WWE TLC 2014 Results: Worst Booking Decisions from PPV

Sunday night, World Wrestling Entertainment concluded its 2014 pay-per-view schedule with TLC: Tables, Ladders, Chairs...and Stairs, a show dedicated to gimmick matches.

In the night's main event, Bray Wyatt defeated Dean Ambrose in an explosive (quite literally) TLC match. Earlier in the evening, Dolph Ziggler capitalized on the tremendous support of his hometown Cleveland fans to defeat Luke Harper for his fourth WWE Intercontinental Championship.

Roman Reigns returned and assisted John Cena in overcoming interference from Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury to defeat Seth Rollins in a Tables match, Big Show dominated Erick Rowan in a Steel Stairs match and Ryback dispatched of Kane in a Chairs match.

While the outcomes of the matches themselves may have been in the best interest of the company and its stars going forward into WrestleMania season, the booking surrounding those outcomes left a lot to be desired.

Credit: WWE.com

It's In The Eyes

Two different matches featured finishes in which a competitor was blinded.

First, Nikki Bella used hairspray to adversely affect the vision of opponent AJ Lee, then flattened her with a forearm to the face and the Rack Attack to successfully retain her Divas Championship.

Later in the night, Dean Ambrose had a television monitor explode in his face, temporarily blinding him and allowing Bray Wyatt to deliver Sister Abigail for the victory.

The Divas title finish was fine and played into the scheming Bella Twins' willingness to do whatever it took to secure Nikki's win. But the fact that WWE Creative used two blinding finishes was not only incredibly lazy but really hurt the overall quality of the show, especially since one of them occurred in a contest that would go a long way in determining the success of the broadcast.

To have the lunatic babyface slip on the proverbial banana peel made him look like a fool, rather than the crazed and vengeful antihero he had been portrayed as over the months prior to TLC.

It was not a good night for Ambrose, nor was it a good night for WWE Creative, whose laziness was never more apparent.

Credit: WWE.com

Big Show vs. Erick Rowan

Who thought this was a good idea?

Any fan could have told WWE Creative and Vince McMahon that a match between Big Show and Erick Rowan was not only an awful idea, but one that—given Rowan's limited singles experience—would do the young star no favors whatsoever.

Sunday night, his deficiencies were exposed, as was Big Show's inability at this point to have a great match with anyone.

That it went 11-plus minutes only worsened things and cooled down what was a fairly hot crowd coming off of Dolph Ziggler's victory in the opening contest.

Speaking of which...

Credit: WWE.com

Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper Opens The Show

Anyone watching the TLC Kickoff Show knew from the very get-go that the Cleveland fans wanted nothing more than to see hometown boy Dolph Ziggler win the Intercontinental Championship. Chants of "we want Ziggler" echoed throughout the Quicken Loans Arena. The reception the Showoff was greeted with is typically reserved for the biggest stars in the industry.

Considering the fact that Cena was not headlining the pay-per-view and a heel was going over in the TLC match, why not allow Ziggler the opportunity to main event the show and send fans home happy with the final image of 2014 being that of their hometown hero celebrating his victory with his friends and family?

Ziggler vs. Harper would have been forced to follow the other matches on the card, which it could have done easily, rather than the other way around, which proved difficult for all bouts that came after the IC title contest.