This past Sunday, WWE put on a gimmick PPV based upon Tables, Ladders and Chairs. Considering the current climate I felt that the PPV was quite solid. The PPV had some big spots and as my colleague Justin LaBar mentioned in his article, it didn’t need blood to be effective.
WWE’s line up for this PPV a little over a week ago looked fairly weak but after the go home shows of RAW and Smackdown the line up got a bit of a polish. Del Rio and Mysterio got added to the main event with Edge and Kane. Ziggler got put in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship with Swagger and Kingston.
The Intercontinental Championship match was the one I was looking forward to most, however, it delivered the least amount of entertainment. The ending was well executed but the length of the match was far too short. This was shadowed by the fact that the Diva’s table match seemed to be double in length.
Alberto Del Rio had an eventful night and also had a true moment of humour when the side barracade fell on his face after he was thrown in to the timekeeper’s wall. Seconds later Mysterio went to pick the wall up only to be attacked by Edge, when he was punched he dropped the wall which again fell on Del Rio’s face! I hope people don’t think im being evil but I have to admit I was in floods of tears from the expresion on his face as he knew it was going to land on him again, Priceless.
I was dissapointed that John Cena and Wade Barrett was the main event but after seeing the finish I can understand why they did it. I wasn’t impressed with the final moments where Cena pulled the chairs down onto Barrett. Granted, I wouldn’t have liked to be under that piece of wood which took all the shots from the chairs but I didn’t think it was as big a spot as everyone made it out to be.
The results were fairly preditable but were excecuted well. December is a difficult month for WWE as January and the Rumble is where all the interest lies. With reports claiming Vince has dedicated to gaining more buys for this years Wrestlemania he will need to keep putting on solid shows and pushing the envelope of what is possible within a PG rated environment.
Speaking of PG, please can somebody tell me that when Del Rio’s falls from 15 feet through a table to the outside how they can say that it fits within the PG restriction? It doesn’t seem right that wrestlers are not allowed to make contact with the head using a chair but you can throw somebody off a ladder 15 feet through a table or drop 23 chairs from the rafters onto a person without consequence. Yes it’s a safety issue but it still appears like double standards.
RAW and Smackdown kept the momentum going with solid live shows which involved a variety of matches that kept interest within the Christmas period.
Did you think the PPV lived up to its name or do you think WWE could have done more? Feel free to get in touch through email at beansontoastuk@msn.com or message and follow me at www.twitter.com/beansontoastuk.
I would personally like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very fulfilling New Year in 2011!
Martyn.
