Triple Threat Tag Team Ladder match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
The New Day © vs. The Lucha Dragons vs. The Usos
What Happened? A well-placed trombone to the back of Kalisto proved vital as The New Day somehow retained their titles in an incredibly competitive three-way ladder bout. Predictably chaotic from the onset, the three teams took turns to dish out their own brand of punishment with the ideas becoming frequently inventive as the match wore on. With everyone but the Mexican luchador laid out, Xavier Woods made the save for his comrades, allowing stablemate Kofi the opportunity to secure the victory by ripping the belts from the rafters.
Winners and STILL champions: The New Day
Thoughts: While the WWE will probably never be able to replicate the success of their tag team scene from fifteen years ago, this absurdly entertaining effort is proof enough that the once-stagnant division is definitely back on track. Thrilling from start to finish, the three teams pulled out all the stops and threw caution to the wind with a number of incredible spots that we’ve never seen before. The logic may have been a little odd in places, especially when participants were diving to the outside instead of attempting to retrieve the belts, but the positives definitely outweighed the negatives in this event’s curtain-jerker.
★★★★☆
Rusev vs. Ryback
What Happened? The power couple of Rusev and Lana may have returned to winning ways, but things didn’t start out too well for ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ and his bride-to-be. Slammed around the ring by the powerful Ryback, Rusev had to rely on another distraction caused by his devious finance to turn things around. The application of the once-feared Accolade submission brought proceedings to an end when ‘The Big Guy’ was unable to continue.
Winner: Rusev
Thoughts: Nothing special here as this is something we have already seen on the preceding Raw and SmackDown. Infuriatingly Rusev is still being used incorrectly and instead of resuming his original monster heel gimmick is now considerably less intimidating as Lana’s puppy dog lover. Ugh, what a waste.
★★☆☆☆
Chairs match for the United States Championship
Alberto Del Rio © vs. Jack Swagger
What Happened? Attempting to take advantage of a super rare pay-per-view appearance, Jack Swagger took the fight to United States champion as the two resumed their rivalry from 2013. Blasting the champion with repeated steel chair shots, Swagger looked to have the upper hand, but Del Rio’s mean streak soon caused the match to turn. With the momentum swung in his favor, the Mexican superstar secured the win with a crushing back stomp onto a huge pile of chairs stacked in the corner.
Winner and STILL champion: Alberto Del Rio
Thoughts: Well, that was unexpected. Despite zero build and the inclusion of a superstar who would be better placed on the side of an American milk carton, Del Rio and Swagger actually put on one of the evening’s better matches. Chair matches are rarely memorable affairs but the two superstars did their best with their time, delivering a stiff and surprisingly competitive match filled with some inventive (yeah I know!) chair spots. Del Rio will almost certainly move onto a more high-profile feud, but let’s hope the WWE recognise Swagger’s efforts here. The guy deserves so much more than just the scraps he’s been getting in recent years.
★★★☆☆
8-Man Tag Team Elimination Tables match
The Wyatt Family vs. The ECW Originals
What Happened? Banding together for the first time in years, the hard-hitting ECW veterans may have fought valiantly, but they were ultimately no match for a rejuvenated Wyatt Family. Quickly gaining the numbers advantage Bray Wyatt and his band of monsters punished their foes until only Bubba Ray remained. Refusing to go without one ‘extreme’ act, the Dudley attempted to light a table on fire, but soon found himself eliminated by Braun Strowman before he could even strike the match.
Winners: The Wyatt Family
Thoughts: Don’t let the above fool you, this was actually far from the devastating squash that The Wyatt Family needed to regain some much needed momentum. A messy bout, the match failed to re-establish the WWE’s monster group as intimidating monsters, featured inconsistent logic in the order of eliminations and suffered from a number of bizarre spots and botches that were just too hard to ignore. We didn’t even get the flaming table. Why even tease it? A real disappointment.
★☆☆☆☆
Intercontinental Championship
Kevin Owens © vs. Dean Ambrose
What Happened? Against all odds we have a new Intercontinental champion. Suffering an early barrage from the fired-up former champion, Ambrose managed to find a way back into the bout when he countered a running senton. The two scrambled for supremacy with both reversing and countering the other’s key moves before Ambrose finally connected with the ‘Dirty Deeds’ DDT for an agonisingly close two count. Owens attempted to put his challenger away with a desperate ‘Pop-Up Powerbomb’ attempt, but Ambrose countered again into a roll up for the stunning win.
