WWE Main Event
December 11, 2013
Announcers: Josh Matthews & The Miz
*Dolph Ziggler vs. Curtis Axel w/Ryback
Dolph will take on Fandango on the Kick-Off show on Sunday, while Axel will be part of the Fatal 4-Way tag team title shot. The TLC set-up is already around the ring, including the two title belts hanging over the ring. Anyone remember Dolph beating John Cena in the main event of TLC last year? No, oh okay. Feeling out process to start, with Dolph working a headlock, reversed by Axel who then hits a dropkick. Ziggler takes over with a headlock again as a Goldberg chant starts for Ryback. Dolph hits the 10 elbow drops for a two. Axel takes over with some clubbing blows, but Ziggler hits a running clothesline and goes for the Zig-Zag, but Axel holds onto the ropes. Ziggler then goes for a Stinger Splash in the corner, but Axel moves and Ziggler falls to the outside as we go to a COMMERCIAL BREAK. We come back with Axel in control with a headlock, Dolph fights out of it, but runs into a backbreaker from Axel for two. Axel yells at Dolph saying he’s better than Perfect, kind of funny considering Dolph more closely compares Mr. Perfect than his own son. Axel hits a running knee for two. Headlock again, but Dolph hits a jawbreaker to break and then a reverse body-slam and both men are down. Dolph hits a Stinger Splash and then a neckbreaker out of the corner for two. Axel hits a clothesline for two. They announce the Kick-Off Panel will be Josh, Miz, Foley and Booker T. Axel goes for a slam, but Dolph escapes and hits the Sleeper, but Axel runs into the corner. Dolph hits a fame-asser for two. Dolph goes up top, but Axel stops him and hits a Perfect-plex out of the corner. Dolph hits a jumping DDT for two. Ryback gets up on the apron and Dolph knocks him off, but Axel hits his neckbreaker for two. Meh, okay match as Dolph brought it especially at the end, but Axel and Ryback for that matter, just seem like two of the most vanilla guys, especially with no mouthpiece. 1 for 1
*Natalya vs. Alicia Fox
Don’t think I’ve ever sat and watched an Alicia Fox, including the classic Alicia Fox-Melina match. WHAT? Headlock sequence to start, and then Natalya rolls up Alicia for two. If you haven’t heard, Total Divas is on the E network. Alicia hits a kick of some sort for two. Alicia then locks in a headscissors. Yeah, Josh I’m sure it’s very hard to prepare a match for Alicia Fox. Natalya fights out of the headscissors, but Alicia goes for a tilt-a-whirl, but Natalya falls on top for two. Alicia misses and corner charge and Natalya hits some clotheslines. Alicia goes for a sunset flip, but Natalya rolls through and hits a sharpshooter and Alicia taps out quickly. I guess it was good enough for a point, as it did it’s job of establishing Natalya for the Divas title match. 2 for 2
*Raw Recap going over the skirmish at the end of Raw. Man you can’t keep teasing Bryan/HBK without delivering something there.
*Tons of Funk w/Funkadactyls vs. Xavier Woods & R-Truth
Hopefully this is building to a Funkadactyls on a Pole match. I guess Sweet T is Albert’s officially name now, not just a nickname. Sweet T starts with Xavier Woods. Xavier Woods hits a lot of kicks and uses his speed, but T hits a big shoulder-block and Brodus comes in and works over Woods but Woods hits an enziguri and makes the hot tag and Truth comes in with a missile dropkick and then a dropkick to Brodus’s leg. Clay rolls out of the ring and Truth tries for a plancha onto Tons of Funk but the catch him, but then Woods comes over the top with a somersault onto all three and we go to a COMMERCIAL BREAK. We come back with Brodus working over Truth and hits a leg drop and then tags out to Sweet T. T hits a double underhook suplex. T locks in a nerve hold, but Truth fights out of it. Brodus comes in and goes back to the nerve hold. Miz uses the old Bobby Heenan line about how people are talking about TLC in the airports. Truth fights out of the nerve hold and hits a running kick and tags out to Xavier Woods and hits a DDT on Clay for two. Woods hits a clothesline out of a somersault for two. Brodus hits a headbutt and goes for a powerbomb, but Woods fights out of it and makes a blind tag to Truth and Truth rolls up Clay for the win. After the match Brodus attacks R-Truth and hits a powerslam. Clay goes for a splash, but Sweet T stands in his way and Clay pushes Sweet T and then get nose to nose, before Clay walks off. Formulaic tag match, but at least there’s enough teams nowadays that they can actually have formulaic tag teams, between teams. 3 for 3
Final Thoughts: Okay show, no great matches though. Enjoy TLC followed by three weeks of shows that don’t matter until they start the build to Royal Rumble.
