– Former WWE Superstar Chris Benoit, who is banned from appearing on WWE programming or DVD releases, was featured briefly in a WWE TLC video package for the John Cena vs. Randy Orton title unification main event match. Benoit was shown being pinned by Orton during the package that aired on WWE Main Event this week.
– The following are some known independent wrestlers at the previously reported three-day WWE tryout camp going on this week at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida:
Ricochet (Dragon Gate USA)
Pepper Parks (CZW)
Bestia 666 (Lucha star and son of former WCW wrestler Damien 666)
Gaylon Summers (6’7” 270 lb. independent wrestler)
WWE has added a TLC PPV Kickoff Show preview clip to their official YouTube channel. The clip, which you can view below, is accompanied by the following description:
“THIS SUNDAY is WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. And it all starts with the FREE WWE TLC Kickoff which will feature a one-on-one battle between Dolph Ziggler and Fandango.
In addition to this clash of energetic Superstars the TLC 30 minute Kickoff show will feature expert analysis from a panel including The Miz and WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Mick Foley.
Who will emerge victorious when Ziggler and Fandango collide, or tango at TLC ? Find out THIS SUNDAY at 7:30e/4:30p, streaming live on WWE.com, the WWE App, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo, Samsung Smart TV’s, Google Plus and many more!”
On Tuesday night, WWE taped the 2013 Tribute To the Troops special, which will air on December 28th, almost two weeks after WWE’s TLC pay-per-view.
We heard from a few fans who were in attendance last night that World Heavyweight champion John Cena did not have the World Heavyweight title or the WWE Championship with him. Randy Orton did not appear at the show.
While this is does not mean anything definitive about the result of Sunday’s Unification match, title changes have been ‘spoiled’ before when champions appear at TV tapings without their belts.
According to online betting odds, which recently have been a pretty decent indication as to who is going to win pay-per-view matches, the following are the favorites for Sunday’s WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs show:
– John Cena favored to defeat Randy Orton
– The Shield favored to defeat CM Punk
– The Wyatt Family favored to defeat Daniel Bryan
– Big E. Langston heavily favored to defeat Damien Sandow
– Natalya favored to defeat AJ Lee
Make sure to check back here at the website this Sunday for the absolute best live results coverage of the WWE TLC pay-per-view.
WWE.com has published an interesting article looking at “Five Ways WWE Will be Changed After TLC” – when the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship are unified. Here’s a summary:
1. The Royal Rumble Match is changed: The winner of the Royal Rumble will no longer have to choose which champion he wants to face at WrestleMania, as there will be one Unified WWE Champion.
2. The Intercontinental Title Gets a Boost: The WWE Intercontinental title will be elevated and will once again become the second most coveted championship in WWE.
3. Money in the Bank Gets a Shake-Up: WWE teases whether the annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view will feature only 1 MITB match – or if there will be 2 separate MITB briefcase holders able to cash in on the Undisputed Champion.
4. The Field of Play Gets Tighter: With one less top title, there will be more people vying for the Unified WWE Championship.
5. The Best of the Best is Determined: No longer will fans have to debate who the top champion in WWE is (were we?). With a Unified champion, the ‘king’ of WWE will be very clear.
It was announced during the WWE television taping on Tuesday night in Portland, Oregon that at Sunday’s WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view, as we have been reporting for a while now, there will be a fatal four-way match for the WWE Tag-Team Championships.
At the WWE TLC pay-per-view on Sunday, current WWE Tag-Team Champions Goldust and Cody Rhodes will defend their titles against Big Show and Rey Mysterio, Ryback and Curtis Axel and The Real Americans.
– WrestlingDVDNews.com reports that a new WWE DVD projects is in the works for the Ultimate Warrior. Currently slated for an April release, the currently untitled project will be a 3 DVD / 2 Blu-Ray collection. No word yet on whether Warrior will be interviewed for it, but after his meeting with Vince McMahon during SummerSlam weekend and his involvement with the WWE 2K14 video game campaign, it’s certainly possible.
