Six Things WWE Got Right with TLC Pay per view
Bray Wyatt Wins his first Championship in the WWE
I have been a Bray Wyatt fan for a long time now! He's someone who over the years I have spent a great deal of time talking about both online and in person and many of you will know all too well that I have never quite been satisfied with the treatment he has received by the WWE. A man who has competed in so many brilliant, standout matches, a man who is known for being one of the best speakers of this generation and a man who has delivered some of the most captivating promos of the past decade deserves far more than weak storyline's and a terrible win/loss record. Over the past few months, however, Wyatt's captivating storyline with Randy Orton has seen him finally get the turn around he deserves. The storyline has so much potential (something we will get into a little more in a moment) and Wyatt's character is finally being used correctly once again. We have also seen a fantastic improvement in that win/loss record. Back at the Survivor Series pay per view Wyatt was left the last man standing along with Randy Orton after picking up the huge victory for team Smackdown LIVE and as we all know, Wyatt winning on pay per view is extremely rare and a moment we all have to appreciate. Almost a month later and he and Orton are once again on the same side and this time the pair were competing for tag team gold (silver) and after what was a fairly solid yet disappointing all round match Wyatt and Orton were left named the brand new Smackdown LIVE Tag team champions after knocking off now former champs, Rhyno and Heath Slater. As I jus mentioned, the match itself was nothing big but the end result was perfect. It was plain and simple, Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton needed this victory. There is so much potential for their ongoing work and this win last night was such a major part in that. Seeing Wyatt walk out of the TLC pay per view one-half of the tag team champions really did put a smile on my face. We all know that he has deserved a title on his shoulder for a long long time now and finally he takes home the gold!
Luke Harper Saves Randy Orton
Now, this is something that I really really wanted to talk about. I just mentioned that the opening match up last night for the tag team championships between Rhyno and Heath Slater and Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt wasn't the best match on the card at all (to be fair I wasn't expecting anything great anyway) and I didn't really enjoy it, however, there was one particular moment in this match that I did really really like and that was the moment that saw Luke Harper save Orton and take the spear from Rhyno moments before the match concluded. This is such a big moment because in recent week we've seen Bray push the fact that Randy is pretty much his new "favourite" and the tension between Harper and Orton has been so clear. Last night we got to see Harper kind of prove himself to Bray and show that he understands Orton needs to be protected and seeing him take that spear for Randy allowing them to pick up the win take home the Smackdown tag team championships.The Miz retains his Intercontinental Championship
As I mentioned in the intro, we had at least three standout matches take place last night, one of those matches being the Intercontinental championship ladder match between The Miz and the show-off, Dolph Ziggler. This is a rivalry that I have not stopped talking about! Two stars that for years have been pushed aside and miss-treated have come together to take part in what has been one of the greatest feuds of twenty sixteen. They show what Smackdown LIVE is all about, opportunity and the pair have not disappointed in the slightest. Every single one of their matches has been unpredictable, gripping and full of fantastic wrestling and last night's was no different! Once again these two delivered a phenomenal match-up that had me on the edge of my seat literally yelling at my TV screen. Now, I was actually watching this match with my mum who happens to be the biggest Dolph Ziggler fan and I being a huge Miz mark meant that my house was far from quiet throughout the entirety of this match. I know I have said it before but the chemistry between these superstars really is amazing and it came across so amazingly well in this bout. The pair put it all on the line and didn't hold back in the slightest. The action was non-stop, hard hitting and I found myself literally incapable of taking my eyes away from the screen. Some of the spots in this match were just insane! That figure four the Miz applied on Ziggler through the ladder was simply fantastic and with Dolph selling so well it looked amazing both on screen and I'm sure in person. We had some fantastic storytelling from both men. While Dolph had usually feeling as though this was the most important match of his life the Miz focused not only on sending a message to Smackdown LIVE general manager Daniel Bryan but also working on the leg of Ziggler in the hopes to prevent him from climbing the ladder. What was so ironic was midway through this match a brutal spot left the Miz also suffering with issues with his leg (which did leave me believing he was legit injured). However, despite the nasty fall and the close calls from Ziggler, it was The Miz who was able to retain his IC championship! The decision to keep that title on Miz was perfect. The backstage work between him and Bryan proved that there is so much more for Miz while he has that title and the fact he was able to retain without the help of his wife really did work brilliantly.
Baron Corbin Picks up the Win over Kalisto
I won't deny the fact that the match I was least looking forward to during last night's TLC pay per view was the chairs match between Baron Corbin and Kalisto. Just like ninety-nine percent of the WWE universe I have had zero interest in this feud from the moment it started. I don't believe it has done anything for either superstar and this match had such a weak build up that I didn't feel the need to actually watch it. However, saying all that I did tune in and try my best to pay attention. Now, I won't pretend that I loved this match because I didn't. It was easily one of the weaker matches of the night but it did impress me as it was far better than I was expecting. Both men stood out for different reasons but it will come as no surprise that Corbin was for me the easy standout. Showing his dominance and attitude he took control of this match and picked up the victory in a way that made him look like a true monster. I do believe he still has a ton of work to do and a long way to go but this victory keeps his momentum high as he hopefully looks to move on now to bigger and better things. You guys know how much I believe he needs a feud with Kane and you can find out more about this in a past blog post that will be linked bellow at the end.
