WWE TLC 2013
Here we go everybody, as the WWE TLC pay-per-view opens with the typical elaborate video package highlighting everything set to take place at the fifth annual WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view.
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon come to the ring. Everyone is chanting for Vince, who we just saw close out the Kickoff Show. The two talk about the history of the WWE and World Championships and again talk about how tonight is historical because two men will walk into the ring as champion, and only one will walk out the “WWE World Heavyweight Champion.”
The official opening for the show goes down and the pyro explodes. Michael Cole welcomes us to the show on commentary, along with his broadcast partners Jerry “The King” Lawler and JBL.
Handicap Match
– CM Punk vs. The Shield
CM Punk’s music hits and out comes “The Best In The World.” It looks like our first of two handicap matches will open tonight’s pay-per-view. As Punk makes his entrance, the WWE commentary team wraps up their introduction statements and whatnot. We see some highlights form RAW of The Shield beating up Punk for the past few weeks. When the clips end, Punk is shown in the ring selling his abs a little bit. The Shield’s music hits and out comes Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns through the crowd. As The Shield make their way to the ring, Cole introduces us to the Spanish commentary team, which includes Ricardo Rodriguez.
The bell sounds and we see Dean Ambrose and CM Punk jawing back and forth from opposite corners of the ring. Ambrose will indeed start things off for his team, and Punk, well, of course he’s gonna start things off as well. The announcers talk about Vince McMahon being here tonight as the fans begin their first loud “CM Punk, CM Punk” chant. Punk and Rollins lock up and Punk shows up Ambrose during a lock-up spot. They lock up again and Punk snapmares Ambrose down. Ambrose throws a fit. Punk yells that he already beat him twice, so give somebody else a shot. With that said, Ambrose tags in Rollins.
Rollins comes in smirking. Punk smirks back and rolls out to the floor. He challenges Rollins to come out after him, so Rollins does. As soon as Rollins does, Punk rolls back in the ring. Punk blasts Ambrose off the apron and turns around and goes to work on Rollins once he rolls back in the ring. Punk is firmly in control here early on. Punk hits Rollins with a big neckbreaker. The fans chant “one more time” so Punk obliges with another neckbreaker, along with a giant smile on his face. Rollins makes the tag to Reigns.
Reigns slowly enters the ring with a smug, confident look on his face. Punk seems a bit nervous but ready to rock. Reigns comes at Punk but Punk uses his speed and quickness to duck a Reigns punch. Reigns hoists Punk up by the throat and is now putting the boots to Punk in the heel corner. Punk fights his way out of the corner, blasting Ambrose and Rollins off the apron in the process, but turns around and is clotheslined down hard by Reigns. Reigns punches Punk on the ground a few times and then tags Rollins back in.
Rollins comes in and stomps Punk a few times. Michael Cole points out that Rollins is targeting the injured ribs of Punk. Rollins with a neckbreaker on Punk and then tags in Ambrose. Ambrose picks up where Rollins left off, going to work on the mid-section of Punk. Ambrose talks trash to Punk as he continues the beatdown. Ambrose stomps Punk a few more times and then tags back in the big guy.
Reigns picks Punk up by the hair and then hits him with a monsterous short-clothesline. Reigns is now toying with Punk, talking trash to him, shouting at him to “get up!” Reigns continues talking trash as he picks Punk up, but Punk starts firing back with punches. Punk hits the ropes, but comes off of them straight into a big clothesline by Reigns. Reigns throws Punk out to the floor. Reigns goes out to the floor after Punk, waiting for him to get up. He does his big Chuck Liddell pose. Reigns goes flying for a big spear but Punk moves and Reigns goes flying over the announce table. Cole points out that the doctors are checking on Reigns. Ambrose is yelling at Reigns for screwing up.
The crowd counts along with the referee, hoping for Punk to win by count out. Reigns rolls back in at seven and Punk goes immediately to work on him. The announcers are claiming Reigns hurt his eye when he missed the big spear on the floor. We get a close up of Reigns’ eye and it does look like he has legitimately hurt his eye. Reigns yells a cuss word and is bleeped. Reigns is overheard saying he can’t see and tags Rollins in and rolls out to the floor. Punk almost hits Rollins with the GTS but Ambrose distracts him.
We get another replay of Reigns missing the big spear now. After the replay, we see Reigns on the floor still nursing his eye as a doctor is checking on him. The announcers have their sad voices on as they describe Reigns on the floor. Meanwhile, Punk and Rollins are going at it in the ring. Punk knocks Ambrose off the apron and scores a close near fall on Rollins. We see Reigns being checked on by a doctor on the floor once again as Punk is firing up on Rollins in the ring.
Punk goes up to the top rope and hits a flying cross-body on Rollins. Punk locks Rollins in the Anaconda Vice but Ambrose jumps in to break things up. Ambrose tags himself in now and goes straight to work on Punk in the corner. Ambrose puts Punk on the top rope. Ambrose goes up after him. Punk headbutts Ambrose off the top. Punk stands up on the top rope and comes off with a flying elbow smash, paying homage again to the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage, as Michael Cole points out on commentary. Punk pins Rollins after the elbow smash, 1-2…Ambrose kicks out.
Punk calls for the GTS but Ambrose escapes. Punk grabs Rollins, who tried interfering, and hit him with the GTS. Roman Reigns comes in out of nowhere and goes to spear Punk, but Punk moves and Reigns spears Ambrose on accident. Punk throws Reigns to the floor and immediately covers Ambrose. 1-2-3. Punk wins.
