A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Mediocre
D – Avoid
Release Date: March 31st 2014
Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk
Price:
DVD £12.99
Blu-ray £13.99
(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street retail prices will
vary)
Format Reviewed:
DVD
(Also Available on Blu-ray)
What It’s About:
WWE’s
final pay-per view event of 2013 held on December 15th from the Toyota Centre
in Houston, Texas. Featuring two 3 on 1 Handicap Matches pitting Daniel Bryan
against The Wyatt Family and C.M Punk vs The Shield, as well as the Champion of
Champions Tables, Ladders and Chairs brawl to crown the supposed first ever WWE
World Heavyweight Champion, plus much more.
Strengths:
It’s
certainly not the best match on the card but it is the entire point of this year’s
TLC event so the main event is where we shall start. Randy Orton vs John Cena
in the Champion of Champions TLC bout to crown the supposed first ever WWE
World Heavyweight Champion is a decent if not thrilling piece of work. Before
we get into the details of the bout I would like to take a moment to address
the pre-match shenanigans which are not just infuriating but also a complete
lie. Touted as the biggest match in wrestling history, WWE plainly created
flaws for themselves. Two apparent ones in fact. The first being how exactly
can a match be pushed as the biggest in history after just three weeks of hype,
it needed at least six solid months of slow build to get it over, and secondly
if it is indeed the biggest match in wrestling history then shouldn’t it have
been saved for WrestleMania XXX instead of given away on a ‘B’ level pay-per
view? Regardless of that, the video promo which airs just before the match is
very well put together and portrays both men as equal whilst we get a short
recap of both journey’s from the first night they stepped foot in the company
to TLC night. If there is one complaint about it then it could have been longer
to include footage of both men in Ohio Valley Wrestling together. The match
would have been better had three or four more minutes been taken away from it
to negate the rest holds and stalling on display and given to the pre-match
vignette; Sadly, WWE do try to alter their own history once again, it happens
several times throughout the event, by attempting to link the current World
Heavyweight Championship to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and WCW
World Heavyweight Championship. Anyone with even basic wrestling knowledge
knows the belt the likes of Ric Flair, Harley Race and Sting held aren’t even
remotely linked to the World Heavyweight Championship which was created
especially for Triple H in 2002, making him the first World Heavyweight
Champion, and its history doesn’t begin before then. WWE need to stop
bastardising their own history especially when it’s so easy for us to prove
wrong. They only make themselves look incapable; Whilst Randy Orton and John
Cena make their respective entrances, Michael Cole strikes from the announce
position, voicing his and WWE’s belief that in total championship reigns (that
being where ever title in any company is concerned) only four men have held
more titles than Randy Orton (John Cena, Ric Flair, Edge and Triple H according
to Michael Cole). However he’s wrong. When it comes to accumulated title reigns
Booker T has amassed over 36 reigns as various champions as The Midnight
Express are decorated with over 50 titles during their career. There has to be
more I know it, I just didn’t take the time to research it. Much like WWE. Not
content to stop there, it’s then said that only three more people have held a
World Heavyweight Championship longer that John Cena in days. The three names
they offer may be correct but I know for certain there are more including
Harley Race; as for the match, John Cena looks wholly serious as the bout
begins which is a refreshing site as we don’t see it often enough these days
and the pair trudge through the same routine we’ve seen from them time and time
again. The chair shots from Randy Orton look vicious and Cena’s Attitude
Adjustment through the announce table are both very good even if Cena’s selling
has returned to form. Orton’s Powerbomb escape at ringside looks great and
though the match comes to a complete halt in the middle and up until the final
sequence there’s no real tension on ladder attempts, John Cena’s ladder shot
which sends Randy Orton hurtling through a table at ringside is done with ease.
