WWE TLC 2011: Has TLC Lost Its Allure in New PG Era?

The first time that WWE rolled out a TLC match was at SummerSlam 2000 in a triple-threat tag team match featuring the Hardys, the Dudleys and Edge & Christian. But that was a different time and place in wrestling history, which would seem to indicate that TLC matches have lost their appeal. 

WWE fans love to harp on the fact that the company has gone "soft" with its PG initiative. There is some validity to that, because there are just certain matches that require more graphic violence, and the lack of blood or brutality really takes away from the drama of the match. 

The best example of that I can give is a Hell In a Cell match. Without any blood or spearing an opponent into the cage, it has become just another match. 

But I don't think that's the case with a TLC match. In fact, the only part of the match that is affected by the change in direction is the chairs part. But that was always the weakest aspect of this kind of match anyway. 

Plus, watching wrestlers get hit over the head constantly with a chair was always uncomfortable. We all like to see them put their bodies through hell just for their art, but there has to be a limit to the destruction because they have to think about their livelihood. 

TLC matches are either good or bad based on two things: Does it have at least one memorable spot for fans to talk about? Is the wrestling in the match great? The irony of that is that those are usually the same two questions when we ask if a regular match was good or bad, so there really is no different standard to hold these matches to than a normal match. 

As for whether the PG initiative has caused this match to lose its appeal, the answer to that would be no. 

The reason that there is not a lot of buzz for this year's TLC pay-per-view is because the build has been so terrible, and I don't anticipate it getting much better with WWE building tomorrow's show around the Slammy Awards. 

TLC is still a concept that works and works well with wrestling fans. You have to have the right build for the match and stars worthy of being put in such a high-profile match.

I think that if Dolph Ziggler gets added to the CM Punk-Alberto Del Rio-Miz TLC match, it can get a lot of its appeal back because the fans are smart and know that he is the best worker in WWE right now. He can make this match great on his own.

There are a lot of problems with WWE right now, but the PG initiative is far, far down the list of reasons that the TLC match and pay-per-view are not getting the kind of buzz that it needs/deserves. 

Follow @adamwells1985