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Post by cableV on Dec 16, 2018 23:31:34 GMT -5
The bad thing about Asuka's win tonight is that it has nothing to do with her. It's not about rebuilding her, making her important or even making her the focus. It was, as everything seems to be, all about Charlotte. IF a women's match is going to Main Event WrestleMania for the first time, Vince is going to make sure Charlotte is in it.
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Post by Thought Collector on Dec 16, 2018 23:35:03 GMT -5
Who even needs men’s wrestling crap just have Asuka, Becky and Charlotte wrestle for five hours If they keep producing talent like Ronda, Asuka, Becky and Charlotte, WWE might just end up becoming an all Women's federation in the near future lol.
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Post by Crossfit Jesus on Dec 16, 2018 23:51:06 GMT -5
Great PPV live
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 16, 2018 23:56:13 GMT -5
WWE TLC December 16th, 2018 | SAP Center in San Jose, California
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Buddy Murphy [c] vs. Cedric Alexander This went on early. It was 3:17 in the afternoon in San Jose when the entrances began. These are two of the best wrestlers of 2018 and putting them together is always magical. Here, they knew they didn’t have a ton of time, similar to their Super Show Down match. Again, they packed a lot into the time but it never felt rushed. It’s a beautiful thing to get it right. While I wouldn’t put this on the level of their previous two encounters, it was still very good. Cedric hit the Lumbar Check for a great near fall. Murphy only survived because he got his foot on the rope, not by kicking out of a finisher. I appreciate that. I also liked Cedric desperately moving him from the ropes and grabbing his leg, but not getting enough to prevent that result. Buddy retained in 10:26 with Murphy’s Law. One hell of a way to start the show. They had the crowd engaged and loud, even if the arena was half empty this early. [***¾]
Ladder Match: Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush vs. Elias A guitar hung above the ring. All I wanted from this match was to not bore me and for Lio Rush to take some kind of big bump. They failed on both ends. Somehow, a ladder match that only goes 6:16 felt like it went about 20 minutes. It plodded along and nothing of interest happened. Even the one bump Lio took didn’t get me excited. Lashley looked upset during his entrance, probably pissed that he was on Kickoff Show duty. Elias retrieved the guitar, but had it used on him. Lio’s post-match frog splash was the only good thing. [DUD]
Mixed Match Challenge Finals: The Fabulous Truth vs. Mahalicia w/ The Singh Brothers The Fabulous Truth sported some San Jose Sharks inspired attire. I love their colors, so I was all in. While this season of the Mixed Match Challenge has been a mess, these two teams were consistently entertaining. Their personalities made this work. From the Singh Brothers getting involved in the Fabulous Truth dance break to Alicia arguing with Truth about being the captain, there were enough fun moments to go around. In the end, Carmella blocked a rollup and won with the Code of Silence in 5:46. They botched some of the ending, but I found myself enjoying the wackiness of the match. [**]
In a funny post-match moment, Truth said he submitted their all-expenses paid vacation request for WWE Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. This duo is so much fun.
WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship: The Bar [c] vs. The New Day w/ Big E vs. The Usos Serious MOTN potential from these teams. It was surprising to see Big E left as the odd man out for New Day. His power matches up well with the champs. The Bar had a great strategy. They isolated Xavier Woods, the smallest man in the match, while also freezing out The Usos. More than five minutes into the match and The Usos had yet to enter the ring legally. When The Usos finally got in, they threw a barrage of superkicks. It got a standing ovation as it was just the right amount of them without going overboard. From that point forward, the match had a wild pace to it and featured some of the best tag team action you’ll find anywhere. The finish kind of came out of nowhere in a good way. When things were at their peak, Woods walked right into a Brogue Kick and The Bar retained in 12:20. The first half was great, strategic tag team wrestling, and the back half was all out excitement. A banger. [****]
TLC Match: Baron Corbin vs. Braun Strowman A Corbin win makes him permanent GM. A Braun win kicks Corbin out of power and gives him a shot at Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. Anyway, Baron and his buddies injured Braun last month so he wasn’t supposed to be here. Of course, Braun showed up, but had his arm in a sling. He reminded us that TLC matches have no disqualifications and that anyone sick of Baron could legally help him. Out came Apollo Crews, Bobby Roode, Chad Gable, and Finn Balor with chairs. Heath Slater, the referee for this match, removed his shirt and threw it at Corbin before leveling him. Everyone then beat on Corbin. He tried leaving but Kurt Angle arrived and fought him back to the ring. Corbin took every finisher and Braun covered to win in about 7:25. Hard to call it a match, but it worked as a segment. [NR]
Tables Match: Natalya vs. Ruby Riott w/ Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan The Riott Squad brought out their weird Jim Neidhart decal table. The story of the match, besides Natalya’s obvious desire for revenge, was the numbers of the Riott Squad. Liv Morgan took a BRUTAL looking table bump to save Ruby. Natalya also took out Logan with one, leaving it down to herself against Ruby. That’s when the Anvil table came into play. They did some creative stuff, like Nattie putting the Sharpshooter on in front of the Anvil table, only for Ruby to crawl to it and knock it over, hitting Nattie and breaking the hold. Eventually, Natalya brought out a table with Ruby’s picture on it. She wasted time putting on her dad’s jacket and it nearly cost her. However, she managed to powerbomb Ruby off the top through a table to win at 12:38. That was a really good match with some smart spots set up around a storyline that was weird. They took something that probably shouldn’t have worked and did wonders with it. Ruby is a star and needs to be a Women’s Champion in 2019. [***½]
Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor HANDSOME BATTLE! This is one of those matches that suffers from being built on Raw. I really like both wrestlers involved, but the stuff on Monday nights has done nothing to get me interested or invested. The match ultimately followed the story I expected. Drew dominated almost as soon as the bell rang. His size advantage was clear and he’s just a vicious brute. Finn refused to die, surviving a lot of what was thrown at him, including an avalanche Air Raid Crash. Balor made his babyface comeback but ran into more trouble. Dolph Ziggler appeared and hit Drew, but had a steel chair booted into his face. Drew brought it in the ring and Finn was prepared, catching him with a dropkick. A Coup de Grace later and Finn pulled out the upset at 12:07. For a guy who is “buried,” Finn’s only PPV losses this year were in multi-man matches. The match was good, told the right story, and both men came away protected. [***¼]
Chairs Match: Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio A Chairs Match can certainly be hit or miss. For the good, look at Corbin/Kalisto in 2016. Now, I didn’t care about this feud in 2006 and I don’t care much for either guy in 2018. However, they’ve done some cool stuff in the build and Rey is usually a safe bet for something good. Randy looked like he was having a blast in this match. Like the Jeff Hardy Hell in a Cell, he seemed energized at the thought of getting to be violent. Though Randy gave us his usual few moments of slow, plodding stuff, they managed to bring out a handful of cool spots. I liked the baseball dive with the chair, Rey landing brutally on the chair on an apron dive, and the tree of woe spot. Randy’s sadistic nature got the best of him in the end. As he set up something big, Rey found an opening to smash his head on a chair and roll him up in 11:35. That was fun, creative, and smooth. [***¼]
WWE Raw Women's Championship: Ronda Rousey [c] vs. Nia Jax w/ Tamina I don’t like anything about Nia Jax. Still, I can’t lie. Her vs. Ronda at MITB was way better than it had any right to be. Like that match, this was worked in the smartest possible way. It played to their strengths. Nia attempted to be the monster she’s known for, while Ronda used her wits and submission skills to combat her. I thought the layout to the match worked so well. The atmosphere played a major part, too. The fans wanted Nia as far away from the title as possible. That meant that her close calls late got top notch reactions and added to the drama down the stretch. Ronda blocked the “face breaker” punch and applied the armbar to keep the title in 10:52. Again, like the MITB math, this was really good. Ronda is frighteningly good for someone in her first year. Especially someone who isn’t working consistent live events. [***½]
Backstage, Becky Lynch came up to Nia and punked her for all the trash she’s been talking. Becky laid her out and warned her, “Keep my name out your mouth.”
WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. AJ Styles The match where Bryan captured the title from Styles was great (****). They bested it in the rematch. Styles was dying to get his hands on Bryan, but the champion stalled and played mind games early. There was a lot to love about this. They played well off their previous match with callbacks, yet also threw in some stuff to remind you of matches they had with others. AJ is at his best as the fiery babyface and even though he’s the bigger guy here, Bryan’s persona was a perfect foil. Bryan was ruthless, precise, and the right amount of aggressive. It’s like I’m watching bits of his ROH heel run. Often, AJ’s slow build matches this year have missed the mark, but this worked expertly from start to finish. Everything they did mattered and felt like it had a purpose. That needs to happen more often in matches. Not just doing stuff for the sake of it. Styles would hit big blows, like the springboard 450 splash, but had so much damage done that he couldn’t capitalize and Bryan remained alive. The Calf Crusher close call was outstanding. Then, the most perfect moment of all came in the finish. AJ missed the Phenomenal Forearm but went for the small package. However, Mr. Small Package countered into one of his own to retain in an outstanding 23:54. It’s a finish from a favorite match of mine (Bret/Perfect at KOTR 93) and also made sense given how Bryan won the title. The best WWE Championship match in 2016. [****½]
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Seth Rollins [c] vs. Dean Ambrose Like McIntyre/Balor, this was a match that should’ve been more excited in the build, but Raw let it down. Unfortunately, this was the one match on the card that I could truly consider a disappointment. Considering the Bryan/AJ match was a slow building match, having another right after was a bad decision. Also, this needed to be a fight. Not one with weapons (considering the main event), but one filled with aggression. Instead, they had a traditional wrestling match that bored the crowd to tears. It was tough to get through at points. The actual stuff in the ring was largely fine, it just never felt like it mattered. We just got a hollow match between two guys who should be in the midst of a bitter feud. Dean continually cut off Seth’s comeback attempts. That’s typically a good way to go, but it happened so often that the match never truly hit that next level. Anyway, Dean won the title with Dirty Deeds in 22:53. [**½]
WWE Smackdown Women's Championship TLC Match: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte There was absolutely a big fight feel here, giving this a unique atmosphere. The women were not only put into their first TLC match, but given a PPV main event and delivered big time. At no point did this slow down or feel boring. They went all out for the entire duration. All three women took MAJOR bumps. Charlotte nearly had her ribs crushed by a Becky senton off a ladder through a table. I thought she was legitimately hurt, but she was up shortly after and wrecking everything. She hit a somersault through a table on Becky and speared Asuka through the guardrail. On that note, I loved the barricade spot in this one as it felt more realistic than usual. The “C” in this TLC seemed to stand for canes, as the women used kendo sticks often. It made sense since that was part of their build more than chairs. The match was brutal, laid out brilliantly, kept escalating, and had a MOLTEN crowd throughout. After a handful of teases for each winner, Becky and Charlotte battled atop a ladder. Out came Ronda Rousey to tip their ladder over and send them crashing to the floor. I love that Ronda didn’t do anything else. Short and simple. Asuka climbed and won the title at 22:31. One of my favorite matches all year. Also, a top five TLC and top five women’s match I can recall. From a booking standpoint, it was phenomenal as well, with Asuka getting the big win, while her opponents stay strong and keep their feud with Ronda going. [****¾]
Overall: 9/10. What a wrestling show. Coming in, I knew it had a great card, but they still managed to exceed expectations. Dean/Seth was the clear disappointment, while Elias/Lashley was trash. Other than that, everything was good to great. Even the Mixed Match Finals was fun and the Corbin segment did what it needed to. Ruby/Nattie, Ronda/Nia, Drew/Finn, Rey/Randy, and the CW Title were all very good. The SD Tag was great, while AJ/Bryan was a classic. Add a main event that is an all timer and you’ve got the main roster show of the year.