Rallying, Orton’s RKO to fell Cena’s title attempt is slick though this not in
the class of John Cena vs Edge from Unforgiven 2006. The lack of blood brings
the match down slightly; if any bout could have used it then this was it in
order to sell how important it is to both men. However I doubt anyone will fail
to be thrilled by Cena hanging from the belts and the resultant steel chair
beat down before Randy Orton handcuffs Cena to the bottom rope and casually
taunts him by climbing for the gold. John Cena shows ingenuity undoing the
bottoms turnbuckle to free himself, though he’s still attached to the ropes
when he climbs the ladder to halt Randy Orton and the final sequence in which
Orton pulls Cena, using the ropes he’s still attached to from the ladder,
catching his head on the table in the corner is very well done. The match is
wholly watchable if you can sit through the rubbish which pads out the
encounter and stomach the ridiculous claims from the announcer, none of which
are true. One of which states that the winner will become the first man to hold
both titles when that simply isn’t true. All of a sudden everyone is forgetting
Chris Jericho’s feat at Vengeance 2001, defeating The Rock and Stone Cold Steve
Austin in the same night to become the first ever WWE Undisputed Champion.
C.M
Punk vs The Shield is a respectable if not thrilling handicap match. Lifeless
for the longest of times, only The Shield’s tag team work keep it bearable as
Punk gets demolished by the trio. Roman Reigns missed spear looks very
impressive, sending him sailing over the announce table and the subsequent eye
injury looks nasty whilst C.M Punk really does look tired and ready for a long
break without wrestling in his life. Only the former WWE Champion’s offensive
picks up the pace of the bout but there’s nothing here we haven’t seen before
and Punk looks like he really couldn’t care anymore. A well timed ending sees
the initiation of The Shield split as Punk dodges a Reigns spear which hits Dean
Ambrose and hands Punk the win. It’s watchable but could have been so much
more.
A.J
Lee’s interview with Renee Young is an efficient piece of work. Filled with
truthful claims, respect for the already loved A.J goes through the roof when
says everything which is on our minds beginning with how the Divas division and
Total Divas is a complete joke and that the division would be nothing without
her. It’s true of course. Without A.J in the champion role, can you imagine how
dismal the female scene would be? The whole interview is delivered with aplomb.
A.J
Lee vs Natalya is a brilliantly conceived WWE Divas Championship match which
gives one hope that all is not yet lost and with a few new additions from NXT,
it could be great again. With excellent counters from the onset, A.J and
Natalya put on one of the best matches on the entire card. A.J’s previous claim
that the Divas division is a joke is highlighted in full when the commentators
inform us that The Bella Twins won the Slammy award for Diva of the Year, as if
they’ve done anything to earn that distinction though it doesn’t matter to the
audience who are staunchly behind A.J in her title defence. I hate to think
what’s going to happen to the already dismal division when A.J loses the gold
presumably at WrestleMania XXX. Sadly, JBL rips almost every piece of good A.J
has done for the division away with the statement that it’s only because of
Tamina she’s still champion, why don’t WWE know how to build a talent anymore?
It’s pathetic. As for the bout, A.J is crisp and even the submission holds add
to the drama of the bout. Turning a slam into a Black Widow attempt is
brilliantly done whilst Natalya plays the role of the desperate challenger to
perfection. A sharpshooter attempt is tense and well countered by the champion
into a Black Widow which is also countered in a breathlessly genius series. The
ending which sees A.J roll up Natalya, without Tamina’s help if JBL was taking
any notice, is again well done.
Goldust
and Cody Rhodes vs Rybaxel vs The Real American vs Big Show and Rey Mysterio
deceives on first glance as a slow and uninteresting four way collision but
builds to a thrilling conclusion which makes up for the lack of action
elsewhere in the match. Laughably, Curtis Axel wears his ‘Better Than Perfect’
shirt to the ring without realising that he’s far from being better than his
farther was and the way he’s going, he never will be but Rybaxel do work well
as a team for the limited period their participation lasts. Instead of going
hell for leather which he’s capable of doing, Jack Swagger halts the match with
submission holds before Cesaro lightens up proceedings with a Gutwrench
Powerbomb from the floor and double team slingshot into powerslam is brilliant
before Cesaro makes Big Show look like a monster. As it comes down to the
Rhodes brothers against Big Show and Rey Mysterio, there’s a ludicrous moment
as Big Show stands like a statue and watches Goldust climb the top rope and hit
him with a moonsault when it would have made more sense to at least try and
stop him. The final exchanges between Cody Rhodes and Rey Mysterio are
excellent including an excellent Powerbomb by Mysterio as Rhodes comes off the
top rope, and a Crossroads from a 619 are outstanding.
