-With TLC taking place this weekend, it is time to look back on a previous TLC Show and give some thoughts. Today I look at TLC 2009, the first ever TLC PPV!
ECW Championship: Christian (c) vs Shelton Benjamin
-Oh boy, Matt Striker on commentary with some random facts to get me through the PPV.
-I’ve always thought that Shelton Benjamin with a manager would have made him a main eventer in the WWE. Guy just couldn’t cut a really good promo.
-Christian gets busted open after a ladder falls on his face. The doctor checks him out as the crowd boos and chants ‘We Want Blood!”
-Shelton balances himself on the ladder then falls with the ladder to make a clothesline.
-Both men end up hanging from the Title hook. Benjamin catches Christian then powerbombs him into a ladder.
-Christian hits a dive off the top through a ladder set up between the ring and table. Camera shot unfortunately picks up saw dust coming out of the ladder.
-Christian climbs the ladder and grabs the Title to win. Some spots took too long to set up, which kind of took away from the match. But it was a solid opener to get the crowd into it.
Intercontinental Championship: John Morrison (c) vs Drew McIntyre
-Hey, remember when we thought these guys had bright futures in the WWE?
-I always thought Morrison would be the WWE’s next Jeff Hardy. The guy the crowd gets behind and cheers for. Problem is, Morrison didn’t have the charisma Jeff had.
-McIntyre hits an inverted Alabama Slam that looks pretty good.
-Man, Starship Pain was a really bad looking finisher. Morrison probably only hit it half the time.
-McIntyre pulls off Morrison’s belt and the ref takes it away. Meanwhile, McIntyre pokes Morrison in the eye and hits his DDT finisher to pick up the win and the IC Title. Four years late, McIntyre wishes he could go back to this day.
Women’s Championship: Michelle McCool (c) (w/Layla) vs Mickie James
-This was in the middle of Laycool making fun of the weight of Mickie James. I never liked this storyline, mostly because you just know it was some kind of inside joke backstage.
-Laycool may have been a knockoff of TNA’s Beautiful People but I always thought they were a nice heel pairing. Just took it a bit too far with the Piggie James stuff.
-Michelle McCool runs into Layla on the apron. Mickie fails on a roll up attempt, but McCool catches Mickie with a kick to the face for the win. Remember when the WWE had competent women’s wrestlers?
Tables Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena (c) vs Sheamus
-Uh oh, a John Cena match this early on the card?
-I remember thinking Drew McIntyre had a brighter future in 2009 than Sheamus did. Guess I was wrong.
-Match is a little slow moving in the first five minutes.
-Cena sets a table up in the ring and takes Sheamus to the top rope. Why?
-Both men are on the top, Cena slips or is pushed off and goes through the table. Sheamus is the new WWE Champion!
-I remember being legitimately shocked when this happened. I thought the tables gimmick was a way for Sheamus to lose without getting pinned. It ended up being the other way around: A way for Cena to lose without getting pinned. They mis-handled the reign of Sheamus, but it was still a complete shock that he won.
Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: The Undertaker (c) vs Batista
-He might not come on lists, but Batista and The Undertaker had a handful of good matches during their time together in the WWE. I might argue Batista is a Top 5 opponent of The Undertaker.
-This was at the start of possibly Batista’s best work in the WWE as a heel. His promos against Rey and leading up to his match against Cena at Wrestlemania were great.
-Batista shoves Taker towards the ref but Taker stops himself. Batista hits a low blow then a chair shot to the head to pick up the win.
-Here comes Teddy Long! Since Undertaker is already in the ring, I guess he is here to make this a tag team match playa!
-And I was wrong, Teddy orders the match re-started because only chairs are legal. Taker catches Batista with a chair shot and then the Tombstone Piledriver for the win.
Randy Orton vs Kofi Kingston
-Geez, it looked like Orton poured a whole bottle of baby oil on him before the match.
-Add Kofi Kingston to the list of guys we thought had a bright future at this time. So out of Sheamus, John Morrison, Kofi Kingston and Drew McIntyre, only Sheamus has had a WWE/World Title run.
-I still can’t believe that after that Kofi moment at MSG that he didn’t receive a stronger push. It just baffles my mind.
-Not a lot to write about with this match. Pretty much the basic stuff from both men.
-Kofi blocks Orton’s punt with his arm. Orton gets ready for the RKO, Kofi goes for Trouble in Paradise and misses, and Orton hits the RKO for the win. And there goes the push of Kofi Kingston.
TLC Match for the Tag Team Championship: Big Show and Chris Jericho (c) vs D-X
-Yes, the tag titles once main evented a PPV. Bet you forgot that didn’t you?
-Of course, with the outcome of the two title matches, you probably didn’t want those ending the PPV.
-If only Big Show knew four years later that HHH would own the mortgage on his house, maybe he would have beat him down even more.
-Cool spot where HHH is in the “tree of woe” position on the ladder, and Jericho tosses HBK into HHH.
-Big Show is the last guy in the ring. He climbs the ladder, but HBK and HHH knock him off and HHH hits Show with the Pedigree.
-One half of the ladder is broken. Show puts Jericho on his shoulders, but D-X comes back in and takes them out. HHH holds the half a ladder up and HBK grabs the Titles for the win. Unique ending.
The PPV is kind of a mixed bag. The main event was good. The WWE Title Match had a surprise ending but really wasn’t that great of a match. The World Title Match had a bad ending that took away from it. The opener had some nice spots but was also too much of a spotfest. The mid-card was actually quite good. I would say this was an average PPV at best. No match was probably above ***1/2. But it did have its moments.
Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka
