WWE TLC

[ebbie]

So, which of these matches do we see again tomorrow night?

The women's match is a safe bet. They like changing non-main event belts the day after PPVs.

[Lawful Metal]

Went to TLC live.

Of course I sat in front of that "smart" fan who chanted to himself "Goldberg" and "Husky Harris." Thankfully no one joined in.

Bray Wyatt's offense looked very hurty and very explosive. His exorcist spider walk got a legit "That was creepy!" Chant that I hope made the telecast. Oh, and Bray made a kid cry on the way back up the ramp. He offered a kid his hat, then put it on himself and laughed.

Main ending seemed botched. It was never more than OK.

It was fun to see live. Crowd mostly loved Cena. Hated that mix/Kofi abortion and rightfully gave it the boring chant.

[piranesi]

Went to TLC live.

Of course I sat in front of that "smart" fan who chanted to himself "Goldberg" and "Husky Harris." Thankfully no one joined in.

 

 

You had the shot and you didn't take it?  You could have ended this forever.

 

Man, remind me not to send you back in time to Ford's Theater.

 

"Went to Our American Cousin live.  Of course I sat in front of some "smart" fan who was fumbling with something in his jacket and chanting "Appomattox clap clap clapclapclap".   Thankfully he got up and headed to the balcony.  Wait, why was I sent back here again?  I was supposed to be on the lookout for someone...Man this play is overbooked.  Whoa, did someone just light off a firecrac.....oooooooohhhhhhhhhhh...yeah....damn."

[Victator]

I have to think AJ is losing the belt to Brie Bella tomorrow night.

Really thought Nattie was winning between the announce team putting over how long she was champ, Nattie squashing AJ and getting out of her finisher.* 

But with how she won, I can't see her leaving Raw as champion. 

*Yes I fell asleep after that match. 

[Reed]

 

Amazing. He looks like he a singer at a '70s wedding reception.

[Reed]

I have to think AJ is losing the belt to Brie Bella tomorrow night.

Really thought Nattie was winning between the announce team putting over how long she was champ, Nattie squashing AJ and getting out of her finisher.* 

But with how she won, I can't see her leaving Raw as champion. 

*Yes I fell asleep after that match. 

 

If AJ doesn't lose the belt soon, it sets a pretty bad example to the rest of women. The guys, too, I guess. 

[piranesi]

 

Amazing. He looks like he a singer at a SIX FLAGS SHOW-TUNE-THEMED LUNCH THEATER RESTAURANT.

 

Fixed.

[Phantom Lord]

It did and it was awesome.

 

Bray Wyatt's offense looked very hurty and very explosive. His exorcist spider walk got a legit "That was creepy!" Chant that I hope made the telecast. Oh, and Bray made a kid cry on the way back up the ramp. He offered a kid his hat, then put it on himself and laughed.
 

[TheVileOne]

How much longer is Cena's body going to hold up when he's constantly taking these sickeningly spills like he did last night?

 

Like your top guy just came back from another "miraculous recovery" and you put him in another risky match.  Bumps and injuries are unavoidable in this business, but why unnecessarily increase the risk when you've shown time and time again how reliant you are of John Cena.

[Mdot31]

Went to TLC live.

Of course I sat in front of that "smart" fan who chanted to himself "Goldberg" and "Husky Harris." Thankfully no one joined in.

 

You had the shot and you didn't take it?  You could have ended this forever.

 

Man, remind me not to send you back in time to Ford's Theater.

 

"Went to Our American Cousin live.  Of course I sat in front of some "smart" fan who was fumbling with something in his jacket and chanting "Appmatox clap clap clapclapclap".   Thankfully he got up and headed to the balcony.  Wait, why was sent back here again?  I was supposed to be on the lookout for someone...Man this play is overbooked.  Whoa, did someone just light off a firecrac.....oooooooohhhhhhhhhhh...yeah....damn."

This post is awesome on so many levels

[Go2Sleep]

Pretty mediocre show, as has been the norm since Summer Slam.

 

Punk/Shield felt as much like a ppv match as a 3 on 1 handicap match possibly could. Roman's bump over the table and Punk's subsequent targeting of the eye gave the match a special feel. Punk going over is kind of silly despite all the shenanigans, but these four did their absolute best to make it work. 

 

Divas match was the usual forgettable affair. At least Nattie didn't win.

 

The IC match was also total filler, and god damn, get Big E a new finisher already. 

 

Fatal 4-way tag got real good after Ryback and Axel were eliminated. Swagger and Cesaro both took great bumps for the KO punch, and that finishing run between Rey and Cody was hot. Easily the best match of the night.