Alexa Bliss becomes the brand New Smackdown LIVE Women's Champion
It is no secret that I am a huge Alexa Bliss fan. Over the years I have spoken about her loads here on my blog and over on twitter and since her call-up to the main roster she has proven time and time again why she is worth the hype and the attention. From the moment she arrived on the Smackdown LIVE roster she has focused her attentions on the Smackdown LIVE Women's championship. No other women has been able to get their hands on a title shot with Bliss making sure to eliminate any competition that stood in her way. Past matches against the champ, Becky Lynch have proven that Bliss has some serious potential however last night she was able to stand tall and prove once and for all that she is more than worthy of being added to the list of women who have done so much for women's wrestling in twenty sixteen. Overlooked in NXT she was never given the chance to truly shine but last night she found her moment and boy did she own it. Taking control of most this match I have to say that she really did steal the match here. Now, I'm a Becky Lynch fan but this match was all about little miss Bliss. Yes, Lynch did have her standout moments but Alexa took complete control. She was able to show far more of her move set than we have seen before and potential shined brighter than ever before. Throughout the match, she used skill, a game plan and knowledge to her advantage and we really saw just how focused she was from start to finish. Moments such as when she pushed the table over while on the shoulders of Lynch to prevent herself from going through the table, to how she carefully watched her surroundings made her the standout of this bout. Now, I was one of many who were backing Bliss last night however I won't deny that a part of me was expecting to see Lynch retain, and so when Alexa sent Becky through the table I almost quite literally jumped up with joy. Alexa has gone from the girl from NXT to the face of the Smackdown LIVE women's division. I could not have been any happier for her last night and I cannot wait to see what her title reign shapes up to be like. Women's wrestling really was at a high last night with the entire division feeling important unlike the RAW women's division.
James Ellsworth turns on Ambrose
The standout match of the night was without a shadow of a doubt the main event between Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles for the WWE World Championship. These two have time and time again delivered fantastic matches that have left me pretty much speechless. I have mentioned in the past that the one thing I have loved most about this feud is the fact that Styles has been able to push Ambrose to his limits and actually managed to allow Ambrose to compete in some of his best matches to date in the WWE. Last night's bout was simply another to add to the list as these two superstars did not disappoint in the slightest. A match full of fantastic wrestling, killer spots, and amazing storytelling this was without a doubt the match of the night. The chemistry between the two simply was amazing and really added that extra spice to the whole thing. Now, one of the biggest
parts of this storyline has been James Ellsworth. I'll be honest I'm constantly changing my mind on Ellsworth. At first, I thought he was just the funniest thing in the world to look at as mean as that sounds, but then we started to see more of him and trust me when I say no one has been annoying me more on WWE TV than this man. Sure, I'm very happy for the guy getting a WWE contract but he really is one annoying guy! He has however played such a big part of this storyline. We have seen him stand side by side with Dean Ambrose pretty much from the very moment he arrived on Smackdown LIVE and the constant beatdowns he's taken from Styles and the victories he has had over him have made him a way bigger part of this story than we all believed he would be and last night he was the reason why AJ Styles walked out still the WWE World champion after pushing Ambrose off a ladder. Now, this didn't surprise me at all. I predicted this was going to happen last week when I was chatting about this match with some of my friends. I do think it was a solid decision to make. I think most of us were expecting one or the other to turn heel and so it did work. Hearing from Ellsworth on Tuesday is going to be interesting but it really was a great way to close the chapter on Ambrose/Styles and kick start something new and a new path for Ambrose. I think it was a solid way to close the match and what a fantastic match this was altogether anyway.
I don't know about you but I actually really really enjoyed last night's TLC pay per view. I do think that a couple of matches did disappoint such as Carmella VS Nikki Bella, I mentioned on twitter last night that I believed they could have done a lot lot more with this match but all round I loved this show. I think we had at leas three solid, fantastic matches that I certainly will be re-watching and I'm loving that we have new champions heading into the new year. As always you can let me know what YOU thought of the show by leaving a comment bellow or by dropping me a tweet over at @TezangiVictoria.
Recent Blog Posts:
Five Superstars WWE Wasted in 2016
My top Five British Current British Wrestlers
Five WWE Superstars Full of Potential
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I don't know about you but I actually really really enjoyed last night's TLC pay per view. I do think that a couple of matches did disappoint such as Carmella VS Nikki Bella, I mentioned on twitter last night that I believed they could have done a lot lot more with this match but all round I loved this show. I think we had at leas three solid, fantastic matches that I certainly will be re-watching and I'm loving that we have new champions heading into the new year. As always you can let me know what YOU thought of the show by leaving a comment bellow or by dropping me a tweet over at @TezangiVictoria.
Recent Blog Posts:
Five Superstars WWE Wasted in 2016
My top Five British Current British Wrestlers
Five WWE Superstars Full of Potential
Recent Blog Posts:
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