Welcome to our coverage of the WWE TLC event from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
We will have our WWE TLC POST Show later tonight with Wai Ting and Mike Murray joining me to review the show and take your phone calls with reaction to it. You can watch the POST Show LIVE if you are a Double Double, Iced Capp, or Espresso member of the POST Wrestling Café that also allows you access to phone/Skype into the show.
On the WWE NOW show, they announced a match between Humberto Carrillo and Andrade has been added to the kickoff show, which begins at 6 pm Eastern.
The kickoff was hosted by Jonathan Coachman with Booker T., Charly Caruso, and David Otunga on the panel.
The panel interviewed Bobby Lashley and Lana. Lashley said he never had any allies and now he does (so, Lio Rush is forgotten). Lana said they are the victims and are just sharing their love. Lana called Charly a ‘wannabe Renee’ and does her job worse while Renee was promoted to Backstage and called her questions ‘stupid’.
Otunga noted that he was an expert on this type of situation involving Rusev and Lana and said Rusev is better off without her.
The Revival interrupted the panel and cut a promo on Booker T. and said Stevie Ray was better. This was a great promo. Booker waited for them to leave and said sometimes you go down to their level to bring them up to yours and wasn’t going to do that. He could have kicked their ass and it would have been ‘all over the internet’.
ANDRADE VS HUMBERTO CARRILLO
Vic Joseph, Jerry Lawler, and Samoa Joe are on commentary.
Andrade flew into the corner and missed with a knee. Andrade was busted open near his left eye as he set up for the running knees.
Carrillo was hung from the ropes as Andrade hit a double stomp and landed on the floor. Andrade missed with the spinning elbow. Andrade had all these marks over his chest, presumably from the ropes.
Andrade hit the running knees and Carrillo kicked out. Vega got onto the apron and both avoided running into her.
Carrillo hit a super reverse ‘rana and a beautiful top rope moonsault for the win.
WINNER: Humberto Carrillo at 12:34
This was a solid match for the kickoff. Andrade looked like a mess by the end of this and the audience popped for the finish, which was a hell of a sequence.
Aleister Black cut a promo on Mr. Murphy and they are destined to do this over and over but will end this tonight with one swift Black Mass as he fades to black.
NEW DAY VS THE REVIVAL IN A LADDER MATCH FOR THE SMACKDOWN TAG TITLES
Kingston dove off the ropes and drilled himself into a ladder that The Revival was holding.
Big E. missed a splash on the edge of the apron and landed on the ladder and Kingston followed with a trust fall that was caught and dropped on the ladder. E. was sent off the ladder, smashing his knee and The Revival dropkicked the ladder into his groin.
Kingston mounted a comeback and the audience was behind him leaping off the rope to land a tornado DDT on Dawson. He climbed the ladder but was stopped by Dawson and sent into a Shatter Machine with Wilder on the mat. Big E. speared Wilder off the apron to the floor.
Dawson hit E with a superplex onto a ladder. E didn’t stay on the ladder, so they placed him back for Wilder to put him through the ladder with a splash.
The four fought on the ladders, E took Wilder off with a Big Ending to the mat. Kingston swung the titles into Dawson, who fell and through a ladder as Kingston grabbed the titles.
WINNERS: Kofi Kingston & Big E. at 19:03 to retain the SmackDown tag titles
The audience was with the match consistently. It was a hell of a performance from the four and the hope would be that this match is remembered and not just another ladder match for the sake of it, which is how it came off with the last-minute stipulation added on Friday. The crowd cheered Kingston loudly, The Revival are great opponents for them, and this was a very good match.
Kayla Braxton interviewed King Corbin.
BUDDY MURPHY VS ALEISTER BLACK
They sat seated in the ring staring at each other before the bell rang.
Murphy blasted him with a knee and Black came back with a series of kicks. Murphy caught him on the apron and drove Black into the steps. Black was bleeding from the nose on the floor. The announcers were focusing on the damage Murphy has caused Black’s jaw.
