WWE TLC PPV Results: 12-16-18
Results courtesy of
PWTorch.com (direct link to Keller's real-time report).
(1) CARMELLA & R-TRUTH vs. JINDER MAHAL & ALICIA FOX (w/The Singh Brothers)
Cole exclaimed that this was the first PPV match ever simulcast on Facebook Watch. Truth and Carmella sang Truth’s everlasting song together and got a nice ovation for the duet. They played to the crowd with Sharks jerseys, the local NHL pro hockey team. (Localized brown-nosing doesn’t belong on nationally televised events. It’s counter-productive in 95 percent of the country and comes across as cheap and desperate pandering.)
So a minute into the match Truth scored a two count on a countermove and Joseph said he did it to “win Mixed Match Challenge.” (That seemed an odd choice of wording or very prematurely calling the finish.) When Truth and Carmella cleared the ring of the heels, they broke into a Seven Second Dance Break which the Singh Brother joined in. (Sports Entertainment Amusement Time!!!) Truth and Carmella threw them out of the ring after a few seconds of dancing. Fox then took over on Carmella after that “not keeping the eye on the ball” moment from the “amusing” babyface team. Fox scored a two count with a Northern Lights Suplex. Cole noted how many teams were altered because of injuries, but the finals feature two teams who were together from the start. Carmella and Fox tagged out to Truth and Jinder. Renee noted that Truth “does not age; it’s unbelievable!” Fox put on her Captain’s Hat. Truth took it off and put it on himself. Truth avoided a Fox scissors kick and then Carmella kicked Fox twice and scored a near fall. Carmella then applied her Code of Silence for the quick tapout win.
WINNERS: Truth & Carmella.
Get ready for the skits on TV of what Carmella and Truth do on their “all-expenses paid vacation anywhere in the world.”
(2) THE BAR (Sheamus & Cesaro) vs. THE NEW DAY (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods w/Big E) vs. THE USOS – WWE Smackdown Tag Team Title match
All action and good spots throughout as you’d expect, but not real story since it’s a three-way situation with rapid tags. In the end, Sheamus landed a Brogue Kick on Xavier.
WINNERS: The Bar in 12:00 to retain the Smackdown Tag Team titles. (**1/2)
(3) BRAUN STROWMAN vs. BARON CORBIN
Slater began counting as Corbin showboated and confidently counted along with him. Then Strowman’s music played. Baron let out a deep breath and looked worried. Strowman walked out with his right arm in a cast and sling. Corbin signaled the match can’t happen if Strowman is injured like that. Fans chanted “Get These Hands!” Strowman said he forgot to mention something very important. He said in a TLC match, there are no disqualifications. He said that means if somebody wanted to help him, it’d be legal. Apollo Crews showed up at ringside with a chair raised in the air. Crews yelled that Corbin has made his bed. Then Bobby Roode and Chad Gable showed up with chairs in hand, too. Then Finn Balor showed up, chair in hand, on another side of the ring. They all entered the ring. Graves said none of them want to be on the same side of history and it’s completely unfair. He said it’d be a slaughter. Fans chanted, “We Want Angle.” Slater took off his referee shirt and threw it at Corbin and then took the first punch. Everyone surrounded Corbin with chairs, then bashed him with chairs. Corbin fell to ringside. As Corbin walked up the ramp, Kurt Angle showed up and led the crowd in a “You suck!” chant. Corbin charged at Angle, but Angle rammed him with a chair and bashed him over and over until he rolled into the ring. Roode and Gable gave him their finisher. Crews landed a frog splash. Angle then gave Corbin his Angle Slam. Balor closed with the Coup de Grace. Then Strowman entered as Slater put his ref shirt back on. Strowman put his foot on Corbin’s chest and got a three count. Jo Jo said Corbin is no longer the general manager of Raw as a result of his loss.
WINNER: Strowman in 5:00.
(4) NATALYA vs. RUBY RIOTT (w/Liv Morgan, Sarah Lovan)
A couple minutes in, Natalya knocked Liv off the ring apron and knocked her through the table at ringside. She clutched her ribs and weeded in pain. Referees checked on her. Natalya took it to Ruby at ringside. She yelled, “You wanna mess with my family, bitch!?” Then she slapped her hard and set up a table. When Logan got involved, Natalya slammed her through another table. Cole said now it’ll be one on one. Ruby set up the table in the ring that had Jim Neidhart’s life-size image on it. Natalya and Riot battled. Graves said this was as intense and hostile as he expected. Natalya pulled a table out from under the ring and it featured Riott’s life-sized image on it. Natalya smiled like this was some sweet revenge. She slid the table into the ring upside down. She then pullout a jacket worn by her father. She put it on and looked up into the sky. She entered the ring and went back on the attack. She set up the Riott table. Riott had so much time to recover during all of this, she made a predictable comeback (making Natalya look foolish for taking her time). She put Natalya on the table, but Natalya leaped off and slammed Riott’s face into the table. She put Riott on the table, trash-talked her, and climbed the ropes. Natalya again turned her back on Riott when she had barely done anything to slow her down to the point you’d feel safe doing it. Riott went for a rana, but Natalya blocked it and powerbombed her through the table to win. Renee called it a “goosebump moment for Natalya.”
