WWE TLC 2011 Preview: 15 Burning Questions Fans Want Answered

WWE TLC is just three days away, and though there doesn't seem to be too much excitement about the show, it could actually be a very good one.

Kane's return and attack on John Cena at the conclusion of Monday's Raw has a lot of people talking about what might go down between those two at the pay-per-view, and there are a number of quality matches on the card.

The stage is also set for several shockers and surprises to possibly take place, depending on how the creative team wants to book things on Sunday.

I, for one, am actually pretty anxious to see how the WWE closes out 2011 with its final pay-per-view of the year.

But when we watch WWE TLC, we need these 15 burning questions to be answered.

15. Will We Get Anything from the Divas?

As of right now, there is no Diva's match scheduled for WWE TLC.

I know many of you probably are thankful we don't have to sit through another joke of a bout that lasts less than five minutes, but I'm actually pretty disappointed.

At last year's TLC pay-per-view, Beth Phoenix and Natalya faced LayCool in a Tag Team Tables match that was arguably the best Diva's bout of the year, and had we seen a similar bout pitting the Divas of Doom against Kelly Kelly and Eve (or Alicia Fox) at this year's show, I think it would have given us a quality Diva's match to end 2011.

Oh well. It looks like we won't get anything from the Divas at the pay-per-view.

Not exactly a shocker.

14. Just How Bad Will Triple H vs. Kevin Nash Be?

A Sledgehammer Ladder match?

Ugh. If I won't be able to hear a pin drop during this match, it's probably because the boos will be too loud.

Seriously, this bout between Triple H and Kevin Nash has disaster written all over it, because—given that Triple H has torn both quads and Nash looks like he has troubling even walking—I'm honestly not sure how either of these guys are going to climb a ladder.

And they're doing so just to grab a sledgehammer? Weak.

This has the potential to be the worst match of the year that isn't supposed to be bad.

13. What Role Will John Laurinaitis Play?

"Don't make me take off my jacket!"

Seriously, John Laurinaitis is growing on me because he's taken his boringness and lack of charisma and essentially turned it into a gimmick, becoming almost a comedy character tweener.

That leaves the door open for him to get involved in matches or storylines—particularly the feud between Kevin Nash and Triple H or the WWE Championship—which is what I fully expect him to do on Sunday.

Though Laurinaitis has basically faded out of the Nash/Triple H feud, I wouldn't b surprised to see some interaction between Laurinaitis and CM Punk on Sunday, especially after the way Punk mocked him on Monday Night Raw this week.

12. What Does His Feud with Cody Rhodes Mean for Booker T?

Now that Booker T is feuding with Cody Rhodes, I can't help but wonder what this means for the former World Heavyweight Champion.

Is he going to win the Intercontinental Championship and come back for one last run? Is he going to step away from the announce table and be a full-time wrestler?

Is he simply there to put Rhodes over? Is he going to be used as a part-time wrestler and part-time announcer going forward?

No one really seems to know what's in store for Booker T at this point, so hopefully we get some answers at WWE TLC.

11. What Role, If Any, Will Sheamus Play at the Pay-Per-View?

The WWE is undoubtedly building up Sheamus as one of the company's top baby faces, so it's hard to believe that he would be completely left off the TLC pay-per-view.

But that's exactly what appears to be happening.

For some reason, The Celtic Warrior doesn't have a real feud at the moment—Jinder Mahal doesn't count—and it doesn't look like he's going to appear at the pay-per-view on Sunday.

I don't get it.

If the creative team wants Sheamus to be viewed as a top star going forward, then he should definitely be wrestling on every pay-per-view.

10. Is Brodus Clay Finally Going to Return?

At this rate, it really seems like Brodus Clay is never going to return.

The WWE had been running promos for his "debut" for several weeks before they suddenly stopped, and then John Laurinaitis kept putting off Clay's return in backstage segments on Raw. Lately, though, Clay hasn't even been mentioned on TV, and he seems to have been completely forgotten about.

The creative team is walking a dangerous line here because the more it delays Clay's return, the less people are going to care about it when it actually does happen.

Clay needs to come back soon, but that, of course, all depends on whether or not anyone in the WWE has any clue what they want to do with the guy.

9. Will Big Show vs. Mark Henry End with a Clean Finish for Once?

Neither of the World Heavyweight Champion matches between Mark Henry and The Big Show have ended with a decisive finish.

At Vengeance, their match was ruled a draw when Henry superplexed Show and the ring collapsed.

At Survivor Series, Big Show won the match but not the title after Henry hit him with a low blow and got himself intentionally disqualified.

It's pretty clear that the WWE wants to protect both Show and Henry by having neither take a clean loss, but given that this is their third straight (probably less than stellar) pay-per-view bout, we need to see this match end with a clear winner for a change. 

8. Will Randy Put Wade Barrett Over, Too?

The year 2011 has seen Randy Orton help elevate Christian, Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett to the highest points of their WWE careers.

But just how far is Orton willing to go for Barrett?