Murphy landed a flying knee that dropped Murphy and Black got a two-count. He went for his Dragon Sleeper variation and Black escaped it. Murphy responded with a series of cheeky Nando’s kicks and a running sit-out powerbomb for a two-count.
Black blocked the Kamigoye, Murphy fought him off and hit the move with Black kicking out from it. It’s really solid work but they were struggling to get the crowd engaged.
Murphy continued with kicks, Black side-stepped and landed the Black Mass out of nowhere to win.
WINNER: Aleister Black at 13:40
It was a very good technical striking-based match, but the audience was checked out at various points of the match. The two don’t appear to be seen as stars, yet, and that hurt the heat for it but it was a very well done match.
Charly interviewed Rusev, who said since he and Lana were divorced before having children it means he doesn’t have to pay alimony. He said he is back, he is single, but is not alone because every day is Rusev Day.
There is a group sitting ringside eating KFC in the most subtle fashion.
Viking Raiders came out and got over wearing purple in support of the Minnesota Vikings. Anderson and Gallows came out to answer the open challenge and cut a promo. They insulted Minnesota and showed off their trophy they won at Crown Jewel and brought up beating the Viking Raiders on that show in Saudi Arabia, which is their only loss.
VIKING RAIDERS VS LUKE GALLOWS & KARL ANDERSON FOR THE RAW TAG TITLES
They had the advantage of Erik for a long time, he ate a head kick but eventually, made his way to tag Ivar.
Ivar was shoved from the top by Gallows. Ivar went for a handspring back elbow to both and barely connected. They hit the Viking Experience on Anderson with Gallows breaking the cover.
Erik was tossed into the crowd while Ivar hit a suicide dive on both as the count reached ten and it was a double count-out.
WINNERS: Double count-out at 8:29
This was a Raw match with a Raw finish complete with a KFC commercial in the beginning, middle, and end.
Anderson was put through the KFC table.
Kayla interviewed The Miz to confirm that Monroe Sky was ‘fine’ and was safe. His family has been moved to a secure location. He said Bray Wyatt violated the sanctity of his home and isn’t fighting as The Miz or a WWE superstar but as a husband and father protecting his family.
ROMAN REIGNS VS KING CORBIN IN A TABLES, LADDERS & CHAIRS MATCH
Corbin took control and beat Reigns with chair shots. Reigns came back and generated a chant, Corbin avoided the Superman punch and hit a chokeslam into a backbreaker.
Corbin did Reign’s pose, went for a spear and was kicked in the face. Reigns hit the Superman punch after Corbin went into a chair in the corner.
Corbin brought out a can of dog food and hit Reigns with the sealed can and choke slammed him through a table.
Reigns stopped Corbin on one of the announcer’s desk and put Corbin through the next one with a Samoan drop. Reigns ran around the ring and blindsided by a superkick from Dolph Ziggler, who emerged from underneath the ring. They attacked a guy working at ringside near the timekeeper’s area.
The Revival showed up and was hit with Superman punches. Reigns did a tope and took all the wrestlers and security on the floor.
Ziggler whipped a chair into Reigns’ face. The Revival hit him with a Shatter Machine and its clear Reigns has zero friends.
It set up Corbin hitting Reigns with the End of Days onto a chair and Corbin pinned Reigns.
WINNER: King Corbin at 22:11
I would say this fell below my expectations especially for a big Roman Reigns pay-per-view match, which is usually very strong. The crowd was not very into the match for most of it. They didn’t use any ladders and kept the table spots to the one involving the announcer’s desk. This was closer to a Street Fight then a TLC match, perhaps by design with a second TLC match and a Tables match coming up.
This was just a placeholder to continue their program on television.
BRAY WYATT VS THE MIZ IN A NON-TITLE MATCH
They aired the video package and Miz fighting on behalf of his family. Then, he did his normal entrance, which took any seriousness out of the character.
