3:40 PM PST: I decided to live-blog this as best I can. There will be no editing here; you're going to get my reactions as they come. I'm not going to try to provide commentary during the matches, but I will give my thoughts on what's going to happen and what did happen as the matches end and the night continues.
And yes, I am fucking psyched that the SD Women's Championship match being the main event, just as it should be.
3:55 PM PST: So far, I've been right and I've been wrong.
My predictions have been off regarding the pre-show. I said it would be the Natalya/Ruby match and the SD Tag Championship match. I was wrong. It was the Cruiserweight Championship and the Elias/Bobby Lashley Ladder match. As far as booking, more or less, I was correct. I predicted Buddy Murphy would retain, and that was correct. I wish they had a longer match, but it was still really good.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 1.
As far as Elias/Bobby, I said that Bobby was going to be the winner, and I was wrong as far as the match itself but he did end up standing strong, and Elias is indeed picking splinters out of his back, and the booking of the match was pretty good. So I got that goin' for me...
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 2.
4:13 PM PST: WHY ARE THEY OPENING TLC WITH THE MMC CHAMPIONSHIP??!!???!!!
This absolutely should have been Mahalicia. But I guess they wanted that payoff joke with R-Truth saying that they're going to Stamford... so, whatever.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 3.
4:18 PM PST: I wouldn't have wanted the SD Tag Championship match to start the show either. This is a TLC PPV. It needed to start with an actual match that involved one of these elements. Putting together a PPV is like putting together a mix tape (kids, ask your parents); you start with a song that could easily finish the tape. It's more Booking 101.
4:34 PM PST: The flurry of Uso superkicks was the highlight of that match, and everything was booked really well to make it seem like Jimmy and Jey were going to be the winners... but The Bar retained, so that's another pick that was wrong. Oh, well...
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 4.
4:37 PM PST: This is a really odd place to have the Corbin/Strowman TLC match, but at least it's a TLC match in a TLC in a PPV. This should have been a lot closer to the end.
4:49 PM PST: Okay, so again, I was waaaay off with that finish, but that was fun as all hell. Slater taking off the ref shirt was the highlight of that match... at least, until Kurt Angle came out. That was a real crowd-pleaser of a "match". It gave us a lot of opportunities to pop. I was still really hoping that once Braun announced that he was going to have "help", that the help was going to be Bray Wyatt. That would have been an INSANE pop. I'm now kind of looking forward to Vince coming out tomorrow night.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 5 (this is getting ugly).
4:51 PM PST: So now we've got Natalya/Ruby. Again, I don't understand why they're putting two stipulation matches in a row out, but again, at least there are stipulation matches this year.
5:07 PM PST: Wow. I'm really shocked that Nattie got that win, but I'm starting to get the feeling that they're getting the feel-good stuff out of the way relatively early so they get get to the sadder stuff. But the jacket and the table with the standee of Ruby on it... that was good stuff.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 6.
5:12 PM PST: Now that this match between Finn and Drew is actually happening, I'm fucking stoked. But if Finn ends up going over, as much as I love the man, I'm just going to give this shit up.
5:28 PM PST: I'm giving up (no, not really). I never ever in a million years would have thought that Finn was going over. It was smart booking to have Dolph come in and introduce the chair. This is maybe a turning point for Finn at long last. It could potentially have negative effects for Drew as well, but we'll see. All in all, a good match for a somewhat dead crowd.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 7 (it seems so easy on paper to book the way you'd think Vince would book).
5:32 PM PST: Now it's time for Randy to learn to love the taste of steel. I'm not expecting a great match here, but I'm sure it'll be good. Although it's clear they're saving all the big matches for the last hour or so.
5:49 PM PST: As I stated on Twitter just a few minutes ago, there's nothing quite like a Randy Orton match to drain the momentum out of a PPV. But at least I actually got FINALLY my second one right.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 2 for 8.
5:51 PM PST: Looks like that Finn is about to get into a rivalry with Dolph, and I can get behind that.
5:52 PM PST: A surprising place to put the Ronda/Nia match. I figured that this spot was going to A.J./Daniel, but we're getting the most predictable match out of the way. Look, I'm not one to shit on pro wrestlers a lot, but Nia had some really good heat going from the Becky Lynch debacle, but she's been cutting some really really awful promos since then.
6:11 PM PST: That was absolutely, without a doubt, the BEST I've ever seen Ronda in a WWE ring, performance-wise. It wasn't t...
WAIT BECKY JUST BEAT THE FUCK OUT OF NIA AND I NEARLY DROPPED THIS LAPTOP BECAUSE IT WAS SO FUCKING AWESOME AND I WANT TO WEEP TEARS OF JOY
Where was I? Anyway, I was going to say that this could have been a classic if it wasn't against Nia. But Ronda did actual wrestling moves! A takeover 'rana followed by a top-rope crossbody!! And there was a second flying crossbody! Ronda killed it in this match.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 3 for 9.
