Best Match:  Shield vs. Ryback, Bryan & Kane

Worst Match: Divas Match

This was the first WWE PPV I've bought since Mania.  I almost bought Survivor Series last month, but correctly guessed it wasn't going to be all that great.  Fortunately, I predicted well again and ended up with a great show.

Opener was really fun and the end spot was awesome.  Very much looking forward to Rhodes Scholars vs. Hell No.

Cesaro/Truth was ok.  I really hope they find someone new and better for Antonio to work with.

The Miz TV/3MB/Ricard/Alberto segment was ok.  Del Rio is already a better face than Miz.

Barrett/Kofi was good, though I wish Barrett would have won.  Probably will end up champion soon either way.

Six man was awesome and I think they did the smart thing putting Shield over.  You've said Reigns is really green, but he looked just as polished as Ryback (which may say more about Ryback than him).  Just a tremendous outing and I think they have something with these three.

Divas match was the worst match of the show, but nothing terrible.

Sheamus/Show was good and the big chair end was great.

The second six man was what it was.  The Brawler involvement made sense, but one thing that annoyed me was the fact that they kept saying this was the first time in Brooklyn.  Yeah, the "WWE" has never been there, but the WWF used to do shows there up until 84.

Main event was a excellent and the AJ turn worked well.  Both guys did great and I hope that they build on Dolph's momentum.  I think he may need a face turn.

Mike Levy

What a great Sunday for wrestling fans, with two good shows back to back.

A few quick thoughts on the ROH show. I don't think this show as a whole held up to most of the company's offerings, as there were only a few memorable matches that stuck out in my mind after it was all said and done. Strong vs. Elgin was very good, as was the Wolves vs. O'Reilly and Fish, and the main event was phenomenal. The big spots in the Ladder War were incredible, the story, as always between the two, was great, and it's a match that everyone should go out of their way to see. The rest of the card was average to good, so no complaints, but it didn't blow me away like most of ROH's big cards. Nigel being away from the commentary desk hurt the show in a noticeable way. I'm just not feeling the promotion right now, as everything feels a bit stagnant.

TLC overall thoughts: Thumbs up. Excellent show, well worth the purchase price. There were a few duds, but the two top billed matches more than made up for it. Tonight once again proved how a show can go from "good" to "great" with the help of a hot crowd.

Mysterio and Sin Cara vs. Rhodes Scholars: Fine opener, well worked. Nothing much to say either way.

Ceasaro vs. R-Truth: I liked this match. Ceasaro is fantastic, and he seems to be getting a bigger reaction as the weeks go on. It'll be interesting to see where he goes after tonight, as well as after WrestleMania season. His promo after the match was also good, and he seems to be getting more comfortable on the mic.

MizTV: Not as bad as the previous segments, but still nothing to write home about. They need to try to get Miz over in a different way, because this isn't working. Verbal exchanges felt awkward, and I was floored when Del Rio came out to make the save. I had assumed that if they were going to go babyface with him, they would have done it in a more memorable way than this.

Kingston vs. Barrett: Another fine match. Wade seemed to have the momentum going into this match, so it seems to me that he must have drawn the short straw to get another babyface win on a heel heavy show. Good work between the two. They rarely disappoint.

The Shield vs. Ryback and Hell No: Wow. I'm trying to stop myself from declaring it a match of the year contender because it's so fresh in my mind and I want to give it time to settle, but damn. It was so great. Talk about a debut. All three Shield members proved that they are ready for the big time, even Roman Reigns, who I had doubts about. Granted, it was a lot of smoke and mirrors throughout the match, but still, they all did fantastic. Their opponents also brought their A game. Just great all around from everyone in the match. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, as the hits literally never stopped coming, a fresh feeling when most of these matches have a lot of resting between big spots. The spot with Rollins at the end of the match was insane. After seeing the awkward bump BJ Whitmer took during the finisher of his match at Final Battle, I thought that we wouldn't see something as bad for a while. I guess I just had to wait a few hours. The way Rollins' head cracked against the table after that huge fall. Damn. I thought the match was booked perfectly too. Hopefully this sets up The Shield for something big. This match reminded me that WWE doesn't have to be all bad.

Eve vs. Naomi: Pretty much a dud, unfortunately. Naomi showed some promise, so I hope that they can work her into matches on a more regular basis.

3MB vs. Del Rio, Miz, and Brooklyn Brawler: This was just baffling. You have a recently turned babyface who isn't over at all, you just turned one of your main event heels babyface no more than an hour ago, and you bring in the Brooklyn Brawler, who you proceed to give the focus to the entire time. Worst of all, you let him get the pin. Stupid on just about every level.

Cena vs. Ziggler: Very good. Ziggler is fantastic, arguably the best performer in the entire business right now. A few memorable spots, including Cena lifting the ladder up onto his shoulders with Ziggler still climbing it. Very cool. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Hurricanrana spot Cena pulled was just bad. I don't know who thought that was a good idea. I also don't know who thought it was a good idea for Vickie to take a few bumps. They were literally the worst I have ever seen. Yikes. Cringe worthy bad. End of the match was interesting. On one hand, I'm glad that they didn't pull the rug out from Ziggler, on the other, I'm tired of the Cena and AJ garbage. Still though, this was a match well worth watching.

Overall, both of these shows were extremely good, and ones that you should go out of your way to see. Here's to 2013, and as always, keep up the great work.

-Ryan Niepagen
Bloomington, IL

Thumbs Up
 
Best match: Shield vs. Hell No/Ryback
Worst match: Divas match
 
Fantastic show. I think the reason why some people are saying this was
one of the best shows of the year, besides a couple of great matches -
is that there were fresh faces in key spots. They had a stable debut in
a big match and go over in impressive fashion, they had Ziggler main
event a PPV with Cena and have an amazing showing. Some people even were
riled up for Naomi having a match because she's fresh. We don't say this
often, but WWE did a great job with this show.
 
They've got something with Cesaro too - at this point I think they have
too many guys with potential and don't know who to push first.
 
For the first time in like 6 years I'm really looking forward to what
the future holds with WWE and I really hope they don't screw it up.
Other than that, I don't have much to say about the show. Shield and
their opponents all worked their asses off and so did
Sheamus/Show/Cena/Ziggler and all the other talent on the show had a
pretty good outing as well.
 
Regards,
Patrick Gronemann