WWE TLC 2011: Why Gimmick PPVs Can Succeed Without the Rock and Big-Name Stars

With The Rock not scheduled for an appearance and news that John Cena would not be attending the TLC PPV, there have been serious questions about whether or not this show is worth the money.

Not only can gimmick pay-per-views survive without big-name stars, they can thrive and become the greatest shows of the year to the fans of relay wrestling.

Just like Money in the Bank earlier this year, the WWE didn’t invest much into the show in terms of advertising, but it was the best show of the year by far. TLC and all gimmick PPVs can use that as the template moving forward.

TLC is lacking the intrigue of a serious main event, but the fact that CM Punk is carrying his first card means the WWE is trying the water in terms of just how much clout Punk holds with the fans.

It’s true that Cena isn’t there to help the main event go over, but WWE decision makers feel that The Miz and Alberto Del Rio combined is enough to get Punk over as the clear face in all of this.

But it’s more than the participants. It’s the unique aspect that each match has and how it plays off the people in the battle.

TLC always go down as legendary, so the idea of three men facing off for the WWE title in what could be the wildest match in WWE history will have people tuning in left and right.

Besides the epic main events that these gimmick PPVs need to have, they need a supporting card strong enough to carry the weight left by the stars not in attendance.

Money in the Bank showed us again that if the rest of the matches on the card are interesting and intriguing enough to get people to invest some emotion into them, the gimmick part of the match will have them entertained.

While many people didn’t care about Sin Cara, when he went through that ladder, everyone was cheering. That’s the power of the gimmick.

If the supporting cast can get the crowd to the main event already on their feet screaming for one more match, the trio in the TLC main event will put this show over the edge.

There is a way to have a great gimmick PPV with no big-name stars on the billing; every star on that card needs to bring a 5-star match to the table. Let’s see if they can pull it off.

I’m looking at you Kevin Nash.

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