Here we are again with another challenging Question of the Day from eWrestlingNews providing an arena for passionate wrestling fans to express their opinions. Clearly, WWE’s decisions have thrust me back into the devotees’ wrestling ring.
Recently, the wrestling world buzzed with the news that the highly-anticipated “Tables, Ladders, and Scares” match pitting Tony D’Angelo against Oba Femi for NXT Halloween Havoc, will now utilize a pinfall stipulation.
In easy terms, the organisers have taken a classic ladder match—because that’s what a TLC match really is—and they removed the single unique factor that helps distinguish it from any typical No Disqualification match. This is the ladder element where you clinch victory by climbing and grabbing a title belt, briefcase, or anything similar.
This fuels today’s discussion – “Does TLC currently hold the record as the most meaningless gimmick match serving no real purpose other than a shot at rebranding similar No DQ matches akin to Street Fight, No Holds Barred, and what have you?” I’m eager to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
As for me…
My answer is a resounding YES! Quite frankly, it’s exasperating as hell to see the WWE go down this route, and hoped against hope that a change would come under Paul Levesque’s leadership, it appears that we’re in for more of the same.
It doesn’t necessarily bother me when WWE plays with its No Disqualification terminology to suit a given theme, but not all the time. Take, for instance, when wrestlers fight on Christmas, it’s all in good fun to call it a Miracle on 34th Street Fight, using themed weapons. The same logic applies to the Trick or Street Fight. But if there’s no change to the rulebook, you’ve got to dress it up somehow to make it unique.
Of course, a Falls Count Anywhere is recognizably different from a Last Man Standing match, which in turn differs from a Triple Threat. These matches may function similarly but the rules that govern them are not identical.
Yet, a TLC match has slid into a predictable triad: a ladder retrieval win, a No DQ match with hyped use of chairs and tables, or a No DQ match that combines those three with anything else, making it identical to the Devil’s Playground match!!!
With an arsenal of intriguing gimmick matches at their disposal, WWE disappoints with events like Halloween Havoc, which often ends up as a series of renamed matches. Can anyone in the creative team remember any of the other gimmick matches when that wheel turns?
I mean, why can’t D’Angelo and Femi fight it out in a steel cage to keep The Family out? Last Man Standing would commendably demonstrate the superior resilience of the wrestlers. D’Angelo could even impose a mobster-themed gimmick with cement shoes or a Casket Match.
Instead, we’re getting a main event that will be no different from a North American Championship fight laden with ladders and tables while Trick Williams and Ethan Page would likely be relegated to the monotonous spectacle of wrestling with kendo sticks – the new-age stand-in for chairs.
It’s such a let-down given the Halloween theme of the event and the potential it holds for outlandish, thrilling, and novel gimmicks. But it seems we’re getting just the basic staple of matches instead.
What do you make of it all? Let’s hear your ideas below!