WWE's annual TLC pay-per-view event has come and gone and in the words of good ol' Jim Ross it was "a slobberknocker". We saw a different side of Roman Reigns, the crowning of a new Intercontinental Champion in Dean Ambrose, and Kalisto dropping one of the Uso brothers through a ladder with an epic Solina del Sol from twenty feet in the air.
This was my first time watching a live event on the WWE Network, and despite some hiccups in the beginning (during the pre-show mostly) the service was excellent. This was also my first time "live tweeting" a televised event, and randomly connecting with strangers (and old friends) across Twitter over the hype of pro wrestling added another layer of enjoyment. Also, I had a couple of adult beverages during the night which didn't hurt the experience either.
First off, the triple threat ladder match featuring New Day, the Usos, and the Lucha Dragons was a bombastic opener. Xavier Woods on commentary was a brilliant move, as his antics in the world of gaming have allowed the 'E to invest in a little bit of viral marketing and cross promotion. I nearly spit my beer out when he called himself a bard and explained to Micheal Cole that he uses his trombone to "buff the team". Speaking of the trombone, Xavier chucking it at another guy was my runner up for moment of the night. New Day got it done, winning the belts and outshining everyone involved, save for poor Kalisto. Fella put his body on the line the way Jeff Hardy or Sabu would.
The midcard matches were all solid encounters, save for Ryback vs. Rusev, which felt like a Raw match shoved onto the card to keep both guys looking "important". I would've bumped this one to the pre-show and replaced it with the excellent Beck Lynch vs. Sasha Banks match. Those ladies can go. I even enjoyed this match more overall than the Divas title match (please rename this title), although my moment of the night simply HAS to be Charlotte and daddy Flair turning heel to keep her belt. They even set up an angle with Becky backstage after the match, so expect the former friends to be one another's throats in the near future.
The Wyatts took on Team ECW as well. It was a nostalgia trip for me, but ultimately this match was just a series of cane shots and table spots designed to remind everyone the Wyatts are 2 STRONG when they work together. Hope we see more of Rhyno and Tommy Dreamer in the future, as having vets like them around is always good for the younger guys.
The main event TLC match with Roman Reigns and the current champ Sheamus was a hard-hitting, stiff-as-hell hoss fight, just like I imagined it would be. Roman even bopped Sheamus early on with a right that landed a little too well, which resulted in a very visible shiner that the Celtic Warrior wore like a glowing target for the rest of the night. They had to win back the Cena-craving Boston crowd, and did so by throwing themselves at one another full stop for twenty minutes. The League of Nations ran interference allowing Sheamus (and The Authority) to secure the World Title for one more show.
Post-match, Reigns took out his anger on the boss, Triple H, showing a new level of intensity and dare I say authenticity that his character has been lacking up to this point. I'm not with the Roman Empire yet, but a few more showings like that and I will be.
All in all, it was a good show. I wonder what the plan is now that we're on the "road to Wrestlemania". Triple H vs. Roman? Will Sheamus have the belt? What will the Wyatts do next? Where the hell was Tyler Breeze?
To close, I'd like to pitch this as a main event for Mania: Cena comes back and gets the belt like he always does, only to be challenged by the Undertaker. Taker puts everything on the line now that The Streak is no longer a thing; if Cena wins, he'll ride off into the sunset for good. Wrestlemania is in the Deadman's back yard this year, so it makes sense to me.
What do you think?
This week is the NXT Takeover show from London, and if all the stars align, I'll be live tweeting the event. You can join in on the fun and frolics by following @ChrisBComics on Twitter.
Thanks for reading!
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