Monday, December 17, 2012

Review: WWE TLC 2012






*clap clap clap*

Kudos to the WWE for pulling off such an entertaining rollercoaster PPV event. WWE Tables, Ladders and Chairs was a pay-per-view that could have easily been mediocre, but ended up being one of the more entertaining shows of the year.

First off, the low-key but tasteful tribute to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School was welcome, considering the events of that day happened in the WWE's corporate backyard.

Opening match of the night: Rhodes Scholars vs Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio (#1 Contender's Table Match):

Definitely a great way to start the PPV, a nice seesaw match that surprisingly enough saw almost next to no botches from Sin Cara, what a miracle! Cody Rhodes pushing Sin Cara off of the ropes after attempting to springboard unto Damien Sandow and watching Sin Cara crash through the table to end the match, priceless! Screw you Power Ranger wannabe!


Winner: Rhodes Scholars

Match #2: Antonio Cesaro vs R-Truth (U.S. Title match):

*wakes up from the sound of his own snoring*

I apologize. I must’ve given you the impression that the match was just pointless filler? It was. Please bring back some measure of prestige to the U.S. Championship or unify it with the Intercontinental title. That being said, Cesaro is a great talent that deserves a better push; let’s see what the WWE creative team has in store for him in 2013.

Winner: Antonio Cesaro

Match #3: Kofi Kingston vs Wade Barrett (Intercontinental Title match):

Another snoozer mid-card match with a pointless rivalry that has completely stopped dead in the water. Hopefully this will be the last we hear of this; hopefully for 2013 the powers-that-be will put some actual moxie behind the mid-card division. So much wasted talent needs to be molded, but there is definite potential there to be exploited. Let’s just hope 2013 is the year of change we have all been hoping for.


Winner: Kofi Kingston


CM Punk getting injured was, in my opinion, one of the best things that could've happened at this time, believe it or not, as we are nearing the very crucial juncture that is Wrestlemania season. The Royal Rumble is nearly upon us, and that one event will set the tone for the rest of 2013. Unfortunately, that is a topic for another post, let's stick with TLC 2012 for now.

Why do I bring up CM Punk's knee injury? Simple. His absence from the spotlight gave way to what could easily have been the match of the evening; a match that I am sure will live in infamy for quite some time:


Match #4: Ryback and Team Hell No vs The Shield (Tables, Ladders and Chairs match):

I felt goosebumps as I went back in time to the Attitude Era while watching the match. WWE definitely hit a homerun in holding back The Shield's actual in-ring debut for this PPV, because trust me, sparks flew when these three hombres hit the ring. All six participants gave it their all and easily won the crowd over. If this is any indication of the direction which WWE intends on taking for 2013, then we are in for one hell of a ride. And yes, hopefully Vince McMahon will give Seth Rollins a well-deserved Christmas bonus for that amazing fall he took last night!


Winner: The Shield


Match #5: Eve vs Naomi (Divas Championship):

Bathroom break.

All kidding aside (well, kind of), Naomi put on quite the display from her NXT days, but, it’s all for naught. We all know the Divas Division is just WWE’s way of giving everyone a bathroom break after awesome matches.


Winner: Eve


Match #6: Big Show vs Sheamus (World Heavyweight Championship Chair Match):

I expected so much more. It was nowhere near as good as their match at Hell in a Cell, but this was a decent match to add to their rivalry. I actually thought Sheamus was going to get his revenge and take the title, but they are going to roll with Big Show a little longer. The rivalry is kind of up in the air at the moment, so we shall see if WWE will drop the ball on this one. If this is the end, who challenges for the title next? If Sheamus is done with Show, what does he do after this? I think these are all good questions. I think they can get another match out of Show/Sheamus until it comes time to cash in the Money In The Bank, but I'm fine with this rivalry ending this way.


Winner: Big Show


Match #7: The Miz, Alberto del Rio and the Brooklyn Brawler vs 3MB:

One of the surprises that I did not see coming was Alberto del Rio’s face turn at this PPV. Yes, it’s been rumored for some time, but actually seeing it with my own two eyes was a welcome change of pace. And yes, that's right. Out of everybody available in the back, they pick the Brooklyn Brawler as the third man in this impromptu filler match. Now, even though I can see people complaining about this, I actually got a chuckle out of this. Come on, it's the Brawler fighting in his hometown. The greatest jobber in WWE history gets his Christmas bonus. A passing of the torch, if you will, one jobber to the next generation of jobbers. Very fitting indeed.


Winner: The Miz, Alberto del Rio and the Brooklyn Brawler


Final match of the night: John Cena vs Dolph Ziggler (Money In The Bank Ladder Match):

What started off as a routine match soon became quite the spectacle, a match that I had no idea Cena and Ziggler had in them. From eye injuries to Cena lifting Ziggler up in the air complete with ladder hunched on his shoulders, this match was beyond entertaining, which is more than I expected from these two. The crowd was beyond vocal, the energy was off the charts, and without a doubt one of the out-of-the-blue heel turns ever occurred when at one point Vicki Guerrero goes to interfere in the match, gets pounded by AJ, and then when everyone expects Cena to climb up the ladder to regain the MITB, AJ simply knocks over the ladder. With Cena stumbling down, Ziggler with a confused look on his face, and AJ doing her usual psychochick shtick, Ziggler quickly climbs up the ladder for the win, retaining his Money In The Bank contract.


Winner: Dolph Ziggler


All in all, I thought this was a pretty fun show. I'll admit that it wasn't perfect since some matches did drag. The first hour of the show didn't feel very memorable, but I didn't think it was that bad. I really think the tables match got the PPV to a good start, but those two mid-card title matches were pretty boring to watch. Everything picked back up with that Tables, Ladders and Chairs match and I think the evening continued to be on par for the rest of the night until the main event. This night featured some good wrestling AND good storyline development. We are left with a lot more questions than answers after tonight. Why did AJ screw over Cena? What will Vicki do now that AJ is apparently allied with Dolph? What is in store for The Shield after this? How will WWE continue to make The Shield a formidable foe? When will Dolph cash in the Money In The Bank? What do Big Show and Sheamus do after tonight? Alberto del Rio as a face? All these make the upcoming Monday Night Raw more intriguing. If I have to give WWE TLC 2012 a score between 1-10 and 5 being average, I'll give this an 8 out of 10. A great way to end the year folks, see you all at the Royal Rumble 2013!