This will be WWE’s second Ultimate Warrior DVD release, following 2005’s controversial “Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior” – which led to a lawsuit.
Considering the timing of the project, it seems that Ultimate Warrior being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame could in fact take place next year.
– WWE has published a video showing how the 2013 WWE TLC pay-per-view poster was created:
“WWE Universe member, BlackHeron’s rendition of the WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs poster art!”
It was announced during the TLC “go-home” edition of WWE RAW on Monday night, which was also the Slammy Awards special, that Fandango will be facing Dolph Ziggler in the TLC Kickoff Show match.
Also announced for the TLC Kickoff Show is the “expert panel.” For the final WWE pay-per-view of 2013, WWE Hall Of Famers Mick Foley and Booker T will join WWE Superstar The Miz to hype up the TLC pay-per-view.
WWE Superstars and new tag-team Ryback and Curtis Axel were interviewed by WWE.com following their victory in a non-title match over the current WWE Tag-Team Champions Goldust and Cody Rhodes on SmackDown this past Friday night.
Ryback claimed that nobody is hotter than he and Axel right now in WWE. The two went on to talk about how they feel they deserve a WWE Tag-Team Championship shot.
WWE has yet to announce the official WWE Tag-Team Championship match for their upcoming TLC pay-per-view, however there have been rumors of a potential four-way match on the show for the tag-titles. The way WWE is booking Ryback and Axel, it appears as though whatever match they set up for the tag-titles at TLC, whether it be the rumored four-way or not, they will likely be involved.
The first son of Stu Hart and the oldest brother of Bret and Owen Hart, Smith Hart, recently commented on WWE’ Unifying the WWE Championship & the World Heavyweight championship:
“The problem is not with the unification itself, but rather the circumstances which surround it. First and foremost, a match of this calibre is something that should be built to over a period of time. “Hot-shotting” it to the next PPV with less than 3 weeks notice is such a waste of a golden opportunity. Second, the wrong talent are fighting for the opportunity.
Both Cena and Orton are fabulous superstars but both have reached their respective pinnacles. Part of the success of Jericho’s unification was the creation of a new top star, whom to this day lays claim to having beat both Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night to win the undisputed championship.”
– Monday’s December 2nd edition of WWE RAW drew a 2.65 rating, down WWE Raw on Monday, December 2 scored a 2.65 rating, down almost 10% from last year. This ties RAW’s lowest rating of the year (October 7th). As noted earlier, RAW averaged only 3.5 million viewers, making it the least-watched episode of RAW this year.
– To promote the upcoming Unification match at TLC, WWE.com has posted a feature looking at “the kids from OVW that changed WWE” – including John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar and Batista.
– In this week’s sit-down interview with Michael Cole, Triple H vows to crown a “Champion of Champions” at TLC:
“Triple H weighs in on the history of the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships and the significance of John Cena vs. Randy Orton at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs.”
– The debut edition of Chris Jericho’s “Talk Is Jericho” podcast, which features an interview with WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, is now available online. Fans interested in checking out the debut of Jericho’s new podcast can download it for free at PodcastOne.com.
– WWE Superstar and current World Heavyweight Champion John Cena recently took to Twitter to address the feedback from WWE fans regarding his upcoming title unification match against Randy Orton at the WWE TLC pay-per-view. Cena tweeted the following:
I truly have taken great pleasure in seeing the quite strong opinions of the @WWEUniverse in regards to #TLC
– WWE has added the latest edition of their “Backstage Fallout” series following Monday’s live WWE RAW show in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The video, which can be seen below, is accompanied by the following description: “Tons of Funk, Xavier Woods, R-Truth and The Miz react to this week’s Raw.”
– WWE announced a singles match between Goldust and Ryback for this week’s edition of WWE Main Event. The match was made official on this week’s edition of WWE RAW from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
– Also announced on RAW is the official new title for the top championship in WWE. As the result of a fan poll that took place on RAW, the man who wins the John Cena vs. Randy Orton match at TLC will be crowned the Unified Champion of WWE.
Comment below and tell us what you think about this new name.
