WWE TLC 2011 Review

In perhaps the coldest night in Baltimore this December, the WWE Universe turned out and was well ready for another history making night. The amount of "Broski" headbands, and Best in the "World" T-Shirts proved that if one day John Cena was to become a heel, then merchandise sales would not be an issue. Prior to the pay-per-view, fans had only expected six matches. But on a night where, every championship was defended and two historic title changes, WWE TLC proved that wrestling is in a great state heading into to 2012.

Alex Riley def. Drew McIntyre in a dark match. 
These are two superstars who have been on the mid card level and have the potential to be future stars in the WWE. Unfortunately, there is nothing for these guys on television, but I do not think these guys are written off. In a match good enough to warm up the audience, McIntyre scored the victory.

Zack Ryder def. Dolph Ziggler to become new WWE United States Champion
With the Broski and Woo Woo Woo chants filling the First Mariner Arena, Ryder entered the arena and received on the biggest "pops" in his career. Working with one of the best wrestlers on the card, Ryder proved that he could indeed hold his own inside the squared circle. In the end, it was a Ruff Ryder, a count 1-2-3 and Zack Ryder accomplished his dream of winning the United States Championship! Immediately after the match, Ryder was celebrating with his dad. How ironic, the last time Ryder was in Baltimore, he was in a dark match, defeating Drew McIntyre.

Air Boom def. Primo and Epico to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship
After Borne being suspended for 30 days, Air-Boom finally had the chance to defend their tag titles. In what many say is a failing tag team division, this match did not seem bad. Rather than have two teams put together, it was two men who had great chemistry which made this a match worth watching. In the end, it was Air Boom retaining their titles.

Beth Phoenix def Kelly Kelly to retain the WWE Womens Championship
These two have been battling for the title since Money in the Bank. The match may been used to allow the crowd a short intermission, but having a different finish, Beth Phoenix delivering a simulated alley-oop to Kelly Kelly made it unique especially after the GlamSlam was reversed.

Randy Orton def Wade Barrett in a Tables Match
Orton has been seeking vengeance on Barrett since Team Barrett defeated him at the Survivor Series. These two went all over the arena just trying to beat the living hell out of each other. Orton, who has had yet another great year in his career ended this one on a high note as he was able to catch Barrett with an RKO off the top rope through a table to score the victory.

Triple H def Kevin Nash in a Ladder Match
The last time Triple H was in Baltimore, he was defeated by Sheamus and would never be seen in the ring until WrestleMania. On this night, he would be seeking revenge on his former best friend who also put him on the shelf. For these two veterans who, one being well out of their prime, the match seemed well enough to keep the crowd into it. There were many times the two tried to put the other through a table, but when both men would attempt to climb and get the sledgehammer, it was The Game knocking Nash off and sending him crashing through a table. Once Triple H retrieved the sledgehammer, he went on to beat Nash into oblivion. In the end it was Triple H gaining the victory and leaving Nash battered and beaten.

Sheamus def. Jack Swagger
This match was made in the middle of the night and it was good enough to warm everyone up before the World Heavyweight Championship. These two former World Champions put on a great match, even though there was no story behind it. Sheamus has been well over with the crowd for a while. And this night was no different. Sheamus has been on a roll and it continued as he defeat Swagger.

Big Show def Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Chairs Match
Before the match, Big Show reminded everyone that it had been nine years since he was a World Champion. He said that on this night, Henrys time of running away was over. In their third consecutive match, these two have given the WWE Universe something different every night. But in Baltimore, Big Show delivered a knock out punch to Mark Henry that could be heard in Washington D.C. and before anyone realized it, Big Show was the New World Heavyweight Champion. While Show was celebrating, Mark Henry got back to his feet and beat him with a chair.

