This is the only post PPV feature that will attempt to grade out how everyone who appeared on the PPV did. Teams will be treated as a unit with standout performers highlighted. To see a quick breakdown of the match and who won, just click that wrestler’s name. Let’s get to the Report Card for TLC!
Christian: B-
Christian was good in the ring tonight, but he was expected to provide structure, which ended up being the low point of the match. His selling was solid, but inconsistent. Still, it’s hard to grade too low for a guy who took those bumps and put on that kind of match in the opener.
Shelton Benjamin: A-
Shelton got the spots of the night in the opener and showed he could hang with (at worst) upper mid-carder Christian and can carry ECW in the short term should Christian be needed on a different show. The WWE trusts him in the ring, letting him work with and get ready the next generation, so with a bit more personality, he’s still young enough to be a star.
Morrison looked great here for several reasons. The first of these was that he didn’t get left behind thanks to McIntyre’s intensity. Next, he worked hard and bumped great, even in defeat. Finally, he put on a great match without needing to steal the show. Morrison just might be ready to become a true star.
Drew McIntyre: A+
No one left the night looking better than McIntyre. His offense was snug and impressive, his selling top notch, he managed to keep his heelishness and his cowardliness in tact while still being tough, have arguably the match of the night, and be put over by Vince McMahon. Yeah, this was a good night for McIntyre.
Mickie James: D
She brought fire sure, but in the worst match of the night, she needed so much more. With no structure and poor selling, she barely avoided a failing grade.
McCool looked incredibly poor. She didn’t sell well, didn’t structure the match, didn’t draw heat, and, finally, her finisher kick looked entirely generic and unconvincing for a finish.
John Cena: B
Cena was hurt or sold great, which made his performance quite impressive either way. He definitely built and worked around Sheamus’s inadequacies, keeping him dangerous without seeming vulnerable.
Sheamus: C
For a guy that beat Cena, he sure didn’t look dangerous. His thus far ever-present swagger was missing and it was clear he wasn’t ready for the main event, regardless of how hard Cena worked to cover that up. He feels like a pretender at this point and the booking for the finish with the “maybe Cena slipped†angle really didn’t do him any favors.
He’s slow and clearly hurting. If his Wrestlemania match isn’t going to be huge a disappointment, he needs time off and it doesn’t seem he’ll get time. He’s over and surely draws, but at what cost to his long term health?
Batista: D
Undertaker is hurt, so what’s Batista’s excuse for his clunker? He was getting an F before his post match tirade to Teddy Long made him look impressively crazy again. If he keeps wasting that every time he steps in the ring, we’ll see if this new character can work.
Kofi Kingston: B-
Kofi was put in the semi-main after the title matches and it was on him to deliver a great match. He didn’t. The match was very good, but ultimately forgettable. Ideally this doesn’t mean he’ll be forgotten as well, and the match was very good and Kofi was over, but WWE isn’t known for their patience. Hopefully a good performance is enough for the push to continue.
Randy Orton: B+
Orton had to provide structure, sell well and give Kofi a chance to be great. He did his job. His face turn just has to be immanent.
D-X just didn’t look good tonight. With better opponents than Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase, they had a far worse match. There’s no excuse for this when atop the card and now, on both brands, they’ll need to be able to let other stars shine far more than they did tonight or they’re going to kill both main shows.
Such a great title run ends in a whimper. Big Show’s injury harming their performance prevents an F, though barely.
If you decide you want more on this show, check my wrap up. The TLC Pay Per View, as a whole is a B+ for a very good show that might be overlooked due to now blow away matches.
