SPOILERS AHEAD: IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE THE RESULTS RUINED, DON'T READ ON!
If you've never seen The CC Network's video reviews of WWE events before, then my review system will be new to you. Matches are given star ratings in accordance with an average, accumulated score of 5 rating factors: Psychology (In-ring story), Move Variety, Crowd Reaction, Match Length and Pacing, as well as my overall enjoyment as a result of those factors.
A REVIEW VIDEO IS ALSO AVAILABLE AT THE CC NETWORK YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8rGzOv5S6U
Now time to get into the show. As I don't review the Pre-Show Match as part of the whole televised package, here's the result of that match:
Sasha Banks def Becky Lynch (11:43)
Sasha Banks def Becky Lynch (11:43)
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THE NEW DAY (c) def THE LUCHA DRAGONS & THE USO'S IN A 3-TEAM LADDER MATCH TO RETAIN THE WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS (17:46)
PSYCHOLOGY: 2.5
MOVE VARIETY: 4
CROWD REACTION: 3.5
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 4
MY ENJOYMENT: 3.5
CORRECT PREDICTION?: YES
FINAL RATING: ***3/4
Wow, WWE actually did the right thing for once by putting the fast paced, action packed match on first, and boy did it pay off. These three teams put their bodies on the line and then some. However, just like I predicted, the match would need to be mediated and well-paced for it all to work. Thankfully, for the most part, WWE pulled it off.
The match started out with mostly non-ladder action, with the teams trying to wear one another down, which did impede its pace somewhat, but it allowed the madness of the six men all fighting at once to give off an illusion of aggression and speed, which made up for it. This continued throughout, with the teams each trying to team up and gain advantages, which improved the pace more. The flow of the match was allowed to be kept consistent with the amount of shifting momentum that combined with big spots to amplify the matches' importance. Much to my chagrin, Xavier Woods was on commentary, but it played to this bouts advantage. His commentary added extra inflammatory spice and he gave out the desired reactions when necessary. Especially when questioning why The Lucha Dragons were so willing to hurt themselves in their barrage of aerial trickery and ladder combinations, doubting whether it was all worth it. Helping his team mates win was predictable, but done at a time where pretty much everyone was completely knocked out, which made it come across as realistic and essential given the story, a very tactical reason to stay out of the bout. The sight of the face teams looking up at the titles after disposing of New Day may have sealed their fate, but it was a great moment of solidarity in competition that gave their brawls and spots added meaning.
With The New Day contributing an overhead belly to belly to a ladder and The Uso's contributing a tree of woe ladder attack, a rump shaker into the same position and a cross body to a ladder prone Big E, it was The Lucha Dragons that defied all logical sense and pulled some great spots out of their repertoire. Sin Cara took a page out of Shawn Michaels book, falling with the ladder off the top rope and a plancha to a ladder with both Uso's underneath. Kalisto took it a step further with a springboard Monkey Flip transitioning into a 450 Splash onto ladder prone Kofi and finally... an incredible Asai DDT from the top of the ladder through a propped ladder on Jey Uso. Those big spots got the crowd going into hysterics, which is sad considering it took them half the match to really get excited.
Overall, this was a well paced, entertaining match with the right winners, only let down by a lack of body psychology considering the moves involved. The match delivered in almost every way and showcased the tag division well. Hopefully The Lucha Dragons weren't too banged up, they'll probably be the next in line, so they need to heal fast.
RUSEV w/LANA def RYBACK (7:56)
PSYCHOLOGY: 2
MOVE VARIETY: 1
CROWD REACTION: 1
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2
MY ENJOYMENT: 1.5
CORRECT PREDICTION?: YES
FINAL RATING: *
I wasn't expecting much going in, especially considering that the build-up package for this had to convince me it was worth its time. While the match didn't amount to much, it did enough without it being awful. Which for a Ryback match, says a lot.
While the crowd were indifferent to see Rusev face off against Ryback, they at least booed Rusev and Lana for their underhand tactics, which were a repeat of the 'accidental' attacks that have been overdone when valets are involved in a feud. It allowed momentum to shift after Ryback unessecarily got momentum in his favour despite being beaten most of the match. Rusev dominated and deserved the win no matter how much of an obstacle Ryback paints himself to be. Rusev used his aggression and desire for 'revenge' well, beating down Ryback's head and neck in preparation for the Accolade later on, which when combined with a stiff kick and said submission move really compounded Ryback's misery. He sold it well, I will give him fair credit when its due, but in a match that was so heavily reliant on the actions of Rusev and Lana, Ryback's position in this match seemed like an afterthought.