 

The "bonus" matches both sucked. Why can't WWE experiment with Kofi as a heel? There are very few things less interesting than face Kofi vs. heel Miz at this point. Tons of Funk breaking up is gonna end up so bad for both guys. Brodus is gonna get the first push and flounder if not outright bomb in singles. His ceiling is IC material, but even then, Langston appears to be a much more promising prospect who should hold that belt for a while. And while it'd be fun to imagine a successful singles push for Tensai, I can't see him going more than two ppvs before he's solidly locked into the Superstars/ME circuit with his "dancing big man" gimmick.

 

Bryan vs. The Wyatts was fine, but really felt like a Raw match. There wasn't anything special or ppv-worthy about it. Harper was great as usual, Bray looked amazing during the finishing run, and Bryan was Bryan, but overall I felt like there was a lot less effort here than Punk/Shield. 

 

Main event was very disappointing. Cena and Orton have had some great matches, but this was subpar. Not straight bad or anything, but really uninspired. Lots of stalling/slow ladder climbing and atrocious no-selling of big spots until the end. The finish was creative, I'll give them that, but I thought Cena had a legit broken his neck on that bump. I was so relieved to see him moving after the match. Scariest thing I've seen in the ring in a while. As a distant second to Cena surviving the finish, the other good part about this match was at least we had a clean winner. It means more Raw-main-event and ppv-opening-promo HHH unfortunately, but hey, decisive finish. 

[Hooks]

So......my mom is 62 years old.  She always knew of the wrestling I watched in passing and once I got in the business she thought it was great, but she was never a "fan."  When my dad and brother died three years ago, she and I started spending a lot more time together.  Part of that included her taking an interest in wrestling.  When she's in town with me, we watch together.  When she's at her place, she'll call me after watching Raw or Smackdown.  It's adorable really. 

 

She comments on things like how "those Wyatts are creepy".......and how Cesaro "has really nice legs"........and how "I wish someone would beat AJ and shut her up." 

 

Basically what I'm getting at is that she's as far from a "smart mark" or internet message board fan as it gets.  She likes watching the matches and gets interested in the stories and just genuinely enjoys the entertainment of it.  I bring this up because of two notable comments she made tonight......

 

During the Miz/Kofi match she says, out of nowhere, "I just think they don't have any idea what to do with Miz." 

 

And as soon as Orton took the belts down she looked at me and said ".........that's it?"  When the show went off she said "Well, that was a letdown....I thought something crazy would happen." 

 

As I said, adorable........but also, it ain't just message board goons like us saying these things. 

 

Oh, and for the record, she loves Goldust.  So she's obviously got good taste. 

[The Natural]

[Bustronaut]

I don't know why they keep giving Orton push after push, he's so generic

[piranesi]

If you squint and blur your vision enough, you can pretend that's Cesaro in that picture.

[The Natural]

Check this photo out:

 

[Bustronaut]

If you squint and blur your vision enough, you can pretend that's Cesaro in that picture.

I believe that's what Randal is actually doing

[Dirty J.]

As much as I love the Shield they all have pretty much outgrown their parts. Come Rumble time it's perhaps time to disband the group.

 

I am ready for an Ambrose push, just love the guy's work.

[nate]

Check this photo out:

Is ... is Orton *naked*?

[Victator]

He has boots on. 

[Buy Me a Burrito]

I saw those pictures being tweeted out and the Arrested Development fan in me started hoping that it would turn into a Buster vs the Llama in the photo booth type thing.

[nate]

No he has boots on. 

 

I bet that'll be how he dies ... no, nevermind ...

[Petey]

I'm glad that even in post match photos where he's sitting in a comfy chair next to Vinny Mac... Orton still don't wear pants.

 

I'm guessing they're gonna introduce a new belt instead of Orton having to carry around both. I'd love for them to just bring back the WWE Title they used from 1998-2002 but I really just hope it's a belt that doesn't suck.

 

Also, does tonight's PPV mean that Cena's gonna win the Rumble and then win the title at WrestleMania?

 

Finally, I agree with everyone who likes the WWE World Heavyweight Championship name. It's the best name they could use.

[Patrick B.]

The end of the A.J. title reign has been like the Sword Of Damocles since the start of the Total Divas thing.  No one knows when it's going to fall and who's going to drop it(Nattie, Brie, Naomi, Eva Marie), just that it'll happen.

 

Going by Superstars a few weeks ago, Ryder > Fandango > Ziggler.  Pretty sure Summer had the biggest push out of that preshow match.

[goodhelmet]

Went  to the show last night.

 

Ok, the security told me I had to turn my IPad completely off and couldn't use it during the show which is the first time that has ever happened to me. When the lights would godown, the iPad light lit up my face and it was apparently really noticeable. 
Also these thoughts are from being there live with really good seats so my experience and perception will apparently be completely different from everyone else's. 

CM Punk vs. The Shield- Live, this Felt like the best handicap match I have ever seen. Maybe that Bill Dundee Memphis one was better but everything was really snug and executed well. Punk outsmarting the Shield was reall done well and it was all excitement after Roman went flying over the announcers booth. The worst spot was Ambrose doing a 180 to position himself for the elbow. Crowd was huge into Punk. The booking with Roman Reigns spearing Rollins in the end was a perfectly acceptable way for punk to pick up the win and overcome the odds. Great match live. 

