5 Ups And 6 Downs From WWE TLC 2016
2. ‘Slow’ Does Not Mean ‘Epic’
Not every ladder match can be a ridiculous car crash where the participants sacrifice their bodies in an insane dash to win over fans. Sometimes, you have to try to build drama the old-fashioned way and tell a story.
But the Intercontinental Championship ladder match between Miz and Dolph Ziggler didn’t quite build that drama, at least not by relying on numerous slow climbs. The match itself was decent, but it certainly didn’t rise to the level that the video package and announcers tried to take it up to. It wasn’t an epic battle to end a feud.
Instead, it was a decent ladder match that featured an adequate story and some good action, but it ultimately fell short of what they were going for. Another thing that hurt the IC bout was the plethora of sloooow climbs up the ladder and reaches for the title, with a half-dozen times where Miz or Dolph had their hand on the belt and just stopped to wait for the other wrestler to interrupt them.
It wasn’t a bad match, but it shouldn’t be compared to other historic ladder matches either, no matter what the announcers say on SmackDown.