Winner and NEW champion: Dean Ambrose
Thoughts: Anyone hoping for a better follow-up to their initial match at last month’s Survivor Series will likely be bitterly disappointed. Another rushed match with no real substance until the final sequence, Ambrose’s victory felt cheap and more like a mistake than an actual crowning moment of triumph. I’m not taking anything away from the new champion however: he absolutely deserves the title after chasing it for a year, but this feud had the potential to stretch far longer than two damaging clean defeats for Owens. Yet another missed opportunity.
★★☆☆☆
Divas Championship
Charlotte © vs. Paige
What Happened? Like father like daughter. Taking several pages from her famous daddy’s tried and tested playbook, Charlotte used a number of dirty tactics to ensure she left Boston with her Divas title. Another furiously contested back-and-forth battle, Paige had the champion in deep trouble with a beautifully connecting ‘Ram-Paige’, but interference from the older Flair followed by an impact to an unprotected turnbuckle allowed ‘The Nature Girl’ to pick up the eventual victory.
Winner and STILL champion: Charlotte
Thoughts: The ever reliable WWE Creative department have absolutely wrecked Charlotte, turning her from a confident fighting champion to a cowardly, naive daddy’s girl in a matter of weeks. The key to Charlotte making it on the big stage was probably to separate herself from the shadow of her father, but instead they’ve gone and done the exact opposite and have turned her into a parody of her legendary old man. The actual match was rubbish by the way. Higher card placement and a longer runtime doesn’t guarantee a better match, nor does having no-one to actually root for.
★☆☆☆☆
TLC match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Sheamus © vs. Roman Reigns
What Happened? Meeting one-on-one for the first time since Survivor Series, Roman Reigns put Sheamus to the sword for costing him the title, ravaging the WWE’s newest World Heavyweight champion with a relentless onslaught of blows straight from the start. Sheamus isn’t a pushover however and the Irishman soon had his rival reeling with offense of his own. The two maintained a fierce pace, punishing the other with every weapon they could possibly find. Reigns eventually had the champion beat after throwing him off the ladder and into a table propped against the ropes below, but the Irish king didn’t assemble the League of Nations for nothing. Rushing to the ring to aid their stricken leader, Del Rio and Rusev proved key in wearing down the challenger, allowing ‘The Celtic Warrior’ to limp to the top of the ladder and retrieve his precious title.
Winner and STILL champion: Sheamus
Post-match: This latest failure proved one too many for Reigns who proceeded to beat down the celebrating League of Nations members. Storming the ring to halt the carnage, Triple H soon found himself at the mercy of the incensed ‘Big Dog’ who proceeded to smash the WWE’s COO with several chair shots, a powerbomb onto and then through the table, and finally a huge running spear right in front of a distraught Stephanie McMahon.
Thoughts: The efforts of the evening’s main eventers cannot be denied: Sheamus and Reigns left it all out there in a gruelling battle which proved way better than I feared it would be. Unfortunately however the end result was never really in question and that undoubtedly hurt my enjoyment of the whole thing. The lack of King Barrett in the eventual League of Nations interference also seemed odd considering he was a focal point of the group’s promo earlier in the evening. A small gripe, but a gripe nevertheless. The post match sequence also fell flat and only further highlighted the weird place The Authority seem to be in these days. Reigns’ assault seemed more petulant and thuggish than rebellious, while Triple H came across as a helpless victim of his employee’s uncontrollable rage. It’s not the way they should be booking their future number one star. Still, beats the hell out of getting him to waffle on about those ‘tater-tots’.
★★★☆☆
Overall Thoughts: Extremely uneven throughout, TLC continues the WWE’s poor run of form into 2016. The night got off to a great start with one of the best gimmick matches of the year before falling back to the normal and current level of poor quality with forgetful and nonsensical matches right up until the end. The WWE knows something needs to be fixed, but let’s hope they’re finally prepared to actually do something about it this time.
Moment of the Event: Kalisto hits the Salida del Sol off the ladder through another ladder below. Spot of the freaking year.
Event MVP: The New Day, The Lucha Dragons & The Usos
Show Rating: ★★☆☆☆
What did you think of WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs? Leave your comments below!
