WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE TLC 2011 Rundown

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another edition of the rundown. Today, we rundown TLC. Since I haven't done the rundown in a while, I need to explain how this works. I will try and break down every match on the card. I will also break it down into who should win, who creative will pick, and I finally throw a pick of my very own, but my predictions don't mean s***. It has been a while since I've done this, so let's not waste anymore time. 

Cody Rhodes vs Booker T for the IC Championship

A rivalry that was started from behind the announcer's desk. This all started when Booker T said a few things behind the announcer's desk regarding Rhodes. Cody however took Booker's words out of context. Ever since then, Cody has been very disrespectful towards Booker. I'm not sure what to make of this little rivalry. Booker can still go in the ring. Heck, he can still be a full time performer for this company, which not too many people can say around Booker's age. Booker is really at the stage of his career where he would be mentoring younger talent and should be putting him over. Cody is still developing his new character, so maybe working in the ring with a six time world champion can help push Rhodes higher on the card. I really see this as a rivalry that is set up for Cody to go higher up the WWE card, as opposed to Booker getting another title run. Booker doesn't really need championships as this stage of his career. There really isn't a whole lot to say about this match. 

Who should win:

Cody should get this victory since he is the young up and comer. Its possible Cody gets the clean win, but I think Cody will steal this one. 

Who creative will pick:

Strange thing is that I can actually see WWE give this one to Booker. Unlike most people Booker's age, the guy can still go. At the same time, I don't think Booker is making a full time return to competition and is more of a part time wrestler these days. 

My final pick:

I am going to go with Cody to retain his championship. It just seems like the most logical move at the moment. 

Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett in a Tables Match

Well, this one could be interesting. The build up for this match all started prior to Survivor Series, but it all has to do with the same thing, the WHC. Wade believes that the only person standing in his way is Randy Orton, while Orton would definitely like to take another crack at becoming world champion. Now, even though Wade is putting his claim at becoming the world champion, I don't really see either person becoming the champ…at least not at the moment. Mainly because of the Big Show/Mark Henry deal, and it would be pretty redundant to have Orton go up against Henry, considering that happened a few months ago. Yeah, I can really see the WHC picture becoming very interesting for the next few months as we are heading towards WM. Yeah, I realize it's a little soon to be thinking WM, but a lot of the things that happen at these next two PPVs will give people a pretty clear idea on who will be challenging who and for what. Damn, and then you still have Daniel Bryan and his MITB. This is more confusing than a Professor Layton puzzle. Yeah, it's kinda bad I am talking about the WHC title picture as opposed to this match, but there really isn't a whole lot to say about this match. This will most likely be the blowoff feud for the two as both guys will make a case for winning the Royal Rumble. 

Who should win:

I would normally say Wade needs the victory in this situation, but Wade's stock did rise with his pinfall victory over Orton at SS. Yeah, I realize it wasn't the best win for the guy, but a win is a win. Wade winning this match would help his stock, but I don't think his stock will get damaged if he were to lose this one.

Who creative will pick:

Most of the time, the baby face wins the blowoff feud. With the Royal Rumble being the next PPV, this will most likely be the blow off match between the two. With that out of the way, creative is probably going to give this one to Orton.

My final pick:

The strange this is I can actually see Wade winning this match. This is a tables match, so there is a number of possibilities to give Wade the win and not make Orton look weak in the process. Still, I think this rivalry ends at TLC, so I pick Orton to win.