That being said, the match went JUST long enough to not have it be considered overblown and was steadily paced so that Rusev could show off that aggression and keep the match flowing smoothly, mostly because he had to compensate for Ryback's non-existent pace. Ryback also press slammed and dropkicked Rusev, which was impressive, but it didn't make it any less of an elongated squash for the Big Guy.
This match did EXACTLY what it needed to do, make Rusev and Lana look strong. For doing that and keeping it somewhat entertaining for the majority, I have to give this duo props for it.
ALBERTO DEL RIO (c) def JACK SWAGGER IN A CHAIR MATCH TO RETAIN THE WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP (11:12)
PSYCHOLOGY: 1.5
MOVE VARIETY: 1.5
CROWD REACTION: 1
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 1
MY ENJOYMENT: 1
CORRECT PREDICTION?: YES
FINAL RATING: 1/4
I knew coming in, that this match wouldn't be the most spectacular of encounters, as Chair Matches much like the abortion of a Stairs Match last year, just don't feel special. at all That trend continued with this one, a match that had some ingenuity in the use of the chairs, did little to excite.
The match was kept at a steady pace, with both men swinging momentum and chair shots to the back like they were nobodies business. Both men were aggressive from the bell, showing their desire for their own beliefs, nice for the story. Del Rio worked Swagger's back with the back stabber and a tilt-awhirl backbreaker, as well as propping the former All-American on the second turnbuckle and laying in some horrific shots as showcased above. Too bad Swagger had a hard time selling it while running for the Swagger Bomb, which he mostly missed anyway. The near falls fell flat with an apathetic crowd, who felt it a better use of their time to chant for CM Punk rather than focus on the match itself. When they had to watch moments of insanity, such as Del Rio dumping all the chairs on Swagger outside the ring, only to roll him back in afterwards for no reason, you can see why. Even an ingenious move of using a Cross Arm Breaker over the top rope in a match without rope breaks didn't help, especially when Swagger's moment of brilliance: A Patriot Lock inside a chair, didn't look all that convincing, while Del Rio didn't sell the ankle until his finishing move onto the chairs messed his foot up.
While both men tried their best to be as aggressive as possible to make this match entertaining, it went on too long and didn't pique interest. There was just enough going on for me to drag it away from the doldrums of the ZERO rating though. I will be kind on this occasion, but I could have been crueller, considering this was almost 12 minutes of very little to remember. Although Swagger did hit Del Rio square in the face with a chair, looks like a fine is coming his way.
THE WYATT FAMILY def THE DUDLEY BOYZ, TOMMY DREAMER AND RHYNO IN AN 8-MAN TAG TEAM ELIMINATION TABLES MATCH (12:30)
PSYCHOLOGY: 2
MOVE VARIETY: 1
CROWD REACTION: 1.5
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 1.5
MY ENJOYMENT: 1
CORRECT PREDICTION?: YES
FINAL RATING: *
It says a lot, for a multi-man, tag team tables elimination match to be boring. You have eight wrestlers who had what it took to make this match much more than it was. However, a concept that should have been something great, turned out to be a let down.
The ECW Originals went straight to their weapons cache in order to descend the match into chaos, which coincidentally was the case, just not in the way that would be expected. Many moments in this match came across as extremely sloppy, such as Bubba purposely missing a headshot with a trash can, Rowan missing his marked table spot, with the table breaking anyway. He had to be 3D'd through one instead, which made the match look like a mockery of itself. Harper's elimination of Rhyno through the table wasn't done with any malice, more in line with protecting his opponent rather than conveying dominance. The cheese grater to the groin while surprising looked like it had no effect, and the flaming table spot would've been cool to see but it was either botched or intentionally not done and made the final elimination of Bubba Ray Dudley end the match on a whimper.
Both teams showed aggression, the match had a steady, offence shifting pace and had the crowd somewhat on their side, but still, this match was a slow, cumbersome affair that was actually difficult to watch. If not for how strong The Wyatt Family were portrayed, the never say die attitude of the ECW crew fighting back, Harper's suicide dive eliminating Dreamer and the intense opening few and final minutes, this match would have fallen a lot further. My love affair with ECW has long since faded, and my lack of enjoyment in this match shows for it. While it was nice to see Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno back on a WWE PPV for the first time in 5 and 10 years respectively, it wasn't worth it. While this match like Rusev/Ryback did EXACTLY what it needed to do, it felt incredibly forced and wasn't at all satisfying. It got one star, but it could have been far worse.
