WWE TLC 2014: Final Picks and Predictions for All Matches on the Card
The end of the calendar year brings with it one of the most popular gimmick pay-per-views, as World Wrestling Entertainment presents TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs (and Stairs) from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio Sunday night.
Headlined by John Cena vs. Seth Rollins in a Tables match, the show is traditionally the last opportunity for Superstars and Divas to make an impression before the company embarks on its road to WrestleMania.
With a Ladder match between Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper threatening to steal the show, not to mention Ryback's road back to relevancy running through the Big Red Corporate Demon (or whatever he is called this week) Kane, there are plenty of Superstars looking to step up and make it known that they will not settle for anything less than a meaningful match on the biggest card of the year.
On the heels of an NXT Takeover: R Evolution show that left the wrestling world buzzing, thanks to its considerable in-ring quality and superb storytelling, the main roster is faced with even more pressure to deliver a quality show.
Only time will tell if they can step up to the proverbial plate and hit a home run.
Until then, take an in-depth look at everything that went into the biggest matches on the card with these last-minute picks and predictions for the TLC pay-per-view extravaganza.
WWE Kickoff Show: The New Day vs. Gold and Stardust
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Gold and Stardust have promised that darkness will fall on the New Day, but to this point, the energetic trio has defeated the bizarre duo at almost every turn. Worse yet? No one really knows what the "darkness" promised by the painted villains actually entails.
Not that it actually matters.
WWE Creative has done nothing to make fans care about the feud and hasn't crafted anything even closely resembling a story. Instead, the heels have made empty threats that have gone unfulfilled.
That should not change come Sunday's event, as the New Day are on a role at this point, while it has been all downhill for Gold and Stardust since they captured the WWE Tag Team Championships.
Prediction: The New Day
United States Championship Match: Jack Swagger vs. Rusev
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This past summer, Rusev and Jack Swagger engaged in a heated rivalry that saw the Real American defend his country against the Bulgarian Brute and his ravishing manager, Lana. Unfortunately, despite his finest efforts, the former World Heavyweight champion was unable to halt the momentum of Rusev.
Since dispatching of Swagger and continuing his winning ways, Rusev has captured the United States Championship and headlined a pay-per-view, but he could not resist the urge to torment Swagger and manager Zeb Colter.
Rusev attacked Colter backstage, breaking his leg and reigniting his feud with the Real American. Now, at TLC, Rusev will not only be defending his U.S. championship against the standout collegiate wrestler, he will be defending his health and well-being against a competitor who has vowed to snap his ankle in retaliation for the attack on his friend, mentor and manager.
Prediction: Rusev
As great as Swagger has been since this feud resumed post-Survivor Series, there is still a great deal of money to be made off of an undefeated Rusev squaring off with John Cena at some point in the future.
Don't expect to see WWE risk that payday just to give fans a happy ending to this story.
Divas Championship Match: AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella
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At Survivor Series, Brie Bella stunned the world by hopping onto the ring apron and kissing AJ Lee, allowing sister Nikki to deliver the Rack Attack to the stunned Divas champion and win the title.
Since then, Brie has stood faithfully by Nikki's side, despite feuding with her and being humiliated for an entire month as her personal assistant, while AJ has been looking to make history and become the first four-time Divas champion.
The rivalry has gotten personal recently, with both women taking verbal shots at each other, but that has done little to make up for a lack of attention paid by a WWE Creative staff more concerned, as usual, with the matches at the top of the card.
Prediction: Nikki Bella
It still feels way too early to take the title off of Nikki, given she won it just three weeks ago.
Expect to see Brie cause a distraction or get physically involved and cost AJ the match—even if Brie's continued support of her sister makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
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WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos vs. The Miz and Damien Mizdow
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What appeared to be just another thrown-together tag team program over the division's criminally mismanaged titles received some much needed attention over the last few weeks, leading to a match that is equal parts wrestling rivalry and soap opera.