Dolph Ziggler vs Zack Ryder for the US Championship

This might be the longest running storyline in WWE. Ryder has been working on trying to get the US title, but was unable to win the two chances he got at previous PPVs. Still, Ryder was able to still pin Dolph on more than one occasion. It became this deal where John Laurinaitis was continuing to deny Ryder the opportunity, which is why John Morrison got the US title match at Survivor Series. Despite members of the WWE roster and Ryder's growing online petition to get his US title match, Robinaitis continued to deny the Broski. Yeah, I guess Robinaitis only follows the orders programmed inside of him as opposed to looking up other sources. Again, it would explain so much. No wonder CM Punk played "The Touch" in Laurinaitis' tribute. That song and robots go hand in hand. I'm really getting off track here. Anyway, Laurinaitis did "give" Ryder an opportunity to get a US title match, but he would have to beat John Cena. The face of the company ended up winning the match and it seemed management would continue to deny Ryder (At least in terms of kayfabe). Cena would give up his shot at becoming WWE Champion to give Ryder another chance. With some help by Cena, Ryder will take his third shot at becoming the US champion. I really like how this storyline has gone. One of the bigger flaws with pro wrestling is not having a ton of build up for the mid card division/titles. There was a point where the IC title was highly respected and it really meant something to have the title. For the last few years, mid card champions come and go. Ever now and then, there would be a meaningful mid card title reign, but there always wasn't a ton of investment in terms of shorelines. I would like to see WWE do this more often with the mid card division because it makes it fun and interesting. Instead of crowning them right away, make them work for it. It shows that WWE DOES know how to build up the division, they just don't do it in a more consistent manor. Throughout the entire time of this rivalry, Ryder's stock as really gone through the roof. I am not the biggest fan of Ryder, but I find myself more interested in this guy now than I did a few months ago. The build up to this rivalry was to do a few things. It was to put Ryder in a solid mid card status AND/OR get Dolph in the main event. Dolph has really improved over the last year. There was a point where people only reacted to Vickie Guerrero, but Dolph has found his own identity, developed his charisma, and has gotten much more comfortable with the mic. Maybe working that rivalry with Edge really got Dolph on the right track? I know smarks will bitch about how Dolph will look foolish to lose to Ryder and think about jumping in the main event, but he can't be the US champion forever. Keep in mind the same thing happened last year when the Miz dropped the US title to Daniel Bryan. I think Dolph has put himself in a great spot to jump in the main event and maybe become the second best heel on Raw. At the moment, the best heel is Miz, while Alberto Del Rio continues to show the same blandness. Yeah, I know that sounds far fetched, but I really think Dolph has risen that much. Either that or the quality of heels has gone down a tad. Great, now that will only make the IWC bitch even more about a John Cena heel turn, but we're not going to talk about now. A match that tells a great story and should be fun to watch. 

Who should win:

Ryder has had to climb this mountain like an Ice Climber in order to get this US title. He failed the first two times, but third time should be the charm. Needless to say, WWE NEEDS to do the payoff and crown a new US champion or else it could start to drag.

Who creative will pick:

Creative might be thinking of a way to give Ryder the US title, but not make Dolph look too bad in the process. Hmm….well, John Cena still doesn't have a match at the PPV. Will he get involved to help Ryder? I can strangely see that happening. Then again, I clean Ryder win is also pretty likely. 

My final pick:

The payoff needs to happen, and that payoff is for Ryder to get the US title. In fact, what I see happening is Cena being in the corner of Ryder to deal with Jack Swagger. It's even possible to see Cena help Ryder win the match. After the celebration and Ryder has left the building, Kane shows up to take out Cena. Either that or Kane can show up and take out any babyface he wants. 

Triple H vs Kevin Nash in a Sledgehammer Ladder match

I think this is a first for the WWE. It sounds like a strange idea, but interesting at the same time. It's funny how people complained last year how TNA did that RVD vs Abyss ladder match in which both guys were competing for 2x4 with nails in it, but everyone seems okay with this? Double standards? Probably, but let's move on. The build up for this match might even be slightly longer than the Ryder/Dolph feud. Back when Trips was the COO and controlling Raw, Nash felt like he was betrayed by Trips for not giving him a spot on the roster, while Trips felt it was time for fresher talent to grace the show. This made Nash bitter and angry. When Trips lost his position of calling the shots of Monday Night Raw to Mr. Excitement, Nash would turn his attention on Trips since he just simply couldn't let it go. It even lead to a attack from Triple H's weapon, the sledgehammer. After being taken off of TV for nearly two months, Trips has returned and wants to get his revenge on his attacker and former best friend. I like how this storyline has come across. I normally wouldn't be interested in a Kevin Nash match (especially in 2011), but the story being told has kept me interested. Both Nash and Trips have done a solid job in showing off their frustration, emotion, and anger towards each other. It just goes to show you that if you plan your storyline, it can work despite who's involved. It's possible these two get a rematch, but I think things will end between these two at the PPV. Not sure where they go from here, but they are both part time performers with this company, so maybe they save them up for WrestleMania. 

Who should win:

If this match is going to settle things between the two, Trips needs to get the victory. 

Who creative will pick:

I think creative wants to get this on over and done with. 

My final pick:

I had Triple H winning this matchup beforehand and that hasn't changed. 

