Once again, the blue brand has delivered another stellar PPV, with a number of feuds climaxing after months of build. Alexa Bliss ended Becky Lynch’s fairytale run in emphatic fashion, hitting Lynch with a Powerbomb through the table.
The Miz and Dolph Ziggler clashed in a ladder match, with the A-lister retaining due to a low blow. Nikki Bella finally put her bad blood with Carmella to bed, although a new rival emerged for the Bella army.
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AJ Styles retained his WWE World title in a classic TLC match, with James Ellsworth shockingly saving the match for Styles.
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Other matches with shorter builds also impressed. Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton became the new Smackdown Tag Team champions alongside their fellow Wyatt family member Luke Harper, with Heath Slater and Rhyno’s run as tag team champions coming to an end.
Baron Corbin and Kalisto exceeded expectations in a hotly contested Chairs match, with the Lone Wolf ultimately emerging victorious.
So, which bouts stole the show? Let’s find out, as I Analyse and Grade each match from WWE TLC 2016.
#1 AJ Styles vs Dean Ambrose (TLC Match, WWE World Championship):
Grade: 9.5/10
This was one of the best matches all year in WWE, and an incredible TLC match. Ambrose and Styles competed in an all-out war, with chaotic action and huge spots sending the Dallas crowd wild. A number of ‘This is Awesome’ chants rang through the arena, and rightly so, as Ambrose and Styles produced a spectacular main event.
The spots integrated throughout the match were insane as well, including a 450 Splash to the outside through a table, an elbow drop from a ladder to the announce table, and a huge fall for Ambrose from the top of a ladder through two tables to end proceedings.
Styles delivered yet another fantastic match in his debut year in WWE, and Ambrose had one of his best matches in WWE so far. Ellsworth turning heel to screw Ambrose was a big shock to close the show, although it was very predictable.
The finish will continue the Ellsworth story for now, sure, but it was arguably the one poor aspect of this otherwise incredible main event. Still, it was a nice swerve that protected Ambrose in loss, as well as setting up a potential brutalisation of Ellsworth by Ambrose in the near future.
Ellsworth’s involvement was kept to a minimum as well, meaning the bout wasn’t tarnished too much by him. AJ retaining here was definitely the right choice as well, and although the Undertaker didn’t appear to challenge him as rumored, expect the potential feud with Styles to begin in the coming weeks.
Overall, a fantastic TLC match to close the show, as Ambrose and Styles tore the house down with one of the best WWE matches of 2016.
Note: Ellsworth’s explanation for the turn on Talking Smack was that he knows he can beat AJ, so he kept him as the champion for his next title shot. Honestly, not a bad way to justify his actions. The match is official for the next SD Live. Ellsworth vs Styles for the title. The reason behind Ellsworth’s heel turn could be a mini program between Ambrose and the Chinless Wonder.
#2 Nikki Bella vs Carmella (No DQ Match):
Grade: 6.5/10
Rather than a truly intense No DQ match, this bout was a missed opportunity. Carmella and Bella should’ve been hell-bent on decimating each other, but instead, this was mediocre action compared to all the other extreme matches.
The match was also very short like its predecessor and this intense climax to the feud should not have ended as quickly as it did. The finish left a lot to be desired as well, with a fire extinguisher leading to the Princess of Staten Island’s downfall.
Although it made sense from a storyline perspective to see Bella triumph, a win for Carmella here could’ve elevated her instead of it being just another insignificant win for Bella. The perfect scenario was in place as well. After the match, Carmella revealed that Natalya was the one who attacked Bella backstage at Survivor Series.
Why wasn’t Natalya booked to interfere, giving Carmella the cheap win while kick-starting a feud with Bella? This would’ve been a much more effective finish than the one we got, and instead Carmella has been left with no momentum.
Overall, a lackluster finish to a rivalry filled with bad blood, as Carmella is left with no credibility after losing to Bella now twice on PPV. The action here was solid, sure, but nothing compared to other matches on the show.