Daniel Bryan def. Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship after Cashing in Money in the Bank Briefcase
A few weeks ago on Smackdown, Big Show knocked out Mark Henry and told Bryan to come in and cash in his Money in the Bank. After the decision was reversed, Henry was re-awarded his championship. On this night, Bryan seized the opportunity. While the Big Show was unconscious, Bryan stormed down to the ring, handed the referee his briefcase and pinned the Big Show. As Bryan was awarded the World Heavyweight Championship, the crowd was left in shock. Finally Daniel Bryan is on top. Bryan ran all over the crowd celebrating and Big Show was left in the ring was a look of disbelief.

Cody Rhodes def. Booker T to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
When this match was originally supposed to occur, Rhodes attacked Booker T as he was making his entrance. Prior to that he attacked him backstage during an interview. Booker T said that this is personal and he had to take care of Rhodes, and that this was not about the Intercontinental title. Booker T battered and beaten gave everything he had in this match, but it was Cody Rhodes who executed two kicks to the skull from the ropes to gain the victory. For Rhodes, this victory was huge. A win over a legend helps him to continuously elevate himself into the main event picture.

CM Punk def. Alberto Del Rio and The Miz in a TLC Match to retain the WWE Championship
The last time Punk was in Baltimore in June, he was demanding the anonymous general manager to give him a WWE Championship match. He was booed profusely. On this night, Punk walked into the First Mariner Arena and received the loudest pop of the night next to Zack Ryder and Daniel Bryan. Alberto Del Rio and The Miz used many opportunities to double team Punk. But as soon as he received an opportunity, Del Rio  delivered a couple of cross arm bars to the Miz and Punk, one through a ladder, the other on a broken table. Ricardo Rodriguez played his part well as a manager, often notifying Del Rio when he had a clear opportunity for him to grab the title. But Rodriguez would get involved one time too many, and he was sent flying off the ladder through two tables. Punk overcame many obstacles throughout this match. First, he was handcuffed to the ladder, but he escaped and last, The Miz handcuffed him to the middle turnbuckle. As Del Rio and Miz seemed to have Punk out of this match, Punk untied himself, by breaking the ropes apart. After freeing himself, Punk knocked both men off the ladder and climbed up the ladder and retained his WWE Championship.

WWE Vegeance Review and Explanation

Instead of writing my usual results of the pay-per-view, I am going to explain why this was the best of the year. Remember, this is my opinion and we are all entitled to one. All I ask is that you read this with an open mind.

2011 WWE Vengeance was not supposed to end any rivalries, it is a transition pay-per-view used to elevate stars. So a lot of people was mad that Ziggler and Swagger did not win the tag titles. Personally, I think that would have been a waste of time seeing as Ziggler is very hot as a singles competitor and he is helping Zack Ryder establish himself. This leads me to my next point, Ziggler retaining the title. Remember, in order for them to establish a great rivalry they need two things, the rising star to actually chase the title and when he wins it, he usually wins it on the second try. Let us not forget that usually the WWE or World Championship is not defended during a traditional Survivor Series so the United States and Intercontinental titles will be the premier championship matches for the night.

Sheamus and Christian engage in another classic match. Holding down the spot before they get back into the title picture. There match with each other keeps them from losing credibility.  Now Cody Rhodes losing to Orton did catch me by surprise, but this is why I am a fan and not a creative team member. By Rhodes being in a pay-per-view match with the veteran, he is certainly on a path to excellence.

Lets look at the Punk and Triple H vs Awesome Truth Match. During this match, CM Punk and Triple H continue to display that they are both fans of pure wrestling. From usage of the tag rope, to holding each others hand gaining leverage, remember it is the little things. For the Miz and R-Truth to be in the ring with a veteran and a legend, this keeps them relevant. Everyone is upset because it was just a few months ago that three of these guys were facing Cena in the main event for the WWE Championship, but right now it is time for Alberto Del Rio to be established. Everyone screams for the Attitude Era, but when the WWE was establishing Chris Jericho as a top star, they put the Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin in matches together to keep them relevant. Even when they were establishing Mankind and The Rock. In the ending of this match, we were all left in shock with Kevin Nash interfering, this keeps Miz and R-Truth relevant, because they did not get a fair win, which does not hurt CM Punk's credibility.

