WWE TLC 2016: Final Picks and Predictions for Entire Match Card
SmackDown Live will end its 2016 pay-per-view schedule Sunday with TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, a show headlined by AJ Styles defending the WWE World Championship against Dean Ambrose in the event's namesake match.
The brand has consistently delivered quality events, thanks to the plethora of stories it has concocted and the Superstars' abilities to culminate those angles with quality in-ring product.
The women of the Tuesday brand will bring two of the show's most heated programs to a conclusion, with Becky Lynch defending the women's title against Alexa Bliss in a tables match and Nikki Bella battling Carmella in a No Disqualification bout.
The tag titles are up for grabs, as Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton will challenge the surprisingly cohesive tandem of Heath Slater and Rhyno.
Can Dolph Ziggler bring his feud with The Miz to an end by regaining the Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match?
With the biggest rivalries on SmackDown poised to conclude Sunday night, prepare for the event with these final picks and predictions.
Chairs Match: Kalisto vs. Baron Corbin
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Baron Corbin's bullying of Kalisto put the masked luchador out of action this past fall, costing him valuable in-ring time and opportunities to establish himself as one of the brightest stars on the SmackDown roster. In his absence, Corbin became an unstoppable force on Tuesday nights, racking up win after win.
The return of Kalisto, though, brought with it the renewal of their rivalry and the chance for them to settle their differences once and for all at TLC.
In a chairs match.
Corbin left his rival lying in a heap on the Nov. 29 episode of SmackDown, proving dangerous with the steel weapon in hand. Will he be able to replicate the beating he dealt his smaller rival come Sunday, or will Kalisto pull off an upset, as he has many times before, by beating the ruthless heel?
Prediction
While SmackDown is in desperate need of high-profile babyfaces, and Kalisto could be for the brand what Rey Mysterio was a decade ago, there is more money in Corbin. He is big and nasty and has a presence about him that screams "star."
Beat him too many times, and that aura goes away. And for what? So the company can sell a few thousand masks?
Corbin wins here and rolls into 2017 as one of the premier stars on the blue brand.
Winner: Baron Corbin
Tag Team Championship: Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton
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It was not all that long ago that Heath Slater's story captivated fans and helped make the West Virginian one of the breakout stars of the brand extension.
Since capturing the SmackDown Tag Team Championships with Rhyno in September, though, Slater has lost all momentum, becoming a generic titleholder with no follow-up to the previous chapters WWE Creative had told.
That does not bode well for the longtime hidden gem come Sunday, as he and Rhyno limp into the show undefined and underdeveloped for a showdown with legitimate main event talents Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton.
The titles are at stake, but it is the saga of The Viper and him joining The Wyatt Family that will take center stage Sunday night.
The third-generation star showed his loyalty to Wyatt at Survivor Series, taking a gigantic spear from Roman Reigns and sacrificing himself for the good of his leader. Since then, The Eater of Worlds has grown more trusting of his former rival, much to the chagrin of Luke Harper, who tried to warn his confidant to be wary of Orton.
Will Harper's suspicions prove right? Is Orton infiltrating The Wyatt Family in an attempt to tear it apart from the inside, or will he once again prove his worth to Wyatt by aiding him in securing his first championship in WWE?
Prediction
It is time for the Slater and Rhyno experiment to come to an end. It has failed because of WWE Creative's unwillingness to follow up on the title win.
The Wyatt-Orton story may be clunky, thanks to a few key missing elements, but it is much more interesting than what is going on with Slater. Expect Orton to deliver an RKO to Rhyno as he launches himself across the ring for a Gore, allowing Wyatt to make the pin and collect the titles.
Winners: Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt
Ladder Match for the WWE Intercontinental Title: Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz
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The long-running rivalry between Dolph Ziggler and The Miz will come to an end Sunday night, as the Superstars will wage war in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship.
Miz regained the title in November, defeating The Showoff following interference from The Spirit Squad and Maryse.
The expectation that those individuals stick their noses into Sunday's match is high, especially given the champion's penchant for cheating, but will it be enough to ensure The Hollywood A-Lister has his hand raised in victory, concluding his program with Ziggler with a successful title defense?
