Ryback vs. Kane: Winner and Reaction from 2014 WWE TLC
After nearly a year and a half of futility in singles pay-per-view matches, Ryback got back on track Sunday night at TLC by defeating Kane in a chairs match.
After a flurry of chair shots exchanged by both competitors, Ryback hit Shell Shocked to win the match.
The fans in Cleveland weren't afraid to voice their displeasure with what they felt was a boring bout. And Ryback wasn't afraid to show his displeasure with the Cleveland crowd, per the Brock Lesnar Guy:
Kane's certainly lost a lot of the intimidation factor that made him a monster in years past. Corey Graves wonders if Kane should change his name to something more appropriate for his current status:
The Big Guy has been on a major roll since returning to WWE programming in October. Ryback was spinning his wheels in a tag team with Curtis Axel prior to that, but he got a reprieve when he needed time off to tend to some injuries.
Ryback returned with a new attitude and started to receive favorable pops similar to the ones he elicited when he was red-hot as a top face in 2012.
Despite a supposed babyface turn, The Authority temporarily recruited him to be part of their team at Survivor Series. When the physical specimen from Sin City didn't like the way The Authority did business, though, he ended up joining John Cena's squad.
Most expected Ryback to dominate that match based on the manner in which he was being built, but he was shockingly the first Superstar eliminated from Team Cena. Dolph Ziggler went on to win the match for his team, though, so The Big Guy was still credited with a victory.
After that, Ryback and Kane started to branch off into a feud of their own. It started the night after Raw when guest general manager Daniel Bryan re-branded Corporate Kane as Concessions Kane.
That led to Ryback poking fun at the former Big Red Monster, according to WWE Universe on Twitter:
After a tussle in the concessions area, it quickly became clear that Ryback and Kane were on the fast track to a match against each other. The only question was what type of stipulation it would be contested under.
The picture became clearer on the ensuing episode of SmackDown when Kane attacked Ryback with a steel chair and talked a bit of trash afterward:
Ryback and Kane were booked in a chairs match soon after, which seemingly played into the hands of The Devil's Favorite Demon since he has a long history of success in hardcore matches. Despite that, his less experienced counterpart reigned supreme.
While it wasn't a technical masterpiece by any means, nobody was expecting it to be. Both Superstars are brawlers who thrive in hard-hitting affairs, and that is precisely what their contest at TLC was.
The ultimate goal was to provide a boost to Ryback as he attempts to get back to the top. Although he has cooled off a bit since his return in October, the fans are still reacting well to him, and getting a pay-per-view win is a step in the right direction.
Kane loses the majority of his matches these days, but he maintains credibility due to everything he has accomplished in the business.
With that in mind, Ryback is now in position to continue his ascent. Since WWE is always looking for faces who can get over with the crowd, he certainly has a chance to make some noise in the coming months.
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