Tables, Ladders and Chairs, oh my!
Hello, everybody, and welcome to my final WWE Pay-Per-View Predictions article of 2013, with the fifth annual TLC event taking place tonight. I’m sorry that I couldn’t upload this on Friday at the usual time for my predictions, but I’ve been pretty damn busy this week. It was easier to write this over the weekend and have it here instead of ‘Under the Spotlight’, but don’t worry, the 25th Edition of my weekly article will go up next Sunday, as a pre-Christmas special. So let’s get down to it. Just in case you didn’t know, TLC will go live tonight on the 15th of December from the Toyota Centre in Houston, Texas.
The match-card is looking pretty good, if you ask me. I do wish they had booked more gimmick matches (Ladders, Chairs, Tables) instead of just the main event, but regardless of that, I’m looking forward to the show. The main event should be fantastic, regardless of your personal thoughts on either of the participants, we’re bound to get a spectacular Divas Match and although Handicap Matches seem to be the flavour of the month in WWE, I have a feeling we’re going to see some pretty good ones this Sunday. Of course, I was hoping the final PPV of 2013 would end with someone other than Randy Orton and/or John Cena, but there’s no point in complaining about it. They are two of the biggest stars of the modern era, and having them unify the championships together won’t be nearly as bad as everyone is making it out to be. Yes, we want to see newer guys take the spotlight, and the possibility of another screwy finish isn’t the most satisfying of prospects, but all of the complaints are changing this bout’s legendary potential into just another match. But we’ll get into that later. For now, let’s get started with my match-by-match predictions for WWE: TLC!
Pre-Show Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Fandango
It really is disappointing to see how far Dolph Ziggler has fallen from grace. He went from beating John Cena in the main event at TLC to the pre-show in just a year. I’m tired of going on and on about how naturally talented the guy is. Between his charisma, his athleticism and his ability in the ring, there is no way to justify Dolph Ziggler not being booked on the main card of a show like this. There’s no question that he’s going to own the kick-off match, but it’s saddening that the only show they’re allowing Ziggler to steal is the pre-show. Fandango is also a very talented athlete, and I think he’s really going to benefit from this match. The man is burdened by his comical gimmick, having to face guys like Santino Marella and The Great Khali, and the only serious matches he gets are ones where he’s jobbing to the higher ups. The thing I like about these pre-show matches is that the outcome is rarely dictated by storylines, championships or any other factors. It’s really just two guys going out there and warming up the crowd for the big fights. Once you do look past the fact that some of the most talented guys are being overlooked, it’s usually a very enjoyable match. And with two guys as talented as Fandango and Dolph Ziggler, you know it’s going to be great. As for a winner, I can really only go based on who I like the most, and although I’m a big fan of Fandango, nobody could use a win at TLC more than Dolph Ziggler. At least it’ll be a good way to cap off Ziggler’s 2013, because we all know it’s had its ups and downs.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Fatal Four-Way WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Goldust & Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio & Big Show vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel vs. The Real Americans
I was uploading this article when I realised that the match was announced, so take from that what you will. This actually looks fantastic. I love big matches that involve numerous teams, and with the variety in this bout, it’s bound to be very exciting. The team of Rey Mysterio and the Big Show is an interesting one. Clearly, WWE had no use for them, so they decided to toss them in, but they’ll likely make a very formidable team. I don’t think they’d win in a million years, but if they did, maybe an alliance with Big Show would keep Mysterio from getting injured from now until WrestleMania. Ryback and Curtis Axel are meh. Hate Ryback, like Axel but there’s nothing going on for him, so what’s the point? They’ll make a good filler for this match, so I guess Team Rybaxel is good for something. I don’t understand why The Usos aren’t involved in this match, but whatever. The Real Americans have proven to be a great team. Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro work very well together, and since the prospect of a push for Cesaro seems very far away, I’d still be in favour of the Real Americans winning the Championship. But that brings me to Goldust and Cody Rhodes. These guys have been two of the most exciting members of the WWE Roster in recent months, and the Tag-Team Titles seem to be working perfectly for them, so why lose just yet? Goldust is in the best shape of his career and Cody is a phenomenal athlete as always, so they’re still the best choice to represent the WWE’s Tag-Team Division. I’d give them the nod to win this one. It’s sure to be a very fast-paced, action-packed match, so I’m starting to get pretty excited about it. Just another reason to tune into TLC tonight, I suppose.
Winners and still WWE Tag-Team Champions: Goldust and Cody Rhodes
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Big E Langston (c) vs. Damien Sandow
I’m really liking Big E Langston as the Intercontinental Champion. The guy is huge, but he can also go in the ring. There’s something about his style that I really like, and he’s really coming into his own with his work on the microphone as well. I know he couldn’t speak for shit at the start of the year, but now you can really see that he belongs when he talks on commentary or in an interview or something. As for Damien Sandow, I don’t even have the words to describe that guy. I tried the make light of the situation when he cashed in Money in the Bank and lost, but it’s safe to say that the man got screwed over. Plain and simple. There’s no denying that the opportunity was right there, and the WWE took it right away and gave it to John Cena, because apparently he hasn’t been the Champion enough times. Sandow’s talents on the mic and in the ring are fantastic, and I’m hoping he gets his much-deservesd break in 2014, but like we see with a lot of the talents that come and go in the WWE, that’s likely not going to happen. I’m not getting my hopes up anyway. I don’t know if Damien Sandow ever will get the opportunity he deserves, but it won’t be tonight anyway, that’s for sure. Big E Langston will be the Intercontinental Champion when TLC is all said and done, and he’ll undoubtedly start 2014 the same way.
Winner and still Intercontinental Champion: Big E Langston
Handicap Match: Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family
What’s better than Daniel Bryan versus one person? Daniel Bryan versus three people! This is going to be an odd, yet awesome match. I hope it’s done under tag-team rules, so that two members of the Wyatt Family will always be on the apron, because it would be difficult for Daniel Bryan to have a fighting chance against all three of these behemoths at once. One question I do have, is whether or not Bray Wyatt is 100% cleared to compete, because his injury over the last couple of months has been mind-boggling. But if he’s booked for the match, I guess it’s all good. Luke Harper and Erick Rowan have really grown on me. They are so good at embracing their characters, especially the face Rowan makes when Harper takes his sheep mask off at the start of a match. They’ve also got a much more acceptable in-ring style than I was expecting. Two huge dudes, I supposed they’d just be another Khali-type that couldn’t move around the ring, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. All in all, I’d consider the Wyatt Family to be a success thus far. I do feel sorry for Daniel Bryan, because after the year he’s had, he really does deserve to be in the main event. Just watch the last segment on Raw, for God’s sake. If you’ve got legends like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley in the ring, not to mention Triple H, CM Punk, Big Show and other huge names, and the entire arena is chanting “Daniel Bryan” and “Yes! Yes! Yes!” you know the guy is a fan favourite. And it doesn’t make sense how his push was cut short. Bruno Sammartino sold out Madison Square Garden every month for years, because he was defending the Championship in the main events, and the people absolutely loved him. You book Daniel Bryan in main events at Pay-Per-Views every month, and you’re going to get similar results. The fans want to see their favourite either win or defend a title in the main event, and right now everyone’s favourite seems to be Daniel Bryan. I don’t see why WWE can’t put two and two together and capitalise on that. I understand that there is important WrestleMania-related stuff going on at the top of the card, but it doesn’t justify tossing Daniel Bryan to the side right after Hell in a Cell. And if things go the way I’m expecting, Bryan’s not going to have the time of his life tonight either. Think about it. The Wyatt Family are new, and they’re still trying to make an impact in the WWE. All three men have some significant potential in the business. But having all three of these monsters lose to Daniel Bryan would not look right, no matter how good or talented he is. I know we want Bryan to be getting wins, but losing to the Wyatt Family would hurt him a lot less than it would hurt the Wyatts if they lost to Bryan. And if you’re worried about Daniel Bryan’s future, keep in mind that the Royal Rumble is right around the corner! We might get lucky! But for now, the wise thing to do would be to have Daniel Bryan put up a good fight, but succumb to the tremendous power of the Wyatt Family.
Winner: The Wyatt Family
WWE Divas Championship Match: AJ Lee (c) vs. Natalya
I’m really looking forward to this match. I’ll be really surprised if it isn’t an excellent Divas bout. I’ve seen these two go at it live, and it’s no secret that they have some chemistry together. Not to mention the fact that they are the two most talented female wrestlers on the WWE roster. It shouldn’t have even taken this long for AJ to defend the Divas Championship against Natalya. We all know how much shit Nattie has to put up with in the WWE, so with regards to this Title Match, it’s been a very long time coming. I really am a big fan of both women, but I have to go with AJ Lee on this one. She’s a brilliant Champion, and there’s no need to take the belt away from her at this current moment in time. With Total Divas and hopefully the introduction of new female wrestlers (please give us Paige!), 2014 is likely going to be a great year for the Divas division, and it would be the icing on the cake if AJ Lee started the year as the Champ. Maybe the creative team are thinking the same thing with regards to Natalya. She’s one of the fan favourites on Total Divas, so why not start off the New Year with her? While that would make some sense, I will be genuinely surprised if AJ Lee doesn’t walk out of Houston with the Divas Championship. She has absolutely everything. She’s beautiful, she’s an excellent wrestler, she absolutely loves the industry and she backs it all up with her perfect personality, in and out of the ring. You can have your “Total Divas”, but AJ Lee is a wrestler, and a damn good one at that, and the fact that she didn’t win the Slammy for ‘Diva of the Year’ is unbelievable. But whatever, she’s the Champion, which is more than I can say for Brie and Nikki Bella. At this stage, I just want AJ to hold onto the title until Wrestlemania, because her first two moments at the Showcase of the Immortals only saw her managing other Superstars. Imagine what it would mean to her if she could wrestle at Wrestlemania, defending her Divas Championship. It would be awesome, and I’ll be very disappointed if it doesn’t happen. She deserves it so much. Staying in the present, I think it’s safe to call this one AJ’s. She’s been disposing of Total Divas left, right and centre for months, and I reckon tonight will be no different.
Winner and still Divas Champion: AJ Lee
Handicap Match: CM Punk vs. The Shield
This is a tough one to call, and although it seems like it should be a one-sided match, there is a certain element of unpredictability surrounding the entire storyline this is built around. First of all, why is CM Punk being targeted by The Shield in the first place? Simples. The Authori-tah. They’ve obviously got a problem with Punk’s personal reaction to Triple H taking the reins of the WWE, and after Punk’s outburst on Raw, it’s clear that this thing won’t be finished with a three-on-one beat down. CM Punk feeds off of challenging the hierarchy, and being beaten to a pulp at the hands of The Shield is only going to push him further and further, possibly culminating in a match with the man himself, Triple H. And secondly, one major variable in this match will be the level of cooperation between Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. It doesn’t take a genius to see that tension is brewing within The Shield, and it could finally blow up at TLC. Seth Rollins hasn’t had much of a problem, but there always seems to be slight conflict between Ambrose and Reigns, usually regarding who the leader is, or who is the best/baddest/strongest. It’s not unlikely that this will be CM Punk’s lucky day, the day where The Shield finally disbands. And if that finally does happen, the opportunity will present itself for CM Punk to get a quick victory when all’s said and done. It’s going to be a brutal contest, but I can see CM Punk walking out on top, much to the chagrin of the Authority.
Winner: CM Punk
Title Unification Match: World Heavyweight Champion John Cena vs. WWE Champion Randy Orton
So many possibilities, so little time. Seriously, this match is so unpredictable. The WWE are trying to ram it down our throats that there will be only one Unified Champion after tonight, and I believe them. It would be stupid to promise one winner a billion times, only to have a screwy finish, ending with Orton and Cena switching titles or something. It would be underestimating the intelligence of the viewer. Like poor hypnotism. “Oh, you think we’re going to switch the Championships? No, there’s going to be one winner. One. One winner. We guarantee it. Only one. Just one winner. We promise, just one winn… Hey! We switched the titles! Were you surprised? I bet you were!” For the sake of preserving my sanity, I’m taking the Championship switch off the table. It’s weird, I know there’s going to be some screwy finish where things don’t go to plan, like Triple H winning the Unified Championship or something (as if he’s not on TV enough as it is), but for some reason my gut instinct is that Randy Orton is going to win. Everyone’s writing him off for some reason. Either John Cena is going to win because cena wins lol, Triple H is going to win because he’s in charge and what he says goes, or it’s going to be another screwy finish where either nobody or both men end up with the titles. Everyone’s just shrugging Randy Orton off like he’s not even in the match. Even after Raw, everyone in the Authority seems to be against Orton. So how shocking would it be if Randy did win? They just have a fantastic match, because we all know this match is going go to be spectacular, don’t lie, and Randy Orton comes out on top. Sometimes less is more, so with everyone predicting all of these screwy finishes, people will be genuinely surprised if Orton pulls it off. I don’t know. You probably don’t see it happening, I don’t even know if I do, but it’s a definite possibility, and I’m going to get nowhere in this Predictions League if I don’t take risks, so what the hell. No matter who wins, I’d say it’ll be an excellent match. Regardless of your personal opinion on either man, they are good against each other, and this is bound to be an incredibly entertaining match. And it’s Tables, Ladders and Chairs, so what could go wrong? The possibility of Triple H climbing the ladder and retrieving the Championships does frighten me, but I just hope they don’t go down that road. If he’s the Champion until Wrestlemania, what happens at the Royal Rumble? Does Stone Cold Steve Austin come back and win it? That would be bloody awesome, but the entire Unified Championship scene would be screwed up all the way to April. So unless the new Title belt is a golden shovel, I’m not predicting Triple H to come in and win the match. I’m sticking with Randy Orton to overcome the odds, becoming the first Unified Champion.
Winner and Unified Champion: Randy Orton
That’ll do for today, folks. If you want to make your own predictions with our league, go right ahead by clicking here. Other than that, you can like this article of Facebook, Tweet and Retweet the link and leave your Comments down below. If you’d like to discuss wrestling, my writing or anything at all with me, go ahead and follow me on Twitter @AdamOB_SLTD. That’s all for me this week, so be sure to check back next Sunday to read the 25th edition of ‘Under the Spotlight’.
Thanks for reading!
Self-Professed Conversational Wizard.
Admin, Editor and Writer for SLTD Wrestling.
Creator of 'Under the Spotlight'.
Studying Computing in Games Development.
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