WWE Tables, Ladders, Chairs, and Stairs 2014 Roundtable Preview
Tonight is WWE TLC + Stairs since they need to cram more stipulations in. We have a total of nine match, and all mid-card titles are on the line in the absence of Brock Lesnar and the WWE Championship. Interesting thing. Without him on television or even on Pay-per-view, it makes the whole “cashing-in” concept a bit pointless, doesn’t it?
The New Day vs. Goldust & Stardust. (Kickoff Match)
Steve Miller: Speaking of runs being over, I am truly saddened that the Rhodes Brothers are travelling the road to conflict land. I can’t stress enough how talented Cody is and how well he plays this character. If Vince would have continued to give him the push he so richly deserved, he would have gone down as one of the great ones of all time. It is with a heavy heart that I predict the New Day will get the win.
Michael Dworkis: It’s the beginning of the end of Gold and Star Dust. They had a great run chasing the Tag Team Championships, but it seems winning it was a case of fool’s gold. They seemingly lost their marbles and now they have to job to a new trio being pushed in The New Day. It’s an overblown church gimmick which will fails since all three have the combined mic skills of R-Truth. I would have liked to have seen an abrupt “fool you!” spot where they all go menacingly heel-turn because this bland and useless gimmick is as useful as putting The Great Khali on television.
Kenny Pete: We are The New Day alive and in color, you diss the man & Big E will bum rush your mother. Seriously.
Bill Bodkin: New Day wins in what turns out to be an entertaining match.
WWE Tag Team Champions Miz and Damien Mizdow versus The Usos
Steve Miller: How soon will Damien and Mike (the Miz) have a lover’s quarrel and begin their feud? When will Mike realize that Damien has the moneymaker and it’s called personality? It won’t be here. They are keeping the titles because Naomi wants to sign with the producer and her husband is a controlling, jealous freak. The current Uso run at the top is over.
Michael Dworkis: At this point Damien Mizdow is the only attraction to this match. The Usos have become the Hardyz in their later years, being nothing but spot-driven maniacs. It’s funny how they break the fourth wall, acknowledging Sandow’s popularity during matches, often teasing tags but then robbing fans of what they want. Sandow must love the second lease on life he has here. He’s always been talents in all personality aspects, but he hit the jackpot here. Miz and Mizdow will win, and once again I expect Mizdow to gain the pinfall victory. Expect some drama from Naomi, because there has to be.
Kenny Pete: I love seeing Damien Mizdow carry the entire tag-team division by himself, total comedy gold every time he goes out. MizDow rides the wave of hilarity & will leave the show with the Tag Titles in hand.
Bill Bodkin: If Mizdow loses, we riot. And that won’t happen – Team Miz wins this one.
Kane vs. Ryback in a Chair match
Steve Miller: Ryback (a.k.a.- The Big Guy, The Big Waste, The Big Hurter, Goldberg Light) will win for three reasons: 1) Kane is a high profile jobber at this point; 2) He’s getting a second push because he has the body Vince loves; and 3) Vince will continue to use him to send Phil Brooks a message.
Michael Dworkis: Argh. This has bathroom break written all over it. Ryback should be kissing all the ass on the planet for getting a second chance at main eventing. Kane is there to collect his paycheck. Moving on…
Kenny Pete: Once again, they have a chance to put over The Big Guy with a strong win VS Kane, a guy people love to booo. The smart decision is to build Ryback into a main event player again, will they be smart? Prolly Not. Kane wins.
Bill Bodkin: The Big Guy gets screwed to prolong the feud.
WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella vs. AJ Lee
Steve Miller: Poor A.J. She will not get the title back for a while as punishment for marrying Phil Brooks on the day he was fired. The Bellas will continue to lead a charmed life at the center of the Diva universe despite their lack of wrestling or acting skills. I hope all of you were able to finally see Charlotte (Ashley Flair) last Monday night. She is the next star of this division and we are all biding our time until the Nature Girl gets promoted. She’s got dad’s act down to a science and the athletic ability to command the ring. Even though they gave the match to Nattie Neidhart, Charlotte was styling and profiling. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Michael Dworkis: Moving onto more waste. The Divas division is on a decline until the bring more NXT women to the main roster. AJ Lee will once again lose, and eventually vanish off television. Frankly I’m shocked she held the title again as long as she did, but she was the best thing they had. Nikki and Brie in the championship spotlight? Where is Awesome Kong when you need her?
Kenny Pete: Nikki Bella will win the Diva’s championship as AJ Lee skips into the sunset. See ya in Slayerville AJ, I know you’re a big Clutch fan.
Bill Bodkin: The burial of AJ Brooks continues…”Fearless” Nikki wins.
WWE United States Champion Rusev vs. Jack Swagger
Steve Miller: Swagger will not get revenge for Dutch Mantell’s “broken leg.” Rusev is obviously a Vince favorite and they will wait for Mania to finally beat him.
Michael Dworkis: This has potential to be a solid match. Jack Swagger and Rusev could have a Suplex-fest if they wanted. I would have liked to see Cesaro somehow enter this feud. It would just feel right. I see Rusev retaining by some interference, making it a tarnished win, and the feud will continue onwards to Fast Lane. You know, what was Elimination Chamber?
Kenny Pete: Rusev Crush! Get this guy a real opponent already.
Bill Bodkin: Obviously Rusev wins this one making “Big Hoss” tap out.
Big Show vs. Erick Rowan – Stairs Match
Steve Miller: I feel bad for Paul Wight. They’ve turned him more than a spinning top. His body is one of the most tenuous in WWE and they continue to put this damaged man through these silly matches. I keep waiting for him to turn into the second coming of the late career Andre the Giant, a wrestler who can barely stand and is propped up by his opponents. Rowan should win. He’s gotten fan support lately and they are turning him into another schizophrenic favorite with talk of a near genius IQ and outside interests while he can barely speak and wears a Halloween mask.