Damien Sandow defeated Dolph Ziggler in a match on RAW to determine the number one contender to the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Because of the victory, Sandow will now battle Big E. Langston for the title in two weeks at the WWE TLC pay-per-view.
Also announced for the upcoming WWE TLC pay-per-view is a handicap match featuring CM Punk against all three members of The Shield. The match was made by the Director Of Operations Kane on this week’s RAW.
In Demand recently released the promotional poster for the 2014 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view. The poster is accompanied by the following description, which is pretty interesting when considering the upcoming WWE TLC pay-per-view main event stipulation:
WWE: Royal Rumble PPV Premiere: Sunday, January 26, 2014
Don’t miss John Cena, CM Punk, The Shield, and all your favorite WWE Superstars as they compete for the right to face the WWE or World Heavyweight Champion in the ultimate battle at WWE Royal Rumble, Sunday, January 26, at 8PMET/5PMPT.
It should be noted that this could always be a case of dated promotional materials, however many are speculating that when the WWE TLC pay-per-view concludes in two weeks, there will still be a WWE and a World Heavyweight Champion.
According to one source, there is said to be a lot of panic backstage in WWE right now regarding creative plans.
When the call was made to switch Daniel Bryan and Big Show in the WWE title picture, the idea was Big Show vs. Randy Orton in a main event match at Survivor Series, with them following up at the TLC pay-per-view with a Big Show vs. Triple H match. Plans then changed to have Orton vs. Big Show in a tables match, which is why Big Show chokeslammed Orton through the announce table on RAW a few weeks back.
At one point, there was an idea floating around that John Cena would feud with Big E. Langston for the World Heavyweight Championship, with Langston turning back heel. When Survivor Series was over, both of those matches were scrapped and the new TLC main event ended up as Cena vs. Orton for both of the titles. As recently reported, there is now talk of having that match serve as a unification match, despite originally not intending to unify the titles.
As far as the creative team is concerned, one WWE source noted that they are “burnt out and scared of who might not be there too much longer.”
It appears as though WWE has gone back and forth on their plans for the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship ever since the conclusion of the WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view earlier this month.
When Survivor Series ended, the plan, despite how it appeared on television, was not to have a unification match. On RAW the next night, WWE apparently went out of their way not to say the words “unification match,” but they are now apparently leaning towards having only one World Champion following Triple H’s latest sitdown interview with Michael Cole.
There has been speculation that the finish at the WWE TLC pay-per-view could see John Cena walk away as the WWE Champion and Randy Orton as the World Heavyweight Champion, with the two basically just reversing roles as far as their championship status is concerned. Whether or not WWE runs with that finish remains to be seen.
At the conclusion of Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series, World Heavyweight champion John Cena confronted WWE Champion Randy Orton after his match and teased a champion vs. champion showdown. On RAW, Triple H announced that the upcoming Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view will feature John Cena vs. Randy Orton in a TLC match – with both of their titles on the line. WWE stated that one man will walk out of TLC as the definitive champion – but stopped short of saying the WWE Championship & the World Heavyweight championship would be merged once again into a Unified Champion.
During his weekly sit-down interview with Michael Cole at WWE.com, Triple H said he “wants” there to be an Undisputed champion crowned at TLC – but WWE still has not formally announced or “gaura-damn-teed” that one of the belts (the World Heavyweight title) is going away.
This has led to many fans speculating that we’re in for yet another screwy finish at TLC. Will John Cena and Randy Orton each grab a belt and swap titles? Why hang 2 belts above the ring in the first place if the y want to crown one winner?
We want to know what you think – will there really be an Undisputed WWE Champion crowned at TLC? Vote in the poll above and comment below with your theories of who will be holding championship gold after TLC.
Posted November 29th, 2013 in News, WWE. Tagged: TLC.
Here’s the latest installment of “The YES! & The NO! of WWE RAW.” I may have a different perspective than you since I was live at Raw this week at The Nassau Colosseum! Comment below and tell us how you like the column and if you agree with this week’s picks.
