The 2011 TLC pay per view event has some potentially good matches on it this year, and I’m intrigued to see what direction WWE decides to go as far as the challengers in the WWE Title picture are concerned. That said, welcome to the fifth and final 2011 edition of Thunder’s Take!
Booker T vs Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship:
All hail King Booker! Wait, that was 2007. I don’t miss Sharmell. However, I have missed watching Booker T in action and I have to say that his match with Cody Rhodes this Sunday promises to be beneficial in Cody’s rise up the ladder in WWE. Cody has been on a role as of late defeating the likes of Daniel Bryan on Smackdown and holding onto his Intertcontinental Title the few times he has been forced to defend it. Booker will work a great match with Cody as he steps back into the ring, but he won’t be holding the Intercontinental Championship. I like Rhodes to pull off the victory somehow. I do have to say that I’ve been a harsh critic of Booker T on commentary, but the job he did on the 12/16 edition of Smackdown really showed me that the guy can be well spoken when he slows down his words. He’ll stick to commentary for the most part, and he won’t win the title on Sunday.
Kevin Nash vs Triple H in a Sledgehammer Ladder Match:
Really? I’m certain that I’ve beat the Kevin Nash subject to death. These guys put on an entertaining brawl 8(maybe 7) years ago at Badd Blood inside Hell in a Cell, and the only way they can repeat anything remotely close to that success is to beat the hell out of each other without showcasing too much wrestling. Nash is just too slow to do anything else. I would hate to see any sort of outside involvement by anyone in this match. A fair no hold barred street fight style contest is what will work best to keep the crowd alive. Hopefully Triple H gets his revenge and this feud can be put to rest. I know the talk is that Triple H will be facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania, so I’m hopeful that we won’t have much more of this garbage shoved down our throats. I look for Triple H to win this war.
Wade Barrett vs Randy Orton in a tables match:
Barrett’s success streak is about to come to a head as he meets Randy Orton in this tables match. These two guys are the best Smackdown has to offer and should be competing for the World Heavyweight Championship. Their Survivor Series matchup for the WWE Championship in 2010 was solid and it’s hard to believe the roller coaster that Wade Barrett has been on since that time. Nonetheless, Barrett is back as a top contender on Smackdown and has elevated himself into a feud with Orton once again. I don’t expect outside interference in this match and I don’t expect it to be given enough time either. I predict Randy Orton to come out on top and for this rivalry to continue heading towards the Royal Rumble.
Dolph Ziggler vs Zack Ryder for the United States Championship:
I’m assuming the unanimous pick across the board is going to be for Zack Ryder. This title reign has been a long time coming for him. I want to pick against Zack here and predict that his title win will happen in a rematch the next night on Raw or something, but I just can’t do it. Ziggler is moving up in the ranks and the only way for him to continue climbing the mountain is to drop the title to Ryder this Sunday. I question how long Ryder will hold the gold for, and whether or not Ryder will end up with a Money in the Bank briefcase in 2012. No matter what comes of it, I predict Zack Ryder to become the new United States Champion this Sunday.
The Big Show vs Mark Henry in a chairs match for the World Heavyweight Championship:
We’ve seen these guys go at it three times already on pay per views this year. We had one legitimate finish back in July. I expect this match to have a definitive ending for this rivalry. The Big Show has proven to be a challenge for this “monster” gimmick that Henry has been given, but I think if WWE wants to keep the push going for Henry then they need to let him win this match and continue his championship reign. I would argue that a chairs match might be the perfect time for Daniel Bryan to cash in his MITB briefcase, but I’ve been calling for it at every pay per view and getting the prediction right this time around would just seem meaningless. I expect Mark Henry to be the World Heavyweight Champion going into 2012.
CM Punk vs Alberto Del Rio vs The Miz for the WWE Championship:
First of all, there were some rumors going around that Dolph Ziggler could be added to this match. If Dolph loses the US Title and gets added to this match, he will become WWE Champion. However, I don’t see Dolph getting added to the match and I don’t see Punk losing the title. Miz and Del Rio are good heels, but WWE doesn’t feel they have the best heels possible in the WWE Title scene. I’m certain that this match will have all the brutality required for a TLC match, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that RTruth’s suspension will end right around the time of the pay per view. I predict RTruth will cost the Miz the match and even possibly Del Rio at the same time. CM Punk is going into this show as WWE Champion, and he will leave the show WWE Champion.
Overall, five out of the six matches booked appear as though they will have some real entertainment value to them. I’m thankful that we have no divas match scheduled, but I’m disappointed that creative chose to do nothing with the tag team titles for this show. Maybe if we’re lucky we’ll get a bonus match added to the card. Speaking of that, do we really believe that John Cena won’t be appearing at TLC? I expect him to at least help Zack Ryder win the US Title or be there for his victory celebration, if not get booked into a last minute match himself. That’s all for this final 2011 edition of Thunder’s Take. Feel free to leave your predictions below!