6:17 PM PST: It's time for A.J./New Daniel. This should be really good. It's a weird angle to play, but apparently Daniel wants to remove the leather from the championship belt, and I love that he's becoming the Environmentalist Heel. That's a weird heel angle, but hey, if people end up learning something about the environment, that's a plus.
6:45 PM PST: Daniel calls himself Mr. Small Package for a reason (and it's not the reason you think)! That was a terrific match and it deserved a slightly more alive audience, but they eventually woke up near the end...
MY PICK VS RESULT: 4 for 10
6:47 PM PST: But wait, why is Charly talking to Ronda about Charlotte? I guess we'll see.
6:49 PM PST: Watching this moment with Roman still breaks my heart. Get well, Joe.
6:52 PM PST: I'm still not on board with Dean's heel turn, but not for the reasons you might think. I just think that Creative didn't really establish a good reason for it. I still want him to come out in a gas mask, but I'm digging the hell out of the the addition of the air-raid siren to his entrance music! These two are going to throw the fuck down, and I can't wait.
7:20 PM PST: First and foremost, FUCK this San Jose crowd. They've sucked almost all night, and while these two former brothers were having a really strong match from a storytelling standpoint, the crowd was doing "This is boring" chants?? Just fuck you, San Jose.
Aside from that, I loved this match for its storytelling alone. Not the most physical match as far as big spots, but it told a really fucking compelling story. Great stuff.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 5 for 11.
7:24 PM PST: THE MAN IS COMING AROUND.
7:58 PM PST: And while I didn't anticipate Ronda costing Becky and Charlotte the match, I think that's Brilliant with a capital "B" booking. It gives Asuka her long-deserved title, and it gives Becky the strongest impetus possible to win the Rumble. That was a fucking hellacious match with loads and loads of great brutality, really strong character moments and just phenomenal booking. Was it everything I wanted from a triple-threat between these three superstars? Not really, but when you're dealing with a TLC match, you tend to try to keep it as short as possible so that no one really gets hurt, so I don't mind at all that they didn't go as long as I would have preferred. Congratulations to Asuka for finally getting that damn title and congrats to WWE for booking this match in a way that is going to give everyone what they really want at the Rumble and Mania!!!
MY PICK VS RESULT: 6 for 12. So... 50/50 booking?
8:03 PM PST: While I certainly didn't see some of these matches' results coming, that, in a way, is a good thing because it means they can still surprise me! If I were to give this PPV a grade, it would be a very solid B. The matches were in weird order for the most part, and there were definitely times I just tuned out (Randy), but most of the matches definitely held my interest and some were just plain terrific.
Until next time, kids...
And yes, I am fucking psyched that the SD Women's Championship match being the main event, just as it should be.
3:55 PM PST: So far, I've been right and I've been wrong.
My predictions have been off regarding the pre-show. I said it would be the Natalya/Ruby match and the SD Tag Championship match. I was wrong. It was the Cruiserweight Championship and the Elias/Bobby Lashley Ladder match. As far as booking, more or less, I was correct. I predicted Buddy Murphy would retain, and that was correct. I wish they had a longer match, but it was still really good.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 1.
As far as Elias/Bobby, I said that Bobby was going to be the winner, and I was wrong as far as the match itself but he did end up standing strong, and Elias is indeed picking splinters out of his back, and the booking of the match was pretty good. So I got that goin' for me...
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 2.
4:13 PM PST: WHY ARE THEY OPENING TLC WITH THE MMC CHAMPIONSHIP??!!???!!!
This absolutely should have been Mahalicia. But I guess they wanted that payoff joke with R-Truth saying that they're going to Stamford... so, whatever.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 3.
4:18 PM PST: I wouldn't have wanted the SD Tag Championship match to start the show either. This is a TLC PPV. It needed to start with an actual match that involved one of these elements. Putting together a PPV is like putting together a mix tape (kids, ask your parents); you start with a song that could easily finish the tape. It's more Booking 101.
4:34 PM PST: The flurry of Uso superkicks was the highlight of that match, and everything was booked really well to make it seem like Jimmy and Jey were going to be the winners... but The Bar retained, so that's another pick that was wrong. Oh, well...
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 4.
4:37 PM PST: This is a really odd place to have the Corbin/Strowman TLC match, but at least it's a TLC match in a TLC in a PPV. This should have been a lot closer to the end.
4:49 PM PST: Okay, so again, I was waaaay off with that finish, but that was fun as all hell. Slater taking off the ref shirt was the highlight of that match... at least, until Kurt Angle came out. That was a real crowd-pleaser of a "match". It gave us a lot of opportunities to pop. I was still really hoping that once Braun announced that he was going to have "help", that the help was going to be Bray Wyatt. That would have been an INSANE pop. I'm now kind of looking forward to Vince coming out tomorrow night.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 5 (this is getting ugly).
4:51 PM PST: So now we've got Natalya/Ruby. Again, I don't understand why they're putting two stipulation matches in a row out, but again, at least there are stipulation matches this year.
