WWE Tables, Ladders and Chairs 2011: 8 Matches We Desperately Need to See

In less than three weeks, the WWE will have its last pay-per-view of 2012, WWE TLC.

After a few great PPVs in 2011, the company is looking to end the year with yet another stellar showing when it invades the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

So far, however, exactly zero matches have been announced for the show, which means I'm going to do the creative team's job for them today.

Based on the current storylines, we have a pretty solid idea of what we'll see at the pay-per-view. So, let's take a look at my realistic possible card for the show.

Here are eight matches we really have to see at WWE TLC.

8. TLC Match: Triple H vs. Kevin Nash

I thought for sure that Triple H would return on last week's episode of Monday Night Raw and attack Kevin Nash, but alas, that didn't happen.

So, now I've begun to wonder when we're ever going to see a match between these two.

The feud between Nash and Triple H has dragged on since SummerSlam way back in August, yet we've gotten no real payoff up to this point. There's been no match between the two and very few physical confrontations.

But a recent report by PWInsider.com (via WresteNewz.com) indicates that there are plans for Nash vs. Triple H to take place at TLC.

I hope it does because it's went on far too long already for these two to wait all the way until the Royal Rumble to finally meet one-on-one. Plus, a match with TLC stipulations will give them a much better chance of putting on a decent bout, given Nash's limitations in the ring.

7. WWE Tag Team Championship: Air Boom vs. Hunico and Epico

Evan Bourne should be returning to action soon, so it's likely that we'll see he and Kofi Kingston kick things back up in the WWE Tag Team Championship scene.

My guess is that if Bourne has a lot of heat backstage because of his suspension, then the creative team will be looking to get the tag team titles off of Air Boom. That's where Hunico and Epico come in.

During the build to Survivor Series, Hunico faced Kingston in singles action on SmackDown and in a tag team match on Raw. Therefore, the history between the two is certainly there to build toward a tag team feud.

With Sin Cara sidelined after suffering that nasty leg injury, Hunico and Epico will be moving on to a rivalry with someone else, and it would obviously make sense for those two guys to face two other guys who just so happen to be the WWE Tag Team Champions.

I wouldn't mind seeing Hunico and Epico taking the titles off of Air Boom after a lengthy feud and then establishing a rule where any combination of those two and Primo can defend them. That would go a long way toward rebuilding the tag team division and making stables relevant again.

6. The Miz vs. John Cena

With R-Truth in the midst of a 30-day suspension, The Miz is headed back to the singles scene, and it looks like his long rivalry with John Cena will continue.

That's fine by me.

The Miz and Cena have a storied history together, and given that they're two of Raw's top stars, they're not going to be left off the TLC card. So, I say that the WWE should put them in a singles match at the pay-per-view, if for no other reason than to add another star-studded match to the show.

Sure, we've seen these two wrestle numerous times before, but it'll be interesting to see how a Miz/Cena feud goes when the WWE Championship is on the line.

Not to mention it would present a great opportunity to bring back R-Truth at or perhaps just after TLC. I assume Truth will be a baby face, and The Miz will need a feud to bide the time until he returns.

I'm guessing "Cena vs. Miz: Part Three" continues.

5. Tables Match for World Title: Mark Henry vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show

After two straight PPV stinkers between Mark Henry and The Big Show, I don't want to see those two wrestle in another singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship at TLC.

Enter Daniel Bryan.

Here's how I would book this: When Henry faces Bryan for the title on tomorrow's live episode of SmackDown, you have some sort of shady finish that allows Henry to keep the belt but gives Bryan a legitimate reason to get another title shot. Then, you have Teddy Long announce that because Henry couldn't win clean again, his match against The Big Show at TLC is now a Triple Threat Tables match.

The idea behind this is that, while Bryan gets another opportunity at the World Heavyweight Championship, the fans are still sympathetic that he's forced to compete for it in a Tables Match against two guys that are theoretically impossible for him to put through a table.

Then, I'd book the bout so that Bryan isn't involved in the finish—with either Henry or Show going through the table—so that fans will feel even more sympathy for him. When Bryan then eventually wins the title in a straight up singles match at WrestleMania 28, it will be that much more special.

4. United States Championship: Dolph Ziggler vs. Zack Ryder

We thought that Zack Ryder would wrestle Dolph Ziggler for the United States Championship at Survivor Series, but for some reason unbeknownst to me, the WWE went with John Morrison in that spot instead.

Yet, most of us are still quite confident that Ryder will get his title shot at TLC.

He's gotten a number of wins over Ziggler in recent months, he's still trying to get people to sign his petition for that title shot and Ziggler is ready to drop the strap and move on to the main event picture.

Combine all of those factors, and you get a recipe for a Ryder title win.

I think there's about a 90 percent chance that he faces Ziggler for the United States Championship at TLC and emerges victorious.

Ryder's gotten himself over, and he deserves it.

3. Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton

Wade Barrett continues to skyrocket up the SmackDown card.

After emerging as one of his team's two lone survivors at Survivor Series and picking up a TV win over Randy Orton, it's pretty clear that the creative team is once again behind Barrett.

I think it's only a matter of time before he becomes the No. 1 contender or the actual World Heavyweight Champion, but before that happens, he's got some unfinished business with Orton.

Judging by the recent interaction between these two, we can bank on them facing one another at TLC, with the winner likely moving one step closer to SmackDown's World title.

Though—much like John Cena vs. The Miz—we've already seen a main event angle between Barrett and Orton, this time around feels much different. I get the sense that Barrett can actually compete with Orton, and at TLC, we'll find out if I'm right.

2. Intercontinental Championship: Cody Rhodes vs. Booker T

Is anybody else as excited about the potential of this feud as I am?

I've always been a big fan of Booker T, and I think that Cody Rhodes is one of the best all-around performers in the business today. So, naturally, I'm anxious to see what happens when these two get in the ring together.

Putting Booker T in a rivalry with Rhodes should be great for both men.

Presumably, this will be Booker's last run as an in-ring competitor, so he'll get a chance to work against an up-and-comer with a really bright future while Rhodes gets a great opportunity to work with a future Hall of Famer.

If anyone on the creative team has any brains whatsoever, they'll have Booker and Rhodes feud for a while, it will lead to Booker bringing back Goldust and then Goldust will face Rhodes (his real life half-brother) for the Intercontinental Championship in a Career vs. Title match at WrestleMania 28.

In order for that to happen, however, we have to get a Booker/Rhodes match at TLC first.

1. Ladder Match for the WWE Championship: CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio

I realize that we've already seen three singles matches between CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio over the past several months (and a Triple Threat bout) and that the feud between the two hasn't been all that good.

But a potentially epic ladder match between them at TLC has me hoping we'll see this feud go on for just a bit longer.

Del Rio put one on of the better ladder matches in recent memory against Christian at Extreme Rules, and CM Punk is a two-time winner of the Money in the Bank match.

Sounds like a recipe for success, right?

I think that, given enough time, Punk vs. Del Rio in a ladder match at TLC could be one of the top three or four matches of the year.

And that's precisely why I hope we see it.