Predicting WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs

Cashing in his Money in the Bank contract at Survivor Series to end Roman Reigns’ title reign at just over five minutes, Sheamus may be loving life back at the top of the WWE, but it could all end as suddenly as it began has he rematches with the former champion in a tables ladders and chairs match. Will the Irish leader of the League of Nations keep his reign alive, or will ‘The Big Dog’ end a difficult 2015 on the ultimate high? Also, what else can we expect from the WWE’s final pay-per-view event of the year?

Ryback vs. Rusev

Back together and in a new stable with a new direction, Rusev and Lana are trying to move away from their trainwreck mid-year programme as quickly as possible. A very wise idea. Rusev has lost a lot of lustre in 2015 thanks to back-to-back-to-back losses to John Cena (Who else?) and the aforementioned mess of an angle with Lana but a dominant win over Ryback could help regain some much needed momentum for the ‘Bulgarian Brute’. Ryback too has suffered a severe fall from grace since his monster push in 2012, but Rusev should be the best choice here, simply because he hasn’t been completely annihilated by creative just yet.

Prediction: Rusev

Chairs match for the United States Championship
Alberto Del Rio © vs. Jack Swagger

Do not adjust your screen, yes Jack Swagger is back on pay-per-view and competing for a title in 2015; the same year John Cena elevated the same United States title to the main event. This should serve as nothing more than a glorified squash for Del Rio to repair some damage suffered with his decisive loss to Reigns last month. Swagger and Del Rio have history going back to their disappointing world title feud from 2013, but this shouldn’t be anywhere near as competitive. Look for Del Rio to retain his belt with a quick victory.

Prediction: Alberto Del Rio

8-Man Tag Team Elimination Tables match
The ECW Originals (The Dudley Boyz, Tommy Dreamer & Rhyno) vs. The Wyatt Family

Jack Swagger isn’t the only superstar on the comeback trail. Returning to the company for what will surely be another brief run, Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno join fellow former ECW stars The Dudley Boyz for the latest ‘extreme’ reunion, this time against a faction desperately in the need of a high-profile scalp. Falling woefully short in their last outing against a group of golden oldies, Bray and his family of monsters won’t be back to their menacing best for quite some time, but an impressive and destructive showing against some of the industry’s toughest veteran performers seems like a pretty decent way to start. Regardless of the result this should be a fun match to watch.

Prediction: The Wyatt Family

Divas Championship
Charlotte © vs. Paige

The Divas champion and her British rival performed admirably in their last outing so another quality match should be expected. The problem here however lies in the bizarre booking leading into the sequel with both competitors now seemingly performing as heels. I don’t have a problem with a heel vs. heel bout, but the division is woefully short on credible face challengers and I feel the WWE should have waited until the conclusion of this programme before turning the champion to the dark side. Charlotte is still too early into her reign to drop the belt, and with her newfound mean streak expect the champion to retain after some dirty tricks that would make her father proud.

Prediction: Charlotte

Triple Threat Tag Team Ladder match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
The New Day © vs. The Usos vs. The Lucha Dragons

We shouldn’t expect anything on the level of the golden era of TLC matches, but these three teams are more than capable of stealing the show with a strong showing. The New Day have been nothing short of amazing since winning over fans with their comedic heel antics, but The Usos have also looked excellent since making their comeback last month. The Lucha Dragons are the rank outsiders here, but arguably have the better team chemistry than the other two teams. Damn, this is a hard match to call, probably the hardest on the card, but if in doubt I usually go with the incumbent belt holders. The New Day to retain the gold and end their extraordinary year in the best way possible.

Prediction: The New Day

Intercontinental Championship
Kevin Owens © vs. Dean Ambrose

Their initial bout at last month’s Survivor Series was a highlight of an otherwise disappointing card, and many including myself still believe that their effort then was rushed. Imagine what these two could do with a few more minutes to work with. Owens and Ambrose have been among the WWE’s better performers this year and their programme has potential to continue for some time. Both are playing their best role here with Owens the overly confident, dangerous champion and Ambrose the determined and durable chasing challenger, so expect the roles to remain the same if this feud is to continue into the new year.

Prediction: Kevin Owens

TLC match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Sheamus © vs. Roman Reigns

The main event that has the IWC clamouring for the return of John Cena. In all seriousness and rather surprisingly the WWE hasn’t completely dropped the ball with this hastily assembled main event angle, but all the signs are pointing to Sheamus utilising his new stable to retain the gold. Reigns might be grossly overrated but he has proved himself as quite the capable performer in gimmick matches. He’ll likely continue to chase the WWE’s top prize until WrestleMania, but for now he’ll put Sheamus to the sword for costing him the title last month before the champion’s stablemates interfere and cost him yet again. Expectations are pretty darn low at this point, but there’s no reason why the two can’t put on a half decent brawl to close the show. Just don’t bet on a title change at this time.

Prediction: Sheamus

WWE PPV Predictions 2015: 52-29

What do you think will happen at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs? Leave your predictions in the comments section below!