract him. Kalisto kicked him off the apron, but Miz caught him with a Skull Crushing Finale for the win. Unfortunately, they telegraphed this by cutting away too early.

Corbin nailed Kalisto with End of Days afterwards. Also, as Miz posed with his title on the stage, Dolph Ziggler showed up to superkick him.

Backstage, Bryan told Shane he would go deal with Corbin, but Alexa Bliss interrupted. Bryan said he didn’t have time for this, “but Shane does!” and he left. Becky Lynch jumped in and told Bliss she’d get her rematch at TLC. Natalya joined and accused Lynch of costing them at Survivor Series. Shane said they were all the blame, but maybe they would’ve been better off if Nikki Bella was able to compete. Shane put Natalya in a match with Lynch tonight. Natalya quoted Celine Dion and left. Ambrose showed up with pizza and Shane told him to leave. Lynch said she would take “a pizza (piece of) Nattie’s arm.”

Elsewhere, Bryan confronted Corbin, calling his actions reckless and stupid. Bryan said Corbin didn’t see the bigger picture, but Corbin said he was the bigger picture. Bryan was pissed he cost them the Cruiserweight division and put him a match with a close, personal friend of his–Kane.

Tag Team Turmoil Match #1: The Hype Bros defeated The Ascension

Hype Bros won in 2 minutes with the Hype Ryder.

Tag Team Turmoil Match #2: Breezango defeated The Hype Bros

Breezango won quickly to advance.

Tag Team Turmoil Match #3: American Alpha defeated Breezango

Chad Gable picked up the win quickly with a rollup.

Tag Team Turmoil Match #4: American Alpha defeated The Vaudevillains

Jason Jordan won immediately with a German suplex.

Tag Team Turmoil Match #5: American Alpha defeated The Usos

This was the final match in Tag Team Turmoil and the top of the hour segment. Usos took their time getting to the ring, so the match started during a break. There were dueling chants of “Let’s go Usos” and “Usos suck.” They got the heat on Jordan until he made the hot tag to Gable, who hit a dropkick, belly-to-belly, fists in the corner, and a German suplex for a two count.

The Usos cut him off but Jordan was able to tag in. Jordan and Gable hit an avalanche bulldog but the other Uso broke up the cover. The Usos tried to double team Jordan, but Gable jumped in with a suplex. American Alpha followed with Grand Amplitude for the win. Crowd was bored for most of this but picked up at the end.

American Alpha’s music didn’t play after they won, because the Wyatts appeared on the screen. Bray said the turmoil wasn’t over, because they haven’t defeated all the teams. Bray said they could rest up tonight, but they would be facing him and Orton next week. Orton said they were a family.

Backstage, Bryan (who isn’t allowed to wrestle) asked Ellsworth if he really wanted to do this match tonight. Ellsworth said any man with two feet could climb a ladder and achieve his dream. He left, when Ambrose entered dressed as The Mountie. Bryan was amused, but thought he should leave in case Shane showed up. Shane did show up, and was pissed. He wanted Ambrose to leave, or else. Ambrose asked Shane if he wanted to know why he was dressed as The Mountie. He said it was a funny story, but Shane didn’t care. Ambrose agreed to leave, but not before calling him a hoser. Shane left, and Ambrose told Bryan he had a message for AJ Styles–The Mountie always gets his man. Big pop for that.

Becky Lynch defeated Natalya

Bliss was on commentary. David Otunga questioned Bliss getting another title match. She basically called him an idiot and questioned his Harvard degree. Lynch won in about 9 minutes with the Disarmer. Pretty good match. Bliss attacked Lynch afterwards with a DDT.

The Miz confronted Bryan and wanted Ziggler suspended. Miz correctly predicted that Bryan would give Ziggler a title match instead. Bryan made a ladder match for the title at TLC, and there will be no more rematches regardless of who wins.

Elsewhere, Nikki Bella confronted Carmella, accusing her of taking her out of Survivor Series. Carmella didn’t know what she was talking about. They bickered back and forth, when Nikki informed Carmella they would be having a no disqualification match at TLC. Nikki was terribly unlikable here.

Baron Corbin defeated Kane via DQ

Kalisto attacked Corbin about a minute into the match for a DQ. Kane chokeslammed Corbin afterwards. Kalisto wasn’t satisfied so he grabbed a steel chair, but Corbin suddenly sprung to life and bailed from the ring. Corbin decided to run back in, but Kalisto tossed the chair at him and kicked it in his face. I don’t know if it’ll get him over, but I like that Kalisto is actually fighting back.

Non-Title Ladder Match: James Ellsworth defeated WWE World Champion AJ Styles

This match started much later than your usual SmackDown main event. Styles knocked down Ellsworth and could’ve won easily, but decided to give a beating. He ripped off Ellsworth’s shirt to reveal he was also wearing a back brace of some kind. Styles gave him a backbreaker and kicked him in the back too.

Styles decided to climb the ladder with Ellsworth pinned underneath, but Dean Ambrose ran out wearing an Ottawa Senators jersey, goalie mask and hockey gloves. He attacked Styles and sent him out of the ring, but Ellsworth couldn’t move. Styles then nailed Ambrose with a Phenomenal forearm.