WINNER: Natalya. (*1/2)
Too gimmicky throughout, and Natalya just looked to foolish with how long she took to set up her moves, giving her opponent chance after chance to counter her. Slamming Riott through a table with Riott’s image on it was hardly some amazing revenge. Why would anyone care if they got slammed through a table with their own image on it.
(5) DREW MCINTYRE vs. FINN BALOR
Balor flip dove onto Drew several minutes into the match as Drew dominated early. He threw Drew back into the ring. Drew countered right away with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a near fall. Drew set up Balor for a top rope move. He leaped backwards with a slam for a near fall. Drew went after Balor at ringside, but Balor “trapped” Drew between the ring and the ring draping. Drew fought back and yanked Balor’s leg out from under him. He kneeled and smiled and ten headbutted Balor. Drew threw Balor into the ring. Dolph Ziggler showed up at ringside and superkick Drew. Then he grabbed a chair and charged at at Drew, but Drew kicked the chair into his face. Drew entered the ring with the chair, but Balor dropkicked the chair into Drew as the ref talked to Drew. Balor then landed the Coup de Grace for the win.
WINNER: Balor in 12:00.
(6) RANDY ORTON vs. REY MYSTERIO – Chairs Match
Rey got the better of Orton early at ringside. Rey did his signature slide under the bottom rope with a splash on Orton at ringside, but with a chair under him for extra impact. Orton came back a few minutes later with a snap powerslam for a two count. Orton wedged a chair in the corner of the ring, then grabbed another chair. Graves said it’s almost eerie how calm Orton was. At that point, Rey made a comeback and landed a 619. He climbed to the top rope. Orton knocked him off balance. Orton set up four chairs and went for an RKO, but Rey countered and knocked Orton onto a chair, and then rolled him up with a head scissors takeover for the three count. Orton threw chairs around in frustration.
WINNER: Mysterio. (*3/4)
This was what you should have expected. Methodical pacing as Orton meandered through the match deliberately with bursts of energy here and there with chairs being utilized. It was fine for what it was as a mid-card match.
(7) RONDA ROUSEY vs. NIA JAX – Raw Women’s Title
Rousey ducked a few Jax swings at the start and then bobbed and weaved with a smile on her face. Rousey landed a few round kicks. Jax caught her leg. She swung, but Rousey rolled her up and went for an armbar. Jax used her strength to lift and sitout powerbomb Rousey. Jax headbutted Rousey and went for a legdrop, but Rousey moved. Rousey then applied an overhead chancery. Jax flipped Rousey into the air in a suplex position, but Rousey dropped down onto Jax’s back with a sleeper. She then rolled Jax down with an armbar attempt, but Jax rolled to the floor. Jax held on and swung Rousey into the barricade.
Back in the ring Rousey reversed Jax with a head scissors. Jax charged Rousey in the corner, but Rousey moved and Jax flew through the ropes to the floor. Rousey leaped off the top rope with a crossbody on Jax at ringside. They replayed it in slo-mo. Rousey landed a step-up knee and then a flying right punch for a two count. Both were slow to get up. Rousey climbed to the top rope and leaped off onto Jax. Jax rolled through and lifted Rousey, then gave her a Samoan Drop for a two count. Graves said if Jax hooked her leg and put more bodyweight on her, maybe there’d be a new champion.
Jax splashed Rousey in the corner. Then she lifted her on her shoulders and climbed to the second rope. Graves said Rousey is about to become “the flattest woman on the planet.” Rousey slipped free and powerbombed Jax to the mat for a believable near fall. Rousey signaled for the armbar. Tamina slid into the ring. Rousey went after her and turned her back to Jax. Jax hit her from behind and then swung at her. Rousey blocked it and then flipped her over and applied the armbar for the tapout win.
WINNER: Rousey to retain the Raw Women’s Title. (***)
I liked that quite a bit. I could have done without Rousey turning her back on Jax to go after Tamina, but at least Tamina was entering the ring and not just taunting her. There was drama, believable big spots leading to near falls for both, and a satisfying solid win for the babyface champ.