DEAN AMBROSE def KEVIN OWENS (c) TO WIN THE WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP (9:52)
PSYCHOLOGY: 2
MOVE VARIETY: 1
CROWD REACTION: 2
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2
MY ENJOYMENT: 1.5
CORRECT PREDICTION?: NO
FINAL RATING: *3/4
I had expectations going in, that this match would be better than their Survivor Series match. Somehow, those expectations were not met. Considering the two men involved, maybe this match would need weapons or a more extreme storyline in order to have it fulfil its potential.
Both men were aggressive out of the gate, switching momentum almost every time a move came through. It kept the match quick right until a Fallaway Slam by Owens into the barricade slowed the match to a crawl, to its benefit. This allowed Ambrose' never say due attitude we've become accustomed to, make its turn in changing how Owens attacked the 'Lunatic Fringe' by resorting to a grounded offence to keep him down. It feels like I'm repeating myself, because I'm sure this is how Ryback and the prior Ambrose matches were dealt by Owens, which deflated this matches in-ring work further. What really made it come alive, was once again Owen's gesticulations about how great he is, who's crazy now, and reacting brilliantly to Ambrose's tenacity by calling Cole and the referee an idiot after a second rope steamroller didn't come through for him. With the near falls, and Owens getting his FINGER on the bottom rope (which Jimmy Korderas confirmed on Twitter to be entirely legit) to break up the Dirty Deeds, added incredible drama onto the end of quite a tense match. The match got the crowd into it slowly over its run time, and when Ambrose won, they were sent into overdrive.
Was I expecting too much from these two to not understand that they actually did a decent job? Am I irritated that this match broke my predictions streak for the night? Did this match not get enough time to tell its story thoroughly? Possibly, however these two still managed to pull out a decent match thanks to subtle elements of psychology and a steady build-up through good pacing. It may not have been up to a standard I expect from either of them, but it entertained enough for me to see value in it.
CHARLOTTE (c) w/RIC FLAIR def PAIGE TO RETAIN THE WWE DIVAS CHAMPIONSHIP (10:39)
PSYCHOLOGY: 2.5
MOVE VARIETY: 1
CROWD REACTION: 1.5
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 2.5
MY ENJOYMENT: 2
CORRECT PREDICTION?: NO
FINAL RATING: **
Knowing that Sasha Banks had won earlier in the evening, I was expecting the crowd to not bat their eye to this match. While that premonition was largely correct, this match did one thing I hoped for: be different from their Survivor Series match.
While their prior encounter was firmly routed in Charlotte getting revenge on Paige, the tables had turned, this time with the Norwich lass getting the majority of the offence in the early going, with Charlotte keeping her grounded and mocking the crowd for supporting the challenger. The pace was kept consistently quick even in its slower moments, allowing both women to get offence and make it look more like a fair contest. The crowd took their time to get invested, with a lot of mat offence not connecting, but many near falls towards the end helped its cause. Ric Flair provided great storytelling by trying to undo the turnbuckle pad and being admonished by not only the referee but his own daughter. Paige did the Figure Four, which added to her desire to embarrass the champion, only for it to distract the referee from Flair, who took the turnbuckle pad off and put Charlottes foot on the rope to break a pin attempt, before Charlotte used said exposed turnbuckle to claim the win. The story of Flair's involvement brewed slowly and naturally over time, making the match and its long term progression for the feud come out stronger than it was going in.
While the match lasted for 5 less minutes than its predecessor, it still got a lot done, which despite not having many moves to surprise, still kept me interested. It was a simplified progression match for the story and it was done well while still showing both women off in-ring. It could have had more interest from the crowd to bring it a higher rating, but for what I expected to get, this match did what it needed to do.
Knowing that Sasha Banks had won earlier in the evening, I was expecting the crowd to not bat their eye to this match. While that premonition was largely correct, this match did one thing I hoped for: be different from their Survivor Series match.
While their prior encounter was firmly routed in Charlotte getting revenge on Paige, the tables had turned, this time with the Norwich lass getting the majority of the offence in the early going, with Charlotte keeping her grounded and mocking the crowd for supporting the challenger. The pace was kept consistently quick even in its slower moments, allowing both women to get offence and make it look more like a fair contest. The crowd took their time to get invested, with a lot of mat offence not connecting, but many near falls towards the end helped its cause. Ric Flair provided great storytelling by trying to undo the turnbuckle pad and being admonished by not only the referee but his own daughter. Paige did the Figure Four, which added to her desire to embarrass the champion, only for it to distract the referee from Flair, who took the turnbuckle pad off and put Charlottes foot on the rope to break a pin attempt, before Charlotte used said exposed turnbuckle to claim the win. The story of Flair's involvement brewed slowly and naturally over time, making the match and its long term progression for the feud come out stronger than it was going in.
