WWE TLC 2018: Star Ratings For All 12 Matches
2. Seth Rollins Vs. Dean Ambrose - Intercontinental Title Match
What a crushing disappointment this was.
The booking really didn't help. At all. Neither did the card placement; presented between the best match of the night and the most anticipated, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins faced a steep challenge. It was one they didn't meet, and it's difficult to apportion blame. Ultimately, even if Vince or Triple H or some agent or other requested/suggested this tedious, methodical, unflattering layout, where was the fight back? How could Rollins and Ambrose not know such pacing was a death sentence, if they are as great as they say?
Laboured under the pretence of "worthy", this was very Triple H. At times, the funereal pace bordered on the arrogant. Who did they think they were, asking the audience to register every last moment of overt body language at the climax of such a disastrously received wider storyline? Performed as if inside a bubble, Rollins and Ambrose crafted something very boring at a very inopportune time, so close to WrestleMania season. They picked the worst style to perform within, and didn't even do that style justice.
A slow match isn't boring by default. This was however a boring match, and more irritating still, it never once felt like these two former brothers, divided by the cruel fate suffered by their stricken friend, really hated one another. We didn't even need the rage-fuelled main event to bring that into focus, but it certainly didn't help.
Melodramatic and not at all engaging, at times, both men (who did graft, there's no ignoring that) seemed to have aged overnight. In that regard alone, the performers and fans were united.
Star Rating: **