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Post by RybackV1 on Dec 17, 2018 0:09:42 GMT -5
Woman's TLC is right up there with Bayley/ Sasha as the best woman's match ever.
Bryan and AJ killed it. So did Dean/Seth (Think they're holding back for more to come) . Fun PPV to watch
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Ohtimate Wahriah
Main Eventer
WF 10 Year Member
Joined on: Jul 1, 2008 12:35:07 GMT -5
Posts: 2,527
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Post by Ohtimate Wahriah on Dec 17, 2018 1:03:11 GMT -5
I thought this was the most boring PPV possibly ever. I was so bored during Seth/Dean I actually thought for a good 30 seconds if TNA was still on tv.
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Post by RuthlessFigs on Dec 17, 2018 3:19:46 GMT -5
NEGATIVES
Why was Elias vs Lashley on the pre-show, but MMC Finals on the main card? huh?
The triple threat Tag match should've been a Ladder match, but the thing i hate about these matches is the 2 people legal thing, it would make so much more sense to actually go by the name of the match and have 3 people legal...
The Strowman vs Corbin match would've been a perfect time to get The Revival some momentum again. With Corbin 'putting them' in 'LuChA hOuSe PaRtY RuLeS' matches, it would've made more sense for them to come out and attack Corbin instead of Roode/Gable. (Yes i understand it was a group of Faces but still)
Am i the only one questioning why Balor didn't get disqualified for kicking the chair into Drew?
Honestly, why is Tamina still employed by WWE? She has to be THE most USELESS Woman on that roster, every single time she's been someones 'sidekick' or 'bodyguard' she does absolutely nothing. She comes out with the most disinterested look on her face, no emotion or expressions, she has no charisma, i'd say little to no wrestling skill and she's injury prone, so how the hell is she still here? She provides no advantage for her allies in their matches and ultimately just looks like some random person standing in the background. Even after the match, she exited with Jax didn't she? So when Jax is just leaving Gorilla, then gets dropped by Becky, where was she? Oh right, running over about 10 seconds later and doing nothing as usual... Sorry but JEEZUS she just bothers me whenever i see her on TV.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- POSITIVES
Murphy vs Cedric delivered as expected, and they'll only get better as time goes on
Despite the final 2 MMC teams being a let down, the thing i like about it is now that Truth/Mella are confirmed for #30, it'll shut down all the people being disappointed that 'KeNnY oMeGa WaSn'T #30' so now we know who will enter.
The Usos were crazy over tonight
Corbin got squashed
Liv Morgan took that table bump like a champ
Rey Mysterio's boogie board with the chair
Nia lost and Becky dropped her afterwards
Bryan vs Styles was amazing and their feud is already better than the entire Styles vs Nakamura feud
Women's TLC match was amazing, Becky was protected well in defeat. I like how the finish set up a feud with Ronda but for the love of god, please keep Charlotte out of it... Leave it to just Becky vs Ronda, don't make it a Triple Threat Match, i'm sick of seeing Charlotte in everything. Keep her on Smackdown and set her up with Asuka vs Charlotte 2. Hopefully they go with Becky winning the Rumble and setting up the match with Ronda at Mania. ----------------------------------- Other than the small amount of Negatives, this PPV was pretty good and finished off a fairly crap year with something positive.
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Post by King Richius on Dec 17, 2018 3:26:36 GMT -5
I didn't get to watch it live because reasons but I just finished watching the replay. I thought it was good show, which by the current standards of WWE PPVs elevates it to great show.
They handled the Braun injury as well as could be expected, providing some laughs and bringing an end to Corbin's reign as evil authority figure.
Ronda continues to improve in the ring at a very fast rate. I don't know how anybody could watch her match with Nia and not see Ronda as a main event player for years to come.
I didn't think Rollins/Ambrose was bad but of all the matches on the card, this is the one that absolutely should have had a stipulation to it. All the history and bad blood between these two probably means they are going to keep this feud going and we'll get a stip match later.
The women's triple threat was a show stealer and deserved the main event spot. Happy to see Asuka get the title as she was the one of the three women who could benefit most from a title run. Becky is so damn white hot right now she doesn't need the title and putting her back in the position of chasing the title may actually do more for her than a dominant run on top. Charlotte is Charlotte and will always get the Flair push, but I'll admit that of late she has been putting in some great efforts in her matches to deserve keeping her around the top of the women's card.
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Post by TheSystem 1.5 on Dec 17, 2018 3:42:37 GMT -5
Am i the only one questioning why Balor didn't get disqualified for kicking the chair into Drew? Technically he didn't hit him with it.
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Post by TurboEddie on Dec 17, 2018 4:24:05 GMT -5
I thought TLC was a fantastic pay-per-view. Great way to end the year.
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Post by Angel Beast on Dec 17, 2018 6:48:50 GMT -5
Just realized this is the second time a major victory for Asuka is overshadowed by Ronda Rousey, with the first being Royal Rumble.
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Post by Jonathan Karate on Dec 17, 2018 7:03:21 GMT -5
WWE TLC December 16th, 2018 | SAP Center in San Jose, California
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Buddy Murphy [c] vs. Cedric Alexander This went on early. It was 3:17 in the afternoon in San Jose when the entrances began. These are two of the best wrestlers of 2018 and putting them together is always magical. Here, they knew they didn’t have a ton of time, similar to their Super Show Down match. Again, they packed a lot into the time but it never felt rushed. It’s a beautiful thing to get it right. While I wouldn’t put this on the level of their previous two encounters, it was still very good. Cedric hit the Lumbar Check for a great near fall. Murphy only survived because he got his foot on the rope, not by kicking out of a finisher. I appreciate that. I also liked Cedric desperately moving him from the ropes and grabbing his leg, but not getting enough to prevent that result. Buddy retained in 10:26 with Murphy’s Law. One hell of a way to start the show. They had the crowd engaged and loud, even if the arena was half empty this early. [***¾]
Ladder Match: Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush vs. Elias A guitar hung above the ring. All I wanted from this match was to not bore me and for Lio Rush to take some kind of big bump. They failed on both ends. Somehow, a ladder match that only goes 6:16 felt like it went about 20 minutes. It plodded along and nothing of interest happened. Even the one bump Lio took didn’t get me excited. Lashley looked upset during his entrance, probably pissed that he was on Kickoff Show duty. Elias retrieved the guitar, but had it used on him. Lio’s post-match frog splash was the only good thing. [DUD]
Mixed Match Challenge Finals: The Fabulous Truth vs. Mahalicia w/ The Singh Brothers The Fabulous Truth sported some San Jose Sharks inspired attire. I love their colors, so I was all in. While this season of the Mixed Match Challenge has been a mess, these two teams were consistently entertaining. Their personalities made this work. From the Singh Brothers getting involved in the Fabulous Truth dance break to Alicia arguing with Truth about being the captain, there were enough fun moments to go around. In the end, Carmella blocked a rollup and won with the Code of Silence in 5:46. They botched some of the ending, but I found myself enjoying the wackiness of the match. [**]
In a funny post-match moment, Truth said he submitted their all-expenses paid vacation request for WWE Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. This duo is so much fun.
WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship: The Bar [c] vs. The New Day w/ Big E vs. The Usos Serious MOTN potential from these teams. It was surprising to see Big E left as the odd man out for New Day. His power matches up well with the champs. The Bar had a great strategy. They isolated Xavier Woods, the smallest man in the match, while also freezing out The Usos. More than five minutes into the match and The Usos had yet to enter the ring legally. When The Usos finally got in, they threw a barrage of superkicks. It got a standing ovation as it was just the right amount of them without going overboard. From that point forward, the match had a wild pace to it and featured some of the best tag team action you’ll find anywhere. The finish kind of came out of nowhere in a good way. When things were at their peak, Woods walked right into a Brogue Kick and The Bar retained in 12:20. The first half was great, strategic tag team wrestling, and the back half was all out excitement. A banger. [****]
TLC Match: Baron Corbin vs. Braun Strowman A Corbin win makes him permanent GM. A Braun win kicks Corbin out of power and gives him a shot at Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. Anyway, Baron and his buddies injured Braun last month so he wasn’t supposed to be here. Of course, Braun showed up, but had his arm in a sling. He reminded us that TLC matches have no disqualifications and that anyone sick of Baron could legally help him. Out came Apollo Crews, Bobby Roode, Chad Gable, and Finn Balor with chairs. Heath Slater, the referee for this match, removed his shirt and threw it at Corbin before leveling him. Everyone then beat on Corbin. He tried leaving but Kurt Angle arrived and fought him back to the ring. Corbin took every finisher and Braun covered to win in about 7:25. Hard to call it a match, but it worked as a segment. [NR]
Tables Match: Natalya vs. Ruby Riott w/ Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan The Riott Squad brought out their weird Jim Neidhart decal table. The story of the match, besides Natalya’s obvious desire for revenge, was the numbers of the Riott Squad. Liv Morgan took a BRUTAL looking table bump to save Ruby. Natalya also took out Logan with one, leaving it down to herself against Ruby. That’s when the Anvil table came into play. They did some creative stuff, like Nattie putting the Sharpshooter on in front of the Anvil table, only for Ruby to crawl to it and knock it over, hitting Nattie and breaking the hold. Eventually, Natalya brought out a table with Ruby’s picture on it. She wasted time putting on her dad’s jacket and it nearly cost her. However, she managed to powerbomb Ruby off the top through a table to win at 12:38. That was a really good match with some smart spots set up around a storyline that was weird. They took something that probably shouldn’t have worked and did wonders with it. Ruby is a star and needs to be a Women’s Champion in 2019. [***½]
Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor HANDSOME BATTLE! This is one of those matches that suffers from being built on Raw. I really like both wrestlers involved, but the stuff on Monday nights has done nothing to get me interested or invested. The match ultimately followed the story I expected. Drew dominated almost as soon as the bell rang. His size advantage was clear and he’s just a vicious brute. Finn refused to die, surviving a lot of what was thrown at him, including an avalanche Air Raid Crash. Balor made his babyface comeback but ran into more trouble. Dolph Ziggler appeared and hit Drew, but had a steel chair booted into his face. Drew brought it in the ring and Finn was prepared, catching him with a dropkick. A Coup de Grace later and Finn pulled out the upset at 12:07. For a guy who is “buried,” Finn’s only PPV losses this year were in multi-man matches. The match was good, told the right story, and both men came away protected. [***¼]
Chairs Match: Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio A Chairs Match can certainly be hit or miss. For the good, look at Corbin/Kalisto in 2016. Now, I didn’t care about this feud in 2006 and I don’t care much for either guy in 2018. However, they’ve done some cool stuff in the build and Rey is usually a safe bet for something good. Randy looked like he was having a blast in this match. Like the Jeff Hardy Hell in a Cell, he seemed energized at the thought of getting to be violent. Though Randy gave us his usual few moments of slow, plodding stuff, they managed to bring out a handful of cool spots. I liked the baseball dive with the chair, Rey landing brutally on the chair on an apron dive, and the tree of woe spot. Randy’s sadistic nature got the best of him in the end. As he set up something big, Rey found an opening to smash his head on a chair and roll him up in 11:35. That was fun, creative, and smooth. [***¼]
WWE Raw Women's Championship: Ronda Rousey [c] vs. Nia Jax w/ Tamina I don’t like anything about Nia Jax. Still, I can’t lie. Her vs. Ronda at MITB was way better than it had any right to be. Like that match, this was worked in the smartest possible way. It played to their strengths. Nia attempted to be the monster she’s known for, while Ronda used her wits and submission skills to combat her. I thought the layout to the match worked so well. The atmosphere played a major part, too. The fans wanted Nia as far away from the title as possible. That meant that her close calls late got top notch reactions and added to the drama down the stretch. Ronda blocked the “face breaker” punch and applied the armbar to keep the title in 10:52. Again, like the MITB math, this was really good. Ronda is frighteningly good for someone in her first year. Especially someone who isn’t working consistent live events. [***½]
Backstage, Becky Lynch came up to Nia and punked her for all the trash she’s been talking. Becky laid her out and warned her, “Keep my name out your mouth.”
WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. AJ Styles The match where Bryan captured the title from Styles was great (****). They bested it in the rematch. Styles was dying to get his hands on Bryan, but the champion stalled and played mind games early. There was a lot to love about this. They played well off their previous match with callbacks, yet also threw in some stuff to remind you of matches they had with others. AJ is at his best as the fiery babyface and even though he’s the bigger guy here, Bryan’s persona was a perfect foil. Bryan was ruthless, precise, and the right amount of aggressive. It’s like I’m watching bits of his ROH heel run. Often, AJ’s slow build matches this year have missed the mark, but this worked expertly from start to finish. Everything they did mattered and felt like it had a purpose. That needs to happen more often in matches. Not just doing stuff for the sake of it. Styles would hit big blows, like the springboard 450 splash, but had so much damage done that he couldn’t capitalize and Bryan remained alive. The Calf Crusher close call was outstanding. Then, the most perfect moment of all came in the finish. AJ missed the Phenomenal Forearm but went for the small package. However, Mr. Small Package countered into one of his own to retain in an outstanding 23:54. It’s a finish from a favorite match of mine (Bret/Perfect at KOTR 93) and also made sense given how Bryan won the title. The best WWE Championship match in 2016. [****½]
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Seth Rollins [c] vs. Dean Ambrose Like McIntyre/Balor, this was a match that should’ve been more excited in the build, but Raw let it down. Unfortunately, this was the one match on the card that I could truly consider a disappointment. Considering the Bryan/AJ match was a slow building match, having another right after was a bad decision. Also, this needed to be a fight. Not one with weapons (considering the main event), but one filled with aggression. Instead, they had a traditional wrestling match that bored the crowd to tears. It was tough to get through at points. The actual stuff in the ring was largely fine, it just never felt like it mattered. We just got a hollow match between two guys who should be in the midst of a bitter feud. Dean continually cut off Seth’s comeback attempts. That’s typically a good way to go, but it happened so often that the match never truly hit that next level. Anyway, Dean won the title with Dirty Deeds in 22:53. [**½]
WWE Smackdown Women's Championship TLC Match: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte There was absolutely a big fight feel here, giving this a unique atmosphere. The women were not only put into their first TLC match, but given a PPV main event and delivered big time. At no point did this slow down or feel boring. They went all out for the entire duration. All three women took MAJOR bumps. Charlotte nearly had her ribs crushed by a Becky senton off a ladder through a table. I thought she was legitimately hurt, but she was up shortly after and wrecking everything. She hit a somersault through a table on Becky and speared Asuka through the guardrail. On that note, I loved the barricade spot in this one as it felt more realistic than usual. The “C” in this TLC seemed to stand for canes, as the women used kendo sticks often. It made sense since that was part of their build more than chairs. The match was brutal, laid out brilliantly, kept escalating, and had a MOLTEN crowd throughout. After a handful of teases for each winner, Becky and Charlotte battled atop a ladder. Out came Ronda Rousey to tip their ladder over and send them crashing to the floor. I love that Ronda didn’t do anything else. Short and simple. Asuka climbed and won the title at 22:31. One of my favorite matches all year. Also, a top five TLC and top five women’s match I can recall. From a booking standpoint, it was phenomenal as well, with Asuka getting the big win, while her opponents stay strong and keep their feud with Ronda going. [****¾]
Overall: 9/10. What a wrestling show. Coming in, I knew it had a great card, but they still managed to exceed expectations. Dean/Seth was the clear disappointment, while Elias/Lashley was trash. Other than that, everything was good to great. Even the Mixed Match Finals was fun and the Corbin segment did what it needed to. Ruby/Nattie, Ronda/Nia, Drew/Finn, Rey/Randy, and the CW Title were all very good. The SD Tag was great, while AJ/Bryan was a classic. Add a main event that is an all timer and you’ve got the main roster show of the year. I missed you ya sexy son of a bitch. You doing a MOTY list this year?