Mark Henry and The Big Show is a match that everyone complained due to the fact that there were two Super Heavyweights in the ring. Before the ring imploded, these two threw everything they had at each other. With Henry kicking out of two Show Stoppers, he is truly being established as an unstoppable champion. Had the ring held up, who  knows what would have happened. Even though it was an accident, we could not have asked for a better ending.

Cena and Del Rio had an awesome match despite the condition of the ring. I figured Del Rio would win, I was just interested in how he would do it. What better way for R-Truth and the Miz to stay relevant. Interfering in this match maintained their spot in the main event picture. While they may not be one of the participants in the last match, for the second straight Pay-per-view, they left the crowd furious when they got involved in another match involving Cena.

Im not saying Money in the Bank was not a good pay-per-view, but take away the fact that it was in Chicago, would everyone have really been as hyped? Tonight, we witness history along with the fact that new stars are being established, while ones we have been watching all year maintain their relevance. Now we have the perfect lead into Survivor Series next month.

Mark Henry, from the Olympics to World Heavyweight Champion

Mark Henry began his career in the WWE in 1996. Before entering the WWE, he competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Henry participated in weightlifting in the super-heavyweight competition. In 1996 he returned and was named team captain. He only finished 14th after suffering a back injury.

Henry signed a ten year contract with the WWE in 1996. His debut match was September 22, 1996 with Jerry "The King" Lawler. They battled at In Your House: Mind Games where he picked up the win. He had aligned with Rocky Maivia, Marc Mero, and Jake the Snake in his first year.

In 1998, Henry joined the Nation of Domination, led by Farooq. His allies were Kama Mustafa, D'Lo Brown, and Rocky Maivia, who was know known as The Rock. When the team over threw Farooq, and The Rock took over and renamed the group "The Nation," Henry remained. with the group.

After the Nation disbanded in the Fall of 1998, Henry and D'Lo Brown went on to become a tag team.

During the Summer of 1999, he and D'Lo Brown came so close to winning the tag team titles on multiple occasions, but came up short. When Brown became the Intercontinental and European Champion, Henry turned on him and costed him both titles in a match with Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett later awared Henry the European title for his help. That was his first taste of Championship Gold. He lost the title back to Brown a month later.

Later in the year, Henry was known being known as "Sexual Chocolate." During this time, he had brief romance with Chyna. He would later admit to being a sex addict. Apart of his sex addiction, Henry later impregnated Mae Young. Young would have a miscarriage after Viscera body splashed her.

In 2000, he was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling. He would not return to the WWE TV until 2002.

When he returned, he often displayed many reasons why he is the "World's Strongest Man." One night on Smackdown, Henry bent an iron pan using his raw strength.

In 2006, he engaged in a feud with the Undertaker. This led to the Undertaker challenging Henry in a casket match at WrestleMania. Many thought that Mark Henry could be the first to defeat the Undertaker at the biggest spectacle in sports entertainment. Henry came up short.

A year later, he would gain vengeance on the Undertaker. After The Undertaker and Batista engaged in an epic World Heavyweight Championship cage match, that ended in no contest, Henry would come down and beat the battered Undertaker into a bloody mess. This allowed Edge to cash in his Money in the Bank contract and win the title. After this match he and the Undertaker would feud which led to the Undertaker putting Henry out of commission briefly.

When he returned Tony Atlas became his manager. Atlas a former tag team champion with Rocky Johnson said that he could help lead Henry to success. At Night of Champions 2008 he faced Big Show and Kane and went on to win the ECW Championship.

Before winning the title, Michael P.S. Hayes, a member of the creative team and former member of the Fabulous Freebirds found himself in a verbal altercation with Mark Henry. During this time, it is said that Henry was offended by some of Hayes' comments. On of which Hayes indicated that he was more ni**er than Henry. Hayes was suspended. Many say that Hayes is a huge supporter of Henry and the fact is that he wanted Henry to be successful.