Or will Ziggler replicate the emotion he displayed at No Mercy following a career-defining victory over his rival in an instant classic, regaining a title he has held countless times before to end his year on a high note?
Prediction
The Miz is red-hot. He has been throughout 2016. The big money at this point, though, is in a showdown with general manager Daniel Bryan, a program the company has hinted at and laid the foundation for throughout the year.
That match, should it ever come to fruition, does not need the Intercontinental Championship to keep it high-profile.
Expect WWE to do what it loves to do: deliver the happy ending, with Ziggler regaining the title, much to the chagrin of Miz, who was forced into the title defense by Bryan.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
No Disqualification Match: Nikki Bella vs. Carmella
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The rivalry between Nikki Bella and Carmella dates back to August, when the latter made a shocking heel turn that ended with her leaving the popular reality TV star lying.
Since then, Carmella has done everything in her power to mock and humiliate Bella. She has cost her several title opportunities and brutally assaulted her at every turn. Yet it was Bella who got the latest laugh, attacking Carmella and leaving her with a black eye and swollen forehead following the go-home episode of SmackDown Live.
Sunday night, they will battle in a No Disqualification match.
The intensity between the two is worthy of such a match, but neither is what one would consider a Superstar befitting that match type.
It should be interesting to see how the contest is laid out and whether Bella and Carmella can execute.
Prediction
It is time for this program to come to an end. The only way for that to happen is for Bella to exorcise the demon that is Carmella from her closet with a definitive victory.
How that occurs is irrelevant. What is not is a victory that allows her to move on, perhaps to a feud with Natalya, who likely attacked her and kept her from fighting at Survivor Series.
Winner: Nikki Bella
Tables Match for the Women's Title: Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss
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Becky Lynch has tried to be the titleholder the SmackDown Live brand can be proud of—a women's champion who can serve as a role model for the young girls and boys in the audience.
She has not been able to focus on that, though, as she is trapped in a rivalry with a ferocious and tenacious young star whose dreams of gold have fueled her to No. 1 contender status.
Alexa Bliss has been a thorn in the side of Lynch, attacking her and humiliating her at every turn. She has drawn a yellow streak down her back and left her lying following a big DDT, and she even shoved The Lass Kicker through a table on Tuesday.
Sunday, their two-month feud will come to a head in a tables match in which they look to prove the women of SmackDown Live are every bit as talented as those on the red brand, where Sasha Banks and Charlotte have main-evented a pay-per-view and multiple episodes of Raw.
Prediction
Bliss has been outstanding. She has delivered extraordinary promos, and her in-ring work has improved exponentially from her days in NXT. Unfortunately, this match is not hers to win Sunday.
The moment Bliss shoved Lynch through the table on Tuesday's SmackDown to become the last woman standing, her fate was sealed. The Lass Kicker will secure the win, retain her title and move on to whichever woman steps up to challenge her next.
Winner: Becky Lynch
TLC Match for the WWE World Title: Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles
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Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles have been embroiled in a rivalry over the WWE World Championship since the first Tuesday after SummerSlam.
At Backlash in September, Styles dethroned Ambrose for the title, beginning a run atop the brand that has yet to come to an end. He continued his winning ways a month later, defeating Ambrose and John Cena in a Triple Threat match.
Since then, Styles has been embarrassed repeatedly, dropping three straight matches to lovable loser James Ellsworth, courtesy of interference from Ambrose. On the go-home episode of SmackDown Live, though, Styles eliminated the jobber from the equation, delivering a Styles Clash that led to Ellsworth being taken from the arena in an ambulance.
That opens the door for Styles and Ambrose to deliver a TLC match that could rank among the best bouts of the year.
The Phenomenal One and The Lunatic Fringe have demonstrated tremendous in-ring chemistry to this point. Factor in tables, ladders and chairs, and you have the recipe for a Match of the Year candidate.
Prediction
Styles wins here.
Ambrose is still a key cog in the SmackDown Live machine, but Styles is the franchise player. He is the heel the brand can build around. Given the lack of credible main event talent, it would be a mistake to take the title off him at this point.
The money is in the babyface chasing the title. Ambrose will fail, opening up an opportunity for a fresh new star to roll through and challenge The Phenomenal One.
Winner: AJ Styles
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