TLC Review

Let’s be honest – expectations for last night’s TLC pay-per-view show were pretty low. There hasn’t been enough time to build new names with the recent surge of injuries, Raw has seemed to be pretty slow the last few weeks (more so than its been for a while) and the main event was a championship match between a challenger that some still didn’t believe as a top contender and a champion that most knew was not a solid champion right now.

But hey – at least there would be tables, ladders and chairs!

The show as a whole was pretty much what was expected. It was a smart decision to start the show with the triple threat ladder match. The New Day, The Usos and the Lucha Dragons were able to get the crowd going to start the show with the high impact spots that you would expect to see in a ladder match. The move that obviously stole the show was Kalisto hitting his Salida del Sol from the top of the ladder and driving him and one of the twins through another ladder.

Keep an eye on Kalisto. It may not happen right away, but WWE is known to push international stars to help generate international appeal. Kalisto has shown that he can keep an audience captivated no matter where he is. He could very well be the next Rey Mysterio.

Oh, and The New Day retained the belts thanks to some help from Xavier Woods … and a trombone.

It’s always good to see ECW originals like Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno – especially in matches like a tables match where there is just unorganized chaos. The match delivered just that, in an entertaining way. The best part about this match is that The Wyatt Family comes out looking as dominant as they need to be with Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Braun Strowman remaining after all four ECW originals were put through tables.

Shawn Michaels said on the Stone Cold Podcast following TLC that Bray Wyatt could be this generation’s Undertaker type character and have the long career that The Dead Man enjoyed. This can happen – if used properly. Hopefully this dominant showing is that start of rebuilding Wyatt’s credibility that should never have been diminished.

The match that I was looking forward to most on the show was the battle for the Intercontinental Championship with champion Kevin Owens defending against Dean Ambrose. The match, honestly, was a bit of a let-down.  Don’t get me wrong it was a good one but it just felt like it could have been better. Not only that, it just seemed like it ended too abruptly. Maybe this is just the start of a long feud for the two that will give us more drama filled matches.

Or, maybe this is the start for Kevin Owens. Several Intercontinental Champions have gone on to bigger and better things shortly after losing the belt – Bret Hart in 1992, Steve Austin in 1997, The Rock in 1998, Randy Orton in 2004 to name a few. The rumors have been swirling that Owens may be in line for a headlining match at WrestleMania against Brock Lesnar. It seems like WWE may be backing Kevin Owens, which would go a long way in bringing the lost fans back.

Which brings us to the evening’s main event. As I said before, the matchup itself was lackluster – but that match itself did exceed expectations. By no means, was it a five-star TLC match, but solid nonetheless. Roman Reigns gets close to the title again and the League of Nations (minus King Barrett for some reason) comes down to pull Reigns from the ladder and allow Sheamus to grab the belt.

The match was over, but the best part of the show was just getting started.

Simply put – it finally happened! Reigns was finally able to turn some of the doubters after the match. After taking out Sheamus, Del Rio, and Rusev, Reigns turned his attention to Triple H who had come down to the ring to aid the ailing champion. What came next was a ten minute beat-down of the COO that turned some of the boos Reigns has been used to into cheers.

This could finally be the break that WWE has been waiting for. It’s no secret that they want Reigns to be the next “guy.” Last night could be the start of that happening, but they have to slow-play it. What destroyed Reigns’ momentum this time last year was the feeling that WWE was shoving it down the fan’s throats that Reigns WILL be your next hero!

The plans may have been for Reigns to win the upcoming Royal Rumble and be in the title match at WrestleMania, but that can’t happen. A match against Triple H at the Showcase of the Immortals will still put Reigns in the spotlight though. What happens over the next few weeks/months will be interesting.

Other little tidbits that came out of the show –

• With a dominant win over Ryback, it almost seems like Rusev may be built as the unstoppable force that he was this time last year. This would be huge for him. Him and Lana working together again means money.
• Charlotte continued her potential heel turn ways. I wonder what Charlotte would be like if she didn’t rely so much on her last name…
• Alberto Del Rio looked impressive ending the feud with Jack Swagger that obviously was just killing time until John Cena comes back.

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE SHOW? WHAT IS NEXT FOR THE LIKES OF ROMAN REIGNS, THE WYATTS AND KEVIN OWENS? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @From_TheTopRope AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THOUHGT ABOUT THE LAST PAY-PER-VIEW SHOW OF 2015!