Stunned. One word to describe everything I felt after watching Smackdown Live’s Pay-Per-View Tables, Ladders & Chairs. I needed an extra day to absorb the aftermath of a list of fantastic matches. Here are the results from TLC:
The Wyatt Family v. Rhyno and Heath Slater (c)
The match wasn’t too thrilling itself as coming in, the team of Bray Wyatt and new Wyatt Family member Randy Orton (yes you’re reading that correctly) were just too much for the less talented team of Rhyno and Slater. The Wyatt’s flat out dominated and dispatched any chances of Ryhno and Slater even having the slightest of chances to retain the tag team gold. At the end of the match, Wyatt distracted Rhyno as the Viper came in and delivered the RKO to win the match and become the new Smackdown Live Tag Team Champions. The Wyatt Family has the chance to become one of these most formidable tag teams in WWE history with the talent they have. Look for a heated rivalry of the Wyatt’s and American Alpha to come in the upcoming weeks.
Nikki Bella v. Carmella
Personally, this has been one of my favorite rivalries since the brand extension draft, and I think it is even better then the Women’s Smackdown Live title feud between Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss. This match was physical from the start, especially with the no DQ stipulations. In the match we saw a kendo stick being used by both superstars as they brutally beat down one another. However, the turning point in the match was when Nikki Bella came out of no where with a fire extinguisher and used it all over the ring to defeat Carmella. However, at the end of the match as Bella was walking off, Carmella had made the announcement that Natayla had attacked Bella before the PPV Survivor Series. Look for a feud between Bella and Natalya to unfold over the next couple of weeks.
Dolph Ziggler v. The Miz (c)
These two fine superstars battled it out one last time for the rights to the Intercontinental Championship and boy did they ever live up to it. Back and forth these superstars went at one another, using different moves to use the ladder to physically destroy the other. However, when both of these superstars were pushed to the brink, the Miz once again chose the easy way out. Both of them were on top of two ladders trying to reach and retrieve the championship, but it was the Miz who hit Ziggler on top of the ladder with two low blows, which are legal in the match, to knock off Ziggler and retain the title. At the end of the match, the Miz dedicated the win to GM Daniel Bryan, who has made it clear that he is not a fan of the Miz. I think we may see something huge from Bryan in the upcoming weeks that might shock the WWE, stay tuned.
Baron Corbin v. Kalisto
This feud has been going on for months and surprisingly turned out to be a fantastic match. Corbin is obviously the more superior physical specimen than the “Mosquito” Kalisto. But in a chairs match, Kalisto hung tough using the chairs to his advantage to the best that he could. But in the end Corbin was just too much for Kalisto to overcome as he finished him with The End of Days on to multiple chairs to win the match. Look for Corbin to take on a bigger role on Smackdown Live with future championship opportunities in the future.
Alexa Bliss v. Becky Lynch (c)
For as much hype the WWE promoted this match, this match to me felt like a complete let down. This match was very slow developing, as both superstars would constantly go out of the ring to set tables in position to put the other one through. I even felt it in the crowd, there was just no sense of excitement for a title match. In the end Alexa Bliss was able to capitalize on a Becky Lynch mistake, power bomb her though a table, and become the new Smackdown Live Women’s Champion. Now Bliss being a Columbus Ohio native, I couldn’t help but be happy for her as that is where I am from. Where Smackdown Live goes with her next beats me. My best guess starts with an angry Lynch looking for a title rematch.
Dean Ambrose v. A.J. Styles (c)
Remember how I started this off? This match left me absolutely stunned. In my opinion this was one of the better championship matches in recent memory and great feud too. Early it was all Ambrose, as he took action into the crowd and beat Styles senseless before bringing him back to the ring. Then after that, the match really took off as Styles and Ambrose went back and forth, putting each other though tables, destroying each other with chairs and then Ambrose did the most insane thing imaginable. He climbed the top of a ladder, and drove Styles through the announcer table. Ambrose had the title won, as he was ascending to the top of the ladder to retrieve the title. Then, the unthinkable happened. James Ellsworth shove Ambrose his mentor, off the ladder, sending him crashing into into the tables. No one could believe it. After everything Ambrose did for him, and then he turned heel. Styles climbed up the ladder and retained. Personally I’ve had enough of the Ellsworth-Ambrose-Styles feud and it’s time to move on to something else big. But what?
Check out Smackdown Live tonight at 8PM on the USA network to see where things go next.