Daniel
Bryan vs The Wyatt Family is everything C.M Punk vs The Shield should have
been. Harper and Rowan use the double teams well to wear Bryan down before
Harper drops Daniel Bryan with a thunderous sit down Powerbomb which looks
sublime. Bray Wyatt looks a force to be reckoned with. His suplex throw is hard
hitting and spider walk still looks freaky as backed up by the fans who pelt
him with chants of ‘That Was Creepy’. The leader of the family lectures Daniel
Bryan with a sermon part way through the match which is delivered in style as
Daniel Bryan takes a beating which gets The Wyatt’s over well. They really do
look too much for him to handle. Daniel Bryan slowly builds his comeback to
perfection whilst his suicide dive and final exchanges with Bray Wyatt, which
include a Bearhug lift into Sister Abigail, are phenomenal. Bray hugging an unconscious
Bryan after the bout is unsettling and the sudden scream which ends their
segments is frightening. Had this been 1993, people would have been terrified
of the trio. On a lighter note, when it throws back to the superstar panel,
Mick Foley call’s Bray, ‘Way Bryatt’. Fool.
As
for the extras: the TLC Dolph Ziggler vs Fandango Kick-Off bout is just about
respectable. There’s nothing wholly special about it and it won’t thrill you
beyond the usual Raw mid-card bout and it begins slow but does get better as
time transpires. There’s good back and forth action whilst the series of
counters which lead into the Dolph Ziggler Fameasser is sublime. Fandango’s
face-plant suplex is very good and thankfully he seems to have gotten better
over the past few months. It’s not a great improvement but is enough to warrant
praise. There’s still a huge fan base for Dolph Ziggler which must be enough to
warrant another push even if others do believe it’s too late for him though his
loss to Fandango here is maddeningly ridiculous. Why force someone who still
has potential to put over someone who is obviously going nowhere?
‘The
Shield Reflect on TLC’ may exist solely to enhance the Shield split, but its a
decent piece of drama between the three which sees Roman Reigns and Dean
Ambrose bicker about their separate injuries whilst Seth Rollins plays
peacemaker. Dean Ambrose is a hoot constantly droning on about his ribs, from
where Reigns speared him during their bout, and there’s enough on show here to
give anyone hope that following the proper spilt of the trio Rollins and
Ambrose will be okay either as a team or on their own. They certainly have the
in ring talent and personality to go far, should WWE bother to push them.
‘John
Cena Speaks on TLC’ is a surprisingly decent one minute promo. Conducted after
his loss to Randy Orton on the main show, there’s no smiley, jokey John Cena
here. It’s just stern, serious business Cena which we need to see more of.
Instead of bitching and moaning, Cena rightly recognises that Randy Orton’s
tactics of handcuffing him to the bottom rope during the bout were legal in the
TLC match confines and credit goes to him for portraying the loss as a
devastating milestone in his career. It’s not much of an interview but serves
its purpose well.
Weaknesses:
Opening
TLC 2013, The Authority spout a capable promo but Triple H’s history lesson
where he once again tries to tell us that the World Heavyweight Championship
was held by Harley Race and Ric Flair – it wasn’t – goes back decades when in
fact it only goes back to 2002 which he well knows, is not needed. All WWE do
here is jumble their own history before Stephanie McMahon once again states
that this will be the biggest match in history. That claim will begin to grate
on your nerves before you’re an hour and a half into the release.
Big
E. Langston vs Damien Sandow is a so-so encounter which only displays how much
Langston has come on in the past in few months and nothing else. Could Big E.
be a WWE World Heavyweight Championship material? Possibly, in the future, yes.
