My goal in this piece is to get you excited for WWE TLC! My predictions for the show. What I can see came out of this show as we begin the road to the Royal Rumble and move on from the ratings topic, because the hoopla over the ratings is overblown and NBC Universal seems to be very happy with the WWE Product, so until that changes you can take your sorry click bait soliloquies and shove it up your candy ass for all I’m concern. Yes Raw hasn’t been great this year, but PPV’s have been very good this year. There will be some fantasy booking, but more likely just a more realistic outlook on the PPV this Sunday. You may agree or disagree with my perspective, but at least you’re getting my honest opinion.
WWE TLC 2015
December 13, 2015
TD Banknorth Garden
Boston, Massachusetts.
1.) Ryback vs. Rusev w/Lana
On paper I would be excited for this match because both of these guys in my opinion are underrated especially for guys their size. This was thrown together and I feel that it will be a one off and both men will go separate ways. Rusev is now part of The League of Nations, but is still in love limbo with his real life finance Lana. I believe that we all wanted to see Lana/Rusev back together, but for some reason their characters come off as braggadocious in spite of their TMZ controversy a couple months ago. I feel that in order for Rusev to get back on a roll is to decide which side of the fence he’s going to be on. Are you going to be the badass or you going to be cowardly Marc Mero adjace. Congrats you guys are getting married, now it’s time to get back into business.
For Ryback I look at it like this, the guy is underrated, but for some reason he can’t take that next step. Ryback talks about overcoming adversities, but he lose the Intercontinental Championship to Kevin Owens to because the WWE wanted to please the fickle IWC, but has Ryback done since? Nothing. As far as Ryback character is concern I feel like the next big step for him character wise is to come out and talk about why he wants to be the WWE Champion. You get another favorite to win the Rumble Match, you have someone who wants to win that match instead of just showing up for the hell of it and it gives you a reason to care to watch Ryback on Raw and SmackDown as 2016 begins. I think it will be a decent 10 minute match. In the end I see Rusev winning here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Ryback won.
Josh’s Prediction: Rusev via Submission
2.) Charlotte (c) w/Ric Flair vs. Paige for the WWE Divas Championship
I want to preference my comments for this next match by saying that I think that Paige/Charlotte will have a good match. My one issue with this match is the fact that I don’t know who i’m supposed to feel sorry for in this match? I think in today’s WWE the USA Network and probably Vince want to stray away from everything associated with traditional professional wrestling and the pro wrestling playbook. For Charlotte it’s odd by how much here character changes her emotions in the span of three weeks. You had sympathy for her at Survivor Series, then they take the high road on the Reid Flair comments and pit Charlotte as a cheater and only gets what she wants because of who her daddy is. Then Charlotte and Becky are at odds and then on Miz TV she’s suddenley the biggest bitch on the roster.
For Paige I love her don’t get me wrong, but like I’ve stated before Paige’s character is not genuine and even worst she comes off like a younger AJ Lee rip off. I love seeing Paige wrestler and yes I feel that she’s the hottest women in wrestling history, but besides that I think what’s best for the Women’s Division right now is to keep Paige away from the championship for the next couple months. Feel like she’s been having way too many title opportunities and she changes character after every time she wins or loses the title. The wildcard in this scenairo is Becky Lynch, so basically we have all members of Team PCB going after each other and Becky is the only one to have sympathy for and she’s not even going after the title. Nonetheless I feel that Becky will help Paige win the championship or the match will end in a No Contest. I think a better subtle solution to this problem is to be finish this program at the Royal Rumble will all three members of Team PCB going after each other in a Triple Threat Match.
Winner: New WWE Divas Champion Paige
3.) The New Day (c) vs. The Usos vs. The Lucha Dragons in a Triple Threat Tag Team Ladder Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
POP Power of Positivity! One of the main reason I’m currently excited for TLC is this match right here. I’m a fan of all three teams and boy picture if Kidd & Cesaro were still around. I do expect this to be a spot fest, but at the same time I feel that with The New Day in this match they will bring a entertainment value to it in the fact that they’re funny, but they are aggressive when they need to be. I don’t care who wins this match. I’m equally a fan of all three teams and if there was any divisions in WWE that I feel that can flip flop titles scenes is the Tag Team Division. You don’t need one team to hold onto the title for more then 5 months anymore.
I’m glad that The Usos are back, but I will like to see them get more mic time. Happy with the steady promotion they give The Lucha Dragons. This will be a bad ass match and I won’t be surprised if this match steals the show. If I was WWE I would start the PPV with this match and give it time. All three teams will have a chip on their shoulder and you would hope all the guys on the main roster would come into this show on Sunday with a chip on their shoulder with the fanbase against them, NXT Takeover coming up on Wednesday and everybody is going to say it’s the greatest show of all-time and etc. I think a cool spot during the match would be one of The Usos climb up the ladder and Woods storm into the ring with the trombone and start playing it while Woods try to get in the way of The Usos grabbing the titles. I’m going with The New Day here, but I do feel that their title reign will come to a end very soon.
Winner: Still WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day
4.) Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Jack Swagger in a Chairs Match for the WWE United States Championship
I feel that WWE made a mistake with having Del Rio back in the company as the bad guy because a long time viewer I remember the last time Del Rio was on WWE TV he was a heel and he was just there. I felt that it would’ve been better to see Del Rio came back as a face. Everybody says their’s a lack of heels, but there’s a major lack of high quality baby faces. The MexAmerica last for 6 weeks and it was a hit and miss. These guys have history with each other and they put on solid matches which will be no different this Sunday. With Zeb and Del Rio “cutting ties” Do you have Zeb realign himself with Swagger or all of this is a rouse to go back to the Mex America shenanigans?
TLC is in Boston and you always have the John Cena return factor which kinds put this match on a bad end because with Del Rio leaving Zeb on Raw this match and feud should have ended there, but they put themselves in this position and it’s a December Hardcore type of PPV and this match will not be that bad. Obviously there’s only one direction to go here, but I won’t be mundane like Shoemaker from Cheap Heat, I’ll look towards a solution and say that Del Rio wins and Cena comes back on Raw the next night and they’ll got at it at the Royal Rumble. At the same time to shock people you have Swagger win you get the title off of Del Rio who didn’t bring much to it and Swagger is back with Zeb. Either way I expect Del Rio to walk out of Boston with the US Championship.
Winner: Still WWE United States Champion Alberto Del Rio
5.) Kevin Owens (c) vs. Dean Ambrose for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
I hope this match gets more time then it did at Survivor Series. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed their match and hopefully they add a stipulation to this match. I’m not going on and on about the popcorn/soda throw the face that happen on Monday because it was dumb and Ambrose character needs to be set straight is he a whacky good guy or a bully? I think these guys will bring it and with Rumble coming up soon alot of these guys are going to try to bring their A game and try to convince the powers that be that there’s more options for your marquee matches at WrestleMania then just Roman Reigns, John Cena, Brock Lesnar and etc and that’s one of the things I’m looking forward to when it comes to this show. I don’t feel like everybody has been put in the best position on Raw, but you usually get your character development stuff on SmackDown or the weekly Michael Cole interviews that I air on my radio show every week. Who needs this victory more? Maybe it’s me and it’s odd because I was born in this generation and our generation doesn’t have any patience for anything, but I’m realistic with my expectations for Kevin Owens.
