WWE TLC 2014: Stars Under the Most Pressure at PPV

Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2014 is the last pay-per-view before the Road to WrestleMania, and as such, it's something of a last chance for talent to stake their claim for a spot on the grandest stage of them all.

There's been plenty of talk of brass rings this week, and that puts the pressure on the young guns of the WWE roster to show what they can do or move to the back of the line. Every single WWE Superstar was put on notice on Monday night by Vince McMahon; these are the few who are under the most pressure at TLC.

Ryback

Credit: WWE.com

After a strong return a few weeks ago, Ryback's early exit from the main event of Survivor Series threatened to send him back into midcard hell. Now, he's set for a Chairs match against Kane at TLC, and he'll need to come up with a great performance to solidify his position on the card.

Ryback is under even more pressure thanks to CM Punk's comments as to his safety as a worker. With a rumoured match against Triple H seemingly dropped due to similar concerns, this sort of reputation could do the Big Guy a great deal of harm.

First and foremost, Ryback is under significant pressure not to injure Kane—and given the Demon's near-pristine record over the past 20 years, that seems fairly safe; however, putting on a good match might be more of a challenge. Kane is starting to show his age, and the seating-based stipulation might be a burden.

Expect to see Ryback have a good showing in the Royal Rumble and a decent WrestleMania program if he can prove his doubters wrong at TLC; however, if his match isn't good, that Rybaxel reunion might come earlier than expected.

The Miz and Damien Mizdow

Credit: WWE.com

The crowd erupted at Survivor Series when these two took home the gold, but now, it's time to see whether the stunt-double act has any legs. It's not too difficult to come up with the next steps for these two, but it's a matter of keeping the crowd invested so their relationship can reach its natural endpoint.

Clearly, The Miz needs to grow jealous of Mizdow's increasing popularity with the crowd, but for this to work, Mizdow needs to keep getting strong positive reactions, and Miz needs to be on the receiving end of heavy boos. It'll be a challenge to work that into a good match, but the results could be career making for Mizdow.

Both men will no doubt be aware that once a program stops getting crowd responses, it's dead in the water. It's imperative that the TLC audience are kept engaged with both the title defence against The Usos and the broader team dynamic that's going on.

If TLC goes well for the pair, then it's easy to map out a Royal Rumble run-in leading to a WrestleMania faceoff; however, if reactions are muted following their title defence, we might see Mizdow hit yet another stumbling block.

Seth Rollins

Credit: WWE.com

Listening to McMahon talk about talent willing to reach out for a brass ring, it's difficult to think of anyone on the roster who could have heard those words more clearly than Seth Rollins. The Architect is driven to rise to the top, but at TLC, he'll face his toughest task yet.

There is a catalogue of rising stars that have faced Cena during their ascent and found their progress screech to a halt. Rollins is on the verge of being a true main eventer, but the next few months of his career will hinge on how he fares against the Doctor of Thuganomics.

We know that the pair have excellent chemistry; it was the television matches the pair had that proved to many that Rollins was more than a spare part in The Shield. Add in the fact that John Cena's WWE Championship shot is on the line, and it seems like the odds are against Rollins.

The Money in the Bank briefcase will keep Rollins relevant for a while, but if he cannot win against top talent like Cena, it'll be difficult for fans to take him seriously as the future of WWE. A win for Rollins would also have the benefit of freshening up the world title defence at the Royal Rumble, but that's by the by.

Rollins has earned his spot at the top of the ladder, and he doesn't have very far to climb to reach the very top. He desperately needs a win to reach out for the next rung, but the odds certainly seem stacked against him as it stands just now.

Who else must be feeling the strain ahead of TLC 2014? Dolph Ziggler, being tasked with following up his Survivor Series performance? Erick Rowan, finding himself with an unexpected burst of momentum? Make your voice heard in the comments section below.