The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) (c) vs. The Usos (Jimmy & Jey) vs. The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto & Sin Cara) – Triple threat ladder match for the WWE Tag Team Championships

Background: The Usos and Lucha Dragons faced each other on Raw a couple of weeks ago to decide number one contenders to the tag team title but the New Day interrupted the match and attacked both teams thinking that neither team would win the match. Sadly for them it back-fired and Stephanie McMahon announced that neither team lost and would face The New Day for the titles at TLC in a triple threat ladder match.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time triple threat match between these three teams.

TLC Record: Kofi Kingston is 3-2, Big E is 1-0, The Usos are 1-0, Sin Cara is 0-1 and Kalisto makes his TLC debut tonight.

Match: New Day get on the mic before the match and cut a classic promo running down their opponents. Xavier Woods then joins the commentators for the match. This match is faced past from the get-go. All 6 men get their stuff in early and there are ladders and men flying all over the place. There are some great spots involving Sin Cara early on and the crowd absolutely love it. The man under the Sin Cara mask, Jorge Arias, is still looking for his first PPV victory. The Lucha Dragons are the first team to get close to the titles but Big E bench presses the ladder to save the match. This match is reminiscent of the triple threat ladder matches between The Hardy Boys, Dudley Boys and Edge & Christian. The Lucha Dragons have a great spot where Sin Cara monkey flips Kalisto who hits a 450 splash. Xavier Woods guarantees that Kofi has a special in the bank which is pretty hilarious. Kalisto hits a Salida Del Sol on Jey Uso off the top of the ladder through another ladder in one of the best spots I have ever seen in these matches. There are quite a few boo’s as Jimmy Uso looks to win the match and cheers as Big E stops him. There are a couple of spots in this match, by Jimmy Uso, Sin Cara and Kalisto when they dive on an opponent who has a ladder over them. Surely they hit the attacker of the move more? Kalisto climbs the ladder but Xavier Woods gets up on the apron and throws his trombone at Kalisto before Kofi knocks Kalisto off the ladder and wins the match himself!

Result: The New Day win the match, retaining the WWE Tag Team Championships.

Review: This was a great way to start off the show. All three teams were phenomenal and the Salida Del Sol from Kalisto on Jey USo was amazing. This was one of the best ladder matches in history, a fantastic way to kick off TLC and a match that probably won’t be topped tonight. New Day continue on as tag team champions, they’ve beaten practically every team on the roster from the Prime Time Players, Dudley Boys, Usos and Lucha Dragons so who will be next?

Rating: 9/10

Ryback vs. Rusev

Background: This rivalry started with Ryback not caring about the rekindled relationship of Rusev and Lana. The two battled on Raw in a match where Ryback accidentally knocked the ring steps into Lana, a match that Ryback won by count out. In the rematch Ryback ran into Lana who feigned injury which allowed Rusev to lock on the accolade outside the ring.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two men.

TLC Record: Ryback is 1-2 at TLC, Rusev is 1-0.

Match: Ryback takes the early advantage and takes the fight to the outside. He even hits somewhat of a gorilla press slam which is pretty impressive. The match is a battle of two powerful guys, a match that Ryback has the upper hand for the most part. Ryback seems to be going to the top rope a lot more these days. Ryback motions for a meathook clothesline and Rusev retreats, heading for the back. Ryback goes after him but Rusev ends up pushing Ryback into Lana before laying out Ryback with a superkick. Lana is magically ok. No sign of Rusev’s new buddies Sheamus, King Barrett and Alberto Del Rio in this match. Rusev counters shellshock and locks on the accolade, Ryback passes out so Rusev wins the match.

Result: Rusev wins by submission.

Review: This match was decent. It wasn’t terrible by any stretch. Two big heavyweight guys sometimes don’t have a lot of chemistry but these guys do and the match told a good story. It’s a good rivalry for both guys but both needed a victory and it’s Rusev who walks away with it tonight.

Rating: 5/10

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Jack Swagger – Chairs match for the United States Championship

Background: Jack Swagger has targeted Alberto Del Rio recently, especially because of his relationship with Zeb Colter. Del Rio has now rid himself of Zeb Colter but Jack Swagger looks to regain the United States Championship against his old rival tonight.

Previous PPV matches: These two men have had two PPV matches in the past and Alberto Del Rio won both.

TLC Record: Alberto Del Rio is at 1-2 TLC PPV’s, Jack Swagger is 0-4.

