WWE TLC, Source: WWE.com
WWE TLC takes place this Sunday in Dallas, Texas. Here’s what you need to know about SmackDown Live’s next pay per view event.
WWE TLC has been a December tradition since 2009. In “Did You Know?” fashion, TLC actually became a pay per view thanks to a vote on WWE’s website.
With TLC standing for Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, the majority of matches each year feature a stipulation legalizing the use of one or more of those items. Most main events are usually branded as TLC Matches, allowing use of all of the above. In the wake of extreme wrestling popularizing weapon use, TLC was a natural fit for WWE.
Of course, TLC matches existed in WWE prior to the creation of the pay per view. The most famous of the early TLC matches were tag team triple threats. The Dudley Boyz, The Hardy Boyz, and Edge and Christian revolutionized tag team wrestling, including a classic TLC match at WrestleMania X-7.
In 2016, TLC is a SmackDown Live exclusive event. The Blue Team has put together a card featuring six matches. Five of the six will feature some form of stipulation. In addition, each of SmackDown Live’s championships will be on the line this Sunday in Dallas.
Several of the matches on the TLC card come from long-standing rivalries on SmackDown Live. With the use of weaponry legal in these contests, the opportunity to settle scores is ripe for the taking. Many superstars will be able to close one chapter of their careers, and move on to something new.
Please continue reading to find out everything you need to know about WWE TLC 2016.
Source: WWE.com
SmackDown Tag Team Championship MatchHeath Slater & Rhyno (c) vs. Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton
Since becoming the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions, Heath Slater and Rhyno have been on a roll. They’re at the top of the tag team division for a reason. During their short partnership, they’ve developed tremendous chemistry and work well together.
However, their opponents at TLC are possibly their toughest challenge to date: The Wyatt Family. Bray Wyatt has always led a terrifying group into battle, but with Randy Orton on his side, it’s on a totally different level.
Following Survivor Series, it looked like American Alpha would be next in line for a title shot. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan emerged victorious in a tag team gauntlet match, but their celebration was short lived. The Wyatt Family appeared on the video screen, announcing that there was one team left to beat.
This past week on SmackDown Live, Wyatt and Orton defeated Gable and Jordan to become number one contenders for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Slater has admitted that Wyatt scares him. How will that come into play on Sunday?
But an even bigger question is this: How will the entire Wyatt Family coexist? Luke Harper seems, shall we say, less than convinced about Orton’s motivations and loyalty. During the match against American Alpha, it appeared that Harper was on the same page as his brethren. Will that last through WWE TLC?
Source: WWE.com
Kalisto vs. Baron Corbin (Chairs Match)
The feud between Kalisto and Baron Corbin extends back several months. All the way back in the summer, Corbin attacked Kalisto backstage. In the process, Kalisto suffered an injury and missed a few months of action.
When the Lucha Dragon returned to competition, he immediately met up with Corbin. Kalisto scored a modicum of payback, as The Lone Wolf suffered a knee injury during the match. Like a shark smelling blood in the water, Kalisto attacked the wounded knee with a ferocity not often seen from him.
The injury was enough to prevent Corbin from competing on Team SmackDown at Survivor Series. However, Corbin was healthy enough to interfere in Kalisto’s match that night against The Brian Kendrick. With the entire Cruiserweight Division on the line along with the Cruiserweight Championship, Corbin’s involvement kept everything on Raw.
Again, turnabout was fair play, and Kalisto got involved in Corbin’s match against Kane the following week on SmackDown. Bringing a chair with him, Kalisto gained the upper hand with the aid of the weapon.
At WWE TLC, these two collide in a Chairs Match. General Manager Daniel Bryan made the match, despite his displeasure with Corbin for costing SmackDown the Cruiserweights – or in spite of it. Who will score a decisive victory this Sunday?
Source: WWE.com
Nikki Bella vs. Carmella (No Disqualification Match)
In another long-standing rivalry, Nikki Bella will face Carmella at TLC. Again, this one goes back to the summer – all the way to Nikki’s return from serious injury in August.
Perhaps looking to prove she belonged in the big leagues, Carmella began targeting Bella with a series of sneak attacks. If it wasn’t a physical attack, it was a verbal lashing.
One of Carmella’s main gripes with Nikki is her relationship with John Cena. The Staten Island Princess is convinced that Bella’s success has everything to do with her association with one of WWE’s biggest stars in history.
Let’s not forget that Nikki has worked incredibly hard to return from what was initially believed to be a career-ending injury. Sure, she’s dating a 15-time world champion, but he didn’t put in the rehab work – Nikki did.