After Henry lost the title, he was left under the radar. In April 2011, he was drafted to Smackdown. The night of the draft, he attacked his teammate John Cena, who would later be re drafted to Raw. From that night on Henry promised that he would take any and everything that was in his way until he was the World Heavyweight Champion.

Henry's victims include but are not limited to, The Big Show, Kane, and even the sound man. At SummerSlam, he defeated Sheamus by count out when he slammed him through barricade. In the next few weeks, Henry won a battle royal on Smackdown that named him the number one contender for Randy Orton's World Heavyweight Championship.

Leading up to the match, Henry reminded everyone that he has been with the WWE for 15 years, and that there would be nothing that would stop him from winning the title. When the time came, Henry absolutely dominated Orton, and it was the World Strongest Slam that gave Henry his first World Heavyweight Championship.

Mr Main Event's Night of Champion Thoughts, Mark Henry New World Heavyweight Champion!

Night of Champions, a night in which every title in the WWE is defended. This is a night where you are almost guaranteed to see at least one title change. Tonight, the WWE Universe witnessed the two most important change hands, the World Heavyweight and the WWE titles.

 For fans who have been loyal to the WWE for years, they saw Mark Henry, a 15 year veteran earn his first World Heavyweight Championship. Henry has been terrorizing the Smackdown roster for the entire summer, and he stated that his goal was to win the World Championship, which he accomplished by defeating Randy Orton in a dominating performance.

John Cena defeated Alberto Del Rio in a solid match. I was not expecting much from this match, however I was not disappointed. It was not a bad, nor boring match, but it was not Cena-Punk either. For the first time, I actually was not upset that John Cena came out as the new WWE Champion. In my opinion, at the end of this man's career he will be a 25 time champion.

Triple H and CM Punk's No Disqualification match really lived up to the hype. At least, I think so. These two had a lot of pinned up emotion and they really took it to each other from start to finish. Triple H was in the ring for the first time since facing the Undertaker at WrestleMania in April. The Game really proved that he could keep up with Punk. Punk, who has been on a roll all Summer, threw everything at Triple H except the kitchen sink. However, Nash entered the ring, only to knock both men out. And just when Triple H landed a sledgehammer to Kevin Nash, out came R-Truth and Miz, who stated that they were tired of the conspiracies. In the end, it was Triple H defeating Punk and maintaining his role of the Chief Operating Officer of the WWE. We all know that CM Punk will be back, but in what form.

Kelly-Kelly surprised me. I just knew that her title reign would be over at the end of the night. Every time I see her take on Beth Phoenix, I become more impressed. Phoenix has really brought out the best in her. Prior to their matchups, the divas division seemed to be a dying breed. Now watching Kelly Kelly seems to be interesting because she has really improved her craft.

Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr work so well in the ring together. When the two debuted as a tag team, I just knew that DiBiase Jr would be the star of this group. He seemed to have all the makings of a future world champion. However, he just cannot seem to get over. The two had a solid match tonight, but in the end it was Cody Rhodes outsmarting DiBiase to retain his Intercontinental Championship.

The United States Championship match was very entertaining. Since the Royal Rumble, I have said and will continue to say that Dolph Ziggler is a future main event star. He may not be the biggest, but his in ring ability and intelligence is well ahead of his class. Ziggler escaped with the victory tonight and retained his US Championship by simply outsmarting Alex Riley, Jack Swagger, and John Morrison.

The new team of Air Boom did not prove whether or not they are a fluke. The match simply ended in a disqualification. The Miz and R-Truth believed that they were victims of a conspiracy after the referee allowed  Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston to execute a tag because he said that he heard one, but would not do the same because he did not hear it from Miz and Truth. I liked this a lot. This would lead to the Miz and R-Truth leaving in an uproar and as they indicated they would do something about the "conspiracies."