WWE // 2011 // 170 Minutes // Not Rated
Reviewed by Judge Franck Tabouring (Retired) // February 27th, 2012
Carnage reigns supreme!
WWE's biggest stars invade the city of Baltimore, Maryland, to compete at WWE: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2011, the year's final pay-per-view and pro wrestling's only event where tables, ladders, and chairs are completely legal. Both reputations and titles are on the line as Triple H faces Kevin Nash, Randy Orton takes on Wade Barrett, and CM Punk squares off against The Miz and Alberto del Rio. Here's the complete lineup:
* Dolph Ziggler vs. Zack Ryder in a United States Championship
Match
This year's edition of WWE: TLC opens with a rather slow
start, with neither Ziggler nor Ryder offering fans anything out of the
ordinary. Both athletes do get around to delivering a few solid maneuvers, but
then again, other attempts at pulling off high-risk moves fail miserably.
Despite a decent finish after a 10-minute brawl, this opener lacks the energy
and focus to go down as a memorable PPV matchup.
* Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne vs. Primo & Epico in a Tag Team
Championship Match
Air Boom's tag team title match against Primo and
Epico boasts more entertainment value than the previous fight. Kingston and
Bourne put on a solid show, scoring some crazy moves and delivering a couple of
pretty impressive combo tricks. Assisted by their flexible opponents, they also
maintain overall momentum and do whatever is necessary to boost the overall
speed of the wrestling action during the matchup's short seven minutes. Not a
bad performance...
* Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett in a Tables Match
Tables!
Finally! At least that's what you would expect from a battle between superstar
Orton and his less popular opponent. Alas, both athletes occasionally struggle
with bad coordination, visible mostly in some botched attempts to deliver some
powerful moves. Other than that, it definitely takes a while before we finally
get to see some table action. Kicks and punches dominate their selection of
maneuvers to please fans, and that's really all there is to say about this
match.
* Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly in a Divas Championship Match
Believe it or not, but the divas are actually a tad more active inside the ring
than Orton and Barrett in the previous matchup. That said, despite a few good
moves and a decent overall pace, it's ultimately Kelly Kelly's obnoxious
screaming that really ruins the potential fun for everyone. Next!
* Kevin Nash vs. Triple H in a Sledgehammer Ladder Match
Without a doubt, this is the best battle of this event so far. Nash and HHH both
know what it takes to offer an amusing show, and they keep fans on their toes by
delivering a great variety of high-risk maneuvers, exchanging momentum and
making good use of the ladders. Despite a rather disappointing finish, this is
just the kind of compelling matchup people should expect from an
"extreme" WWE PPV.
* Jack Swagger vs. Sheamus
Clocking in at 5 minutes, this is
nothing short of a quickie to fill up the card and assure the show reaches its
three-hour running time. Although Swagger and Sheamus refrain from slow
submission holds and anything else that would considerably slow down the pace of
their brawl, they don't really offer spectators anything out of the ordinary,
either. They display clean performances many will appreciate, but the match ends
before anyone can really start caring.
* Mark Henry vs. Big Show in a Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight
Championship
This one delivers the goods, while it lasts. It's pretty
unusual for the WWE to sign off on 5-minute main events, but I assume they're
aiming for change. Change is good, though, and the Big Show and Henry take full
advantage of their right to use chairs. Great match indeed, even though WWE
writers decided to end it in a rather absurd, unnecessary fashion.
* Booker T vs. Cody Rhodes in an Intercontinental Championship
Match
I certainly welcome the fact WWE: Tables, Ladders &
Chairs 2011 keeps improving as the event moves on, and Booker T's title
match against Rhodes certainly adds to the fun. Although I wouldn't go as far as
calling this one main event caliber, both wrestlers keep it interesting
throughout, using their experience and agility to pull off some impressive kicks
and other high-risk maneuvers. I always enjoyed watching Booker T tearing up the
ring, and he's still got what it takes to play around with the big boys.
* CM Punk vs. Alberto del Rio vs. The Miz in a Triple Threat TLC Match
for the WWE Championship
The main event is upon us. As it turns out,
it's by far the best WWE pay-per-view match I've seen in quite a while. Tables,
ladders, and chairs are all over the place in this epic battle, and each
contestant pulls off a superb contribution to the madness. The fact that the
belt is suspended high above the ring obviously adds a serious amount of
suspense to the whole thing, forcing everyone to stay sharp and focus on timing.
What a finish!
The DVD release of WWE: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2011 includes a solid widescreen transfer and decent audio track. The bonus section includes a short backstage interview.
Scheduling more matches while reducing their length could potentially pay off for the WWE. Although WWE: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2011 won't go down as a perfect pay-per-view, the variety of matches speeds up the overall pace of the event and may make it more worthwhile for people to either attend or order the show. Despite a rocky start, this edition of boasts plenty of wrestling action fans should be excited about.
Not guilty.
Review content copyright © 2012 Franck Tabouring; Site layout and review format copyright © 1998 - 2013 HipClick Designs LLC
Scales of Justice
Judgment: 85
Perp Profile
Studio: WWE
Video Formats:
* 1.78:1 Anamorphic
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (English)
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (Spanish)
Subtitles:
* None
Running Time: 170 Minutes
Release Year: 2011
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks
* Interview
Accomplices
* IMDb
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt2147533/combined
* Official Site
http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwetlc