-- 12/13 WWE TLC PPV Reax

A.A. Norman of Tulsa, Okla.: I didn't watch Raw last week for the first time in months and I didn't watch ECW for the first time in weeks. My expectations have been falling recently to the point where I decided to watch something else those nights. However, after reading the results of the PPV, WWE may have just earned my viewership back for tonight's Raw. However, if they bore me for three hours tonight, they're going to have to do something huge again to get it back. Here's hoping viewers reward WWE for taking a chance on trying something new with the Raw title picture.

Jordan Johnson of Fort Hood, Tex. (8.0): Best Match: Christian vs. Shelton. Worst Match: Orton vs. Kingston. I watched TLC live and I thought it was one heck of a show. The ECW Title match was exciting and had the correct finish. I'm hoping they are going to keep Christian strong through the Road to WrestleMania and either give him a high-profile singles match or let him win Money in the Bank. With the new emphasis and fresh main events, Christian is a great way to go. Morrison dropping the title seems like a way to free him up to enter the main event scene. Going into the event, I never thought Sheamus would win. As the PPV started, I thought just maybe he could pull it out. And once I saw the placement of the match, I thought holy crap, he's going to win. Obviously, Cena is going win it back on Raw or at the Rumble, but Sheamus's win was a great way to freshen things up. Batista-Taker was a dumb finish but it was the only way to keep the feud going. I am a huge Orton fan and the feud with Kingston has been exciting. However, by the time they stepped in the ring last night, the steam had completely left this feud. With the Orton win, I assume the feud is over. I rated this match as the worst simply because it could have main-evented just a few weeks ago, and last night it was nothing more than an after-thought. I hate to see DX go on last every PPV, but it made sense last night. Jericho and Show have held the titles for months and really built them up, so I feel they should have been dropped the belts to an up-and-coming team that really could use the rub. Who knows, maybe DX will do that (yeah, right). As much as I didn't want to see DX win, the match itself was great. It sucks they will be on both Raw and Smackdown now. Luckily for me, I can't watch Smackdown and there is MNF on ESPN whenever they appear on Raw.

Alex Roberts of the U.K. (6.0): Best Match: ECW Title. Worst Match: Intercontinental Title. TLC was an incredibly weird show that was primarily undermined by its theme rather than match or booking quality, although both of those were rather erratic. I enjoyed the ECW Title match, but I suspect I would have enjoyed it even more had it not come on a show that also featured a TLC match not to mention the other gimmicks on display. I find gimmick matches are best in moderation. Benjamin and Christian both put together some fantastic spots, though, and I was pleasantly surprised by how long they were given to work with. The best part of the Intercontinental Title match was that Morrison lost the title, not because it frees him up to move into the main event, but because I've found Morrison insufferably dull since his face turn. McIntyre now gets to prove he's worth the hype WWE is throwing at him. He does have big shoes to fill since the alternative mid-card heel on Smackdown is the fantastic Dolph Ziggler, who continues to be criminally underutilized by the WWE. The Women's Title match was better than I expected, but I never would have thought a near ten-minute WWE women's match was possible. I thought both Mickie James and Michelle McCool repaid the faith shown in them by WWE. Then we come to the table match for the WWE Title. First, I think this probably ranks as Cena's weakest Pay-Per-View match in years, which is incredible given that Cena has carved out an impressive niche as a big match performer in recent times regardless of his opponent. The problem however probably wasn't with Sheamus, but the gimmick. Table matches are tough to make compelling. It becomes even harder when one of the participants is a massively over-pushed heel the audience has yet to form a connection to. The finish just defied belief. Not only did Sheamus win the title in a tables match, but it was played out as some weird fluke accident. In fairness to Sheamus, he's shown glimpses of serious potential, but he's just not ready yet. A new star is a new star, so here's hoping WWE pulls out all the stops to make this work. Then we come to the World Title match, which was even more mind-boggling. Could it be that this combination of workers is over-exposed now? I never thought I'd be disappointed Batista didn't win the World Title, but his heel turn has been so good and The Undertaker has just become such a lame duck that I really am. The final TLC match was what it was. It was good enough and DX winning was completely expected, so the match lacked drama. I was completely burnt out on ladder spots, chair spots, and table spots by this point, which is the major problem with the booking of a gimmick-themed Pay-Per-View. Now that DX has the tag titles, I'm actually hoping we don't get a DX split and that Triple H and Michaels put a proper tag team over in the right way rather than with a predictable heel turn from Triple H. The Hart Dynasty could use the rub that's for sure.

Bill Sartori of Windsor Locks, Conn. I didn't see the PPV last night but, I read the Torch analysis of it and you have to be kidding me with Sheamus. Here's a guy who was losing matches to Goldust this past summer and now he's the WWE champ. The guy doesn't appear to have any discernable wrestling talent, unless you consider kicking someone upside the head. Drew McIntyre as the new IC champ is slightly more believable. The guy does have some legit talent in the ring. DX as the new tag champs is welcomed only because Jeri-Slow has become more than grating on one's nerves. I see that WWE is booking Batista - even as a heel the same way they booked him as a face - as an incompetent buffoon who finds a way to lose a match he should win. I don't understand why WWE put the WWE Title on Sheamus, who can't wrestle his way out of a wet paper bag, but allows the Undertaker to keep his belt. I am going to presume that Batista will win the title soon and Taker will take another one of his sabbaticals until WM26.

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.

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