TLC 2015 Review
WWE's last PPV of the year, TLC, took place last Sunday. The build-up to the event was less than stellar and was coupled with low Raw ratings. Thus, not a lot of fans were pumped up about the event. But WWE can surprise us every now and then, and it sure did on Sunday. TLC was a great show with a lot of action that could very well change the course of action for WWE. In this article, we're going to break down every single match and how the angle will play out in time to come. We'll also tie in what happened with Raw this week (which was a great episode by the way). Let's get started.
Pre-Show: Sasha Banks (w/ Team B.A.D.) def. Becky Lynch- A lot of fans probably forgot, but these two had an absolutely excellent match earlier this year. This effort was not as epic, but it was still a good match. It seems obvious that Sasha is being thrown into meaningless feuds and matches right now just to occupy her until she faces a heel Charlotte for the Divas title at 'Mania (more on that later). Unfortunately for Lynch, there doesn't seem to be a real plan for her. She will be a Divas champ at one point, but that's somewhere down the road. Charlotte, Banks, and even Bayley seem to be more pressing at the matter. Sasha won due to interference from Naomi, so Lynch was not really hurt by the loss. Before the match even started, Team B.A.D. cut an absolutely horrible promo about Christmas. I mean, it was absolutely horrible. It's obvious the WWE creative team is trying to turn these three into the female New Day, but it's not working. Tamina does not have that much personality and Naomi's better as an arrogant character. On another note, Michael Cole did a good job putting over Lynch. Commentary wasn't great throughout the night, but this is one of the times it worked.
Rusev (w/ Lana) def. Ryback- Ryback hasn't really done much since losing the IC title to KO in September, but the WWE has done a good job of keeping him relevant. Rusev meanwhile, has a lot of storylines going on with the return of Lana and the formation of the League of Nations. Lana apparently has nuclear heat backstage and her singles run was torpedoed as a result. This works, as she and Rusev are good together. They were much better during his unstoppable heel run, but that's not the point. The match itself was okay, nothing special. Rusev was able to win after Lana faked an injury to distract Ryback. This of course, happened before, so Ryback just looks stupid.
Dean Ambrose def. Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens (new Intercontinental Champion)- This was a great match and one of the most anticipated matches of the night. These two have great chemistry and put on a really fun match. Ambrose got the surprise win, which definitely works. He's been floating around from one feud to another without any real direction for months, so this will really help him. As for Owens, rumor has it that he will be facing Brock Lesnar at the Show of Shows. Personally, I would rather see him face Sami Zayn while Lesnar faces Reigns. Either way, Owens looks like he'll be covered for the next few months. Also, the match did a good job of protecting the Pop-Up Powerbomb, one of the few moves (like the Attitude Adjustment and Spear) still protected.
Divas Champion Charlotte (w/ Ric Flair) def. Paige- Charlotte is becoming more and more of a heel thanks to her father, but she's not exactly a full-on heel yet. Paige on the other hand, looks like she'll turn face, but has yet to fully do so. This was a good match, with the Flairs resorting to under-handed tactics to get the win. It looks like a heel Charlotte will carry the gold to 'Mania, where she will drop it to a face Sasha Banks. The trick will be to make sure both are hot. Fans already want to cheer Banks, so making her a face shouldn't be a problem. Charlotte on the other hand, will have to become a real heel by taking out face competitors like Becky Lynch and Natalya.
WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day def. The Usos & The Lucha Dragons (Triple Threat Ladder Match)- The opening match was the best match of the night. There were some truly incredible spots that showcased all six competitors. The New Day retaining was the right call, as they are one of the hottest things in WWE. I see them eventually dropping the titles to The Usos within a couple of months, but who knows? Personally, I would love to see all three of these teams and the Dudleys compete in a TLC match for the titles at 'Mania. It would be an absolutely incredible match. The ending to this match was also creative and put some nice heel mannerisms on display. Kalisto was one of the stars of this PPV thanks to his incredible performance in this match. Over the last couple of months he has proven himself worthy of being the WWE's Rey Mysterio. He is an absolute delight to watch in the ring and fans love him. Besides, the WWE always needs Hispanic stars for their Mexican fans. As long as La Sombra doesn't steal his thunder, it looks like Kalisto can be that guy. Also, Xavier Woods did a tremendous job of putting Kofi Kingston over. (He also called Cole out for mixing up the Lucha Dragons, which was hilarious). The whole commentary team should do what Woods did.