Michael Dworkis: This could have potential. WWE Creative never needed to put a gimmick here, but the opportunity presented itself and Vince loves his gimmicks. They want to push Rowan as a “lovable face” who is mentally disturbed yet borderline genius. He also plays guitar. Show is there like the other “veterans” such as Mark Henry and Kane, just there to do their job, enjoy it, and get paid. Rowan wins.
Kenny Pete: A Stairs Match?! Really?! What even IS a stairs Match?! These big lugs are going to beat the tar out of each other & it will be bowling shoe ugly (TM Jim Ross) Rowan gets the win because he is fresh & Big Show loses, because….Big Show.
Bill Bodkin: This reminds me of a less silly version of “Judy Bagwell on a Poll” match. Rowan wins this one with his yet to be determined finisher.
WWE Intercontinental Champion Luke Harper vs. Dolph Ziggler
Steve Miller: The question with Harper isn’t whether he is going to remain I.C. Champion. No, the question is whether they are just setting the stage for the inevitable Harper/Rowan match at Wrestlemania. This is going to be the five month tease until the former Wyatt family associates finally get their hands on each other in California. The problem with fighting Ziggler is that the title becomes meaningless. The easy way out is for “Big Red”, a name WWE is trying to trademark (I hope they realize that the Wrigley company has a gum with that name), will cost Harper the title. Talking the belt off Ziggler stopped his latest push and, if they want to try once again to get him to the upper echelon, Vince needs to put the belt back on him.
Michael Dworkis: The question of whether the Intercontinental Championship benefits Dolph Ziggler is a tough one. Without the title, he could move on to main event, except with John Cena and Brock Lesnar owning it, Ziggler will have a tough time, unless we get a Ziggler/Cena feud out of the deal. It is hard to see Harper dropping the title back so fast, but a win by Ziggler would give him a much needed push, showing the fans WWE still has faith in “The Show Off.” There is no doubt this will be an awesome match, depending on how long WWE allows them to go. I see Ziggler winning, but whether he gets the strap is a cloudy call to make.
Kenny Pete: The Battle of the 2 men who Can’t win on TV. I have no idea why the IC champ always seems to be booked as a loser, while still holding a title, both of these talents have been in that very spot. This will be a fantastic exhibition on “how to flop around like a fish out of water” from Ziggler & Luke Harper will look strong in a victory.
Bill Bodkin: Luke Harper retains here so they can build to him vs. Rowan…
Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose – TLC Match
Steve Miller: Bray Wyatt has lost his fastball since the family split up. He’s become just another character in Vince’s travelling circus. Dean Ambrose is on the rise and will do something absolutely insane to win this match. The former Shield member is being schooled as the new Mick Foley and, unfortunately, the “fractured trachea” will be one of many worked and real injuries he is going to suffer in the next few years.
Michael Dworkis: The focus is on how crazy they can make Dean Ambrose. We know Mr. Unstable can get crazy and put his life on the line, ala Mick Foley. The question is how far WWE will allow him to go. Ambrose could have a short WWE career or a long one depending on what they allow him to do. Wellness Policy anyone? Daniel Bryan and CM Punk busted their asses, and look how injuries have plagued them. Edge, Rey Mysterio, Wade Barrett, and Dolph Ziggler can already attest to that. Bray Wyatt has his cult following, but he does not risk life-and-limb in his matches. It’s hard to say whether Ambrose will come out with a win, as we know he will take the seriously insane bumps. A win is what the fans want, but what might not be what WWE thinks we deserve.
Kenny Pete: This will be the first of many main event caliber matches from these 2 talents as they are both the future of the company. Bray Wyatt needs the win to look strong, but he won’t get it today. Ambrose wins in what could be a glass ceiling shattering performance.
Bill Bodkin: Bray wins this war of attrition with a crazy version of Sister Abigail off a ladder through a table – and the debut of some of possible new “family members.”
Seth Rollins vs. John Cena – Tables Match – If Cena loses, he loses his number one contendership to the WWE Championship
Steve Miller: This is the easiest, no-brainer to pick of all. It’s Cena with outside interference from Orton to set up round 3 with BROCK LESNAR. (Add your own Paul Heyman gravelly, lengthened syllables to the pronunciation.) This sets up to be a Rollins-dominated affair with the last minute RKO to end the festivities. Cena will lose once again at the Rumble as he travels down the path of Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, and the other former champions as they made their way down the ladder towards legends status. Cena is listed at 15 championships and I can’t see them allowing him to equal the record of WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! The Nature Boy. If it was ever to be done, it would have belonged to Paul Levesque, and he isn’t going to try.
Michael Dworkis: It pains me to think this is the main event of TLC+S. The event is called TLC, therefore should end with the TLC match. Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar? Nope. John Cena will win, because he has to. We will get a great performance by Seth Rollins, while we will wonder once again how on earth Cena manages to go through a match without breaking a sweat. Expect interference galore.
The real question is whether Cena will be hyped to tie with Ric Flair. WWE did end the Undertaker’s Streak, so don’t rule out ending Flair’s championship dominance.
Kenny Pete: This should be a very good match, I’m very interested in seeing how these guys mesh together in a high profile ppv match. I’ll go with Rollins winning the match tonight with help from our favorite stooges Mercury & Noble, setting up Cena to win the Rumble next month & once again Grab the brass ring & main event another Wrestlemania.
Bill Bodkin: Seth Rollins will steal the win here, which means Cena will win the Royal Rumble, headline Wrestlemania and win the title from Brock. Then the WWE wonders why they can’t create new stars.