All images courtesy of WWE.com
TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs Recap & Review
Survivor Series Recap & Review
Hell in a Cell Recap & Review
Night of Champions Recap & Review
SummerSlam Review
Money in the Bank Recap & Review
Elimination Chamber Review
Payback Recap & Review
Extreme Rules Review
WrestleMania 31 Recap & Review
Fastlane Recap & Review
Royal Rumble Recap & Review
What Happened? A well-placed trombone to the back of Kalisto proved vital as The New Day somehow retained their titles in an incredibly competitive three-way ladder bout. Predictably chaotic from the onset, the three teams took turns to dish out their own brand of punishment with the ideas becoming frequently inventive as the match wore on. With everyone but the Mexican luchador laid out, Xavier Woods made the save for his comrades, allowing stablemate Kofi the opportunity to secure the victory by ripping the belts from the rafters.
Winners and STILL champions: The New Day
Thoughts: While the WWE will probably never be able to replicate the success of their tag team scene from fifteen years ago, this absurdly entertaining effort is proof enough that the once-stagnant division is definitely back on track. Thrilling from start to finish, the three teams pulled out all the stops and threw caution to the wind with a number of incredible spots that we’ve never seen before. The logic may have been a little odd in places, especially when participants were diving to the outside instead of attempting to retrieve the belts, but the positives definitely outweighed the negatives in this event’s curtain-jerker.
★★★★☆
Rusev vs. Ryback
What Happened? The power couple of Rusev and Lana may have returned to winning ways, but things didn’t start out too well for ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ and his bride-to-be. Slammed around the ring by the powerful Ryback, Rusev had to rely on another distraction caused by his devious finance to turn things around. The application of the once-feared Accolade submission brought proceedings to an end when ‘The Big Guy’ was unable to continue.
Winner: Rusev
Thoughts: Nothing special here as this is something we have already seen on the preceding Raw and SmackDown. Infuriatingly Rusev is still being used incorrectly and instead of resuming his original monster heel gimmick is now considerably less intimidating as Lana’s puppy dog lover. Ugh, what a waste.
★★☆☆☆
Chairs match for the United States Championship
Alberto Del Rio © vs. Jack Swagger
What Happened? Attempting to take advantage of a super rare pay-per-view appearance, Jack Swagger took the fight to United States champion as the two resumed their rivalry from 2013. Blasting the champion with repeated steel chair shots, Swagger looked to have the upper hand, but Del Rio’s mean streak soon caused the match to turn. With the momentum swung in his favor, the Mexican superstar secured the win with a crushing back stomp onto a huge pile of chairs stacked in the corner.
Winner and STILL champion: Alberto Del Rio
Thoughts: Well, that was unexpected. Despite zero build and the inclusion of a superstar who would be better placed on the side of an American milk carton, Del Rio and Swagger actually put on one of the evening’s better matches. Chair matches are rarely memorable affairs but the two superstars did their best with their time, delivering a stiff and surprisingly competitive match filled with some inventive (yeah I know!) chair spots. Del Rio will almost certainly move onto a more high-profile feud, but let’s hope the WWE recognise Swagger’s efforts here. The guy deserves so much more than just the scraps he’s been getting in recent years.
★★★☆☆
8-Man Tag Team Elimination Tables match
The Wyatt Family vs. The ECW Originals
What Happened? Banding together for the first time in years, the hard-hitting ECW veterans may have fought valiantly, but they were ultimately no match for a rejuvenated Wyatt Family. Quickly gaining the numbers advantage Bray Wyatt and his band of monsters punished their foes until only Bubba Ray remained. Refusing to go without one ‘extreme’ act, the Dudley attempted to light a table on fire, but soon found himself eliminated by Braun Strowman before he could even strike the match.
Winners: The Wyatt Family
Thoughts: Don’t let the above fool you, this was actually far from the devastating squash that The Wyatt Family needed to regain some much needed momentum. A messy bout, the match failed to re-establish the WWE’s monster group as intimidating monsters, featured inconsistent logic in the order of eliminations and suffered from a number of bizarre spots and botches that were just too hard to ignore. We didn’t even get the flaming table. Why even tease it? A real disappointment.
★☆☆☆☆
Intercontinental Championship
Kevin Owens © vs. Dean Ambrose
What Happened? Against all odds we have a new Intercontinental champion. Suffering an early barrage from the fired-up former champion, Ambrose managed to find a way back into the bout when he countered a running senton. The two scrambled for supremacy with both reversing and countering the other’s key moves before Ambrose finally connected with the ‘Dirty Deeds’ DDT for an agonisingly close two count. Owens attempted to put his challenger away with a desperate ‘Pop-Up Powerbomb’ attempt, but Ambrose countered again into a roll up for the stunning win.