Here though he’s weighed down by a careless Sandow who has literally nothing
else to wrestle for. He’s done in WWE and everyone including himself knows it. Displaying
rest holds and the odd amount of pacy action the match isn’t pointless and does
offer a little for the audience but in actuality it’s just here to fill the
time and of no greater significance than that.
The
host of wrestlers playing with WWE Brawlin’ Buddies in the locker room is
tedious and resembles a school playground rather than a wrestling locker room.
The segment ends when Kane enters and everyone scatter before the Big Red
Machine predictably picks up the toys and has a go himself. Are WWE dumbing
their products down, because it certainly feels like it?
Brodus
Clay vs R-Truth is mind numbingly banal. Existing solely to further the Tons of
Funk split, which is no great loss to wrestling, Clay and Truth seem to be
wrestling in treacle. Neither man gets anywhere or does anything to make then
standout. It’s almost as if both know the bout will take them nowhere so why
bother in the first place? Both are well past caring whilst Xavier Woods who
resembles an eighties porn star and Tensai stand on the outside for no other
reason than to have Tensai inadvertently cost Clay the bout. Maybe Brodus Clay
will be better as a heel and receive a massive push. Or maybe he’ll fall into
even more obscurity than he already finds himself in. It’ll be a long way back
now.
As
for the Extras: ‘WWE Superstars React To Champion of Champions Match’ is eight
minutes of complete crap where every wrestler interviewed sucks up to WWE and
its two top stars. Wade Barrett laughably says that Randy Orton better watch
his back because Bad News Barrett is gunning for those titles, that will never
happen now; R-Truth goes way over the top as arse kisser and strangely rarely
blinks; Daniel Bryan rants the same thing over and over again to maddening
effect; Booker T says he brought the World Heavyweight Championship to WWE. For
the last time, he didn’t. It isn’t the same title which he won in WCW. Booker
then says how much of a shame it is that the title ‘he brought in’ will no
longer be around. Hang on, isn’t Randy Orton still carrying it over his
shoulder?; Rey Mysterio provides the final few laughs by called the TLC match
the bout of the decade whilst Mick Foley looks odd with a grey beard and fringe
with brown hair. He looks like it’s been stuck on around his face. What a waste
of time this is.
‘Renee
Young Interviews Randy Orton’ is so short Orton mutters two sentences and then it’s
over. Stating his belief that the victory makes him the greatest superstar of
this or any other generation, Orton swiftly exits stage left. Pointless.
DVD and Blu-ray Special
Features:
TLC Kick-off Match
Dolph
Ziggler vs Fandango
The
Shield Reflect on TLC
WWE
Superstars React to the Champion of Champions Match
John
Cena Discusses His TLC Match
Renee
Young Interviews Randy Orton
Blu-ray Special
Features:
Smackdown – November 29th
2013
WWE
Tag Team Championship Match
Cody
Rhodes and Goldust vs The Shield
Cody
Rhodes, Goldust and C.M Punk vs The Shield
Cody
Rhodes, Goldust, C.M Punk and Rey Mysterio and The Usos vs The Shield and The
Wyatt Family
Raw – December 2nd 2013
John
Cena and Randy Orton Contract Signing
Raw – December 9th 2013
Championship
Ascension Ceremony
Conclusion:
Better
in the ring than the dreadful Survivor Series was, TLC 2013 is solely built
around the Champion of Champions match which only really delivers in its final
few moments. The two handicap matches differ in quality whilst the four way tag
team bout and the WWE Divas Championship match are both worth the time spent
watching them.
Though
it really does look like the TLC case has been CGI’d to include Triple H, Vince
and Stephanie and the lack of separate Tables, Ladder or Chairs matches bring
the event down slightly its still a decent watch if you can bare to sit through
all the rubbish on display. Not WWE’s finest event, but certainly not its
worst.
Rating: B
Next Time in Review
Corner: WWE The Ultimate Warrior – The Ultimate
Collection DVD and Blu-ray
Onwards
and upwards...