Styles went up the ladder again, but Ellsworth pushed the ladder and Styles took a crazy bump to the outside. Before Ellsworth could start climbing, Styles tried entering the ring, but ate No Chin Music. Styles’ foot got caught in the ropes and Ellsworth managed to climb the ladder and grab the contract for the win. The crowd didn’t seem that into Ellsworth earlier, but they popped pretty big for this. Ellsworth cried as Ambrose held him up in celebration.

TLC 2015 PPV read-along: Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns, HHH destroyed

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Dan Velten

Tables, Ladders, and Chairs… Oh My! Part 7, The Finale

By: PeachMachine (@hendosfoodblog and @parkingcone)

This week…

TLC 7: December 13, 2015; Boston, Massachusetts, TD Garden

I figured I’d better review the most recent offering from the WWE TLC PPV series in the same manner in which I did the first six (read-along style) but I wanted to give it a little bit of time to digest before doing it to see the follow up on Raw. It was their best TLC, and the ending actually got decent heat, and played great into the story the next night with Vince McMachon returning and Roman winning the championship.

King, Cole, and JBL on the pipes. King sucks a bag of aardvark turds. He’s so out of place. Why does Vince keep him around? He’s not funny and his schtick is tired. I’m not saying they had someone better, but NOW they have someone better. I’m looking forward to Mauro Ranallo big time.

Pre Show Match: Sasha Banks (with Naomi and Tamina) defeated Becky Lynch by submission… but we’ll never see it.

The New Day (Big E. Langston and Kofi Kingston with Xavier Woods) (c) vs. The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) vs. The Usos (Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso) for the Tag Team Championship in a triple threat tag team ladder match for the WWE Tag Team Championship

New Day needs to keep their intro to the same verbiage each time so they can get the crowd chanting along.
I’m surprised nobody has pointed out the wings on Kofi’s shoes. Awesome!
Lilian introduced the Lucha Dragons in Spanish, which, as a fluent Spanish speaker was muy bien. That’s Spanish. I’ll translate it for you someday.
She should have done the Uso’s intro in pigeon. I’m fluent in that as well. Pigeon is like half English, half Island slang, mixed with some Polynesian.
They should do a ladder match where no ladders are ringside. They could spend 25 minutes running around backstage looking for a scissor lift.
Two minutes in, the Usos are alone in the ring WITH A LADDER and decide to just throw it. They could have easily won. That’s why multi-team ladder matches are lame.
I really want to know the story behind Xavier and the trombone. Did he play it in 7th grade band class? Did he find one backstage and practice one day? Is he just wingin’ it?
King said, “He got chopped like a veg-o-matic.” Why is he still employed? Does anyone under 35 know what an “anything-o-matic” is?
Big E. pressed the ladder with both Dragons on it. That was cool.
There was a lot of innovation here with unique ladder spots.
Salida del sol from the top of the ladder! Luckily it was onto the gimmick ladder that broke at the wooden joint.
Woods tosses his trombone at Kalisto and Kofi unhooks the clip and grabs the belts for the win.
I’m still waiting for the tag team ladder match where one guy from each team grabs a belt and they are forced to be the new champions together.

Rusev (with Lana) vs. Ryback

In the pre match video, they recapped Ryback referencing “Teen Wolf” the TV show. What? There are a bazillion other shows that would have made more sense. First, Ryback is hairless.
Do you think Ryback sells a ton of beanies and necklaces at house shows? No? Me neither.
Just fire both these clowns. They HAD potential. Screw it. We want JOE!
If I was on WWE creative, and a wrestler came up to me and said, “I just got this sweet air brushed singlet that combines the skull of a wolf and a tiger.” I’d immediately bury that geek. Go get in line at Disney world with the other weirdos who wear wolf shirts.
When Ryback says, “Finish it!” it’s weird. It doesn’t make sense to tell your self audibly to “finish it.” You’d more realistically just think that.
Technical submission is the official result. That happened two weeks ago in the UFC too. It means when a guy doesn’t submit and the ref stops it anyway.

Ambrose and Reigns are back stage talking about being double champions.

Then they cut to the announcers and do a video recap of Del Rio vs. Swagger. Cole says that Del Rio hit Swagger with a chair because they have a chairs match coming up. My guess is that he got that backwards. Also, Swagger has a bowl cut. Why in the world are we allowing this, not just here, but in all of America? People, we need you to point out the dorks attempting to bring back the bowl cut. It sucked in 1993 and it sucks now. I guess it’s fine on a heel, but don’t let your friends go back to this.

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Jack Swagger in a chairs match for the WWE United States Championship

Remember a month ago when this title was great?
Swagger did the “Patriot Lock” through a chair, which is the same as me doing a bear hug to someone through a hula-hoop. Lame.
This match would have been awesome if not for the dorks involved.
Has anyone outside of Swagger’s immediate family bought his awful shirt? Probably the same people who bought a Ryback necklace.
I’ve said it before, but chairs matches suck. Del Rio won after doing the double stomp on Swagger on a pile of chairs. Lame.
Albert of the River does look amazingly tan.

