By Ryan Kester

Randy Orton vs. John Cena

Randy Orton is the new Undisputed WWE Champion, and is set up to provide a solid foil to the babyfaces of WWE heading into WrestleMania. It will be interesting to see the first Rumble winner going on to face one World Champion in over a decade, and a return to the Bryan/Orton rivalry coming out of the January PPV is looking like the most likely course of action for WWE.

The match itself was very entertaining. The ending certainly felt rather flat as WWE has overdone the handcuff gimmick and the ending spot didn't work due to the ladder moving out from under the falling Cena, but the announcers managed to come up with a convincing cover.

It's good that WWE delivered on its promise to have one champion coming out of the show. It certainly looked as though that would come crashing down when the McMahons came out to celebrate with Orton, but luckily WWE kept things simple.

CM Punk vs. The Shield

Out of the two handicap matched on the show, this was the better wrestled match with the less compelling story. The Shield has a lot left to offer WWE as a heel tag faction, and the hints of a split are incredibly premature. I hope, for the members of The Shield's sake, that WWE has a solid exit strategy planned for the group as they are worth so much more as a group then they are as individual acts at this moment. That can certainly change, but these three men need a lot more work on their individual identities.

As far as CM Punk goes, this was only ever a filler feud for the man, so all signs point to him being involved in the general Royal Rumble hype until his WrestleMania feud is firmly established.

Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family

As I mentioned previously, I enjoyed the actual wrestling of the Punk and Shield match to this, but the story presented from this match was far more interesting. The Wyatts, with their leader Bray in particular, were made to look like the mysterious treats that they should. This feud was more about providing the faction with some heat off of Daniel Bryan than it was about Bryan himself, and WWE accomplished their goal last night.

One can only hope WWE plans to move on with Bryan in short order. He's one of the favorites to win 2014's Rumble, and there's not much more that can be gained from a continued feud with an entire faction.

Overall Show

This year's TLC PPV left a lot to be desired. WWE simply failed to deliver a meaningful enough show that made the fifty dollar entry fee warranted. I cannot put into words how happy I am that we're getting out of the late fall/early winter and moving into the Road to WrestleMania.

If you have any questions or comments or just wish to chat with a fellow wrestling fan about whatever, then feel free to email me at ryan.kester@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter.

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