WWE: 10 Reasons Why TLC Has to Top Survivor Series

Survivor Series had a ton of type, and despite a few disappointments, the show really delivered.

Now, it's on to next month's WWE TLC pay-per-view, which has a lot to live up to. Presumably, we'll be getting a couple of rematches, as well as a bout between Triple H and Kevin Nash at the show, so it does have the potential to be one of the more entertaining pay-per-views of the year.

In fact, it has to be.

WWE TLC is the final pay-per-view of 2011, and the pressure is on the WWE for that show to exceed any and all expectations we might have of it.

So, let's take a look at 10 reasons why TLC has to top Survivor Series.

10. To End 2011 on a High Note

Let's be honest: no one wants to see the WWE end 2011 with a crappy pay-per-view.

All that's going to accomplish is leaving us with a sour taste in our mouths as we head into one of the best times of the year to be a wrestling fan, Wrestlemania season.

If for no other reason, the WWE has to make sure TLC is a good pay-per-view so that it will end the year on a high note.

Otherwise, the lasting image we all have in our heads as we move into 2012 is that of a crappy PPV and overall, a crappy WWE product. 

No one wants that.

9. To Justify the Time Spent on the Feud Between Triple H and Kevin Nash

The feud between Kevin Nash and Triple H essentially started all the way back at SummerSlam in August, yet here we are heading into December, and we've still yet to see a singles match between the two.

It's not that I'm pining to see those two wrestle (in fact, I'm not at all) but the WWE has spent a boatload of TV time on this rivalry, even involving the likes of John Laurinaitis, CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio at different times.

All for what? For a match between Nash and Triple H at WWE TLC, I guess.

Well, that match has to deliver.

The WWE has invested far too much time in a feud between these two guys for them to go out there and suck it up.

If they want to make sure that the fans are into the match and into the WWE product in general, then they better make sure their match is good enough to make us forget we're watching two older guys in the ring.

8. To Prevent the WWE from Putting John Cena Back in the WWE Title Mix

Yeah, I really am worried about this.

If TV ratings and pay-per-view buy rates are down even just slightly when John Cena isn't the WWE Champion, then Vince McMahon freaks out and takes this as a sign that the fans want to see Cena as champion again.

Guess what, Vince? We don't.

That's precisely why WWE TLC has to be better than Survivor Series.TLC will not be headlined by Cena teaming with The Rock, so it'll be up to CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio to put on an interesting feud and a good match in order to keep Cena out of the title picture.

It's not that I hate Cena. It's just that we're tired of seeing him wrestle for the WWE Championship, and if TLC (and the build to it) is a big flop, then we'll probably see him headlining the Royal Rumble yet again.

7. To Prove That the WWE Can Succeed Without The Rock

Don't get me wrong, Survivor Series was a quality pay-per-view.

But I think we all know that it wouldn't have been nearly as good if The Rock wasn't involved. From his backstage promo to his antics in the ring to his People's Elbow on The Miz to his Rock Bottom on John Cena, the Madison Square Garden crowd popped huge for everything that The Rock did.

Thus, we'll probably overestimate this PPV a bit because The Rock's return to the ring and the crowd's reaction to it made the show more enjoyable than it probably would have been otherwise.

So, what does the WWE do at TLC when The Rock isn't there to help carry the show?

Well, the company can start by putting on some great wrestling matches that will make us forget about The Rock while also making TLC top Survivor Series.

6. To Put Wrestling First

The reason that Money in the Bank and SummerSlam were such great pay-per-views wasn't so much because of the feuds themselves; it was because of the wrestling.

Yet, the build to Survivor Series was more about the animosity between The Rock and John Cena or Mark Henry and The Big Show rather than what those guys were going to do in the ring.

I don't like it.

Building up solid rivalries is fine because it definitely adds to the match, but it shouldn't come at the expense of solid wrestling. Though I enjoyed Survivor Series, I'd rather watch a pay-per-view that focuses more on wrestling any day of the week.

WWE TLC could do that. No, it has to.

As we saw with Money in the Bank and SummerSlam, pay-per-views are going to be successful wren actual wrestling takes first priority.

If the WWE focuses more on in-ring competition at next month's PPV, then TLC could be a sneaky good show.

5. To Keep B-Level Pay-Per-Views Relevant

Some wrestling fans might say that the WWE's B-level pay-per-views are completely irrelevant.

While I wouldn't go that far, I do think that they're often what I call "throwaway" pay-per-views because the creative team just doesn't seem like they care about building toward them.

That's gotta change.

As evidenced by Money in the Bank earlier this year, so-called B-level pay-per-views can actually wind up being phenomenal shows if effort is put into them.

The WWE has to make solid B-level pay-per-views the norm, however, rather than the exception.

If not, then they actually will be irrelevant.

4. To Start a New Streak of Quality Pay-Per-Views

During the summer, the WWE put together a nice little streak of great pay-per-views that was highlighted by Money in the Bank and SummerSlam.

For my money, those were the top two PPVs of 2011, with MITB even ranking as one of the better PPVs of all time. That being said, Survivor Series, though not spectacular, was a pretty good pay-per-view as well.

It was much better than anything we've seen from the last two or three pay-per-views, so maybe we can see the WWE start another streak of pay-per-views that feature both good wrestling and solid storyline advancement.

Survivor Series was much better than the average WWE PPV, and if WWE TLC can be even better, then we should get three straight good PPVs with those two and the Royal Rumble.

I definitely won't be complaining if that happens.

3. To Keep the WWE's Fresh Main Event Faces Going Strong

The big winners of Sunday's Survivor Series pay-per-view are CM Punk, Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes.

Punk because he won the WWE Championship, and Barrett and Rhodes because they were the survivors of the 5-on-5 match between Team Orton and Team Barrett.

Now, I fully expect those three stars to be major players at next month's TLC pay-per-view, and that's exactly how it should be.

All three guys had what I think could be career-defining moments at Survivor Series, but all that goes to waste if the WWE doesn't follow up on that by having them look strong once again at TLC.

If we see more memorable performances from Punk, Barrett and Rhodes at TLC, then that pay-per-view is well on its way to being another big success.

2. To Make a Case for Gimmick Pay-Per-Views to Stick Around

Some gimmick pay-per-views, such as Money in the Bank, have proven to very successful over the past couple of years.

Maybe not necessarily in terms of pay-per-view buys, but at least in terms of being a high-quality shows that feature great wrestling.

Still, the gimmick pay-per-view concept has fallen a bit flat for the most part, and shows such as Hell in a Cell have both been lacking in quality and made matches that once seemed so rare seem incredibly normal.

If WWE TLC disappoints us, then the WWE will have to seriously considering revamping its pay-per-view philosophy to get rid of gimmick-based pay-per-views.

If it surprises in a good way, however, then I think we can bank on gimmick PPVs sticking around for the foreseeable future.

1. To Build Momentum as We Head to the Royal Rumble

It's already almost time for the Royal Rumble.

Crazy, huh?

I can remember waiting for that show last year, yet here we are nearly a year later and it's almost time for another Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Obviously, that means that the WWE is going to have to get the ball rolling on its major story lines.

In many ways, Survivor Series set the tone for the road to WrestleMania 28. But the Royal Rumble will be where the action really picks up and we start seeing the beginning stages of the angles that will lead us into the granddaddy of them all.

Before we get to the Rumble, however, we've got to go through TLC first, and depending on what happens at that pay-per-view (especially with the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships), we'll have a much better idea of what could go down at January's Royal Rumble pay-per-view.