Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2013

This card resembles something that WWE Games "Universe Mode" AI would book. Handicap matches are pretty craptacular at the best of times and having two of them is brutal. Also pretty sad that the title unification doesn't feature the most over wrestler and the centre of the main event plot, but then it wouldn't be the first time the McMahon-Helmsley faction has brutalised a promising storyline...



"Stick the winner, Kevin"

 

I wonder if Cena wins that means we do get another Cena Bryan match

 

just when i want to start watch wrestling again, i see a cena/orton title match and walk away.

 

I'am so glad I have no plans on seeing this PPV.

 

Illegal Free Stream worthy at most.

 

@andy82 is right, the WWE's booking has made this a free-stream or download. No way a PPV is worth what they want now.

Now, predictions:

TLC Kickoff match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Fandango
I see Ziggler going over. Fandango is close to Santino-levels of cheese now. Ziggler gets the win, but where does he go from here?

John Cena [WHC] vs Randy Orton [WWE] in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the World Heavyweight Championship & the WWE Championship
If the booking is on the up and up, we get Cena over Orton, setting up Cena vs Bryan for the title. Don't be shocked if we get another swerve to end a PPV, seems like the WWE is obsessed with flat finishes that are over-thought. There are even rumors of HHH somehow interjecting himself and winning both straps. I hope the WWE gives us a clean finish for a change, one that makes sense. Not a Cena fan by any means but he IS the face of the franchise.

C.M. Punk vs Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in a 3 vs 1 Handicap Match
Punk will put up a good fight but I see Reigns spearing him in a big spot to clean up and get the win. The office is high on Reigns and it seems the breakup of the Shield is in overdrive of late. Reigns getting the pin over Ambrose should push that storyline further.

Daniel Bryan vs Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan in a 3 vs 1 Handicap Match
Daniel Bryan will find some way to pull out the underdog win. It's too bad they dropped the ball with Bryan, you hope they haven't done his character too much damage. The Wyatts were a big deal in NXT but again creative has dropped the ball in developing these characters.

A.J. Lee [c] vs Natalya for the Divas Championship
I would have chosen A.J. Lee but rumors are she pissed off management with a backstage issue at a recent TV taping. Word is the office is not happy and she might be punished with a title loss tonight. Hell, for all we know it's all a setup for the Total Divas show.

Big E. Langston [c] vs Damien Sandow for the Intercontinential Championship
Could be a really good match but I expect Big E. to win. He's someone who the WWE can grow. Sandow isn't taken seriously by anyone and again, you can thank booking for that. Big E should roll and might be moving to a program with Mark Henry next.

Goldust [c] & Cody Rhodes [c] vs Big Show & Rey Mysterio vs Ryback & Curtis Axel vs Jack Swagger & Antonio Cesaro for the WWE Tag Team Championship
I hate this match, a four-way tag match for the titles? I hope Goldust and Cody Rhodes find a way to retain. There is NO way Mysterio and Big Show deserve the straps, Ryback and Axel are hollow as an act and Swagger and Cesaro might be due for a break up with Cesaro going babyface on us with the crowd reactions he's been getting. Keep the belts on the champs and start giving us more competition in the tag division.

 

Fandango went over Ziggler, marking an epic year turn around where at the same PPV last year Ziggler beat Cena in a TLC match. Yikes.

 

Wow, what are they doing with Ziggler? He almost just needs to go away for a while and come back with a whole new gimmick and name.

 

The Gimmick/Name is fine, he just needs to be used. Problem is, way too many of their talent is being presented as main event worthy and thus when they aren't being used in the main event, it makes them look crapty (Plus WWE is only capable of running a maximum of three storylines across seven hours of programming a week, which is hecked).

 

Best thing they have going on is NXT, catch it Wednesdays on Hulu.

 

For craps and giggles, lets break down the storyline/implications of these matches.

TLC Kickoff match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Fandango - None whatsoever.

John Cena [c] vs Randy Orton [c] for the World Heavyweight Championship & the WWE Championship - A title unification for what reason? Cena has no real issues with the Authority or Orton. Teasing of dysfunction between Orton and Authority, but that's it.

C.M. Punk vs The Shield in a 3 vs 1 Handicap Match - Teasing of Shield break up. CM Punk plopped in the middle of it all for no reason.

Daniel Bryan vs The Wyatt Family in a 3 vs 1 Handicap Match - Wyatt trying to recruit him, Bryan seems more invested in getting another title shot. Meh.

A.J. Lee [c] vs Natalya for the Divas Championship - Total Divas cast suddenly are all good people. AJ has title but isn't really heelish. No feud.

Big E. Langston [c] vs Damien Sandow for the Intercontinential Championship - Again, Sandow randomly is No. 1 contender presumably because no one else wanted the title. No real implications.

In summary, this is a foundation layer for the Royal Rumble in terms of the Main Event scene. Everything else is filler.

 

At least the PPV has given us this gem of a GIF.

 

Kofi... athletic skills in the ring but some of his offense is just ridiculous. The boom drop's gotta go, for real. Remember when Kofi had his five minutes in a feud with Orton a while back? We got a pretty good brawl out of it:

 

The case of Kofi is a weird one. You've got a guy who is constantly over with the fans as a face without being given much material at all, yet consistently gets overlooked when it comes to push time for a new main event star. I think there's a real good all round performer there if ever given the chance to show it.

 

I think Vince looks at Kofi and has no faith he can be 'the guy'. So what? He can be the guy with the IC belt that outworks everyone. Problem is Kofi is always used in the match where it's simply filler. How many meaningless matches have the fans seen between Kofi and Ziggler? Oversaturation is killing the guys. Word is Stephanie isn't in charge of creative and that Vince and HHH are manning the controls as far as storylines. They are going to have to really ramp things up soon with the Royal Rumble right around the corner.

 

I'm actually shocked they didn't throw some sort of curveball, but it was a good match with a clean finish. I don't mind Orton winning. Cena doesn't need the title right now.

I didn't really watch all of the PPV, but it seemed meh from what I saw.