Match: Both men use chairs from the early going in this one. There are loads of chairs set up around the ring. Del Rio is vicious with his chair shots. Saying that, Jack Swagger doesn’t pull any punches either. Del Rio hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker at one point which looks pretty impressive because Swagger is such a big guy. Del Rio is so ripped at the moment, the best shape of his career. Swagger locks on the patriot lock using a chair which looks pretty cool but won’t change the effectiveness of the hold. There’s a cheese grater under the ring, I wonder who will be using that tonight. Del Rio smashes Swagger’s back with a chair and you can see al the marks from the chair shots. Del Rio hits a stomp off the top onto Swagger who falls into a pile of chairs for the victory.

Result: Alberto Del Rio wins by pinfall.

Review: This match was decent enough. Nothing spectacular but it wasn’t bad. Jack Swagger hasn’t been around a lot as of late and his most recent rivalries where re-hashes of old ones with Rusev and Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio retains and there are plenty of potential opponents for him going forward. He needed the win tonight following his loss at Survivor Series and this gets him back on track.

Rating: 5.5/10

The Dudley Boys (Bubba Ray & D-Von), Tommy Dreamer & Rhyno vs. The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan & Braun Strowman) – Eight man tag team elimination tables match

Background: The Wyatt Family started by targeting The Dudley Boys following the Wyatt Family’s loss to The Undertaker and Kane at Survivor Series. The Dudley Boys would find back-up in the form of a returning Tommy Dreamer and from NXT, Rhyno.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time match between these 8 men.

TLC Record: Bray Wyatt is 2-0 at TLC events, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan are 1-1 whilst everyone else in the match makes their TLC debut tonight.

Match: This match would’ve worked well at Survivor Series last month if Wyatt and Harper weren’t otherwise engaged with Undertaker and Kane. Braun Strowman goes into this match undefeated on pay per view. The bell rings and these 8 big men go right at it. Braun Strowman is dominant in the early going. He takes on the whole of the rival team by himself. He then gets beaten down by all four members of team ECW. Strowmans foot goes through a table but apparently that doesn’t count. Another table breaks as D-Von rolls off it but that doesn’t count either. The first elimination comes when The Dudley Boys 3D Erick Rowan through a table. Rhyno manages to take on both Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper and The Dudley Boys and Tommy Dreamer triple team Braun Strowman on the outside. Luke Harper then boots Rhyno through a table, eliminating him.

The Dudley Boys hit the Doomsday Device on Luke Harper which is a nice tribute to the Road Warriors. Bray Wyatt hits D-Von with a urunage through a table to eliminate him. Bubba Ray and Tommy dreamer go mad with kendo stick which fires the crowd up. Tommy Dreamer pulls out the cheese grater and crotches Braun Strowman with it! They then bury Strowman under a pile of tables. Harper hits a suicide dive on Dreamer through a table and he’s gone. Bubba Ray then sets up a table in the middle of the ring and looks to set it alight but Braun Strowman chokeslams him through a table before he can!

Result: Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Braun Strowman are the three men left standing.

The Dudley Boys eliminated Erick Rowan
Luke Harper eliminated Rhyno
Bray Wyatt eliminated D-Von Dudley
Luke Harper eliminated Tommy Dreamer
Braun Strowman eliminates Bubba Ray Dudley

Review: This was a fun match. Tommy Dreamer always looks so at home in the hardcore environment. The Wyatt Family won the match which was the right result. It was everything you expected it to be. Can’t knock it though, this type of match has its place as long as its not overdone.

Rating: 6/10

Kevin Owens (c) vs. Dean Ambrose – Intercontinental Championship match

Background: On Smackdown a few weeks ago Dean Ambrose defeated Dolph Ziggler and Tyler Breeze in a triple threat match to earn himself a shot at the Intercontinental Championship.

Previous PPV matches: These two men have wrestled once on PPV before and Dean Ambrose won that contest.

TLC Record: Dean Ambrose is 1-2 at TLC PPV’s, Kevin Owens makes his debut at this event tonight.

Match: Kevin Owens talks some trash about Dean Ambrose and the fans in attendance on his way to the ring. Kevin Owens takes the advantage in the early going. These two have a lot of chemistry and make for really good opponents. I’m not a big fan of Ambrose’s spinning clothesline on the outside his pendulum clothesline he hits in the ring. Owens hits a rolling senton off the middle rope similar to the one Mr Kennedy used to do. Both men counter each others finishers but a counter of the pop-up powerbomb by Dean Ambrose into a victory roll gives Dean Ambrose the victory and the Intercontinental Championship!

