WWE TLC PPV Buyrate Released: What It Says About CM Punk and Zack Ryder

I am a fan of CM Punk. He is a great WWE talent and is looking to be a long-term fixture in the main event scene. My one issue with him is the same issue I had with him during the summer. His "worked shoots" need to stop. Other than that, I am a fan.

The same goes for Zack Ryder. I am a fan. The wrestler has charisma, is solid in the ring and has a decent (rabid) fan following. However, he needs to be more "serious" moving forward. That's it! Once again, it is just one complaint.

However, the TLC PPV was a huge night for both men. You could argue the entire event was big, but not me. The success (or failure) of the show rested on two men. CM Punk and Zack Ryder.

They were the faces going into the event. They were the top men promoted on Raw in December. Triple H got some time, but not a lot. John Cena spent his time focusing on Ryder. Same with the Smackdown brand. They were shown focus, but not a lot.

CM Punk and Zack Ryder had to have a great night. Lucky for us, both came through!

According to this report, the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs PPV did under 200,000 buys. The same story notes that officials were expecting the lowest buy rate of the year, but it did a bit better than expected.

My thoughts?

For all intents and purposes, the numbers seem to have done well. Yes, PPV numbers are still down for WWE from years past. Yes, it would have been excellent to see a higher figure. Yes, other wrestlers likely helped as well. Let's not just discredit them like some may want to do.

However, I am going to accept this buy rate. I am going to move forward with positive thoughts pertaining to both men. There are a few reasons why I focused on them.

1. CM Punk was the man here. Again, there was no Cena. No Kane. No Undertaker. No Shawn Michaels. No Batista or Chris Jericho. For December, CM Punk was headlining the WWE. Ratings may not have been kind, but this buy rate does help his future. Not a lot, but a little.

2. Zack Ryder was serious in December! I can't stress this enough. Remember the videos of him wanting the United States title from Dolph Ziggler? Remember that feeling fans felt after Survivor Series? Ryder wanted the gold. He needed the gold! His fans wanted it! They needed it!

No silly jokes. No YouTube plugs. No fist pumps with Eve backstage or dancing around with a "Flip cam." it was about winning a championship. Exactly what this business should be about! It was all for the payoff at TLC.

Maybe fans actually bought the show last month? Perhaps their lovely streams were out or order? Either way, WWE seemed to have found plenty of fans willing to pay for the big endings to each story.

Punk retained over the heels in a nice main event. Ryder got "his moment" by winning the US Championship in a great opening match. Absolutely a huge night for both men!

It is just too bad Ryder went back to being a goofball and Punk is now "shooting" again...

Reminder: I will be back later tonight with my Smackdown: Good, Bad, and Ugly article featuring one of my rare public service announcements. Until then, please follow me on Twitter @JustinWatry! Thank you.