The Wyatt Family def. The Dudley Boyz, Tommy Dreamer, & Rhyno (Eight-Man Tag Team Elimination Tables Match)- This was a fun match with the right outcome. The Wyatts needed to bounce back after losing to the Brothers of Destruction last month. Having three members of the Family stand tall made the Wyatts look very strong. The next night on Raw, the Wyatts again took out Team Extreme. The Wyatts still aren't a credible top heel formation, but this is a step in the right direction.
United States Champion Alberto Del Rio def. Jack Swagger (Chairs Match)- No one was really looking forward to this match for a couple of reasons: the build-up was iffy at best, these two feuded in 2013, and Jack Swagger hasn't been relevant since last year. Nonetheless, these two had a pretty good match that made good use of the chairs. Del Rio retained the title cleanly, which was very much the right move. This was just a placeholder feud for him, nothing more. Don't expect much more out of Swagger in the coming months.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus def. Roman Reigns (TLC Match)- Like the previous entry, no one was looking forward to this match. We knew it would probable be a good match, as these two are brawlers and have good chemistry with each other. Sheamus won thanks to interference by Rusev and Del Rio. After this, Reigns exploded. He took out all three men and then wiped out Triple H. This was the first time we ever saw any real passion or emotion from Reigns, and it was awesome. He truly looked like a megastar. The next day on Raw, WWE pulled the trigger and gave Reigns the title. This was a smart move, as they can now fully capitalize on the fan love for Reigns. This could truly be the turning point for WWE's valley. The Roman Empire is upon us.
Other Notes:
John Cena- The announcers brought up Cena's name three times during the show: once during the KO match, once during the ADR match, and once during the Sheamus match. They talked about how each of those men had beaten Cena. They did not however, mention that he had disappeared from the WWE. That was a little odd.
The Boston crowd- Overall, a very good crowd. They reigned boos upon the terrible Team B.A.D. segment and cheered extensively during the ladder match and for Roman Reigns. Without them, the show could really have fallen flat.
Overall, this was a very good show, perhaps the best B-show of the year. Thanks for reading everyone.
Pre-Show: Sasha Banks (w/ Team B.A.D.) def. Becky Lynch- A lot of fans probably forgot, but these two had an absolutely excellent match earlier this year. This effort was not as epic, but it was still a good match. It seems obvious that Sasha is being thrown into meaningless feuds and matches right now just to occupy her until she faces a heel Charlotte for the Divas title at 'Mania (more on that later). Unfortunately for Lynch, there doesn't seem to be a real plan for her. She will be a Divas champ at one point, but that's somewhere down the road. Charlotte, Banks, and even Bayley seem to be more pressing at the matter. Sasha won due to interference from Naomi, so Lynch was not really hurt by the loss. Before the match even started, Team B.A.D. cut an absolutely horrible promo about Christmas. I mean, it was absolutely horrible. It's obvious the WWE creative team is trying to turn these three into the female New Day, but it's not working. Tamina does not have that much personality and Naomi's better as an arrogant character. On another note, Michael Cole did a good job putting over Lynch. Commentary wasn't great throughout the night, but this is one of the times it worked.
Rusev (w/ Lana) def. Ryback- Ryback hasn't really done much since losing the IC title to KO in September, but the WWE has done a good job of keeping him relevant. Rusev meanwhile, has a lot of storylines going on with the return of Lana and the formation of the League of Nations. Lana apparently has nuclear heat backstage and her singles run was torpedoed as a result. This works, as she and Rusev are good together. They were much better during his unstoppable heel run, but that's not the point. The match itself was okay, nothing special. Rusev was able to win after Lana faked an injury to distract Ryback. This of course, happened before, so Ryback just looks stupid.