The guy is great and he’s probably one of my favorite wrestlers since CM Punk left the company last year and I don’t feel that Kevin Owens need to be rushed in the main event scene like he was in NXT. The reason why that worked in NXT is because the Full Sail Crowd is 90% filled with smart marks and NXT is a niche product, so Triple H being the smart guy he is put Owens in that position and the crowd ate that up. I don’t know what’s next for Dean Ambrose I can go back to what I said about Ryback earlier in this piece in the fact that okay he loses in the finals of the Survivor Series Tournament, he loses to Kevin Owens at TLC and now with Rumble coming up soon, once again you have another top guy state his case as to why he should be the winner of the Royal Rumble Match. The Rumble PPV these days are a tough thing to book in the sense that all the behind the scenes magic of wrestling is gone, so no matter what happens on PPV if the “fans” don’t get Daniel Bryan or a guy they want to win the Rumble they will automatically assume that the winner of this match will be shoved down their throats. So it’s just my opinion Ambrose can regain his momentum with picking up some victories on Raw and go on the mic and state his case weekly as to why he should win the Rumble Match. I have Owens retaining here and I hope these guys will have more time in this particular match and I think it will be better then their Survivor Series Match.
Winner: Still WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens
6.) The Wyatt Family vs. Team ECW (The Dudley Boyz, Rhyno and Tommy Dreamer) in a 8-Man Tag Team Elimination Tables Match
Is it the late 90’s still? That’s the question that’s been asked by countless wrestling fans as to why WWE brought back Rhyno & Tommy Dreamer to WWE Programming. Don’t get me wrong I do feel that the WWE should focus on their future, but in the way they are. Okay Bray Wyatt lose to The Undertakaer at WrestleMania & Survivor Series, but at the same time Wyatt “booking” if you will reminds me alot of Mankind when he first came to the WWE and honestly when did Bray ever cared about winning or losing the matches,feuds, the war etc that he’s in. Would I wish that the Wyatts would win more feuds? Sure why not, but I feel like The Wyatts are going to grow as performers as they are gaining the “rub” and the knowledge with working with The Brothers of Destruction & The ECW Clan. I’m really looking forward to this match.
This is going to be a pure six brawl and with the Network now I wouldn’t be surprised if someone get’s busted open in this match. This won’t be a five star technical match, but I can say that we want to see nothing more, but pure and other destruction in this match. It’s a elimination match, so Wyatt’s don’t lose any steam if let’s say Rowan or Harper are put through a table because the rule of the match here is that once all four members of the group are put through a table then the match will be over. Expect a Gore through a table. Possibly a 3D through a table, but at the end I see that Wyatts winning this match with Braun STROWWWWWMAN & Bray Wyatt being the “sole survivors” if you will in this match. This is going to be alot of fun and I would have this match start off the second hour of the show.
Winner: The Wyatt Family
7.) Sheamus (c) vs. Roman Reigns in a TLC Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
In my personal with the exception of that brutal segment this past Monday night that made utterly disgusted at the look of tater tots, I feel that this Reigns/Sheamus feud if you will has been okay. Wouldn’t say that it’s great or anything. Maybe I’m biased because I’m a fan of both guys and I feel that they’re dealt a bad hand because with today’s fanbase WWE is damned if they do or damned if they don’t with their booking. I wonder if people would still have this indifferent vibe to the PPV if Reigns beat Sheamus during the cash in and Reigns was still the champion. I like the League of Nations obviously you can’t make a effective faction in two weeks in a middle for a two week build to a PPV, so I don’t know how long this faction will be around, but I want to see more out of these guys. I don’t have the answer as to what will make Reigns the face of the company.
I will say that despite his non genuine presentation on the microphone, Reigns has been killing it on PPV’s especially hardcores matches. Hey people thought Big Show/Reigns Last Man Standing Match from Extreme Rules this year was going to be the worst match ever, but it ended up being one of the best matches on that very PPV. I expect these guys to beat crap out of each other and despite how people feel about both guys, to a casual viewer seeing these guys in the ring together fighting for the World HEAVYWEIGHT Championship makes sense. I would be surprised if Reigns wins here because I feel that Reigns would be better suited to win the title at the Rumble instead of having him drag along his road to the championship. If you want the Rumble Match to not be crapped on for the third consecutive year don’t put Reigns in the Rumble. I do expect to see the League of Nations & Reigns Family coming down to the ring to cause shenanigans. I see Sheamus retaining when he gives Reigns the High Cross/Razor Edge through a table.
Winnner: Still WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus