TLC has come and gone, and as we now wait two week’s for Raw’s Roadblock let’s look back on the second Smackdown exclusive PPV. The highs, the lows, and what will happen next to the superstars involved. It certainly wasn’t a ‘”bad” PPV by any means, the card contained a total of six matches, excluding the throwaway kick off match, in four of which titles were defended. There were some welcome surprises, fun spots, and solid action, however missed opportunities as well. Let’s begin. (Spoilers below)
The Wyatt Family def. Heath Slater and Rhyno to win the Smackdown Tag Team titles. First and foremost this result comes to no surprise, after the Wyatt’s dominated the men’s match at Survivor Series, they seemed in line for a well deserved push. However are the tag team titles the right way to go? The match was nothing special, in fact it was nothing at all, a mere five minutes it seemed more like a squash match on Smackdown than a title match on a Pay Per View event.
However the length of the match could have been excused if a different approach had been made to it. The match should have been a sadistic showing of the Wyatt Family’s true power. Five minutes of torture, of unrelenting pain and agony on behalf of Slater and Rhyno until Wyatt decided to put them out of their misery. Bray and Orton’s rivalry is clear to reignite at some point, holding not only the tag team titles but putting the entire division on standstill until that happens is more damaging than anything. The fan support for the Wyatt Family is there, however it circles around Bray more than anyone else. No one fills arena’s to see Luke Harper, no one’s sitting on the edge of their couch waiting for Erick Rowan to return, Smackdown should have capitalized on the Survivor Series victory with a strong singles push for Bray, backed by the entire Wyatt family, however have Orton’s intentions be to destroy it from the inside out. Have him cause Harper to become jealous at being Bray’s new right hand man, have him cause tensions among the group until causing Bray an enormous opportunity. However now we will view tag team matches that will mean nothing, until the feud between Bray and Orton resumes, the titles aren’t going anywhere. In regards to Slater and Rhyno, it was fun while it lasted, but expect to unfortunately see the same Slater we’d grown accustomed to for the last five years.
Nikki Bella def. Carmella in a No DQ Match. Here’s the thing about this match, because there’s a few. Most importantly however is how this match, and later on the Women’s title match, are going to be viewed. These matches, although not amazing, were progress. Smackdown could have very easily made one if not both of these matches simple pinfall contests, rewind a year or two back and they very well may have, choosing to venture into more promising matches will spark more interest in the diva’s division, however it suffers from one big flaw. Raw, more specifically Sasha Banks and Charlotte, are responsible for two incredibly amazing matches in the last few months, first a Hell in a Cell, and second a Falls Count Anywhere. Both of which were fantastic, and a big step forward in the Women’s Revolution, (Is that even still happening)? When we watch these matches we will immediately draw comparison to these incredible contests held in recent weeks over on Raw, and although neither women’s match tonight was anything spectacular, it was still a step in the right direction regardless. With that aside there were some cool spots, the kendo stick on Nikki while she was in the tree of woe, and Nikki’s disaster kick (we miss you Cody) off the barricade were pretty memorable. Those aside I would like to state for the record that the use of fire extinguishers has probably never excited a fan older than six years old, and should be substituted for a different weapon in future matches. Oh and for those of you who used this match as your official bathroom break/ snack run, it was revealed Natalya to be the one who attacked Nikki at Survivor Series. Whose excited for that feud! Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
The Miz (w/ Maryse) def. Dolph Ziggler to retain the IC title. There are many mixed feelings to be had about this result. First let me say whether it be on Smackdown or Raw, the storyline Miz and Ziggler created these last few months has been phenomenal, it’s allowed the Miz to shine once again as the GLORIOUS (No i won’t give in!) heel that he is, and Ziggler has won back many fans who had given up on him with his some of his best mic and in ring work in awhile. Ziggler and Miz have the outstanding chemistry that allows them to do something that creates some of the best matches in recent memory, it allows them to tell a story. From Ziggler’s anguish of defeat, to the Miz and Maryse deploying dirty tactics to secure victory, we as an audience become emotionally invested in the outcome, making these two’s matches that much more enjoyable. That being said was the right choice made in allowing the Miz to retain? No. And before you angrily leap from your seat, spilling Doritos and Mountain Dew all over your parents favorite shag carpet as you question my absurd logic let me explain.
