This past Sunday saw SmackDown Live host their final brand-exclusive PPV of the year in the form of TLC: Table, Ladders & Chairs. The event was headlined by AJ Styles defending his World Heavyweight Title against Dean Ambrose in a TLC match.
There was also the culmination of a number of lengthy feuds, including Nikki Bella vs. Carmella, Baron Corbin vs. Kalisto and, most notably, The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler who squared off for the final time in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship.
So what would SmackDown Live pull out of the bag, before next month’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view as we prepare to set off on the road to WrestleMania 33?
#1 Miz dedicates victory to Daniel Bryan
After retaining his Intercontinental Title in his ladder match against Dolph Ziggler, The Miz would get on the microphone and dedicate his victory to Smackdown Live General Manager, Daniel Bryan.
The back and forth between Miz and Bryan has been entertaining for the most part but is starting to become repetitive. There needs to be something added to this story soon, as it has been going round in circles in recent weeks. Hopefully, that will come now that Miz has finished his feud with Ziggler.
Where do you think this story is heading, will Miz end up being transferred to Raw or could this possibly lead to the in-ring return of Daniel Bryan?
#2 Nikki beats Carmella
Next up was the ’No Disqualification’ match between Nikki Bella and her long-time foe, Carmella. It was Nikki Bella, who was victorious in this fairly sloppy match.
It maybe a bit harsh to criticise this match, as both women worked hard and put their bodies on the line in a physical bout, however, the execution of the majority of moves looked awkward and prevented me from getting fully invested in the match.
Also, I personally thought that Carmella would have benefitted more from winning, as it would have established her as a top heel on SmackDown’s Women’s division.
#3 - Natalya revealed as Nikki’s attacker
The story didn’t end with Nikki’s victory, however, as Nikki made her exit, Carmella would get on the mic and claim to have some news for her.
Carmella went on to announce that Natalya attacked Nikki before the 5-on-5 Women’s match at Survivor Series.
This was an odd way to announce the mysterious attacker and it got almost no reaction from the crowd. Also, Natalya would later claim that Carmella was lying and it wasn’t her who attacked Nikki at Survivor Series, so it looks like this story is going to drag out for a bit longer, oh joy.
#4 The Miz retains
In the final meeting between long-term rivals The Miz and Dolph Ziggler, it was Miz who secured victory and in doing so, retained his Intercontinental Championship. This was far from the best match that the two men have had in their recent series, which is a shame, as their feud has been one of the highlights of Smackdown Live since the brand split.
There was nothing wrong with the match itself and it just felt as though the rivalry had lost some of its buzz and the fans were ready to see both Miz and Ziggler go on to fresh feuds.
#5 The Wyatts win tag team gold
The opening match of the night was the tag team title bout between defending Champions, Heath Slater & Rhyno and their challengers, Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton. The champions were certainly the underdogs in this match, and it came as no surprise, to see Bray & Orton pick up the victory and become the new Smackdown tag team champions.
This was a decent, albeit short, opening match; although the outcome was fairly predictable. Still, Bray Wyatt’s first title reign in WWE was long overdue, and it will be interesting to see where the unlikely alliance between Bray and Randy goes from here.
#6 Corbin defeats Kalisto
In a match that exceeded most people’s expectations, Baron Corbin would pick up the victory over Kalisto in an intense, physical encounter. This was an enjoyable match to watch, and both men came out looking strong. Kalisto put up a hell of a fight, against his physically superior opponent but came up short against Corbin.
I don’t believe this loss will hurt Kalisto, however, as his performance will overshadow his defeat. Baron Corbin also had a strong performance and looked strong in victory.
It will be interesting to see where both men go from here.
#7 New Women’s Champion: Alexa Bliss
In what must go down as a shock victory, Alexa Bliss defeated Becky Lynch to become the new SmackDown Women’s champion. While this was a surprising outcome, I believe this is a good call by WWE as Bliss had impressed in this feud and her victory establishes her as a major player in the division.
Also, I don’t think this defeat hurts Becky, as it can be put down to a fluke loss in a tables match and she can come back even stronger in trying to reclaim the championship.
There was also no obvious contender for Lynch to face if she had defeated Bliss, so it makes sense to extend this feud for a little while longer.
#8 “Holy S**t!” moments
Forget about “Say What?” moments for a second, the main event match between Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles was full of “Holy S**t!” moments.
In arguably the best match of this feud and certainly the match of the night, Ambrose and Styles would deliver stellar performances in their TLC match for the WWE World Title.
There were two spots in the match that stood out above others. The first saw AJ Styles laid out on one commentator table giving Ambrose the opportunity to set up a ladder on top of an adjacent commentator table and deliver a diving elbow drop to the ‘Phenomenal One’.
The second notable spot was when Styles, not to be outdone by his opponent, executed a spectacular springboard ‘450 splash’ to Ambrose on the outside through a table. But who would get the win in this match and walk out as WWE World Champion?
#9 Ellsworth costs Ambrose the World Title
This outstanding match was unfortunately ruined by Smackdown’s resident killjoy, James Ellsworth.
I had hoped that after AJ Styles’ brutal attack on him this past Tuesday, we wouldn’t wouldn't see Ellsworth at TLC, but down he came towards the end of the match to overshadow the fantastic performance that Styles and Ambrose had just delivered.
Ellsworth would shock the WWE Universe by shoving Dean Ambrose off the ladder and through two tables when the ‘Lunatic Fringe’ was inches away from reclaiming the WWE World Championship, which allowed AJ Styles to climb the ladder and retain.
But why would Ellsworth do this to his apparent ally? He went on to give an answer on the post-TLC edition of ‘Talking Smack’.
#10 World Title match this Tuesday
James Ellsworth’s said that he cost Ambrose the victory because he feels that he has AJ Styles’ number and would rather face him in his upcoming World Championship match. Ellsworth claimed that he didn’t screw Dean Ambrose in this match, but I’m not sure Ambrose will see it that way and will surely be looking for revenge this Tuesday.
It was also announced on ‘Talking Smack’ that Ellsworth will get his aforementioned title shot on this week’s edition of Smackdown Live. Surely James Ellsworth won’t become WWE World Champion this Tuesday, will he?
Let us know your thoughts on the James Ellsworth saga in the comments below.
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