5:07 PM PST: Wow. I'm really shocked that Nattie got that win, but I'm starting to get the feeling that they're getting the feel-good stuff out of the way relatively early so they get get to the sadder stuff. But the jacket and the table with the standee of Ruby on it... that was good stuff.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 6.
5:12 PM PST: Now that this match between Finn and Drew is actually happening, I'm fucking stoked. But if Finn ends up going over, as much as I love the man, I'm just going to give this shit up.
5:28 PM PST: I'm giving up (no, not really). I never ever in a million years would have thought that Finn was going over. It was smart booking to have Dolph come in and introduce the chair. This is maybe a turning point for Finn at long last. It could potentially have negative effects for Drew as well, but we'll see. All in all, a good match for a somewhat dead crowd.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 1 for 7 (it seems so easy on paper to book the way you'd think Vince would book).
5:32 PM PST: Now it's time for Randy to learn to love the taste of steel. I'm not expecting a great match here, but I'm sure it'll be good. Although it's clear they're saving all the big matches for the last hour or so.
5:49 PM PST: As I stated on Twitter just a few minutes ago, there's nothing quite like a Randy Orton match to drain the momentum out of a PPV. But at least I actually got FINALLY my second one right.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 2 for 8.
5:51 PM PST: Looks like that Finn is about to get into a rivalry with Dolph, and I can get behind that.
5:52 PM PST: A surprising place to put the Ronda/Nia match. I figured that this spot was going to A.J./Daniel, but we're getting the most predictable match out of the way. Look, I'm not one to shit on pro wrestlers a lot, but Nia had some really good heat going from the Becky Lynch debacle, but she's been cutting some really really awful promos since then.
6:11 PM PST: That was absolutely, without a doubt, the BEST I've ever seen Ronda in a WWE ring, performance-wise. It wasn't t...
WAIT BECKY JUST BEAT THE FUCK OUT OF NIA AND I NEARLY DROPPED THIS LAPTOP BECAUSE IT WAS SO FUCKING AWESOME AND I WANT TO WEEP TEARS OF JOY
Where was I? Anyway, I was going to say that this could have been a classic if it wasn't against Nia. But Ronda did actual wrestling moves! A takeover 'rana followed by a top-rope crossbody!! And there was a second flying crossbody! Ronda killed it in this match.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 3 for 9.
6:17 PM PST: It's time for A.J./New Daniel. This should be really good. It's a weird angle to play, but apparently Daniel wants to remove the leather from the championship belt, and I love that he's becoming the Environmentalist Heel. That's a weird heel angle, but hey, if people end up learning something about the environment, that's a plus.
6:45 PM PST: Daniel calls himself Mr. Small Package for a reason (and it's not the reason you think)! That was a terrific match and it deserved a slightly more alive audience, but they eventually woke up near the end...
MY PICK VS RESULT: 4 for 10
6:47 PM PST: But wait, why is Charly talking to Ronda about Charlotte? I guess we'll see.
6:49 PM PST: Watching this moment with Roman still breaks my heart. Get well, Joe.
6:52 PM PST: I'm still not on board with Dean's heel turn, but not for the reasons you might think. I just think that Creative didn't really establish a good reason for it. I still want him to come out in a gas mask, but I'm digging the hell out of the the addition of the air-raid siren to his entrance music! These two are going to throw the fuck down, and I can't wait.
7:20 PM PST: First and foremost, FUCK this San Jose crowd. They've sucked almost all night, and while these two former brothers were having a really strong match from a storytelling standpoint, the crowd was doing "This is boring" chants?? Just fuck you, San Jose.
Aside from that, I loved this match for its storytelling alone. Not the most physical match as far as big spots, but it told a really fucking compelling story. Great stuff.
MY PICK VS RESULT: 5 for 11.
7:24 PM PST: THE MAN IS COMING AROUND.
7:58 PM PST: And while I didn't anticipate Ronda costing Becky and Charlotte the match, I think that's Brilliant with a capital "B" booking. It gives Asuka her long-deserved title, and it gives Becky the strongest impetus possible to win the Rumble. That was a fucking hellacious match with loads and loads of great brutality, really strong character moments and just phenomenal booking. Was it everything I wanted from a triple-threat between these three superstars? Not really, but when you're dealing with a TLC match, you tend to try to keep it as short as possible so that no one really gets hurt, so I don't mind at all that they didn't go as long as I would have preferred. Congratulations to Asuka for finally getting that damn title and congrats to WWE for booking this match in a way that is going to give everyone what they really want at the Rumble and Mania!!!
MY PICK VS RESULT: 6 for 12. So... 50/50 booking?
8:03 PM PST: While I certainly didn't see some of these matches' results coming, that, in a way, is a good thing because it means they can still surprise me! If I were to give this PPV a grade, it would be a very solid B. The matches were in weird order for the most part, and there were definitely times I just tuned out (Randy), but most of the matches definitely held my interest and some were just plain terrific.
Until next time, kids...
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