#3 The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler (Intercontinental Championship, Ladder Match):
Grade; 8.5/10
While not the fast-paced frenzy some were expecting, this ladder match still delivered, but in a slower-paced environment. There were still big spots and splendid action, but in-ring storytelling and emotion were the main emphasis of this matchup.
The climax to a long-term story, Miz and Ziggler delivered a slower, more methodical ladder match than usual, and the continued portrayals of each competitor’s character were top-notch.
Miz’s arrogant, cheap heel character and Ziggler’s courageous, fired up babyface character meshed extremely well together once again, and this was another showcase of their incredible chemistry.
The finish was well done also, with Miz resorting to a low blow to beat Ziggler knowing this was the final chapter of their feud, meaning he would do anything to win. His post-match promo targeting Daniel Bryan was brilliant and further showcased his status as one of the top heels in WWE right now.
Where Ziggler goes from here is anybody’s guess, but Miz is set to continue to elevate the Intercontinental Title. Overall, a splendid (and fitting) climax to one of the best feuds of the year, with Miz and Ziggler clashing in another wonderful match.
#4 Baron Corbin vs Kalisto (Chairs Match):
Grade: 8/10
This exceeded everybody’s expectations, as Corbin and Kalisto had a great match despite the usual mediocrity of a chairs match. The action was fast-paced and hard-hitting, with a number of cool spots (senton into a row of chairs, Deep Six on the floor, End of Days on a pile of chairs) popping the crowd.
Despite the undercard feel to this match heading in, the crowd was surprisingly into the action, and Kalisto looked great here even in a loss. Corbin emerged victorious as the ruthless monster as well, with both men benefiting from this bout.
Overall, a much better match than expected, with Corbin and Kalisto engaging fans with a fun, fast-paced brawl, despite the lack of anticipation heading into this match.
Hopefully, Corbin moves on to bigger and better things as a top heel, with Kalisto also proving that he still has the potential to be a major player on the blue brand as an underdog babyface.
#5 Alexa Bliss vs Becky Lynch (Smackdown Women’s Championship):
Grade: 8/10
Although the crowd were oddly quiet for this, Bliss and Lynch had a very solid match that was fitting of the long build to this PPV clash. The teases of both women almost going through a table a number of times was excellent, and added significant drama and suspense.
The women were unfortunately held back by the fact that their match had much less extreme action and spots involved, considering the finish was the only extreme aspect of the entire bout. Still, the in-ring action was great, and WWE wisely chose to have Lynch lose in a fluke manner, with a tables match loss keeping Lynch protected.
Bliss was deservedly crowned champion, and she will thrive as top heel of the SD Live women’s division, while Lynch can now revert to clawing her way back up to the top for the next months.
Having a heel champion in the women’s division on SD live will also be a fresh aspect of weekly television, as Becky had been the babyface champion up until this point.
Overall, a very solid match that crowned Bliss as a deserving champion while also keeping Lynch strong in defeat, as she looks to climb back up to the top of the division in the next few months.
#6 Heath Slater and Rhyno vs The Wyatts (SD Tag Team Championships):
Grade: 7.5/10
This was a solid match to open the show, however, it was too short to be anything better than solid. The length of the bout meant that Heath Slater and Rhyno were given very little time to put up a fight, and they ultimately fell too quickly rather than valiantly fighting back.
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Still, the continual story of growing trust between all three members of the new Wyatt family was a nice touch, and it was great to see Orton and Wyatt capture the gold. Their story of dominance on top of the tag division will be intriguing in the coming weeks, as will be Slater and Rhyno’s redemption.
If given more time, however, this could’ve been a much better matchup. Still, despite the limited time, this was a solid match that crowned deserving (and credible) champions in Orton and Wyatt, and the SD Live tag division should be set to flourish in coming weeks with the Wyatts on top. Also, Heath Slater and Rhyno may be heading for a split if the fallout video was anything to go by.
Overall Grade for WWE TLC 2016: 8.5/10
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