Winner: CM Punk
Backstage: Renee Young Interviews AJ Lee
Backstage, AJ Lee is interviewed by Renee Young. Tamina Snuka stands by AJ looking tough. AJ talks about how she always wins when it counts. She points out that she’s been the Divas Champion for 182 days straight, but that wasn’t good enough to win a Slammy Award for Diva of the Year. She trashes the Total Divas chicks and concludes by getting in Renee Young’s face and saying after tonight, she’s going to be the only Diva that matters.
Divas Championship
– AJ Lee (c) vs. Natalya
Natalya comes to the ring sporting some pink streaks in her long, blond hair. The Divas Champion AJ Lee skips her way to the ring, accompanied by Tamina Snuka. It’s time for our Divas Championship match of the evening. The bell rings and Natalya immediately drops AJ and tries pinning her. AJ kicks out. AJ locks Natalya in a head-scissors on the ground but Natalya quickly escapes. Both girls are standing again now and Natalya suplexes AJ back down. A semi-loud “Nattie, Nattie” chant breaks out as Natalya continues her beatdown of AJ Lee.
Natalya locks in an armlock on AJ on the ground. AJ eventually escapes but Natalya continues to punish her. Natalya lands a dropkick on a seated AJ. AJ rolls out to the floor to regain her composure. Natalya goes out after her, but sees Tamina Snuka. AJ tries sneak-attacking Nattie from behind, but Nattie catches her and slams her into the barricade. Nattie rolls AJ back in the ring. Tamina distracts Natalya and AJ baseball slide kicks Natalya on the floor. AJ goes out and throws Natalya back in the ring.
Back in the ring, AJ goes for a quick pinfall attempt but Natalya kicks out at two. AJ slaps in a rear chinlock on Natalya as the crowd claps for Natalya to try and rally her into a comeback. Natalya hits the ropes but AJ catches her with a big kick for another near fall. Michael Cole on commentary starts talking about the main event tonight, and says the title will in fact be referred to as the “WWE World Heavyweight Championship” from now on.
Meanwhile, AJ is in control of Natalya in the ring, stomping away at her in the corner. AJ locks Natalya into a weird standing submission hold (not the Black Widow) but Natalya eventually escapes. Natalya catches a kick attempt by AJ and clotheslines her down. Natalya with a niice suplex on AJ. Natalya hits her with yet another suplex. Natalya scoops AJ up and hits her with a sit-down slam. Natalya grabs AJ’s legs and it locking her up in the Sharpshooter. It’s fully applied and in the center of the ring. AJ is crawling to the ropes. Natalya drags her back into the center of the ring. AJ reverses her way out of it.
Tamina Snuka jumps up on the apron to distract Natalya. Natalya turns around and AJ wraps her up in the Black Widow submission hold. Natalya reverses out of it and hits her with a 360 clothesline. Natalya grabs AJ’s legs and goes for the Sharpshooter, but AJ rolls Natalya up out of the attempt and grabs Natalya’s hair for leverage in the pin. 1-2-3. AJ Lee wins and retains the Divas Championship.
Winner and STILL WWE Divas Champion: AJ Lee
WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Big E. Langston (c) vs. Damien Sandow
Damien Sandow’s music hits, but he cuts himself off with a microphone. He says the following words and phrases aren’t any good or something to thaty effect. “Ya’ll. Reckon. Yee followed by Haw. Big E. Langston followed by Intercontinental Champion.” He says that because after tonight, Damien Sandow will be the I-C champ. “You’re welcome!” With that said, the I-C champ Big E. Langston makes his way to the ring. Michael Cole promotes the Royal Rumble as Langston finishes his walk to the ring. He says it’s unique this year because the winner of the Rumble no longer gets to choose which title he wants to go after, as after tonight, there will only be one champion.
The bell sounds and Langston out-powers Sandow right off the bat. Sandow tries fighting back but Langston again uses his brute power to throw Sandow around like a rag doll. Langston throws Sandow out to the floor and then goes out after him. Sandow ends up slamming Langston into the ring post before throwing him back into the ring. Sandow stays on Langston, beating him up with punches and elbow drops before settling with a rear chinlock on Sandow. We hear a big “Big E.” chant break out that really sounded like it was mostly kids. Sandow takes the leg out from under Big E. and then clotheslines a kneeling Langston back down to the mat. Sandow is keeping Langston grounded with a variety of strikes.
Sandow hits Langston with his “Elbow of Disdain” for a near fall. Sandow slaps another rear chinlock on Langston as the fans start clapping and stomping their feet, attempting to rally Langston back into the match. Langston stands up still in the chin lock and breaks it by slamming Sandow back-first into the corner. Langston goes to follow it up by hitting the ropes, but comes off the ropes into a big spinning kick by Sandow. Sandow pulls his knee pad up and drops a bare knee on Langston’s face. Langston hits an electric chair on Sandow to get him off his back and then follows up with a big belly-to-belly suplex. Langston clotheslines Sandow down quickly and scores a two count on a pin attempt.
Langston continues to go to work on Sandow, but Sandow ends up blocking a scoop-up attempt by Langston to cut off his offensive comeback. Sandow goes for his finisher but Langston reverses it. Langston tries his, but Sandow reverses it into a roll-up for a two count. Both guys hits the ropes and Langston smashes Sandow with a football tackle. Langston pulls the straps down on his singlet and hits the “Big Ending” on Sandow for the 1-2-3. Langston wins and retains his Intercontinental Championship.
Winner and STILL WWE Intercontinental Champion: Big E. Langston