WWE Looking to Cripple a New Generation of Stars: TLC Matches are Back En Vogue

by Ty Lannister on Sep 9, 2009 2:25 PM EDT

The last generation of young workers to really get over needed that extra oomph, the difference between your typical middling WWE push and the kind of push that puts you over and keeps you over. There was nothing special about The Hardy Boyz or Edge and Christian. They were fine workers and good looking young men. So were a million other babyface tag teams that came and went from big time wrestling. What got them over was the gimmick match: Table, Ladders, and Chairs.

Eventually though, the crazy matches had to end. Workers just couldn't handle the punishement they were inflicting on their own bodies. But now there is a new generation of young workers to get over, a group that hasn't paid the price yet. According to the Pro Wrestling Torch, it's time to break them.

The event is scheduled for December 13 from San Antonio. WWE has not released official details on how the TLC concept match will be incorporated into the PPV, but the main event matches will most-likely be TLC format.

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The entire idea of pay-per-views with a gimmick match theme is just unwatchable. These PPV take semi-meaningful match types (Elimination Chamber, I Quit or Submission, TLC, Hell in a Cell) that should be used as the blow-off in a feud and turn it into a handful of meaningless spot-matches.

One thing that I haven’t heard a lot of is how this demeans the existing gimmick-match PPV’s, which are the Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble. Now, instead of having two somewhat unique PPV’s in a given year, now half of the PPV’s have stupid gimmicks. It really takes away from how special those two events can be, since every PPV will have a dumb gimmick now.

Are they doing Cyber Sunday/Taboo Tuesday any more? That’s another gimmick-based PPV, but it at least makes a bit more sense than the match-themed shows. There’s even Extreme Rules, which is just a rehashed version of WCW Uncensored. And unless Robert Fuller and Madusa Miceli are going to be wrestling each other, I do not want to see another version of Uncensored.

by krcampbell on Sep 9, 2009 4:27 PM EDT reply actions

It’s sad that the WWE is down to hosting an all gimmick PPV to draw in viewers. And it probably won’t work.

"It ain't over till it's over." - Yogi Berra

by 49er16 on Sep 9, 2009 4:59 PM EDT reply actions

A question to everyone complaining about this being a gimmick PPV: Do you believe EVERY match on the ppv will be TLC? If not, what’s the problem?

by isaacduke on Sep 9, 2009 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions

The problem with a gimmick PPV has nothing to do with the quantity of matches. Rather, the WWE is forcing TLC matches into feuds, rather than allowing a feud to develop and letting the TLC (or Hell in a Cell, or submission match) be the natural progression of a feud.

Then again, maybe it’s unreasonable of me to expect the WWE to allow feuds to progress. I’m sure the matches will be fine in most cases, but it’s just meaningless to make all of your main event matches the same kind of match.

by krcampbell on Sep 9, 2009 8:15 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m actually wondering who they have penciled in as the TLC match on this PPV. Best match I can think of involving a current feud is DX vs Legacy. That could really get Rhodes and Dibiase over, whether they win or not.

by isaacduke on Sep 9, 2009 5:20 PM EDT reply actions