Result: Dean Ambrose wins by pinfall, winning the Intercontinental Championship.

Review: This was a decent match but it probably went on a couple of minutes too long. Dean Ambrose wins the match with what is essentially a roll-up which makes me think that this feud will continue. Ambrose should make a great United States Champion though, much like Kevin Owens was. I wouldn’t be overly surprised to see KO win it back.

Rating: 6/10

Charlotte (c) vs. Paige – WWE Divas Championship match

Background: Paige has continued to spread the word about Charlotte who has now started to show cracks. Paige has also pointed out that when Charlotte beat Paige at Survivor Series, Charlotte’s arm was underneath the bottom rope. Charlotte beat her friend Becky Lynch by cheating and it appears as though she has a new attitude, especially as she’s now being managed by her father Ric Flair.

Previous PPV matches: This is a second PPV match between these two girls, Charlotte beat Paige at Survivor Series.

TLC Record: Both of these girls make their TLC debut tonight.

Match: Charlotte is unbeaten on PPV going into this match, she’s racked up a lot of wins in a short amount of time. Ric Flair is at ringside for her daughter. It’s a back and forth start to the match with both girls struggling to hold down an advantage. Charlotte sells like her father at one point, dropping face first after being kicked in the face. Charlotte dominates for much of the middle part of the match. Sasha Banks, Naomi and Tamina are shown watching backstage. Ric Flair tries to take some of the padding off the turnbuckle and succeeds, exposing the metal underneath. I think Paige is supposed to be a face which makes no sense since she turned heel last month and has acted like a heel ever since. She locks on the figure four at one point but Charlotte manages to counter. Charlotte hits a sloppy moonsault at one point, rotating horizontally instead of vertically and landing on Paige’s head. Paige hits the Ram-Paige but Ric Flair puts Charlotte’s foot on the bottom rope. Charlotte then takes off a turnbuckle pad and rams Paige into it before pinning her for the three.

Result: Charlotte wins by pinfall.

Review: This was a good match. They were given the right amount of time and it gave Charlotte and Paige the chance to really showcase their abilities. The timing was a little off in the finish spot but generally the two girls had a lot of chemistry. The divas division has come a long way since the three minute match Eve and Naomi had at this event three years ago. Charlotte is a great champion and she’s having a hell of a run.

Rating:6.75/10

Sheamus (c) vs. Roman Reigns – TLC match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Background: Sheamus cashed in his Money In The Bank contract at Survivor Series, minutes after Roman Reigns had beaten Dean Ambrose to win the vacant title. Roman Reigns demanded his rematch for the title and Triple H granted him the match at TLC.

Previous PPV matches: These two men only wrestled once and it was a very brief match won by Sheamus at Survivor Series.

TLC Record: Roman Reigns is 1-1 at TLC, Sheamus is 2-1.

Match: The match start in a hard-hitting way with Reigns hitting a bit right hand. A massive “we want Cena” chant breaks out during the beginning of the match which I’ve never heard before. I think that shows the displeasure of the fans with this main event. There’s also a “we want Rollins” chant. This is the typical hardcore match you’d expect following the WWE formula. There are some really nasty spots with both men going through tables. It might not be the most popular main event match but they are both putting it all on the line. Reigns hits a Samoan drop on Sheamus through a ladder which looked pretty brutal. Sheamus has some nasty looking gashes over his body. Fair play though, they’ve won the crowd back round with the quality of the match. There’s another good spot with Reigns hitting a superman punch off the top of the ladder and Sheamus falling through a table below. Reigns looks like he’s about to win but Rusev and Alberto Del Rio come out and pull him off the ladder. They double team Reigns who manages to fight them off but Sheamus nails Roman with a brogue kick and climbs the ladder in what looks like the finish and is!

Result: Sheamus retains the WWE World Heavyweight Championship with help from Rusev and Alberto Del Rio.

Review: This was a decent match to be fair to the two men involved. They won the crowd over. Sheamus won and Roman Reigns journey to the title continues. It follows a similar path to Daniel Bryan’s journey a couple of years ago and I can see this one ending at Wrestlemania too. A good match tonight though as both men proved why they deserve to be in the main event.

Rating: 7.5/10