WWE TLC 2012 Review

Match 1: Tables - Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. Team Rhodes Scholars
Kicking off the show in Brooklyn is a #1 contenders match for the WWE World Tag Team Championships. Tables matches are always fun and putting into perspective the guys in the match, this one should be a dandy. Good pacing in this match and they all played their roles nicely to get the crowd going and set the table for what should be a fun night of action. They used the tables nicely and did not let them dominate the better part of the match until the last few minutes when it looked like Mysterio had the match in the bag until Sandow & Rhodes reverse the tides by putting Mysterio out of the equation and shoving Sin Cara through a table after he tried launching himself onto Team Rhodes Scholars. Awesome ending to the match, Sin Cara took a really cool bump to cap off a nice start to the show. Good win for Team Rhodes Scholars.
Winners: Team Rhodes Scholars
Rating: **¾

Match 2: United States Championship - Antonio Cesaro © vs. R-Truth
Cesaro has been on a role lately, especially after capturing the belt from Santino Marella at Summerslam. WWE gets to feed him R-Truth once more and on PPV for him to display his abilities. Little back and fourth match with the crowd actually really being behind Truth. However, Cesaro lands a sweet Neutralizer to retain his United States Championship in an easy filler of a match.
Winner: Antonio Cesaro
Rating: *¼ 

Match 3: Intercontinental Championship - Kofi Kingston © vs. Wade Barrett
Is it me or are these PPV matches getting recycled over and over again? Barrett has been on a big role as of late and looks to capture the Intercontinental Championship with the momentum. Decent affair that basically resembles anything you could watch Monday nights on Raw. Another filler match to kill time which gets frustrating. Both are great wrestlers but watching the same thing over and over gets repetitive. Kingston retains in a short match which begs the question, where does Barrett go from here?
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: *¼

Match 4: TLC - Team Hell No & Ryback vs. The Shield
For the first time ever, it is a three vs. three TLC match with the only way to win is via pin or submission. This is going to a ton of fun. It is also hard to believe that this is the first match for The Shield on WWE television/PPV, not bad. I was not expecting anything that we used to see in TLC matches from years past, but things did get pretty damn close to it. They exceeding the expectations of the viewers while making the match retain the 2012 type of WWE style. This is just one of those matches that I have no idea where to begin. A beautifully constructed match with huge spots perfectly positioned throughout the match and everyone came out looking better when all was said and done. Off the bat, everyone went after each other to set the tone of the match. Lots of trash talking and much more fighting, the type of  action that needs to be established early to let the viewers know just what exactly is going on here. Many big spots to mention including The Shield throwing Ryback through the Spanish announcers table again, Kane jumping off a table set up on the top rope, Kane hitting a Chokeslam through a steel chair, Ryback coming back from the dead to look like a beast, Kane getting buried in all sorts of equipment after a Spear from Roman Reigns through a barricade, and Seth Rollins getting thrown off one of the ladders on the stage by Ryback to which Rollins landed through four tables. The latter being the nastiest spill of them all, maybe even one of the nastiest spills I have ever seen in pro wrestling. However, after that happened, the other two members of The Shield put Daniel Bryan through a table with a bomb off the top rope. Awesome match with an awesome finish, just sucks that Bryan had to be the one to eat the pin. The fallout should be interesting as Ryback’s beef with The Shield will definitely continue.
Winners: The Shield
Rating: ****¼

Match 5: Divas Championship - Eve © vs. Naomi
Naomi won the pre-show battle royal to determine the #1 contender for the Divas Championship and thus, here we are. This is the right match to have to cool down the audience and the viewers at home after the big TLC match before we head on over to other big business. Credit needs to be given where it is due, the two did put on a surprisingly good match and really let their athleticism and charisma shine here. I know that many will disagree with this statement but I really feel like the Divas division looks much better after this. Eve retains and continues to be the top Diva for the WWE. Unfortunately, the match was way too short for me to give this a higher rating.
Winner: Eve
Rating: ¾*

Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship - Chairs - The Big Show © vs. Sheamus
This is their third PPV encounter and looks to be the final chapter in a Chairs match. Taking in the fact that we have two heavyweights going at each other and after the Survivor Series conclusion, this is an easy gimmick choice. As I stated in their previous match, the two have really good chemistry and it managed to carry over onto this match. It is unusual for The Big Show to have one of the best matches on the card but this is the case here versus Sheamus. Let’s face it, this gimmick of a match can be very dull but these two managed to utilize the chairs to enhance the action into another gear. The story behind all the shots with the chairs is very prominent and the announcers did a great job of letting the audience understand it. The action went from one side to another and every pin in the last stretch of the match were big and every time Sheamus or The Big Show got up seemed believable. Show lands the big KO Punch to Sheamus who kicks out, Show brings out a giant steel chair and hammers Sheamus with it to get the win. Fun match that will unfortunately, likely be forgotten by the end of the night. Credit to both men for the storytelling, a live crowd and fun action.
Winner: The Big Show
Rating: ***¾   

Match 7: 3MB vs. Alberto Del Rio, The Miz, & The Brooklyn Brawler
Earlier in the night, The Miz hosted Miz TV with 3MB who attacked the Spanish announcers. Ricardo Rodriguez game to their aid until 3MB threatened him which led to Del Rio coming out to team with The Miz to take out 3MB. This led to this match being made in which Del Rio & Miz gained a third partner in New York’s own, Brooklyn Brawler. Another quick match to fill the gap between matches with Brawler putting Jinder Mahal away via submission after Miz hit a Skull-Crushing Finale for the win. Simple squash match, nothing to see here.
Winners: Alberto Del Rio, The Miz, & The Brooklyn Brawler
Rating: ½*

Match 8: World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Contract - Ladder - Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena
The big scandal going around the WWE focuses upon John Cena’s relationship with AJ Lee. With Vickie Guerrero exposing everything, a match between Cena and Ziggler is formed. The Ladder match has become something in the WWE that is a lock for a good match but at the same time, is a tough effort for the parties involved to create something different. I am going to start off with giving credit to both guys for resiliently doing their best to add a spark to the main event by pulling out some innovative moves we have never seen in this type of match. Ziggler hitting his patented sleeper submission to Cena on top of the ladder which led to them crashing through a table and Cena putting Ziggler and a ladder on top of his shoulders for an Attitude Adjustment were moments to mention. Also, to credit Brooklyn, they have been fantastic tonight and they added another layer to this match. Ziggler looks ready to take on a bigger role in the company and a match against Cena in the main event of the final PPV can only do good. And guess what, Ziggler pulls out the big win. Of course, Cena looked like he was going to win until AJ pushed Cena off the ladder after beating up Guerrero seconds earlier. The ending was predictable but it made for a cool moment and only draws attention to the younger audience for future episodes of Raw. The match was very good, nothing to necessarily write home about but definitely something to watch again down the line.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: ***½

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Pretty average way to cap off the 2012 year. The Shield and Dolph Ziggler end up looking like stars which may ultimately become the reason we remember this show. The big matches delivered but everything else looked a bit out of place. Let’s see how WWE carries this momentum into the new year, especially with Punk vs. Rock.
Rating: 7/10