AJ Lee vs. Natalya- this was really good and stiff too. They were also laying in nice tight shots. The whip into the guard rail was sick. Natty was really over but don't know if it came across that way on TV. This may be the best women's match I have ever seen live and I have seen about a dozen of them. Normally this would be my smoke break match and I am glad I stuck around. 

Big E Langston vs. Damian Sandow- Nothing match but the the crowd liked Big E. Up close, Sandow works really, really light. Probably works for the boys but looks bad up close. Also, unless you are standing next to him, there is no way to describe how thick Langston is. Fucking huge. 

Fatal Four Way Tag Match- Match of the night and a MOTYC. Heyman's team was being heckled early but the work was solid. Also, Ryback wears the Chris Jericho lifts in his boots. The crowd went nuts for Big Show's slaps. Picked up to another level after the first elimination. Even the Real Americans were over huge as faces. This is Texas so go figure. Goldust took over and it was a career performance. The dropkick looked beautiful. One of the best FiP segments I have ever watched. When he tagged Big Show, the pop was deafening in the arena. Big Show was pretty awesome here too. His punches were a highlight especially the one that finished off the Americans from the top. Forget who got nailed coming off the top rope but it was one of the coolest things I have ever seen live. I was concerned the crowd would die in the face vs. face segment but all four guys busted their ass with the false finishes and the final pin. 

Brodus Clay vs. R Truth- For such a short match, it went on too long. The crowd just wanted to dance with Brodus. 

Kofi vs. Miz- Piss break. Came back to the entire arena chanting boring and Kofi getting the pin. 

Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family- This didn't seem as good as the Punk match live but it was still really great. Everything was executed great and I thought we were going to get another face win. This is also the best I have seen Wyatt look since he debuted. His splashing he corner was sickening. It was really exaggerated after Rowan did a splash a few moments later and it sort of sucked. Bray was soaking up the "That was creepy" chant with his hair over his eyes trying to conceal his smile. There was one point in the match after Wyatt asked Daniel to shake his hand where Bryan is on the mat in the ring alone and I shout "Shake his hand Bryan!" He gave me an Eat Shit and Die look that had the whole row marking out. There was absolutley no doubt who he was looking at. The crowd was bummed when he lost but the kiss, the finish and the post match had everyone engaged with Bryan's head in Wyatts lap. 

John Cena vs. Randy Orton- I guess being there live makes all the difference because I had no interest in the match at all going in and they kept me entertained the entire time. The pop for both guys felt huge but Cenas was insane level... More than Bryan or anyone else by a mile. One of the loudest I have ever heard lie anywhere. I honestly had no idea who was going to win because I don't really pay attention to reddit guy or bad WWE booking. All of the chair shots, table spots and ladder hits were sick live. When Orton got hit with the stairs the first time, he was busted open pretty bad. Looking at him on the floor, he was starting to pour some blood. When he stood up, he had a red dot on his head. They cleaned him up really fast during the replay. The handcuff spot was great live. When Orton threw the keys into the crowd, he actually threw them to a production guy. There were two guys in wheel chairs right next to us. Before the match they were told they were going to be moved because the wrestlers would be going through the aisle. In actuality, they didn't want a couple of guys in wheel chairs getting nailed with the keys. I don't know if this came through on tv but when Cena was handcuffed, before he unscrewed the turnbuckle, I shouted "take off the turnbuckle John!" and he gave me a quiet Thank You. It wasnt subtle because the whole section was marking out so I got two genuine in ring reactions during the show. The final climb really felt like Cena was going to win and even though he didn't fall through and bust the table, my friend and I were calling it the Million Dollar Baby Spot because it looked like a nasty botch that puts you in a wheelchair and not a wrestling is fake botch. During the post match celebration replay, the crew was furiously trying together belts off the hook that Orton took down. I don't know how long the replay took but it fet like they were panicking because the belts were bolted on and not just hooked so they could avoid a TNA moment during the big swing earlier in the match. Once the belts were handed to Orton, it went almost immediately live in the nick of time. 

The "celebration" went on forever and the McMahons just stood there looking dumb and then they just left. Don't know if it was on TV but Orton kept shouting "Say My Name" after and eventually left. Once the announcers left, shook Lawlers hand, shilled him a 35 disc set and stole his crown. Actually, just shook his hand. JBL left next and he looked much smaller than I expected. As a total live experience. This was the best live show I have ever attended. With the exceptions of the Sandow, Brodus and Miz matches, everything else felt good to great with the MOTYC four way. Huge thumbs up from my vantage point but I guess people are so jaded on the WWE product that the bad booking and tone deaf decisions kill any enthusiasm. Hey at least Dylan Waco enjoyed the main along with me.