The Miz is red hot. Doing his best heel work in years he has opened many new possibilities from this feud, from feuding with Daniel Bryan to becoming a thorn in the side to a babyface such as Ambrose or even a returning Cena. He doesn’t exactly benefit from having the title aside from bragging rights, however with his list of accomplistment over his career he has much bigger things to brag about than being IC champion. Ziggler on the other hand is stuck, sure he won over fans during the feud, however now that it’s ended what’s next for the Showoff? Placing the title back on him could have at least kept him relevant until a new challenge arose, Ziggler is still a top notch wrestler and great on the mic, but he can’t rebound into a high profile feud with the likes of Styles or Ambrose or the Wyatt’s after being on the losing end of his rivalry with the Miz. Ziggler needs to make a statement on Smackdown if he wants to remain in the spotlight.
Baron Corbin def. Kalisto in a Chairs match. Historically speaking, chairs matches are usually reserved for the bigger, not as athletic gentlemen that step into the squared circle, such as the 2012 chairs match between Big Show and Sheamus, or who can forget the legendary 2011 chairs clash between Big Show and Mark Henry? But Baron Corbin and Kalisto did something that surprised even me, they put on an entertaining chairs match. Ignoring the fact it culminated in the classic let’s all throw the chairs into a big pile in the center of the ring and hit a finisher spot used far too many times, the match flowed well. Corbin in particular came out looking great here, he’s come a long way from the awkward tough guy holding thirty second squash matches in NXT, he’s become far more comfortable in the ring, and his character continues to grow in the right direction.
The important thing here is to allow these two men to continue producing fresh and exciting matches against different opponents and to not throw them in a damaging feud over the next two months. Kalisto, although not very good on the mic, does have an exciting move set, and is capable of being a great addition to the mid card lineup. It’s Corbin however that has a bright future, allow him to continue being a superstar that refuses to listen to authority and play by the rules, out to only hurt and injure the other superstars in the back. It’s rumored he’s getting a push come January, and Smackdown desperately needs to create more main event stars to challenge Styles and Ambrose at the top of the mountain, with Bray currently holding down the tag team division and Ziggler coming off the losing end of a huge feud, Smackdown needs to push some more superstars to the top, Ambrose and Styles produce great matches, however like all feuds, it will eventually wear out its welcome with the fans.
Alexa Bliss def. Becky Lynch in a Tables match to become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion. As shocking as I want to say this result was, it in a way wasn’t. Becky Lynch deserved to be champion, and it was great when she won it. But giving the fans what they want doesn’t always mean it’s the best option. Becky Lynch is a great, charismatic wrestler, however on the mic is a different story. I know she gets fans excited with the Becky Balboa schtick, but shes never done anything other than that to get people invested in her character, having a bunch of nicknames and catchphrases for yourself wont intrigue fans for long. Alexa Bliss, although not the greatest wrestler on the women’s roster, matches the skill she has in the ring with a great persona on the mic, shes vicious, mean and nasty. Against any opponent she’ll excel at generating heat, and makes the best heel option out of all the other women. Lynch will be a top contender, and now that a heel holds the belt it opens up an opportunity for a veteran like Nikki or Naomi to step in and provide a fresh title feud as well.
AJ Styles def. Dean Ambrose to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. At this point it’s safe to assume Dean Ambrose will not be taking the title off Styles, and when Styles is to lose the title expect it to be at a much bigger event than TLC. That being said these two gave another solid performance in the ring, hitting many brutal spots in a match that lasted over half an hour. Was it their best match? No. But they put on a show deserving of being a World Title match nonetheless. The biggest takeaway however is also what hurt the match the most, with James Ellsworth emerging and pulling an AJ Lee circa 2012 TLC moment as he pushed over the ladder holding his ally whom was fingertips away from claiming his prize. The Ellsworth angle was fun when it started, however at this point is becoming damaging, not so much to the other superstars, but to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The fact that this was a title match is now going to be a mere afterthought will all the attention circulating around Ellsworth’s heel turn. 30 minutes of hard hitting action not accumulating in yet another heartbreaking loss for Ambrose, but into the betrayal of Ellsworth. Mix that with the fact that the WWE World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles has lost three matches over the last month to this guy and the credibility of the title is being horribly tarnished. This feud, now that it has insisted on continuing following this heel turn, has to focus on Ambrose and Ellsworth. Styles needs time to rebuild the importance of the title, place him in a separate feud, have him beat credible superstars, anything at this point to make the most prized possession in sports entertainment relevant again.
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