WWE TLC Hits

Sheamus wins the WWE Championship: It's so refreshing to see WWE take a chance on someone new rather than running them through the usual ringer of stops, starts, and constant tests. The match was entertaining and the table stipulation made it possible for Sheamus to win the belt without actually pinning John Cena. The live crowd was stunned by Sheamus going over and it should create good buzz headed into tonight's three-hour show. I just hope this isn't a one-night title change. Sheamus has momentum right now and it would be a mistake to pull the title off him immediately.

Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin: The wildest of the gimmick matches. I noted in my live report that they performed some wild spots, yet didn't do so much that the other matches couldn't top it. However, none of the other matches came close to delivering the big stunts and this turned out to be the most entertaining match of the night. I wouldn't label it a classic because it's not a match that people will be talking about months from now, but both guys worked hard and delivered a quality ladder match that lived up to some lofty expectations.

DX vs. Big Show and Chris Jericho: A quality main event. These four didn't take the big chances that Christian and Shelton took. I'm not complaining, though, because I didn't expect them to play the "top this" game. DX winning the tag title belts did nothing for this viewer simply because they failed to make me feel like winning the belt was a high priority for them. This frees up Chris Jericho to return to Smackdown as a singles wrestler. I suppose they could also do a quick title change tonight on Raw if they want to keep Jericho on Raw, as wrestlers from all three brands will be on tonight's show.

Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston: Just a minor hit for this one. Jim Ross nailed it in his blog when he wrote that the feud lost some momentum over the last couple weeks. Their program seemed to peak with Kofi attacking Orton at Madison Square Garden and the creative team was unable to keep the momentum rolling through this show. I'm guessing we'll see these two fight again in the Royal Rumble match and again in the Elimination Chamber and then finish off their program with the singles rematch at WrestleMania 26.

Drew McIntyre vs. John Morrison: The live crowd wasn't exactly buzzing for this match. They had the unenviable task of trying to follow the ladder match, but they came through with a quality performance. I like the title change in that McIntyre needs the belt more than Morrison. I assume this is the first of a long series of matches between the two, and I expect their matches to get better as they get more comfortable working together.

WWE TLC Misses

Undertaker vs. Batista: The live crowd was flat for the bulk of the match. They both worked hard, but the match just didn't click. It's hard to say whether it was just the matches didn't hold the live crowd's interest or if they're simply not watching the Friday night show, but it was very noticeable that the fans in the building weren't popping for the Smackdown brand matches like they were for the Raw brand matches. The main reason I'm giving this match a miss is because the restart was so bad. The general managers let heels win despite illegal tactics on a weekly basis, yet Long felt the need to restart this match? Where was he when Drew McIntyre raked John Morrison's eyes in the IC Title match?

Michelle McCool vs. Mickie James: The fans just don't react to the charismatically challenged McCool, yet WWE continues to shove her down our throats. She's definitely improved in the ring and she's much better as a heel than she was as a babyface, but she just doesn't click with the fans. By the way, I hated the Texas themed outfit that Mickie wore. Yes, I'm nitpicking here, but it's hard to take a title match seriously when the challenger shows up wearing a theme outfight that includes jeans and tassels.

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