The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, Braun Strowman) vs. the ECW Originals (Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Tommy Dreamer, and Rhyno) in an eight-man tag team elimination tables match

Rhyno joined ECW in 1999, so I guess that’s when ECW started since he’s an “original.”
I like to think that since they’re the “Wyatt family” that each of the other guys not named Wyatt married one of Bray’s sisters so they’re all brothers-in-law. Backstage they probably gripe about their wives being ball busters. “Bray, can you tell Sheila to relax about the baby’s crib? I’ll have it put together in time. SHE needs to pick a damn room color.”
Bray was wearing a double horned headpiece, so WWE must think there is money in facial accouterments.
This is the tenth tables match in WWE pay per view history, which were Cole’s words, so I guess “pay per view” isn’t on the banned term list.
Tommy Dreamer looks gross. He’s orange, and round, and has a stupid beard.
Strowman kicked his leg through a table, and that didn’t count as an elimination. Why not?
I’d rather watch Public Enemy vs. The Nasty Boys on the WWE Network. At least those guys didn’t try to do spots. They just beat the heck out of each other for real and didn’t sell.
So this happened: Rowan set D-Von on a table and climbed to the top, then Rhyno pushed him off so he didn’t land on D-Von, but as D-Von was rolling out of the way, the table broke. That makes two table breaks that just didn’t count.
Rowan got eliminated first by the 3D.
Luke Harper booted Rhyno through the table making it 3 on 3.
What actual purpose would red white and black camouflage serve? Would you wear it while hunting in a forest fire?
Wyatt slammed D-Von through a table with a urinage.
Harper dives on to dreamer who goes through a table. Now it’s 3 on 1.
Bubba Ray covers a table in lighter fluid, then just gets put through it by a choke slam from Strowman. Big tease, no pay off.
That match was a chaotic mess in a very mediocre way.

What a treat! Renee tells us that we get to hear from the kick off panel of Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, and Booker T. These bozos have nothing to say.

Then we got a pretty weak Royal Rumble promo. I’m sure those will get better.

Kevin Owens (c) vs. Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship

Owens did some nice crowd work making fun of Boston sports fans. To be fair, they ARE the most arrogant sports fans.
This was a pretty dang good match.
Ambrose counters the pop up power bomb and rolls through for the pin.
Ambrose wins!
Then Ambrose ran around like a maniac celebrating.
Good match.

Charlotte (c) (with Richard Morgan Fliehr) vs. Paige for the WWE Divas Championship

This is a confusing storyline. Paige brought up Charlotte’s dead brother, and then she turned baby face. What?
Flair is at ringside. This match is basically nothing.
Paige locks on a long sleeper.
Paige locks on the Figure Four.
The end was Paige hitting the Ram-Paige but Flair took Charlotte’s foot and put it on the rope. This lead to Charlotte taking off the turn buckle pad, and dropping Paige’s face onto the exposed steal, which led to the pin.

Sheamus (c) vs. Roman Reigns in a tables, ladders, and chairs match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

The “heat” in this feud is from Sheamus cashing in the MITB contract after Reigns won the title last month at Survivor Series. Oh, and then Reigns retaliated by saying that Sheamus’ testicles were the size of tater tots, in some sort of odd Burger King cross promotion. Zing.
When Sheamus was introduced, they hit him with a spotlight that completely whited him out. Ha!
How many refs does it take to hang up a championship belt? Two apparently.
I wonder if the height of the raised item in ladder matches is a standard?
Roman tossed Sheamus into a stacked up double table and chairs set up on the side of the ramp.
Sheamus got cut on his left triceps.
I can’t believe they allow Reigns’ running jump kick on the apron to be called the Drive By, which implies gang related murder.
Sheamus hit White Noise off the apron through a table. That should have been the finish.
The two took a double bump off the apron through the gimmicked ladder which was propped up by the announce table.
And now we get the agonizing slow ladder climbing which makes ladder matches unbearable.
Reigns hit the Super Man Punch on Sheamus at the top of the ladder and Sheamus took a table bump.
Reigns got royally screwed by the League of Nations running in.
Sheamus won after the League destroyed Reigns. Barrett was conspicuous by his absence. He’s apparently injured.
Reigns then decimated the League, and HHH came out.
Reigns destroyed HHH as well to get his heat back, or more correctly, just get SOME heat. It worked, as the crowd really got behind Roman.

Overall Thoughts: This was a dang good TLC PPV and possibly the best one yet. The ladder match to start, and the TLC match at the end were very good. Thumbs up for sure. Final rankings of the TLC PPV’s order: 7,4,6,5,3,1,2 – And a we put TLC to rest, I’d like to remind you, “Don’t go chasing waterfalls…”

WO 12/13: WWE TLC, Mauro Ranallo, UFC Brazil rating, more!

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer returns today to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA: WWE TLC from Sunday night, the build to Raw and Royal Rumble, Mauro Ranallo to Smackdown, AJ Styles update, TNA and DA, UFC rating in Brazil will blow your mind, questions and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

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