Things came to a head at Survivor Series, when Nikki – captain of the SmackDown Women’s team – was attacked from behind and left unable to compete. Carmella was suspect number one, though she denies any involvement. Nikki’s not buying it, and now she faces Carmella in a No DQ match at WWE TLC.
With no rules to slow down either competitor, both Nikki and Carmella should have no problem finding new ways to take the other one out. Who will have what it takes to leave Dallas with the victory?
Source: WWE.com
Intercontinental Championship MatchThe Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler (Ladder Match)
The Miz cares about few things more than the Intercontinental Championship. He’s a six-time Intercontinental Champ, and when he loses the title he claws to get it back.
Case in point: Dolph Ziggler felt he needed to win the Intercontinental Championship to prove his worth as a WWE Superstar. But The Miz refused to be defeated, resorting to all sorts of questionable means to retain against Ziggler time and time again. From Maryse and a perfume bottle, to the re-emergence of The Spirit Squad, Miz found a way to hold the title.
When Ziggler put up his career in exchange for one last championship opportunity, he finally found a way to defeat The A-Lister. Miz was despondent, and refused to accept Ziggler’s offer for a rematch.
That changed once Ziggler issued an open challenge to any Raw Superstar at Survivor Series. Fearing he would lose his title to the other show, Miz begged GM Daniel Bryan for a rematch. He got it at the final SmackDown Live prior to Survivor Series – and won.
After defeating Sami Zayn at Survivor Series to keep the Intercontinental Championship on SmackDown, Miz once again finds himself facing Dolph Ziggler. This time, it’s a Ladder Match – no funny business involved. To win the title, you have to climb the ladder and grab it.
It’s also the last time these two will go one on one for the Intercontinental Title, per Bryan’s decree. No one wants to lose this one. At WWE TLC, someone will finally get the final victory in this epic rivalry.
Source: WWE.com
SmackDown Women’s Championship MatchBecky Lynch (c) vs. Alexa Bliss (Tables Match)
Becky Lynch is the inaugural SmackDown Women’s Champion. She’s held the title for nearly three months since winning it at Backlash.
Alexa Bliss has been the number one contender for the majority of Lynch’s reign. Their initial title bout was scheduled for No Mercy in October, but Lynch suffered an injury outside the ring that postponed the contest.
When the two finally squared off in Glasgow, Scotland, controversy clouded the end of the match. Lynch caught Bliss in the Dis-arm-her, and to the referee, it appeared that Bliss was tapping out. However, to everyone else watching, Bliss had her foot hooked into the ropes, which should have broken the hold prior to her tapping out.
Bliss was furious at the injustice, and petitioned for a rematch. She got her wish, and the contract was set to be signed at SmackDown this past week. Since WWE contract signings are never uneventful, the proceedings ended with Lynch crashing through a table.
Despite being banged up from going through the table, Lynch didn’t hesitate when she learned Bliss asked for the title match to be a Tables Match. The Irish Lass Kicker doesn’t care if her ribs hurt, she just wants to get revenge on Alexa for all the weeks of insults and sneak attacks. If a Tables Match is what it takes, then a Tables Match it shall be.
Does Bliss have the advantage going into the match at WWE TLC? Or will Lynch continue to reign as SmackDown Women’s Champion?
Source: WWE.com
WWE World Championship MatchAJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose (TLC Match)
To say AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose don’t get along would be the understatement of the century. It would be akin to calling the Titanic a dinghy.
Since these two became the first two draft picks for SmackDown Live, they’ve been trying to outdo the other. After Styles defeated John Cena, he set his sights on then-WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose. At Backlash, Styles won the title, and he successfully defended it at No Mercy.
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Ambrose was adamant about getting another shot, but he needed to earn it. He was unsuccessful in his first attempt, getting disqualified when James Ellsworth attacked Styles. However, Ellsworth was instrumental in Ambrose becoming number one contender the following week. Despite Ambrose telling Ellsworth to stay away, the Chinspirational Superstar made an appearance. It distracted Styles just enough for Ambrose to get the win.
Despite being scheduled opponents, Styles and Ambrose were forced to team up at Survivor Series as part of Team SmackDown. The pair were unable to contain their disgust for one another, arguing during the match and eventually attacking each other. Ambrose was eliminated when Styles neglected to break up a pinfall attempt; Styles was eliminated when Ambrose returned later on, briefly reuniting with former Shield partners Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins of Team Raw to powerbomb Styles through a table.
The presence of Ellsworth – now holding three victories over Styles, as well as a brand new full-time contract – has infuriated Styles, mainly due to Ambrose continuously helping him out. After Styles viciously assaulted Ellsworth on SmackDown this week, Ambrose is out for blood. With a TLC match taking place on Sunday, anything goes.
Who will walk out of WWE TLC with the WWE World Championship?
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