After Jimmy and Jey Uso won a Tag Team Turmoil match to earn the next shot at the Miz and Damien Mizdow's WWE Tag Team Championships, Miz took it upon himself to reach out to Naomi in a backstage segment, complimenting her twerking ability and offering to set her up with an agent.
Sure, that reads like a business meeting, but it felt more like Miz making a pass at Naomi. Naturally, it infuriated her husband, Jimmy, who responded by slapping the taste right out of Miz's mouth. He would go on to defeat the former WWE champion on Main Event the following night.
But that did not stop Miz. He continued approaching Naomi, going as far as to buy her flowers. With every passing show, Jimmy grew angrier and angrier, playing right into the hands of his TLC opponent.
On the final SmackDown before Sunday's pay-per-view, it appeared as though Miz has gotten the upper hand. Naomi approached her husband, claimed that he had not supported her and stormed off. Jey Uso then lashed out at his brother, warning him that he was doing exactly what Miz wanted and that Miz would have played everyone if he did not get his head in the game.
Prediction: The Miz and Damien Mizdow
Based on feel alone, the Usos should win this one to avenge weeks of Miz's torment. But after the self-proclaimed Hollywood star and his stunt double won the titles at Survivor Series, it feels far too early in their run for them to drop the gold.
Expect some miscommunication between Jimmy and Jey, perhaps even a heel a turn from Naomi, to really play up the effect Miz has had on the once-strong unit.
Either way, the heels will retain.
Chairs Match: Ryback vs. Kane
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Prior to Survivor Series, the Authority tried everything in their power to recruit Ryback to be part of their team. Unfortunately, the Big Guy and the Authority's director of operations, Kane, did not see eye to eye, leading to Ryback jumping ship and becoming a member of Team Cena.
Ultimately, good won out over evil and Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were removed from power.
But that does not mean the war between Ryback and Kane ended. No, it continued into December, with both men assaulting each other with steel chairs. From there, it was announced that they would wage war in a chairs match at the TLC pay-per-view.
Prediction: Ryback
After doing an excellent job of rebuilding Ryback into something of a credible main event star, there is no way he loses to Kane at TLC.
The Corporate Demon is still very much a relevant star in WWE, but his booking in 2014 has been fairly awful. He loses far more than he wins and is often tasked with using his star power and name recognition to put over younger stars.
In the process, though, he has lost a great deal of legitimacy in the eyes of the general audience.
Were he to defeat Ryback, it would kill any chance WWE Creative has of making the Big Guy anything close to a marquee name.
Steel Stairs Match: Erick Rowan vs. Big Show
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Just 24 hours removed from betraying Team Cena at Survivor Series, Big Show took to the squared circle to explain his actions. He ran the emotional gauntlet, going from a sobbing giant to a big, nasty, mean one.
There was one person who did not accept his explanation of, "I made a mistake," and that was Erick Rowan.
The lamb mask-wearing big man confronted Big Show, who insulted the former Wyatt Family member. Rowan responded by telling his fellow giant that he doesn't like bullies, then delivered a big shot to the former heavyweight champion.
Eventually, steel steps came into play, with both men using the weapons on each other. As is the case at this time of year, with a pay-per-view dedicated to gimmick matches, it was decided that Rowan and Big Show will compete in the first ever Steel Stairs match.
Sure, stairs don't exactly fit into the "Tables, Ladders and Chairs" portion of the event's name but the marketing geniuses in the company threw "and Stairs" on the end to make the show feel that bit more special.
Or something like that.
Prediction: The Big Show
The heels have to win one or two of these pay-per-view matches to make up for a month of being outdone by the babyfaces. While Rowan is much more intriguing a character than Big Show at this point, he is also the one guy who can survive a loss.
Besides, Big Show is in need of a win that really puts his latest heel turn over. The guy has turned so many times that now, each switch is a little less effective. A strong showing in which he really punishes Rowan would be a step in the right direction.
Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Title: Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper
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Two weeks before Survivor Series, Team Authority was in desperate need of a fifth member on the heels of Ryback opting to join Team Cena. That fifth member was Luke Harper, who made his intentions to stand by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon clear by tossing a limp Dolph Ziggler at their feet.
