10 Big Mistakes WWE Can't Afford To Make At TLC 2016
Suffering from PPV burnout? Get used to it...
WWE's SmackDown Roster hits Dallas, Texas for Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2016 this Sunday evening, and after failing in two of Survivor Series' three brand vs. brand elimination matches, Daniel Bryan's crew have a point to prove. Fortunately, it's another solid-looking card of well-built feuds and rivalries that should, if all goes well, match SD's entertaining Backlash and No Mercy PPVs for quality.
The main event sees AJ Styles defend his WWE World Championship against Dean Ambrose in the titular TLC match, and with James Ellsworth sent to the hospital on Tuesday night, there are plenty of unanswered questions. Can Styles fend-off the rampant Lunatic Fringe, or will Ambrose recover the belt he lost at backlash? Will Ellsworth appear, and if so, how will he make his presence felt?
TLC also sees The Miz fight Dolph Ziggler with the Intercontinental Championship on the line. It promises to be the final battle in their ongoing war, and after regaining the belt less than three weeks ago, there's a real chance that the A-Lister's sixth IC reign could be cut short. Women's Champion Becky Lynch will settle her longstanding beef with Alexa Bliss, meanwhile, and Heath Slater & Rhyno will defend their Tag Team Championships against Randy Orton & Bray Wyatt.
Survivor Series hasn't complicated the build, and most of TLC's matches come from months of history. That alone won't be able enough to ensure a successful night, however, and WWE must be wary of making these 10 big mistakes at TLC...
10. Screwy Finishes
Backlash and No Mercy, Smackdown’s brand-specific PPVs, weren’t perfect, but provided two succinct, highly-enjoyable nights of action. They stand as WWE’s two strongest pay-per-views since the Brand Split, and while Raw’s Clash of Champions and Hell In A Cell had their high points, both left fans with a sour taste in their mouths.
Raw’s booking team just can’t help themselves when it comes to screwy finishes, and HIAC and Clash both suffered for it. While both cards looked great on paper, they were ultimately marred by WWE’s inconclusive booking decisions. SmackDown’s PPVs have largely avoided this problem thus far and they’ve thrived because of it, but looking at the card, there’s a strong chance of TLC 2016 descending to Raw-esque levels of farce.
There’s always a chance for shenanigans with The Miz around, but we can handle that. Maryse getting involved in his match seems an inevitability, but the confusion surrounding Randy Orton and The Wyatt Family means there’s a strong chance that the Tag Title match ends with a fuzzy finish too. Then there’s the main event, and the ongoing James Ellsworth saga: will The Phantom Chin play a role in Dean Ambrose’s long-awaited title shot?
At least half of TLC’s matches could conceivably end in nonsense, and that’s far too much. WWE’s first booking step should be ensuring that they stay on the same course, and give the bulk of these matches a conclusive finish.