WWE TLC 2016: The full rundown and why you should care

It’s December, and for many that means the holidays are upon us. For WWE fans, though, it means that it’s the time of year when wrestlers can — legally! — attack each other with tables, ladders, and chairs. TLC is here, and kicks off at 7 p.m. ET with the event officially beginning at 8, and it’s loaded with all the goodies the name suggests it will be.

This time around, TLC is a SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view. All four titles are on the line, and we also have two grudge matches with stipulations to look forward to. Let’s get to it.

What am I looking at here? Heath Slater and Rhyno joined up months ago to win the titles, which would earn Slater a full-time job on SmackDown that would allow him to feed his scores of children and also afford a double-wide trailer. They’ve successfully defended their titles since, but their greatest challenge is now in front of them, as the Wyatt Family has a new look thanks to the addition of Randy Orton. And, unlike past Wyatt attempts at the tag titles, their patriarch, Bray Wyatt, is competing for them this time.

So that’s two main event superstars teaming up for evil’s sake and eyeing the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Heath and Rhyno are probably in real trouble here.

Why you should care: It’s been a long time since WWE introduced a tag team like this, where two established, successful wrestlers joined forces to vie for tag titles they have a real chance of winning. Seeing where Orton and Bray go as a team, and what direction Orton helps push the often-static Wyatt Family in, is a real point of intrigue. What comes next for Heath and Rhyno, whether they retain or drop the belts here, also matters as SmackDown has done a wonderful job of turning the duo into a team fans are invested in.

What am I looking at here? [extreme plug voice] If you listen to Rudo Radio, which I hear is co-hosted by a handsome and intelligent wrestling fan, then you know about the true story of Baron Corbin. You know we’re pretty sure that Corbin is the Undertaker’s son from his first marriage and that he left home to try to make a name for himself, focusing on werewolves instead of graves but without being able to escape the love of motorcycles and expressive jackets that he inherited from his dad.

That also makes Corbin the nephew of Kane, Taker’s half brother. So Thanksgiving at the Taker residence really should have its own WWE Network special.

Anyway, Corbin also inherited his dad’s love of hitting dudes in the dick, and now he can legally hit Kalisto right in the lucha dragon with a steel chair.

Why you should care: This feud has been a lot of fun, with Corbin hating Kalisto basically for being tiny and annoying to him, and Kalisto showing off that he’s not afraid of Corbin even if the dude towers over him. Kalisto is one of the most talented performers WWE has, and seeing him let loose against the up-and-coming Corbin in a match where chairs might be the equalizer is one of the major reasons to turn on this pay-per-view in the first place.

What am I looking at here? The Miz won the title against Ziggler on the 900th episode of SmackDown a few weeks back, thanks to an assist from Mrs. Miz, Maryse. Then, Miz defended the IC belt at Survivor Series against RAW’s Sami Zayn with another assist from Maryse. If you are sensing a pattern here, it’s because there is one, and Ziggler is tired of said pattern. A ladder match is no disqualification, so Maryse can be even more blatant with her support for Miz. But at the same time, there can’t be a controversial pin fall in a match with no pin falls: Even if Miz cheats, it’s not technically cheating here because everything is permitted, and only climbing the ladder and coming down with the title matters.

Why you should care: The Miz/Ziggler feud has been one of the defining battles of SmackDown since the brand split occurred, and it hasn’t disappointed yet. A ladder match to determine the Intercontinental Champion is what popularized this kind of bout in the first place, so expect something special from this one-on-one affair that just might be the blowoff to this lengthy — but compelling — feud.

What am I looking at here? The one in leopard print with the severe case of Staten Island Accentitis is Carmella. Normally you could identify Nikki Bella by her wearing of a hat, but Carmella often has a hat, too, so that whole system is suddenly untrustworthy. Carmella has been hounding Nikki ever since the latter returned from career-saving neck surgery, oftentimes by bashing Nikki’s neck repeatedly with fists or heavy objects or whatever is around to bash it into. Nikki Bella believes that Carmella is the one who attacked her before Survivor Series, keeping her from competing (and possibly SmackDown from winning their Women’s Elimination Match), but we all know that it was Natalya who did the deed.

Has SmackDown told us this is the case? No, but it was definitely Natalya.

Why you should care: Luckily, even though Nikki is likely pointing her accusatory finger in the wrong direction here, Carmella isn’t exactly innocent overall given her previous assaults on Nikki. So there is still a measure of revenge to be had here. Whoever wins this feud might be earning an opportunity at a future SmackDown Women’s Championship shot, too, given Nikki is the longest-reigning Divas Champion in history and a Carmella victory over her would be quite the argument in favor of number one contendership.

Plus, the No Disqualification format of this match is more proof that WWE is finally letting women’s wrestling be as important as men’s wrestling, in the sense that it feels comfortable letting it be great for super dumb reasons like kendo sticks and brawls through the crowd.

What am I looking at here? Becky Lynch is the Irish lass with the red hair and the muscles. Alexa Bliss, aka Pixie Hoss, is the diminutive blonde who her opponents should never underestimate. This isn’t the first championship match between the two, but it could be the last if Becky pulls out another victory here: Alexa only got this rematch because her previous loss saw the match end even though her foot was on the ropes.

That won’t be an issue here, as there is only one way for a Tables match to end: with someone going through a table. Maybe Alexa Bliss can’t compete with Becky Lynch in a standard one-on-one throwdown. But when the only rule is that your opponent needs to go through a table for you to win, then the game has changed.

Why you should care: This match could go either way: Becky could win, successfully completing her first title defense feud, and then move on to a new challenger. Or Alexa could pull off the upset, making her the second-ever SmackDown Women’s Champion and helping move her from future star to present-day star. These two have excellent chemistry on the mic and in the ring, and seeing where this feud goes from here — be it nowhere or with Becky trying to win her title back — is reason enough to tune in on Sunday.

What am I looking at here? Ambrose and Styles have been feuding over the title since the SmackDown after SummerSlam, and it spilled over into their Survivor Series match, even though they were supposed to be bros helping SmackDown earn victory over RAW. Rather than have these two wrestle constantly the last couple of months, the Tuesday show has had Ambrose get his shots in against Styles through everyman James Ellsworth, who has won three matches against the WWE World Champion with just a little bit of help from Ambrose each time out.

Now Styles is openly expressing how unhinged this has all made him, while Ambrose is furious about Styles putting Ellsworth in the hospital on this week’s show. So we’ve got two super angry, super egocentric superstars facing off in a match where anything goes and violence via objects is encouraged.

Why you should care: TLC matches are often great. Ambrose and Styles are both great. This feud has been wonderful. Did we mention that violence via objects is encouraged?