Dean Ambrose def. Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens (new Intercontinental Champion)- This was a great match and one of the most anticipated matches of the night. These two have great chemistry and put on a really fun match. Ambrose got the surprise win, which definitely works. He's been floating around from one feud to another without any real direction for months, so this will really help him. As for Owens, rumor has it that he will be facing Brock Lesnar at the Show of Shows. Personally, I would rather see him face Sami Zayn while Lesnar faces Reigns. Either way, Owens looks like he'll be covered for the next few months. Also, the match did a good job of protecting the Pop-Up Powerbomb, one of the few moves (like the Attitude Adjustment and Spear) still protected.
Divas Champion Charlotte (w/ Ric Flair) def. Paige- Charlotte is becoming more and more of a heel thanks to her father, but she's not exactly a full-on heel yet. Paige on the other hand, looks like she'll turn face, but has yet to fully do so. This was a good match, with the Flairs resorting to under-handed tactics to get the win. It looks like a heel Charlotte will carry the gold to 'Mania, where she will drop it to a face Sasha Banks. The trick will be to make sure both are hot. Fans already want to cheer Banks, so making her a face shouldn't be a problem. Charlotte on the other hand, will have to become a real heel by taking out face competitors like Becky Lynch and Natalya.
WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day def. The Usos & The Lucha Dragons (Triple Threat Ladder Match)- The opening match was the best match of the night. There were some truly incredible spots that showcased all six competitors. The New Day retaining was the right call, as they are one of the hottest things in WWE. I see them eventually dropping the titles to The Usos within a couple of months, but who knows? Personally, I would love to see all three of these teams and the Dudleys compete in a TLC match for the titles at 'Mania. It would be an absolutely incredible match. The ending to this match was also creative and put some nice heel mannerisms on display. Kalisto was one of the stars of this PPV thanks to his incredible performance in this match. Over the last couple of months he has proven himself worthy of being the WWE's Rey Mysterio. He is an absolute delight to watch in the ring and fans love him. Besides, the WWE always needs Hispanic stars for their Mexican fans. As long as La Sombra doesn't steal his thunder, it looks like Kalisto can be that guy. Also, Xavier Woods did a tremendous job of putting Kofi Kingston over. (He also called Cole out for mixing up the Lucha Dragons, which was hilarious). The whole commentary team should do what Woods did.
The Wyatt Family def. The Dudley Boyz, Tommy Dreamer, & Rhyno (Eight-Man Tag Team Elimination Tables Match)- This was a fun match with the right outcome. The Wyatts needed to bounce back after losing to the Brothers of Destruction last month. Having three members of the Family stand tall made the Wyatts look very strong. The next night on Raw, the Wyatts again took out Team Extreme. The Wyatts still aren't a credible top heel formation, but this is a step in the right direction.
United States Champion Alberto Del Rio def. Jack Swagger (Chairs Match)- No one was really looking forward to this match for a couple of reasons: the build-up was iffy at best, these two feuded in 2013, and Jack Swagger hasn't been relevant since last year. Nonetheless, these two had a pretty good match that made good use of the chairs. Del Rio retained the title cleanly, which was very much the right move. This was just a placeholder feud for him, nothing more. Don't expect much more out of Swagger in the coming months.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus def. Roman Reigns (TLC Match)- Like the previous entry, no one was looking forward to this match. We knew it would probable be a good match, as these two are brawlers and have good chemistry with each other. Sheamus won thanks to interference by Rusev and Del Rio. After this, Reigns exploded. He took out all three men and then wiped out Triple H. This was the first time we ever saw any real passion or emotion from Reigns, and it was awesome. He truly looked like a megastar. The next day on Raw, WWE pulled the trigger and gave Reigns the title. This was a smart move, as they can now fully capitalize on the fan love for Reigns. This could truly be the turning point for WWE's valley. The Roman Empire is upon us.
Other Notes:
John Cena- The announcers brought up Cena's name three times during the show: once during the KO match, once during the ADR match, and once during the Sheamus match. They talked about how each of those men had beaten Cena. They did not however, mention that he had disappeared from the WWE. That was a little odd.
The Boston crowd- Overall, a very good crowd. They reigned boos upon the terrible Team B.A.D. segment and cheered extensively during the ladder match and for Roman Reigns. Without them, the show could really have fallen flat.
Overall, this was a very good show, perhaps the best B-show of the year. Thanks for reading everyone.
Comments
Post a Comment