WWE TLC 2011 match card updated after Dec. 9 episode of Smackdown

WWE TLC 2011 is right around the corner, as the pay-per-view event is all set to pop off at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, on Dec. 18. Tonight's episode of Smackdown saw the addition of another match to the card as well as a match that had already been announced getting its stipulation.

Here's how the card looks with just the go-home shows on Raw and Smackdown until the event:

-- CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. The Miz in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the WWE championship

As mentioned earlier this week, gimmick matches like this are the result of creatively bankrupt writers who are tired of getting their ideas shot down by a madman and finally go back to the well for a triple threat between champion, challenger who makes sense and challenger who doesn't really make any sense but gets thrown in because he makes the most sense of the rest of the available talent. Punk wins and we gear up for Rumble.

-- Mark Henry vs. Big Show in a Chairs match for the World Heavyweight Championship

These two continued their feud tonight with another nice promo between the two but the shelf life on this promo has come and gone. This should be the blowoff match to the feud but I imagine it will be difficult to top what they've done in previous matches.

-- Triple H vs. Kevin Nash in a ladder match

This isn't really a ladder match in the traditional sense. The stipulation here is that a sledgehammer will be suspended above the ring and whoever gets to it will be able to use it to attack his opponent with no repercussions. But the match will still end via pinfall or submission. The stupidity of this entire thing makes my brain hurt.

-- Dolph Ziggler vs. Zack Ryder for the United States Championship

This match is happening about a month after it should have gone down but at least it's finally going to take place. Not a big fan of how they got here but at least we're getting it. It will make absolutely zero sense if Ryder doesn't get the belt here but even WWE can't be this dense. Ryder also gets the benefit of the best worker on the roster putting him over, and Ziggler can move on to the main event scene. Hopefully, this ends up being a win for everybody.

-- Cody Rhodes vs. Booker T for the Intercontinental Championship

I can imagine Booker being pitched on this program and his thinking going in being, "It's time to put the kid over." Sure, Rhodes is coming out of a feud with Randy Orton but he wasn't able to do as much as Booker will be able to. This should be one of the best matches on the entire card and could very well be the match we look back on as the night Rhodes became a star.

-- Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett in a Tables match

I don't like this feud and I don't like this match. Not because it won't be any good, because we've seen Orton get great matches out of just about anybody, but because I'm a member of the contingent that doesn't see much value in Barrett as a main event player. He was great in his role as the original leader of Nexus but he's struggled to find a voice since then. The Barrett Barrage schtick is just a bit too campy for my tastes. Again, though, it's Orton, so at least the match will work.

That's how the match card looks, Cagesiders. Worth spending your money on? Or are you buckling down and just preparing for the Royal Rumble?