WWE Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (December 2020)

 

Original Airdate: December 20, 2020

                                                           

From St. Petersburg, Florida; Your Hosts are Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, and Samoa Joe (RAW); Michael Cole and Corey Graves (Smackdown)

Opening WWE Title Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match: Drew McIntyre v AJ Styles: Styles comes out of the gate hot, targeting the leg, sticking and moving. Drew fights him off with a suplex-slam and a biel, and that's enough to allow him to unload chops in the corner, and use a cross corner whip. AJ tries getting up to the middle rope for a dive, but Drew cracks him with an absolutely thunderous chop, knocking Styles to the outside. Drew sets up a table out there, but AJ blocks a suplex through it, so Drew drops him across the barricade instead. Drew brings a ladder in and makes the first climb attempt of the match, but Styles recovers with a chair to knock the champion off. AJ wedges the chair in the corner and takes Drew over, but the champ blocks. Drew tries a catapult into the ladder, but AJ lands on the rungs, and starts to climb. Drew pulls him off and uses another catapult into the wedged chair, and that works out a bit better for him. Drew climbs, so AJ chucks a chair at him, and clips the leg to bring him down. "If you can't climb, how are you going to win a TLC match?" wonder the announcers. JETPACK! AJ pounds him for a bit, but Drew fights him off with a double-arm DDT on a ladder, and he slams a ladder down onto the challenger. Didn't really get him, though, and AJ clips the leg again. Styles works the leg, and he puts Drew on a table on the outside to set up a dive, but the champion chucks a chair at his head to block. I'm honestly surprised AJ didn't just go ahead and blade there, because the setup was so perfect. Back in, Drew comes at him, but the leg is slowing him down, and Styles manages a drop-toehold into a ladder. Styles dives at him with a forearm, but Drew counters with a suplex into a ladder - AJ's bump looking even cooler with the benefit of the slow motion replay. AJ comes back with the Phenomenal Forearm, and he makes a climb attempt, but Drew press-slams him out of the ring, right through a table! That allows Drew to climb, but here comes Miz to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, and this is now a triple threat, baby! Miz powerbombs Drew off of the ladder and through a table to allow him a climb, and he takes his sweet ass time despite being totally fresh. Omos pulls him off, however, dropping him through a table in the process. That draws John Morrison in to break a chair across Omos's back, but the big man no-sells, and chases John to the back. Everyone is still down, and Drew and AJ are first to recover. They climb up opposite sides of the same ladder, and slug it out at the top, as Miz arrives with a second ladder. He hustles up to grab the belt, but Drew has gotten rid of AJ, and is ready for a slugfest with Miz. That doesn't go well for the challenger, and Drew is ready to end it, but Styles is back. He manages to knock Drew off, but now Miz is back to cut AJ off. Drew gets annoyed and just tips them both over, and he grabs the gold at 27:00. Had some good moments, and some GREAT bumps from AJ, but also felt like it went on forever, and with lots of dead zones. * ¾

 

WWE Smackdown Women's Title Match: Sasha Banks v Carmella: Carmella bails to the outside to stall right away, frustrating Sasha, and allowing Carmella to get a shot in. Whip into the ropes backfires when Banks slides to the outside, and pulls the challenger out with her for a beating on the floor. Inside, Banks trash talks, so Carmella paintbrushes her, but a whip into the ropes ends badly again when Banks chucks her to the outside. Sasha dives after her, but misses, and Carmella uses a headscissors takedown on the floor. She sends Banks into the steps before rolling her in to cover for two, and Carmella puts the boots to her in the corner to set up a bronco buster for two. Are we really still not past pretending that move causes any sort of pinable damage? Carmella works a chinlock, but the champ fights her off in the corner, and charges with a kneesmash for two. They spill out to the apron, where Sasha tries a lungblower, but Carmella counters with a matslam for two. Carmella works a bow-and-arrow, but Banks escapes, and hits another kneesmash in the corner. Banks with a three-alarm rolling vertical suplex, and it makes me feel so fucking old that people are doing Eddie Guerrero tribute spots. And also that it's been over fifteen years, wow. Banks adds a flying frogsplash for two, but a reversal sequence ends in Carmella hitting a sitout facebuster for two. Carmella tries a bunch of cradles, but can't get past two. Superkick gets two, but a corner charge misses, and Sasha sunset cradles her for two. Banks tries a gourdbuster off the middle, but Carmella counters with a rana, only for Banks to roll into a cradle for two. Pinfall reversal sequence ends in Carmella hooking the Code of Silence, but Sasha starts countering to the Bank Statement - only for Carmella to reverse. Banks manages to roll it into a cradle for two, so Carmella tries another bronco buster, but misses. That allows Banks the Statement, so Reginald Thomas pulls her into the ropes to save. Banks takes him out, but the distraction allows Carmella a pair of superkicks for two. Another sitout facebuster, but this time Banks counters to the Statement, and Thomas is still out - Carmella trapped into submitting at 12:41. This got better towards the end, but it was kind of rough going at the outset. *