While the match lasted for 5 less minutes than its predecessor, it still got a lot done, which despite not having many moves to surprise, still kept me interested. It was a simplified progression match for the story and it was done well while still showing both women off in-ring. It could have had more interest from the crowd to bring it a higher rating, but for what I expected to get, this match did what it needed to do.
SHEAMUS (c) def ROMAN REIGNS IN A TABLES, LADDERS AND CHAIRS MATCH TO RETAIN THE WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP (23:58)
PSYCHOLOGY: 3.5
MOVE VARIETY: 2
CROWD REACTION: 2.5
MATCH LENGTH AND PACING: 4
MY ENJOYMENT: 3
CORRECT PREDICTION?: YES
FINAL RATING: ***1/4
From the moment this match began, I knew I'd have to listen to the crowd closely, mostly because they would be the deciding factor between this match succeeding and failing. Happily for me, even this crowd, that portrayed itself as apathetic, rowdy and passionately nonchalant, still got behind it.
Sure, the Boston crowd didn't want to support either man, chanting for many unrelated entities such as John Cena, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins and NXT. However after seeing both men put on a physical contest, and telling a good story as a result, by the time the match was ending they were into it, and booing the inevitable, predictable finish. From that moment on, Reigns gained sympathy from Boston, making the beat down of Triple H afterwards ever sweeter for them. With moves like the White Noise through a table, a sweet rotational suplex through a table, the outside ladder spot, a superman punch off the top of the ladder through the table and a leaping superman punch with a chair to the face, how could the crowd not get behind either man for the effort they were putting in?
The physicality of the match didn't just peak with Reigns sucker punching a bruise onto the Irishman's face as the bell rang, but when you count in the marks and blood on Sheamus' body and his desire to win despite the efforts an incredibly determined opponent, the punishment they took seemed worth it. In fact, they were into hurting each other so much, it took over 15 minutes for either man to start climbing the ladder, which allowed for a steady, slowed pace, with Reigns regularly only summoning the strength to do one move before collapsing. Sheamus sold his arm after that big outside ladder spot, with the commentators referring to how a ladder match a few years ago put him on the shelf for 6-months, amplifying just how much Sheamus was willing to put himself through for the title. A nice bit of storytelling there.
While this match did have a predictable ending, it had a lot to keep me on the edge of my seat. Some of the falls looked brutal and both men put on a hard-hitting performance, looking good in the process. While it took the crowd time to warm to it, they were rewarded with a match that was ALMOST perfectly paced and had just the right amount of time to tell its story. If only Reigns didn't use Ambrose' 'endurance through everything' ability, my suspension of disbelief would have been kept for longer. Overall, this match delivered much more than expected, even with some elements letting it down, it showed once again that Roman Reigns on a big-match stage can deliver. Now we just need to see how his attack on Triple H pans out for the long term.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This event was not seen by many, including myself to be one that would get us excited and give many good matches. However, once the curtain dropped, we were all excited. Roman Reigns did what many wanted him to do, and the matches did in most cases deliver. Overall, the bad-good PPV event trend continues onward into 2016! While TLC didn't rise like Hell In A Cell and Summerslam to dwarf the bad events that preceded them, it did give us exciting matches, and showed that even without the build-up, they had something prove. Thankfully, this event hasn't completely lost its lustre following last years unmitigated disaster of a show.
While the card structure was incredibly odd, being lopsided towards its latter stages and having too many build-up packages, the show felt like it meant something, going in and out of it. While there were two standout matches, the rest only just pulled their weight, with the Divas and IC title matches inevitably falling a little short and the matches with minuscule build did what they could despite feeling lacklustre at times. The multi-man tag match disappointed but it did its job, so overall it helps balance this show out more and more.
We come out of this show looking forward to what's to see what happens next, which is a great positive. WWE need to have consistent writing over the next 4 months to ensure this continues onward, so lets pray they can use this event as a launching pad for a return to form. It wasn't the out and out success I anticipated for an event that continued a 10-month long string of alternating quality shows, but it was worth the time that it gave. It revived an event's strong record, and brings us towards 2016 with smiles on our faces. Lets bring in Wrestlemania season with enthusiasm and hope all will continue to be better, starting at this show.
WRESTLEMANIA 31: 8.75/10
From the moment this match began, I knew I'd have to listen to the crowd closely, mostly because they would be the deciding factor between this match succeeding and failing. Happily for me, even this crowd, that portrayed itself as apathetic, rowdy and passionately nonchalant, still got behind it.
Sure, the Boston crowd didn't want to support either man, chanting for many unrelated entities such as John Cena, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins and NXT. However after seeing both men put on a physical contest, and telling a good story as a result, by the time the match was ending they were into it, and booing the inevitable, predictable finish. From that moment on, Reigns gained sympathy from Boston, making the beat down of Triple H afterwards ever sweeter for them. With moves like the White Noise through a table, a sweet rotational suplex through a table, the outside ladder spot, a superman punch off the top of the ladder through the table and a leaping superman punch with a chair to the face, how could the crowd not get behind either man for the effort they were putting in?
The physicality of the match didn't just peak with Reigns sucker punching a bruise onto the Irishman's face as the bell rang, but when you count in the marks and blood on Sheamus' body and his desire to win despite the efforts an incredibly determined opponent, the punishment they took seemed worth it. In fact, they were into hurting each other so much, it took over 15 minutes for either man to start climbing the ladder, which allowed for a steady, slowed pace, with Reigns regularly only summoning the strength to do one move before collapsing. Sheamus sold his arm after that big outside ladder spot, with the commentators referring to how a ladder match a few years ago put him on the shelf for 6-months, amplifying just how much Sheamus was willing to put himself through for the title. A nice bit of storytelling there.
While this match did have a predictable ending, it had a lot to keep me on the edge of my seat. Some of the falls looked brutal and both men put on a hard-hitting performance, looking good in the process. While it took the crowd time to warm to it, they were rewarded with a match that was ALMOST perfectly paced and had just the right amount of time to tell its story. If only Reigns didn't use Ambrose' 'endurance through everything' ability, my suspension of disbelief would have been kept for longer. Overall, this match delivered much more than expected, even with some elements letting it down, it showed once again that Roman Reigns on a big-match stage can deliver. Now we just need to see how his attack on Triple H pans out for the long term.
FINAL THOUGHTS
While the card structure was incredibly odd, being lopsided towards its latter stages and having too many build-up packages, the show felt like it meant something, going in and out of it. While there were two standout matches, the rest only just pulled their weight, with the Divas and IC title matches inevitably falling a little short and the matches with minuscule build did what they could despite feeling lacklustre at times. The multi-man tag match disappointed but it did its job, so overall it helps balance this show out more and more.
We come out of this show looking forward to what's to see what happens next, which is a great positive. WWE need to have consistent writing over the next 4 months to ensure this continues onward, so lets pray they can use this event as a launching pad for a return to form. It wasn't the out and out success I anticipated for an event that continued a 10-month long string of alternating quality shows, but it was worth the time that it gave. It revived an event's strong record, and brings us towards 2016 with smiles on our faces. Lets bring in Wrestlemania season with enthusiasm and hope all will continue to be better, starting at this show.
TABLES, LADDERS AND CHAIRS 2015 GETS A 5 OUT OF 10!
In relation to other 2015 events, it lines up as follows:
WRESTLEMANIA 31: 8.75/10
HELL IN A CELL: 6.75/10
MONEY IN THE BANK: 6.75/10
MONEY IN THE BANK: 6.75/10
SUMMERSLAM: 6.5/10
PAYBACK: 6/10
TABLES, LADDERS AND CHAIRS: 5/10
ELIMINATION CHAMBER: 4.5/10
TABLES, LADDERS AND CHAIRS: 5/10
ELIMINATION CHAMBER: 4.5/10
ROYAL RUMBLE: 4/10
NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS: 3.5/10
EXTREME RULES: 3.5/10
SURVIVOR SERIES: 3/10
BATTLEGROUND: 3/10
BATTLEGROUND: 3/10
FAST LANE: 2.5/10
(WWE Network Specials and the NXT Takeover Events aren't taken into consideration).
THE FINAL, AGGREGATED AVERAGE RATING FOR WWE'S 2015 PPV OUTPUT IS 4.90, rounded out to a 5 out of 10.
After the Slammy Awards edition of RAW, come to this blog for the 5th Annual "Wrestling Rant Awards", where I look at the best, worst and all round interesting things that I think went down in 2015 in WWE (and in some cases) the wider wrestling world.
I've been Freddy Thomas, you've been people reading, this has been the TLC 2015 Review for The CC Network Blog, and I'll see you next time.
THE FINAL, AGGREGATED AVERAGE RATING FOR WWE'S 2015 PPV OUTPUT IS 4.90, rounded out to a 5 out of 10.
After the Slammy Awards edition of RAW, come to this blog for the 5th Annual "Wrestling Rant Awards", where I look at the best, worst and all round interesting things that I think went down in 2015 in WWE (and in some cases) the wider wrestling world.
I've been Freddy Thomas, you've been people reading, this has been the TLC 2015 Review for The CC Network Blog, and I'll see you next time.
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