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JR's Blog: JR's TLC Thoughts and Gratuitous Mentions to Buy our Products

Posted: Dec 14th 2009 By: CMBurnham

As much as I would have enjoyed being in San Antonio, a great city, to personally be a part of the TLC PPV it was good to be home where I enjoyed the show. No, I don't get the PPV's for free....I paid retail.... thank you very much....and felt that I got my money's worth.

Here are some observations....

WWE TV production is slick. Big time look...clean albeit unique graphics...good music....as good as NBC is doing broadcasting Sunday night NFL football which I just finished watching the Eagles defeat the Giants.

The three man announce booth is challenging especially when the three man team doesn't regularly work with each other. I enjoyed the announcing of the trio tonight better than I did at the Survivor Series which would indicate that Cole, Lawler, and Striker were more comfortable working with each other in San Antonio. "Comfort" and "finding one's zone" are crucial when broadcasting live TV.

Christian and Shelton Benjamin really kicked off the PPV well and their Ladder Match was excellent from my perspective. Lots of risks, unforgiving ladders, overt demonstrations of mental and physical toughness by both guys. Good to see that when Christian got bloodied that the cut was medically addressed and the stoppage was explained. Fans are too close to the action at a WWE event for another's blood to be dispersed especially in today's world. Congrats to both ECW athletes for a great effort in launching the show. No specialty match on this card was better.

Drew McIntyre winning the IC Title did not shock me nor did it offend me. The Scot and John Morrison were challenged to follow the Ladder Match but did a solid job. McIntyre becoming the new IC Champ should set up some interesting scenarios in the future both for the IC Title and the World Title. I like both of these young wrestlers and feel that in time that they can become perennial main eventers. One could only wish that all the rosters had more veteran, main event depth as it can be challenging to create stars when they wrestle others who are also evolving. Nonetheless I like the future for both McIntyre and Morrison.

Even though the Divas have not been exactly embroiled in a red hot rivalry, although more has been done to perpetuate the Michelle McCool-Mickie James issue lately than most Diva matters, I thought overall the match was fine. Fans have to be given a significant reason and have that reason re-established over time for the audience to emotionally invest in any match. The ladies worked hard and I understood the ending of the match and it left the McCool/Mickie issue open.

Sheamus upsetting John Cena to win the WWE Title was a MAJOR shock to me. I mentioned in an earlier blog on Sunday that I liked surprises, especially surprises that are logical and believable, and this surpirse was that and more and really caught me off guard. Good stuff. It reminded me somewhat of many years ago when Stone Cold was red hot and he lost the WWE Title to Kane in a "First Blood" match. Sheamus' victory is a huge and bold step in the right direction for another, young talent. It will be interesting to see what sort of publicity is generated in Ireland as a result of Sheamus becoming the WWE Champion.

The Undertaker vs. Batista had the unenviable challenge of having to follow, arguably, the biggest upset/shocker of 2009. Really tough spot for the two, big men to perform their style of match in not to mention that most of us did not know what to expect in a "Chair Match." The re-start did not bother me as it seemed to ignite the crowd not to mention that Batista has a legit beef and a reason to continue to chase the champion. It certainly should make for viable material for Smackdown TV.

Funny...but it seemed to me watching at home that the Orton-Kofi issue was hotter a few weeks ago than it was Sunday night on PPV. It just might have been the crowd getting restless or looking ahead to the TLC bout. However, I thought the match was really solid and I was surprised that Orton won. Nonetheless I think that Kofi accounted himself well and is "this close" to being perceived as a full time main eventer. Even if Kofi had won I would have said the same thing. It just takes time to get to the next level but I do feel that Kofi has had some outstanding exposure on Raw the past few weeks especially around the time Kofi defaced Orton's NASCAR. It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how dastardly Mr. RKO is that many fans just love to cheer Orton's antics. It's obvious that we live in a defiant society. Orton is a star and Kofi's going to be one, too.

The final match of the evening, after the fans had seen a little of every thing and with most sitting in their seats for over three hours, was also positioned in a tough spot on the card. To their credit, DX and Jeri-Show had an innovative bout especially towards the end of the match and it felt like the event ended the proper way. This match wasn't the daredevil, thrill show that previous TLC bouts have been in yesteryear but I still felt like a good story was told and the match kept my interest after watching almost three hours of TV. The closing sequence was unique and memorable as I don't recall ever seeing any thing quite like it. Seeing HBK secure the two, tag title belts hanging above the ring in Shawn's hometown worked for me. How many more times can that happen on PPV in San Antonio?

It's very challenging to make multiple "specialty matches" with similar traits different enough to maintain the fan's interest over a three hour event. With that said, I felt like each "specialty bout" had its own "moments" and unique traits to provide each with its own personality.

TLC was a fun show with some significant surprises and featured not one person phoning any thing in as everyone worked hard. If you didn't see TLC, you might want to consider catching the replay.

In the mean time, our on line store is open and the holidays will be here before you know it. Our products are unique, affordable, and many come with FREE SHIPPING so check it out "Sooner" than later. I'm Jim Ross and I approve of this gratuitous plug.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, Jerry Lawler, ECW