 

WWE RAW Tag Team Title Match: The New Day v Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander: Cedric runs into a superkick from Kofi Kingston for two right away, and Kofi adds a Russian legsweep before tagging out. Xavier Woods dives in with a flying splash for two, and tags back to Kofi for a flying bodypress for two. The New Day work Cedric over with quick tags in and out, but Benjamin gets the tag, and hits Woods with a suplex for two. Another thing that makes me feel old: Shelton Benjamin as the seasoned veteran. Benjamin with a spinebuster for two, but he loses a criss cross, and Woods tags. Kofi dives in with a flying high knee for two, and the champs take turns with dives on a recovering Cedric on the outside. Woods with a DDT on Benjamin for two, but he gets into trouble in the corner, and Shelton chucks him into the bottom turnbuckle. Tag to Cedric, and it's time to cut the ring in half on Xavier. Cedric gets nailed while trying to get too cute with some flippy floppy stuff, however, and Kofi gets the tag. He tries the Boom Drop on Benjamin, but gets caught in a powerbomb, but manages to escape. That draws Cedric back in, but Kofi is ready with the SOS for two. Trouble in Paradise, but Cedric ducks, so Kofi tries a springboard, but misses. That allows Cedric a high knee, and a brainbuster gets two when Woods dives in to save. That draws Shelton in, and Roseanne Barr the door! Benjamin tries the Olympic slam on Kofi, but eats a superkick instead. Kofi goes up, but Benjamin manages to superplex him, and he goes for the kill - only for Alexander to tag himself in to steal the glory, putting Kofi away for the title at 9:52. This was pretty fun, if nothing especially notable. ** ¼

 

WWE Women's Tag Team Title Match: Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax v Asuka and Charlotte Flair: This is Charlotte's surprise return, her first match since losing to Asuka on RAW back in June, and her first main roster PPV appearance since WrestleMania. Baszler starts with Asuka, and quickly starts throwing strikes, but Asuka manages to respond in kind. Asuka takes her down for a cross armbreaker, but Baszler manages to block, and Flair wants in. Tag is made, and Flair takes her down right away, so Baszler passes to Nia. Charlotte goes right for a takedown, but Jax is too big, and Flair gets into trouble in the corner. Charlotte manages to dodge a charge to allow her a standing headlock, and she takes Jax into the home corner for a tag to Asuka. Asuka hits her with a double knee facebuster, but an attempt at a sunset cradle ends badly, and Asuka gets tossed into the heel corner. Okay, note to the announcers (and a lot of other people), stop calling it a sunset 'flip' if there's no flip. No flip = cradle. The challengers go to work on Asuka, but she manages to fight off Jax, and it's hot tag Charlotte. Flair runs wild, and a running big boot on Jax gets two. The champs bail, so Asuka dives after them on the floor, allowing Flair to get to the top with a flying moonsault press onto both. And somehow she managed to miss them both, though we're selling it like she killed them. Inside, Figure Four time for Nia, but Jax manages to block. She hits Flair with a Samoan drop, but Asuka dives in with a missile dropkick. That draws Baszler in, and a reversal sequence ends in a tag back to Flair, and Charlotte drops Baszler into the buckles. She wastes time on Nia, however, allowing Baszler a cradle for two. But then Charlotte just pops up and slaps on the Figure Eight anyway, so Jax saves. That allows Baszler the Clutch, but Flair counters with a cradle for two, and the Natural Selection crowns new champions at 10:00. This felt pretty weak and not at all dramatic. Flair just kind of steamrolled everybody and the finish came really quickly. * ¼

 