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Post by blissfan4life on Dec 17, 2018 7:28:36 GMT -5
The bad thing about Asuka's win tonight is that it has nothing to do with her. It's not about rebuilding her, making her important or even making her the focus. It was, as everything seems to be, all about Charlotte. IF a women's match is going to Main Event WrestleMania for the first time, Vince is going to make sure Charlotte is in it. Good, Asuka is overrated and boring as hell.
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Post by blissfan4life on Dec 17, 2018 7:30:22 GMT -5
The Women's TLC Match was the best of the night even if it did have a terrible winner
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Post by TheSystem 1.5 on Dec 17, 2018 7:38:12 GMT -5
The bad thing about Asuka's win tonight is that it has nothing to do with her. It's not about rebuilding her, making her important or even making her the focus. It was, as everything seems to be, all about Charlotte. IF a women's match is going to Main Event WrestleMania for the first time, Vince is going to make sure Charlotte is in it. Good, Asuka is overrated and boring as hell. Nah
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Post by hbkjason on Dec 17, 2018 8:01:25 GMT -5
I thought this was a pretty fun show and even at four hours, it went by pretty fast. The only match I was not into was Rollins vs Ambrose, these two used to be so exciting and who I thought would be the future of the WWE, but they bore me to tears these days.
The main event was awesome, I could not have been any more into it and they did a great job, even Charlotte lol. The WWE has to go all in with Becky, but I had a bad feeling it is going to be Charlotte they go with. Which I really do not get as I am not trying to start an argument here, but I have never seen the appeal of Charlotte Flair. She looks like a million bucks, but out of the whole women's evolution thing, she to me is by a mile the weakest in the ring. Her offense always looks so fake and weak and there is just something unlikeable about her.
Still, this was a fun night (well morning as I just watched it today) of wrestling and that is something that should be celebrated as it is far to easy to look at all the negatives going on with the WWE these days.
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Post by blissfan4life on Dec 17, 2018 8:22:56 GMT -5
I thought this was a pretty fun show and even at four hours, it went by pretty fast. The only match I was not into was Rollins vs Ambrose, these two used to be so exciting and who I thought would be the future of the WWE, but they bore me to tears these days. The main event was awesome, I could not have been any more into it and they did a great job, even Charlotte lol. The WWE has to go all in with Becky, but I had a bad feeling it is going to be Charlotte they go with. Which I really do not get as I am not trying to start an argument here, but I have never seen the appeal of Charlotte Flair. She looks like a million bucks, but out of the whole women's evolution thing, she to me is by a mile the weakest in the ring. Her offense always looks so fake and weak and there is just something unlikeable about her. Still, this was a fun night (well morning as I just watched it today) of wrestling and that is something that should be celebrated as it is far to easy to look at all the negatives going on with the WWE these days. Not Seth and Dean's fault the booking sucks. Also Charlotte is pretty damn solid in the ring.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 17, 2018 9:09:39 GMT -5
I missed you ya sexy son of a bitch. You doing a MOTY list this year? Working on it now.
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Post by 5th Horsewoman on Dec 17, 2018 9:10:48 GMT -5
Best ppv that I've watched this year except maybe one of the Takeovers.
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ecwrhino
Mid-Carder
Joined on: Aug 20, 2016 1:45:33 GMT -5
Posts: 173
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Post by ecwrhino on Dec 17, 2018 9:36:13 GMT -5
PPV was hot garbage. I dont know what everyone else was watching. The main event was good I guess but everything else was borderline unbearable.
The only thing that kept me alive last night was watching my homeboy bang in the pocket on Dark Souls 3. WWE should take some inspiration from FROM software and learn how to book an entertaining match.
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