One week later, on the final Raw before the November pay-per-view, Harper capitalized on interference by Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury to capture the WWE Intercontinental Championship from Ziggler.
The Showoff would get a measure of revenge, eliminating Harper at Survivor Series, then nearly regaining his title in a series of rematches.
Harper, apparently never having watched a single episode of Raw or SmackDown before the TLC events, stupidly introduced a ladder into one of the matches. As a result, a Ladder match between him and Ziggler was booked for Sunday's event, with the Intercontinental title serving as the prize.
Prediction: Dolph Ziggler
Everything seems to point at Harper retaining his title Sunday night. From the fact that we are still in the infancy of his reign to the booking of Friday night's SmackDown, when Ziggler stood tall to close out the show, it would appear as though the company was setting the Showoff up to lose.
From the very beginning, though, it felt like Harper was in the right place at the right time, the recipient of a title he was never really groomed for. Instead, he won it out of the blue as a plot device for the bigger Team Cena vs. Team Authority story.
Thus, should he lose it Sunday night, it would do little damage to him as a singles performer. That he would not have to be pinned or submitted to drop the gold only further strengthens the case for the much hotter Ziggler to regain the title and celebrate a huge victory in his home state of Ohio.
Tables Match: John Cena vs. Seth Rollins
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In the wake of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's ousting from power, Seth Rollins was left on his own, his only support coming in the form of Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble.
Just after Survivor Series, that support was tested, as those two retired Superstars were forced into action, partnering with Rollins to battle Dolph Ziggler and John Cena.
The babyfaces won that match and the night ended with Rollins enduring an Attitude Adjustment, much to the delight of the fans.
Cena's refusal to bring the Authority back to power enraged Rollins. Eventually, the anonymous Raw general manager booked a Tables match with a catch between Cena and Rollins. Should Cena lose, he loses his guaranteed WWE Championship opportunity.
On the final Raw before TLC, Cena got a taste of what may await him Sunday night when he was powerbombed through the announce table by Rollins.
Unfazed, Cena took the opportunity to remind Rollins on the December 12 episode of SmackDown that he is stepping in the ring with the franchise player and that "there is no safer bet on a Sunday night than John Cena!"
"There is no future without Seth Rollins," the villain responded, indicating that he believes the future begins with Cena's defeat.
Prediction: John Cena
With a huge championship clash against Brock Lesnar on the horizon, Cena has to win to retain his No. 1 contender status.
Expect to see a phenomenal showing from Rollins, who has emerged as the top heel in the company lately, but he will still be going through the table Sunday night.
Whether it is at the hands of Cena or a returning Randy Orton remains to be seen.
Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt
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Though it will not be the main event of the show, the most anticipated bout on Sunday's card is the Tables, Ladders and Chairs match between Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt.
What started as a lackluster rivalry in the weeks prior to Survivor Series has turned into an outstanding tale of a master manipulator trying—and failing—to toy with the company's most unstable Superstar. In the process, he has come to realize that it is he who is being manipulated.
At Survivor Series, Ambrose used tables, ladders and chairs to pummel Wyatt. It intensified a rivalry in desperate need of intensifying.
From there, Ambrose took the rocking chair Wyatt has been so closely associated with and broke it in the center of the squared circle, leaving Wyatt an emotional wreck and proving to the world that the Reaper of Souls does, in fact, have a weakness.
After revealing that it was Sister Abigail's chair, Wyatt gained a measure of revenge, attacking his rival and sending him into the steel stairs head first. Ambrose was stretchered out of the arena with a brace around his neck.
Ambrose returned on Raw, emerging from the back of an ambulance and brawling with Wyatt just days before their huge match.
Prediction: Bray Wyatt
Wyatt is in major need of a big victory, which should come Sunday night.
The Eater of Worlds has not won on pay-per-view since defeating Chris Jericho at SummerSlam. To maintain momentum and enter 2015 on a positive note, he needs to knock off the Lunatic Fringe and remind fans that he is just as dangerous in the ring as he is on the microphone.
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