WWE Universal Title Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match: Roman Reigns v Kevin Owens: Owens attacks before the bell, and beats the Big Dog into the corner for a Cannonball right away. Reigns bails, but Owens is on his tail, sending the champion into the barricade, and giving him another Cannonball over there. Kevin sends him into the steps next to set up a frogsplash from the apron, and he goes for the first climb attempt, but Jey Uso runs in. Owens fights him off with a chair and Pillmanizes the ankle to keep Jey out of things, but the distraction allows Reigns to recover with a Drive-By. Roman beats on him with the steps, a ladder, and finally a chair, as Owens tries defending himself from his back, but it doesn't go well. Reigns tries a Samoan drop onto a pair of chairs, but Kevin counters to a powerbomb, so Roman counters again with a backdrop onto them. Owens manages to return fire with a chair, and he makes the climb, but Jey returns to make the save again. The distraction again allows Reigns to recover, and he Superman's Owens down. This time Jey sticks around to help the Big Dog out, but they take too long thinking about what to do, and Owens comes to life with superkicks and stunners. 1997 is flipping out! Owens climbs, but Jey makes the save again, so Kevin powerbombs him through the announce table to try and shut him up once and for all. Owens buries him in the rubble to make sure, and it's climb time, but Reigns has used the reprieve to recover again. He powerbombs Owens onto a ladder, then side suplexes him onto it for good measure. To the outside for a chokeslam through a table, but Reigns is annoyed at what Owens did to his cousin, and decides more punishment is necessary. He puts Kevin through another table with a Samoan drop, and then calmly walks in to claim his title, but his arrogance costs him when Owens is able to recover enough to anchor him. Reigns straight up laughs at this pathetic effort, and he spears Kevin through a table, but it damages the champion as well. Owens is still alive, so Reigns tries another spear on the outside, but ends up putting himself through the barricade when Owen dodges. That allows Owens to head in to climb, and we have a ne... nope, here's Reigns. He pulls Owens down and sends him into a ladder, so Kevin responds with a pair of superkicks. Pop-Up Powerbomb, but Reigns counters with the Superman. Spear, but Owens counters with the Pop-Up Powerbomb through a table! Climb time, and he has the belt in hand, but Jey saves again. Owens drops him with a stunner, but now Reigns has recovered, and he chokes the challenger out atop the ladder. Owens drops in a heap, and Reigns retains at 24:49. A little plodding, but told a good story, and Reigns continues to be masterful in getting the small details of this role over. ** ¾

 

Main Event: Firefly Inferno Match: Bray Wyatt v Randy Orton: Lengthy stare down to start, until Orton comes at him with a closed fist, but Wyatt no-sells. He tries a kick next, but Bray literally laughs it off, so Randy tries the RKO, but Wyatt blocks, and springs to life. He pounds Randy down in the corner, and it's Sister Abigail time early, but Orton fights him off with a dropkick. Wyatt tries again, but Orton counters with a sloppy inverted headlock backbreaker, which Bray no-sells anyway. RKO, but Wyatt counters with Sister, and the flames shoot up for the first time, and stay lit. Unlike other Inferno matches, the edge of the ring is not lit up here, but rather random areas around the barricades. Wyatt tries taking Orton to the fire, but Randy fights him off, so Wyatt beats on his with a belt. He lights the belt on fire and comes at Orton with it, but Randy ducks, and it goes flying into the 'crowd.' Man, imagine if ECW had the benefit of virtual crowds. Wyatt finds a rocking chair, which he douses in fuel before putting Randy in, but an attempt to light it on fire is evaded. Bray responds by grabbing the steps, but Randy finds a stick, and fights him off. That allows Orton to unload with the steps, and he finds a chain to wrap around his fist to set up more abuse. He goes for the flames, but Wyatt blocks, and gets back into the ring. Randy follows, but Bray is ready with a uranage, and he dumps Orton back to the outside. He finds the stick Randy was hitting him with earlier, and lights it on fire to come at Randy with, but Orton blocks. Orton with an elevated DDT on the floor, but Bray counters the RKO with a Mandible Claw. He inches towards the flames, but Randy turns the tables, and Bray catches fire at 12:03. That doesn't slow him down in the least, however, and he charges after Randy despite being, you know, lit on fire. Orton hits burning man with an RKO, and that seems to put Bray down, but Orton thinks this needs to go next level. So, he grabs the gas can, empties it over Wyatt, and lights his ass on fire again. Family entertainment, ladies and gentlemen. The match was mostly nothing, and there was some very, very obvious editing tricks at play - especially for the post-match sequence where it was quite obviously a dummy getting lit on fire. DUD

 

BUExperience: Another one bites the dust ashes.

 

DUD