Winner and NEW champion: Dean Ambrose
Thoughts: Anyone hoping for a better follow-up to their initial match at last month’s Survivor Series will likely be bitterly disappointed. Another rushed match with no real substance until the final sequence, Ambrose’s victory felt cheap and more like a mistake than an actual crowning moment of triumph. I’m not taking anything away from the new champion however: he absolutely deserves the title after chasing it for a year, but this feud had the potential to stretch far longer than two damaging clean defeats for Owens. Yet another missed opportunity.
★★☆☆☆
Divas Championship
Charlotte © vs. Paige
What Happened? Like father like daughter. Taking several pages from her famous daddy’s tried and tested playbook, Charlotte used a number of dirty tactics to ensure she left Boston with her Divas title. Another furiously contested back-and-forth battle, Paige had the champion in deep trouble with a beautifully connecting ‘Ram-Paige’, but interference from the older Flair followed by an impact to an unprotected turnbuckle allowed ‘The Nature Girl’ to pick up the eventual victory.
Winner and STILL champion: Charlotte
Thoughts: The ever reliable WWE Creative department have absolutely wrecked Charlotte, turning her from a confident fighting champion to a cowardly, naive daddy’s girl in a matter of weeks. The key to Charlotte making it on the big stage was probably to separate herself from the shadow of her father, but instead they’ve gone and done the exact opposite and have turned her into a parody of her legendary old man. The actual match was rubbish by the way. Higher card placement and a longer runtime doesn’t guarantee a better match, nor does having no-one to actually root for.
★☆☆☆☆
TLC match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Sheamus © vs. Roman Reigns
What Happened? Meeting one-on-one for the first time since Survivor Series, Roman Reigns put Sheamus to the sword for costing him the title, ravaging the WWE’s newest World Heavyweight champion with a relentless onslaught of blows straight from the start. Sheamus isn’t a pushover however and the Irishman soon had his rival reeling with offense of his own. The two maintained a fierce pace, punishing the other with every weapon they could possibly find. Reigns eventually had the champion beat after throwing him off the ladder and into a table propped against the ropes below, but the Irish king didn’t assemble the League of Nations for nothing. Rushing to the ring to aid their stricken leader, Del Rio and Rusev proved key in wearing down the challenger, allowing ‘The Celtic Warrior’ to limp to the top of the ladder and retrieve his precious title.
Winner and STILL champion: Sheamus
Post-match: This latest failure proved one too many for Reigns who proceeded to beat down the celebrating League of Nations members. Storming the ring to halt the carnage, Triple H soon found himself at the mercy of the incensed ‘Big Dog’ who proceeded to smash the WWE’s COO with several chair shots, a powerbomb onto and then through the table, and finally a huge running spear right in front of a distraught Stephanie McMahon.
Thoughts: The efforts of the evening’s main eventers cannot be denied: Sheamus and Reigns left it all out there in a gruelling battle which proved way better than I feared it would be. Unfortunately however the end result was never really in question and that undoubtedly hurt my enjoyment of the whole thing. The lack of King Barrett in the eventual League of Nations interference also seemed odd considering he was a focal point of the group’s promo earlier in the evening. A small gripe, but a gripe nevertheless. The post match sequence also fell flat and only further highlighted the weird place The Authority seem to be in these days. Reigns’ assault seemed more petulant and thuggish than rebellious, while Triple H came across as a helpless victim of his employee’s uncontrollable rage. It’s not the way they should be booking their future number one star. Still, beats the hell out of getting him to waffle on about those ‘tater-tots’.
★★★☆☆
Overall Thoughts: Extremely uneven throughout, TLC continues the WWE’s poor run of form into 2016. The night got off to a great start with one of the best gimmick matches of the year before falling back to the normal and current level of poor quality with forgetful and nonsensical matches right up until the end. The WWE knows something needs to be fixed, but let’s hope they’re finally prepared to actually do something about it this time.
Moment of the Event: Kalisto hits the Salida del Sol off the ladder through another ladder below. Spot of the freaking year.
Event MVP: The New Day, The Lucha Dragons & The Usos
Show Rating: ★★☆☆☆
What did you think of WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs? Leave your comments below!
All images courtesy of WWE.com
TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs Recap & Review
Survivor Series Recap & Review
Hell in a Cell Recap & Review
Night of Champions Recap & Review
SummerSlam Review
Money in the Bank Recap & Review
Elimination Chamber Review
Payback Recap & Review
Extreme Rules Review
WrestleMania 31 Recap & Review
Fastlane Recap & Review
Royal Rumble Recap & Review
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