-- 12/13 WWE TLC PPV Reax

Michael Sears of Holloman AFB, N.M. (7.0): Best Match: DX vs. Jeri-Show. Worst Match: Batista vs. Undertaker. This was a fairly decent PPV, especially since I watched it at a local establishment and didn't have to pay for it. I would have liked the ECW Title going to Shelton, especially with ECW to be dissolved in the near future. He certainly is a long-tenured WWE Superstar who deserves a title run. But alas, Christian retains. The main thing that sticks out to me is the new clique that seems to be developing in WWE. After reading a few weeks ago on how Sheamus and Drew McIntyre were high on Hunter and Shawn's friends list because they were workout partners, let the nepotism begin! Drew is the new IC Champ, Sheamus is the new WWE Champ, and DX are now the Tag Champs. I am not a fan of John Cena being WWE champion, but Sheamus certainly isn't deserving. The Miz was in a better position as a potential challenger a few months ago simply because he was over. I don't believe Sheamus draw heat. Yet, things are the way they are. I echo everyone else's statements about laying off Mickie's physique. Maybe it's just WWE's way of punishing her for something. Taker-Batista bored me to tears. I hope Taker can pull off one final match at WrestleMania then hang it up. No shame in walking away as one of the best ever. I am also curious to see if Kofi's push will continue or if he gets relegated back to the mid-card. Royal Rumble, here we come...

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (7.5): Best: Orton vs. Kingston. Worst: lame finishes. The score is an average of my entertained brain (9.0) and my picky brain (6.0). The matches as a whole were decent, but some finishes left a lot to be desired. I liked how Striker tolled the various title factoids (e.g., duration since last title change). The storyline was to "steal the show." Being the opener, Shelton and Christian couldn't completely take it, but they made a good effort. Christian is dangerously close to "stale champion" territory, but he retained the title the hard way. Will be curious to see how he will look come Tuesday. Meanwhile, I just don't understand what is preventing the trigger being pulled on Shelton Benjamin as champion. Matt Hardy made some major charisma improvements during his run as ECW champion, so why not Shelton? McIntyre's win was expected, but I can't get past the finish of Morrison needing to take his belt off leading to McIntyre's finisher. This made Morrison look dumb, REALLY dumb! Sam's Town had a huge fit over Michelle McCool retaining. Somehow she was immune to the longevity curse. Mickie showed a lot of fire and passion, but she isn't getting rewarded. I had issues with Sheamus even being in the WWE Title match. The match's placement clearly told the result. I can't see Randy Orton using the newly opened door to go after Sheamus, unless he is turning face (good luck there). I can't see Cena getting it right back, even at Royal Rumble, though I'm guessing that's what's happening. What happens to Carlito now, since he was the alleged voice of the locker room? Not much to say about Batista-Taker, except that Striker did well to reference the Taker screwjob as impetus for Teddy Long's restart. Orton's standing dropkick to a high-diving Kingston will get its deserved replays. I'm bothered by the finish only in that it makes me feel like Orton's going back to the main event and Kingston is heading back to mid-card. Please, I hope I'm wrong on that one. Some people are going to have issues with DX winning the tag titles, but multiple things seem to be at play here. It's San Antonio, and hometown Michaels was the one who got the belts down. The finish was fitting as they've been portrayed as a solid team, comedy stylings be damned. It gives me the vibe that Edge is on the horizon. If so, it was wise for JeriShow to drop the straps so that Edge can make the triumphant return at Royal Rumble and Jericho can focus on that for WrestleMania. As for the tag titles, I'm not expecting a long reign; just enough to get a re=match out of the way and set up DX passing the titles on. I'm not looking forward to a Shawn Michaels-Triple H feud, but anything's possible at this point.

John Hall of Wyoming, Pa. (No score): I had to chose between watching the PPV and Giants-Eagles, so I chose the football game. But after reading the results, much that I hoped would not happen on this event did. So now we get a double dose of the stale DX? Great. Drew McIntyre? What has he done to deserve the IC Title? And more importantly, what did Sheamus do to earn the WWE Title? Was it putting Mark Cuban through a table? Beating up Jamie Noble? Or is it being Triple H's would-be prodigy? After all, they do share similar facial-hair styles. The problem I have is that he was passed over guys that have put more time in. My short list: Shelton Benjamin, Christian, John Morrison, The Miz, MVP, Kofi Kingston.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE PPV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on the PPV, click here.

We suggest these recent related articles...

WWE PPV REAX #1: "I wanted the biggest event of the summer to end with an exclamation point; it ended with a semicolon and a question"

WWE PPV REAX #1: Battleground finish generates mixed reactions...

WWE PPV REAX #2: In-Person Battleground Report on overall show, reactions, more