WWE TLC PPV

Sunday, December 04, 2016.

American Airlines Center

Dallas, Texas, USA

 

WWE Title: AJ Styles© Vs. Dean Ambrose - TLC Match

Women's Title: Becky Lynch© Vs. Alexa Bliss - Tables Match

Intercontinental Title: The Miz© with Maryse Vs. Dolph Ziggler - Ladder Match

Tag Titles: Heath Slater & Rhyno© Vs. Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton

Nikki Bella Vs. Carmella - No DQ Match

Kalisto Vs. Baron Corbin - Chairs Match

 

So, on paper, this doesn't look bad. I am actually looking forward to the women's title match. Becky is my favorite female wrestler in all of WWE and Alexa has improved a lot, especially with her character work. Not sure what direction they're going to go with the tag titles but Slater/Rhyno can't keep them forever. Not sure Wyatt/Orton will be the team to upset them though. Kalisto/Corbin is going to be my sleeper pick but I'm higher on Corbin than most folks. Nikki/Carmella, I assume, is going to be the pits. Carmella just isn't very good in-ring yet. Still not sure why they called her up if they weren't keeping her with Enzo/Cass. The Miz/Dolph is going to be... interesting. You never know what someone is going to do with a ladder is involved & you never can tell if the ladder is going to cooperate or not. I guess that's part of the intrigue.

 

I wouldn't say that I'm excited for the show but Smackdown PPVs tend to be fun no matter what. It has to be better than Survivor Series was. My goodness.

I remain very excited for this show, potentially unreasonably so. Styles hasn't disappointed on a big show this year and is the only worker who's carried Ambrose to a good match in quite some time. Throw in the gimmicks, which you have to expect AJ will look to take advantage of in a unique way after seeing what he did against Reigns earlier in the year, and that should deliver.

 

The women's and IC title matches also offer a ton of potential and there are at least promising directions they can go with everything else on the card. Add in that it won't be a 4 hour marathon and this guy is pumped for his time on the couch tonight.

I don't have crazy high expectations for anything other than the main event (which feels like it's a setup for another spectacular Styles performance). But everything else has at least some potential and I don't see any big disasters. Should at least be a pleasant watch.

I don't have crazy high expectations for anything other than the main event (which feels like it's a setup for another spectacular Styles performance). But everything else has at least some potential and I don't see any big disasters. Should at least be a pleasant watch.

I'm looking forward to it. I've watched the past couple shows and liked them. I think they're all easily watchable when someone is not overly invested in the week-to-week TV.

I'm thinking this will be a very solid show, bordering on great.

 

If Miz/Ziggler revolves around Miz just destroying Dolph's leg with the ladder, it's already amazing. Not sure if they should change the title, though. Miz has to keep his momentum going.

 

Curious about what will Ellsworth do tonight, too.

AJ Styles & Dolph Ziggler both on the same card, both with a ladder in their match. I'm curious which of the two will do the more insane spot.

 

Also, neither Becky nor Alexa are very big. In the case of Alexa, she's SUPER tiny. We saw it happen with Sasha at Hell in a Cell... will they be able to break the table? So curious what spot they do to end the table match. Probably some sort of push off the top.

 

Kind of wish they would move Rusev/Lana over to Smackdown.

Well they did a spot on Smackdown where Becky was put through a table successfully, but I could see Alexa just bouncing off anything they try to put her through.

I think that what caused the table to not break at HiaC was the weird angle it was set up. I believe that if Alexa does her twisting moonsault to a table prone Becky, the table might break, but who knows. Just hoping for the best.

Wait, I thought the table not breaking at Hell in a Cell was an intentionally brilliant spot in a match some proclaimed one of the greatest in the history of the known universe

 

(I love Sasha and Charlotte but I will go to my grave thinking that match was one of the most overrated of all time)

Its hilarious that people still think they were trying to break that table in Sasha vs Charlotte. Physics say hello.

It's probably a lack of female representation in STEM programs thing.

Its hilarious that people still think they were trying to break that table in Sasha vs Charlotte. Physics say hello.

 

The entire point of using a table in pro-wrestling is to get the pop from when it breaks.

 

(and I guess to sell the devastation of the impact going through it)

When you consider how the table was set up, the angle at which Sasha was thrown at the table, Sasha's physical size, the fact that Charlotte was hitting the ropes for the natural selection as Sasha was rolling off, and you know, our old friend Science, I think they weren't trying to break that table.

 

They also got a pretty big pop using and not breaking the table when Charlotte shoved the table into Sasha's throat pinning her against the cage. So there's an example of a table being used extremely effectively, not breaking, and getting a pop from the crowd.

 

edit: But this thread is about TLC. Sorry for derailing.

When you consider how the table was set up, the angle at which Sasha was thrown at the table, Sasha's physical size, the fact that Charlotte was hitting the ropes for the natural selection as Sasha was rolling off, and you know, our old friend Science, I think they weren't trying to break that table.

All of those things were under their control. Sasha initially set up the table at too low of an angle and Charlotte didn't throw her into it right for it to break, and then Charlotte did it again and it looked even worse as Sasha gently rolled back down. It didn't look violent at all. If they didn't think they could make it look good then they shouldn't have tried it. This wasn't even the only bad looking table spot in the match; when Charlotte went through the table on the outside it didn't really break either. I'd just chalk it up to them not being good at putting people through tables.

 

I get that some people like the "but it's good because it's different from what we normally see" argument, but on rewatch a month later it really doesn't look violent or good at all, especially as a finish to a match that began with a dramatic stretcher job.

 

Tonight I'm pretty sure we're going to see Alexa Bliss go through a table and she's 15 lbs smaller than Sasha. Women in Japan and on the indies go through tables just fine at Sasha's weight.

Hey, Rosenberg is on the preshow panel. Good for him. And Booker called him a mark. 😄

I turned on the pre show during the tag match, and I hadn't seen Apollo Crews for so long it took me a few minutes to figure out who that was standing on the apron.

I turned on the pre show during the tag match, and I hadn't seen Apollo Crews for so long it took me a few minutes to figure out who that was standing on the apron.

I guess he couldn't make weight for 205 Live.

Jesus do they really need 4 people to broadcast this PPV. I mean with the different countries on commentary they could field a full baseball team

4 people on commentary yet only Mauro and JBL ever say anything of substance.

Only thing surprising about that title change is that Heath Slater didn't take the pin. Okay match but nothing special

Short and sweet match between Wyatts and Slater/Rhyno. Some nice storyline touches too.

 

Would love to see a Rhyno/AJ and Miz/Slater feuds, tho

That's what happens when you lose an election, Rhyno. Vince likes winners.

Ha! UFC Nikki . 😄

Nikki rocking the MMA braids to make this look like even more of a fight.