Mark Henry vs Big Show; Chairs Match for the WHC

I know a lot of people haven't enjoyed this rivalry, but I actually thought things have gone pretty well. I know Show and Henry are big guys and there's no way they can deliver a five star wrestling match, but they have managed to make their matches work with the last couple of PPVs. I think a good reason it has worked so far is because of the high spot. You know, that holy s*** moment. The matches might not be great, but I think they are pretty memorable. Even though I think this rivalry has gone pretty well, I think it's time to end it. I think people are getting tired of these big guys fighting and there's a lot of signs pointing towards this being the blow off match. I don't think Big Show is at the stage of his career to be getting another world title. I also see the WWE wanting Henry to keep the title for a while longer. In fact, Henry is someone I can see being champion from now until WM. I almost thought with Kane's return that he would go up against Henry, but it appears WWE wants Kane to be featured on Raw as opposed to SD. I almost wonder who would be the next person to challenge for the title. They are trying this underdog type character with Daniel Bryan, but his time isn't right now and needs more build up. Wade Barrett would be a good choice, but it would have be against Show because I highly doubt they will go for heel vs heel. Orton is also a choice, but that rivalry ended a few months ago and would be kinda silly to go back to it when we are only 2-3 months removed from their last matchup. Sheamus is a really high possibility, but I also think Sheamus could be set up for a big victory at the Royal Rumble. At the moment, I have 3-5 people who have a very good chance to win the rumble match, but we'll save that discussion for another day. Then again, the next PPV is the Royal Rumble, so they can get away with a filler match for the WHC, thus Show/Henry have a rematch. Yeah, the WHC picture is definitely very interesting, but that's a good thing since we need more unpredictability. There's always Brodus Clay, but his debut isn't set until 2015, so let's not even consider it. 

Who should win:

I think Henry needs this win more. He's still doing well as champion and is still interesting enough as champ. I know people will disagree with me on that statement, but do you think a Big Show title reign would be better? Think about it?

Who creative will pick:

Strange thing is I can see creative give this one to Show so the two have to face off at the Royal Rumble and do another title change. It would be kinda silly, but it would make sense for these two to have another matchup….to a degree.

My final pick:

I still think Henry will be the champion after this match is over. I think I am more interested to find out how he wins as opposed to if he wins. Could Henry get the clean victory? They did it back at MITB, so can lightening strike twice? We'll wait and see.

CM Punk vs Miz vs Alberto Del Rio; Triple Threat TLC match for the WWE Championship

We should thank Roboinaitis for making this matchup. Here's his tribute…

If you don't got it, get it. If you don't get it…..figure it out. That s*** makes me laugh every time. Anyway, I really see this being more of a rivalry between Punk and Miz, while Del Rio is playing second fiddle. It's time for Del Rio to leave the title picture. He really didn't make for an interesting champion and he needs to go back and work on something else. Why? Because its his destiny. Still, with Del Rio in the mix, he can make the match more interesting. I will never take away Del Rio's in-ring ability because the man definitely knows how to wrestle. I think this match will eventually lead to a Punk/Miz rivalry since it's time for the Best in the World to have a new opponent. It could be interesting to see what Punk has to say towards the Miz. I also like how Punk comes out with new things every week. He really is one of the better world champions for this year. I think they set this match up rather well on Raw this past week. Punk competed very well, but couldn't take down Miz and Del Rio when they were working together. It puts Punk up against a wall and it shows the guy needs to either dig down deep to win this match or outsmart his opponent. We have seen Punk try to pull a fast one as of late, so it's possible Punk does it again. This match also shows the tension between Punk and Laurinaitis. Not sure if Punk is working is way on getting rid of the current GM of Raw, but I thinks it's pretty likely. The strange thing is I almost feel Laurinaitis should stay as the GM….

Now, hold on a sec. Let me explain. I admit on a weekly basis Laurinaitis is very boring and uninspiring to listen to. In fact, that's why I have given him the nickname Roboniatis since he sounds so robotic when he talks on the mic. I get that, but Punk takes this very bland character and somehow makes him relevant. It almost feels the only reason Laurinaitis is working as GM is because of Punk. It's almost as if Starscream can't do anything without Punk there to take a verbal jab at Funkman. This is kinda one of those odd couple pairings, but pro wrestling is very well known for that. Laurinaitis isn't the long term answer for Raw GM, but until Punk runs out of material (which isn't very likely), this whole deal can work. 

Who should win:

Punk clearly needs the victory here. He's still early in his championship reign and I think WWE wants him to have a lengthy world title run. Like Henry, it's possible that Punk goes into WM as champion. 

Who creative will pick:

While Punk isn't the most corporate guy, Punk gets a lot of people to support him because of his rebel attitude. I said it months ago, but we as wrestling fans like rebels or people who fight the system. Don't believe me? Well, I'm sure Stone Cold Steve Austin can talk to you about that one. Anyway, people love Punk and he continues to put butts in the seats. I see that continuing for Punk. 

My final pick:

I had Punk winning from the beginning of this one and I'm not going to change it. This might be a candidate for match of the night with the talent involved.

That's going to do it for the TLC Rundown. Been a while since I've done one of these, but I thought it was a lot of fun to do this. Hopefully, I can do one for the Royal Rumble, but we will talk about that when the date approaches. Overall, I think the TLC card looks like it could be a lot of fun. The last two TLC PPVs have been done very well and I can see that trend continuing as we move forward. Tell me what you think will happen at TLC and what you thought of this rundown. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time.