Miz hit a Skull Crushing Finale in the opening minutes but did not go for the cover. Miz pulled back on the arm as Bray was amused by it and Miz tried to snap the arm. Bray rolled to the floor and drove his shoulder into the barricade to pop it back in.
Bray caught Miz, draped him on the top of the barricade and hits Sister Abigail. The audience was checked out. Miz beat the count into the ring and was hit with another Sister Abigail to win.
WINNER: Bray Wyatt at 6:35
This was a weak match.
The Fiend appeared on the screen, Bray said, ‘I’ll do it’ and proceeded to grab the giant mallet from underneath the ring. Suddenly, the lights flickered as Bray yelled, ‘he’s here’.
Daniel Bryan showed up in a hoodie and hit the Busaiku knee and revealed his haircut. The guy looks 15 years younger from this haircut. He laid out Wyatt with kicks and another Busaiku knee. Bryan continued with stomps and went to use the mallet when the lights went out. When the lights came out, Bray had disappeared and Bryan was alone in the ring.
There a video for the Tables match, which was a spoof on TMZ using the letters ‘TLC’.
BOBBY LASHLEY VS RUSEV IN A TABLES MATCH
For all the promotion and time dedicated to this, the audience didn’t have any enthusiasm when the match began.
They set up various tables and did teases of both going through. They fought on the apron and Lashley leaped over the table to land on the floor. Rusev attacked with the steps.
Rusev brought a guardrail ringside and Lashley put him through it. Lashley attacked with kendo sticks and Rusev had welts on his back.
Rusev fought back with the kendo stick with numerous strikes.
Lana ran in and jumped onto Rusev’s back, he sent her off as Lashley speared him into a table in the corner that did not break. So, Lashley took Rusev to the opposite corner and suplexed Rusev through the table.
WINNER: Bobby Lashley at 13:30
It was an average match that the audience didn’t get into until the end. They were pushing that Lashley is planning to propose to Lana as the next chapter of the story and this one likely continues.
The Street Profits were speaking backstage when a brawl erupted involving Roman Reigns and King Corbin with New Day, The Revival, Buddy Murphy, and others involved. So, at least Reigns does have some friends.
KABUKI WARRIORS VS BECKY LYNCH & CHARLOTTE FLAIR IN A TABLES, LADDERS & CHAIRS MATCH FOR THE WOMEN’S TAG TITLES
Unlike the previous TLC match, this one must end by grabbing the tag titles above the ring.
Becky and Charlotte took turns tossing Kairi Sane back-and-forth on the announcer’s desks. Back in the ring, Asuka and Sane double-teamed Flair with a chair including a seated dropkick from Sane as Asuka held the chair in front of Flair’s face.
Sane was dragged from underneath the ring, came out and sprayed both with a fire extinguisher. Asuka used a bull rope on both women and began swinging it.
The Kabuki Warriors tied Becky to a ladder with rope. They double-teamed Flair and tossed her over the barricade. They started to climb the ladder together, but Flair returned with a kendo stick to stop both.
On the floor, Becky was stilled tied to the ladder and got her foot up when Sane went for an Insane Elbow. Becky broke free and they fought back. Becky put Asuka through a table on the floor with a guillotine leg drop off the middle turnbuckle.
Sane came off the turnbuckle with Flair and Becky on a table, Flair got out of the way, but Becky didn’t, and the table didn’t break. It looked rough.
Flair hit this bad looking spear to Sane on the floor then struggled to lift her for a powerbomb through a table on the floor.
The crowd was quiet and then began booing Lynch and Flair as they attacked the Kabuki Warriors with chairs.
Asuka powerbombed Flair off the turnbuckle through a table on the floor and looked like a rough landing.
Becky climbed but Asuka yanked the rope attached to the ladder and it tipped.
Asuka returned to the ring and climbed to grab the titles.
WINNERS: The Kabuki Warriors at 25:51 to retain the women’s tag titles
They immediately cut to the men’s brawl that spilled into the arena as the pay-per-view ended with Reigns hitting Corbin with a spear onto all the guys.