Daniel Bryan & CM Punk cut a promo before facing The Wyatts
The obligatory rematch between The Wyatts and Daniel Bryan & CM Punk, took place on Raw. First a promo from “The Beard & The Best” CM Punk discussing team names, and asking questions allowing Daniel Bryan to answer them with a “Yes!”. Daniel Bryan got a chance to say more than just the three letter word that will follow him for the rest of his career.
I love Daniel Bryan, and so does the crowd. In fact you could hear Daniel Bryan chants during the opening segment, proving once again that this demotion was not “Best For Business” But more on that in the “NO!” section.
Any match can be enhanced with the crowd behind you. When you have top stars like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, the two most over Superstars at Raw, it can add just that little more energy to the match.
CM Punk made a comment about Triple H and the authority in the opening promo, and wouldn’t know it after Daniel Bryan was “Kidnapped” by the Wyatts. CM Punk was laid out by The Shield. I wonder if that marks the end of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk together, because I was enjoying that. Time will tell.
Who would have thought Goldust would be having great matches alongside his brother in 2013!
The Shield vs The Rhodes and Rey Mysterio
I have never been a fan of Tag Teams growing up watching the WWE. I must say however, though all the missteps, and bad booking since SummerSlam, The WWE has a great tag team division. This, of course includes The Shield and The Wyatt factions. Day in and day out these teams from The Veteran Golddust, to newer WWE talent in The Shield and The USO’s, are having great matches. I am thoroughly enjoying watching these teams work.
The Kosher Butcher!
The Kosher Butcher Superstars for Sandy Relief Auction winner, ” Charlie Tebele was interviewed by Jerry “The King” Lawler. When asked if he were to be a WWE Superstar, what would his name be. Charlie was prepared, with a blue T-shirt and a great gimmick “The Kosher Butcher” He even went as far to come up with his finisher, The Circumcision! At first the crowd didn’t know what to make of this. Not sure if this was shown on TV, but The Kosher Butcher had at least a dozen of his friends and family at Raw, all wearing their Blue shirts! Great stuff. Half way during the Xavier Woods match, and some further thought, the crowd broke out into chants of both “Kosher Butcher” and “Circumcision”, add that to the list of most bizarre Raw chants.
Great Stuff.
Hit up Page 2 below for the “NO!” of this week’s WWE RAW:
The following are highlights from the latest sit-down interview between Triple H and Michael Cole from the official WWE website:
On the goal behind unifying the belt at the WWE TLC PPV: “The goal is one champion. The goal being one champion at the end of the night. One Undisputed WWE champion. Let’s face it – with the brand extension no longer in effect, there is no need for two champions; we only need one… I want there to be one Undisputed WWE champion; the championship that was held by all the greats. Bruno Sammartino, (Bob) Backlund, Bret (Hart), (Hulk) Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Rock, (Steve) Austin, myself, Cena. All the greats. I want there to be one champion who represents this company going into the new year.”
On CM Punk’s dig at him on RAW this past Monday: “I didn’t happen to see C.M. Punk’s promo Monday night because I was a little bit busy creating the biggest match in WWE history. That being said, C.M. Punk says a lot of things; he runs his mouth a lot. It doesn’t make a difference to me. It’s irrelevant to me. He can say whatever he wants. I’m not phased by it. All I care about is C.M. Punk shows up and does his job.”
Check out the complete interview online at WWE.com.
It was announced on Monday’s WWE RAW from Long Island, New York that the main event of next month’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view will feature a historic Champion vs. Champion match.
WWE Champion Randy Orton will face World Heavyweight champion John Cena in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs match.
Although John Cena was pushing for both titles to be unified, and Stephanie McMahon did say that she and Triple H have considered the idea before – at this time, it does not appear that the two titles will be unified. WWE.com’s official preview for Champion vs. Champion match reads:
“Who will be left standing with both the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships when the dust settles?”
Already, our Twitter follows are suggesting that the match will end with John Cena grabbing the WWE Championship and Randy Orton grabbing the World Heavyweight title – with the two superstars essentially swapping titles. Comment below and tell us how you think this one will pan out.
WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs takes place on Sunday, December 15.