‘WWE TLC 2012’ Blu-ray Review
The final pay-per-view event of the WWE calendar, TLC: Tables/Ladders/Chairs was originally marked out for its innovative high-flying, high-risk matches. However since the departure of many of the WWE’s rope-walking risk takers the TLC PPV has become something of a damb squib, especially considering the event sits in between the much more high profile Survivor Series, which precedes it, and the Royal Rumble, which follows it.
2012’s event, despite some less-than-stellar matches – in particular the first three of the PPV – manages to avoid being yet another poor entry in the WWE canon thanks to a fantastic, and (surprisingly) first ever, six-man TLC match between Ryback & Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) and the 3-man “justice squad”, The Shield. Yes, the 3 members of The Shield are a little rough around the edges but what they brought to the match, taking some stunning bumps: including being put through both a chair and a table (from a massive ladder), and giving just as good as they got – literally burying Kane and managing to put Ryback out of commission for most of the match.
In a repeat of the Survivor Series PPV, the Diva match is once again laughable; as is the Sheamus versus The Big Show match and their rivalry has now grown incredibly tired. So much so that even the WWE made a mockery of their chair match with Show bringing out a huge Show-sized chair to club Sheamus for the win.
As for the rest of the matches, it is the return of a veteran wrestler, the Brooklyn Brawler, that provides the real highlight of Tables/Ladders/Chairs 2012. Even moreso than the main event between John Cena and Dolph Ziggler! Who’d have though that the return of the Brooklyn Brawler, in a PPV filmed in Brooklyn, would out-class the rest of the PPV? Of course the Brawler is an old man now and can’t really wrestle for toffee, but The Miz’s respect for the former superstar in letting him take the pin and the win was, for once, a classy move on a part of the WWE.
Special features on the Blu-ray of TLC: Tables/Ladders/Chairs 2012 include Monday Night RAW 17th December 2012: Ric Flair presents the Slammy to the Superstar of the Year; Big Show addresses the WWE Universe; The Miz, Alberto Del Rio & Tommy Dreamer vs. 3MB; Ryback vs. Antonio Cesaro; Mean Gene Okerlund, Ricky the Dragon Steamboat & Jim Ross present the Slammy for Match of the Year; John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler. SmackDown 18th December 2012: Miz TV with AJ Lee, Dolph Ziggler & Big E. Langston; and CM Punk addresses the WWE Universe.
Not the best pay-per-view to end 2012 with, WWE TLC: Tables/Ladders/Chairs 2012 is released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 25th.