Barrett has already beaten Orton twice—once on Smackdown and once in a 5-on-5 match at Survivor Series—and it would be a huge testament to Orton's selflessness if he put Barrett over yet again.

I think Orton is the Royal Rumble favorite at the moment, so it remains to be seen if the creative team wants to book him to win at WWE TLC to give some momentum as we head into 2012, or if it wants to have him lose here to build up both Barrett's moment and Orton's baby face sympathy.

Personally, I think it's best if Orton puts Barrett over again because Barrett will definitely be a breakout star next year. 

7. Will R-Truth Return to Screw over the Miz?

R-Truth was suspended for 30 days on Nov. 21 for his first violation of the WWE's Talent Wellness program, and WWE TLC takes place on Dec. 18.

Technically, that means that Truth isn't eligible to return to the company this Sunday.

That being said, I don't think the WWE is worried enough about Truth serving out the last two days of his suspension to keep him off the pay-per-view on Sunday if that's what creative plans call for.

Given that The Miz was the one who attacked Truth and had him written off of TV, I think it would make a ton of sense for a baby face Truth to return and screw Miz out of winning the WWE Championship at WWE TLC.

6. Will Dolph Ziggler Be Added to the WWE Championship Match?

Last week, a report by F4Wonline.com (via WrestleNewz.com) revealed that there is talk within WWE of adding Dolph Ziggler to the WWE Championship Match at WWE TLC to make it a Fatal 4-Way.

Ziggler has pulled double duty on two straight pay-per-views, so obviously, the plan here would be for him to wrestle two matches for the third consecutive PPV.

After watching that great Fatal 4-Way on Monday's Raw and seeing Ziggler really come into his own as a performer, I'd love to see Ziggler added to the WWE Title match.

Some might think it's "Too much Ziggler," but given how well he's been performing as of late, I'm not going to complain about seeing "The Showoff" wrestle two matches again.

5. Is There Any Chance That CM Punk Loses the WWE Championship?

My answer: hell no.

CM Punk just won the WWE Championship at Survivor Series less than a month ago, and I don't think there's any chance whatsoever of him losing the title to Alberto Del Rio.

I suppose The Miz is a huge long shot to perhaps swoop in and steal the victory, but it's classic WWE booking to have the guy who gets beat up on Raw win on pay-per-view.

Well, Punk got destroyed by Miz and ADR this Monday, so I'll take that as a sign that he's going to retain his title at WWE TLC.

That way, he can move on to a WWE Championship feud with either The Miz or Dolph Ziggler at the Royal Rumble.

4. Will Zack Ryder Finally Win the United States Championship?

The WWE has been building up the United States Championship feud between Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder since early September, and I'll give the company props for doing a good job at it as well.

The slow and gradual build toward this match at WWE TLC will make it a lot more special if Ryder wins the US title like I think he will.

After all, Ziggler appears to be headed for a main event run on Raw and doesn't need the US Championship anymore, while winning his first singles title in WWE would be a huge accomplishment for Ryder.

I just don't see any point whatsoever in keeping the strap on Ziggler here.

The United States Championship is doing nothing for Ziggler, but it could do big things for Ryder. After all, he definitely deserves it.

3. Will Daniel Bryan Cash in His Briefcase to Become World Heavyweight Champion?

Daniel Bryan has played a huge role in the World Heavyweight Championship feud between The Big Show and Mark Henry so far, and I don't think that's happened for no reason.

When Bryan cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Henry several weeks back, he said that he did so because he "saw an opportunity."

Well, what if Bryan sees another opportunity to do so at WWE TLC?

I know that Bryan has vowed to wait until WrestleMania 28 to cash in his briefcase, but he's already broken that promise in the past. So, I could definitely see him doing that again.

The only question is: Will he do it this Sunday?

2. Will We Get Another Cryptic Video?

We've already seen four of those cryptic "It Begins" videos, all of which have aired on episodes of Monday Night Raw since Survivor Series.

The debate about who is behind the videos is never-ending, though, there seems to be two choices that stick out above all others—Chris Jericho and The Undertaker.

I think those are the two most logical choices, but I also wouldn't be completely shocked if these videos wound up being meant for the return of another star as well.

That being said, we will find out at WWE TLC if yet another cryptic video will air or if we'll have to wait until the following night on Raw to see one.

Personally, I hope it's the former so that I can wait one less night to get another clue as to who these videos might be meant for.

1. Why Did Kane Attack John Cena?

On Raw this week, Kane returned to the WWE after missing well over four months of action.

When he was sidelined by Mark Henry back in July, Kane was a Smackdown baby face, but given the way he attacked John Cena on Monday, it appears as if the newly-masked Big Red Monster is now a heel on Raw.

The main question on all of our minds is: why? Why did he put his mask back on and then attack Cena?

I like the potential in this storyline because I'm a huge fan of masked Kane and seeing Cena get his butt whooped all over the ring.

At WWE TLC on Sunday, however, it's absolutely imperative that the WWE follows up on Kane's attack on Cena and builds up this storyline as we head into 2012.