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AMBROSE AND ROLLINS DO ALL THEY CAN TO SAVE THE NIGHT, THE NXT LOCKER ROOM CAN TAKE A DEEP BREATH, RYBACK FEEDS KANE MORE, AJ IS NO MATCH FOR AEROSOL FEMALE PRODUCTS, SEE THE NEW BOSS-SAME AS THE OLD BOSS, CENA AIN'T IN THE MAIN EVENT, CLEVELAND DIDN'T REALLY CARE ABOUT BIG SHOW, BUT CLEVELAND LOVES MIZDOW, WHAT A MATCH TO OPEN THE SHOW - ONGOING WWE TLC PPV BLOG

The main thing on the pre-game show was the Blue Day (sorry, that is what I call them with those outfits) beating Gold and Star Dust. It was fine for what it was, and that was the newer team is getting the push and the older team isn’t.

The show is opening up with Luke Harper defending his Intercontinental Title against Dolph Ziggler in a ladder match. Dolph came out first and got a great pop. They put over that he was in his hometown, which is a shoot.

Both guys started out early grabbing ladders, to get the plunder involved early. Harper got the better of it and was throwing Dolph around like a rag doll early on the floor. He then went up on the ladder to get the belt, but Harper kicked him in the face to stop that. Harper went on the floor and set up a ladder between the ring and the announce table. He went to put Zig on it but he got away. Not for long though as Harper dumped him on the floor and went to work on him. Then Harper took him in the ring and kept it going until Zig came back tried to use the ladder on him. It didn’t work. Zig went to the floor and Luke throw a ladder on him. He tried to follow with a tope but hit the ladder and opened a cut on his arm. OUCH. Zig ran back in the ring and went up the ladder but Luke stopped him. Zig got dumped in the ring. Harper then went to work setting up the plunder. But before he could use it, Zig made his comeback but it didn’t last long as he got powerbombed on a ladder propped in the middle turnbuckle. They talked about Zig’s welts from the abuse and they are a shoot. Zig is taking a beating. He is getting beaten up and they are selling that he needs the hometown fans to bring him back. Zig got color from a ladder spit in the rope. As the doctor checked on Dolph, Harper went up the ladder. Dolph blew the doc off and stopped it, with both taking a fall. You know, if that color was planned I am OK with it, it has added to the match. And yeah, I know I am anti blood for the most part. … Dolph got out of a power bomb spot on the ladder and crushed Luke’s face on it instead. Dolph almost got the belt but Harper came up to meet him so Dolph turned it into a DDT off of the top of the ladder. Very cool. Th crowd is behind him as they do dueling ladder spots. Both guys have blood on them. Legit blood. Dolph used a ladder to blast Harper off of the apron onto the ladder Luke set up earlier. Zig got all the way to the top but Harper dumped him before he could get the belt and the fans chanted this is awesome. They are right. Thanks NXT for Thursday’s show because I feel you tonight. … Zig used his ladder to blast Harper and then went up, but Harper didn’t quit and caught him. This is great stuff. They set ladders up side by side and Dolph knocked Harper off, grabbed the belt and won the title in his hometown. Awesome match, awesome reaction, awesome start to the show. The booking was great because both guys looked great and the announcers sold that after the match.

Next up is the Tag Title match. The Usos came out first. The got a bit of a pop. Before the champs came out, the crowd was already popping for Mizdow. They showed a video where Miz told Naomi that he wins tonight, she wins too. All doors will be open. God I hope they don’t go there and make her turn on her husband for such a stupid reason. Anyway, Miz started for his team and the crowd wanted Mizdow. Miz was great early on doing his role as double. For some reason the announcers were calling Mizdow an idiot. Well, someone is, but it’s the person telling the announcers to call the guy an idiot when the crowd likes him. JBL is the only guy sticking up for Mizdow. Unreal. This has a bad “the crowd was popping for the Big Swing for Cesaro” feel to it. … Anyway, Miz has worked the whole match up until now, in charge at times and not at others. Dow is just aping everything Miz does. Finally, Miz decides to take a powder. One of the Usos came out of the ring and hit Dow. Miz then hit the Uso with the Slammy and they got DQ’d. It was OK, but more story than match. The crowd loved Dow and didn’t really care that much about the other three.

Byron then interviewed Seth Rollins about his match with John Cena. Rollins put over HHH and Steph. He mentioned that Cena sent them home. He said that Cena made a plan (he didn’t) but the man responsible for it happening was Sting, and he is not there. He said he doesn’t have to pin Cena. he just has to put him through a table. And then he takes Cena’s Title shot away. Rollins will stop at nothing until Cena brings the Authority back.

The Stairs match with Big Show and Erick Rowan is next.

Big Show started out in control of Rowan but Big Red came back. This is all about them fighting on the floor, with lots of ring steps around the ring. Then Show took Rowan back in the ring. Well for a second anyway. Then it was back on the floor. Show was in control, but the crowd chanted that Big Show sucked. Rowan has blood on his hand as Show set up stairs around the ring. Rowan kept trying to come back, to no avail. … Show was in control as the fans chanted “boring”. That is the problem with Big Show matches at times. Anyway, Rowan came back and slammed Rowan on a set of steps. Rowan then went ip to the second rope and tried to ram Show with a second set of stairs but Show moved. On the floor, Show blasted Rowan through a bunch of stairs that were set up on the ramp way. They are working hard, but it just doesn’t seem like it’s resonating with the fans and I think that is due to how both have been booked. Back in the ring, Rowan blocked Show from using the stairs, but then got caught in a chokeslam onto a set of them, followed by the knockout. Show seemed to go for the fall but got up and used the stairs to pin Rowan. No reaction from the crowd at all. The announcers tried to sell that Show was showing respect to Rowan. Uh, no. It didn’t seem that way at all. It just seemed like an old guy beat a young guy, again. As for the match, they worked hard but the booking sucked. The fans didn’t care at all, and that was on merit.

Click to page two for more thoughts from tonight’s show!