The Magnificent Seven: The Top 7 WWE December PPV Matches

December is upon us. Despite being the last month of a year, with a history that used to include WCW’s Starrcade, it has settled in a month that doesn’t exactly have a celebrated history for mainstream wrestling in the US. In looking back through the years, however, there were some hidden gems out there from WWE’s December PPVs, including TLC, Armageddon and a number of other big shows.

This countdown includes traditional PPV as well as WWE Network specials—that includes NXT TakeOver London as a de facto NXT PPV-equivalent. The countdown is based on individual match quality, as opposed to the larger storylines or implications. As always, my personal opinion weighs heavily.

#7. John Morrison vs. Sheamus, TLC 2010

One of the biggest subplots for WWE in 2010 was The Miz’s rise to main event status. A bit quieter, and a bit less remembered is the rise of Miz’s former tag team partner, John Morrison. Morrison saw his popularity rise, and slowly saw his stock rise in the company as he broached main event status himself.

While Morrison would never win a world title in WWE or fully arrive as a main event fixture, he quite arguably peaked here, facing off with Sheamus in a ladder match with a shot at the WWE Championship on the line. This was a terrific spotlight for Morrison. Yes, he got in some of his signature high spots like leaping over a ladder to fly at Sheamus, but this match was also built to demonstrate Morrison’s toughness and fighting spirit, in particularly overcoming a stiff assault on his knee. Sheamus was more than game as a base for him, playing his part of the hard-hitting bigger heel nicely.

The match tends to fade from memory because Morrison’s title shot would end up on Raw rather than a PPV, and because Morrison would ultimately wind up walking from WWE. Still, for this night, he looked like a superstar to cap an excellent match.

#6. Paul London and Brian Kendrick vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Dave Taylor and William Regal vs. MNM, Armageddon 2006

Armageddon 2006 was not a very good PPV, with a weak card going in that largely felt like filler as WWE wrapped up the year before getting primed for WrestleMania season. The brand split was breaking down, and an inter-brand tag match main event, pitting John Cena and Batista against Booker T and Finlay, wasn’t exactly a captivating headliner.

The show was scheduled to see Dave Taylor and William Regal challenge Paul London and Brian Kendrick for the tag team championship. This probably would have been a perfectly fine clash-of-styles matchup, but in adding The Hardys, MNM, and some ladders it became an instant impromptu classic with three dare devil teams that could fly, and the rock solid base of the Brits to direct traffic and provide a base to work from.

Unfortunately, the quality of this match gets overshadowed by Joey Mercury getting his face horribly smashed in a ladder spot gone bad. Otherwise, though, it was a wildly entertaining sprint that offered an unexpected highlight to an otherwise lackluster show.

#5. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte, Roadblock 2016

While many will argue that the Sasha Banks-Charlotte Flair main roster feud of 2016 stretched too long with too many title changes, I’m a bit of an apologist for it, and in particular for the last three one-on-one encounters between the two. Their main event Hell in a Cell Match was a solid four-star affair. Their Falls Count Anywhere Match on Raw was one of the best TV main events of the year. And then there was this half hour Iron Man Match.

The Iron Man Match did exactly what the match type is designed to, in giving a pair of top notch workers the opportunity to show what they have to offer over a lengthy match. The intensity of the match worked nicely, and created a fever pitch toward the end of regulation. While there’s a bit of a logical gap in Banks tapping out to the Figure Eight when time was about to expire and free her anyway, the moment was nonetheless a dramatic success that played nicely into the sudden death overtime period. That period saw Flair playing the aggressor, and Banks selling her injured knee and exhaustion beautifully as she fought to stay in the match before finally being forced into one last submission.

I get that some folks were sick of Banks-Flair by this point but whether you view this match as the capper to the rivalry, or in a vacuum, it was a very good bout.

#4. Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe, NXT TakeOver: London 2015

There has yet to be a bad NXT TakeOver special. The London show was no exception, featuring the debut of Asuka, a very fun outing for The Revival beating back Enzo and Cass, and a forgotten gem of a successful title defense for Bayley against Nia Jax.

And then there was the main event—Finn Balor defending the NXT Championship against Samoa Joe. These two demonstrated wonderful chemistry in this outing, working a rock solid match, only to culminate in a fast and furious finish that highlighted the best of Balor’s babyface fire.
Balor is a heck of a face when he’s focused and has the right opponent to feed him when he’s on offense, and pose a formidable monster for him to overcome otherwise. Joe was the near perfect dance partner for those purposes, and this first encounter was arguably the best in their rivalry that would carry forward at the top of the card in NXT for months to follow.

#3. John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler, TLC 2012

In 2012, Dolph Ziggler’s undeniable effort and talent finally got him a push toward the top of the card. He won the Money in the Bank briefcase which seemed to shore up that he was heading for a world championship reign, before he wound up feuding with John Cena. On one hand, feuding with Cena seemed like career advancement for The Show Off, but also threatened disaster when he put his briefcase on the line against The Champ.

The result was an excellent match, with Ziggler being Ziggler, Cena playing up to an inspired up and comer’s talent the way that he tends to with best rising talents in the company, and the two working the ladder match gimmick to its fullest potential. It was a back and forth war with Ziggler wickedly determined, and Cena his usual unstoppable self.

Then Ziggler won.

No, this was not a clean win, with Ziggler getting the assist from AJ Lee when she turned heel on Cena. It was, nonetheless, Ziggler retaining the briefcase, furthering his stock with a new alliance with Lee, and setting him up to be a major player in 2013. With that, WWE had an electric main event to essentially blow off not just the Cena-Ziggler rivalry, but 2012 on the whole.

#2. Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles, TLC 2016

In the aftermath of The Shield splitting up, Dean Ambrose had an uneven singles run. He had instant chemistry with Seth Rollins, and the two made one another look like stars for their first singles rivalry in WWE. In the months to follow, however, Ambrose was exposed for not being an entirely consistent performer when he had to stand on his own two feet. His TLC main event with Bray Wyatt was a dud, and showcase match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 32 was pretty blah. Ambrose gathered a little steam, and looked a little more motivated when he got his first bona fide main event push, including, getting the better of a series of matches with Seth Rollins, and even winning the hotly anticipated Shield triple threat.

Around the same time as Ambrose was fully coming into his own, and getting a full vote of confidence from management, AJ Styles was also proving himself. He performed beautifully in a program with Roman Reigns, then really took things to the next level, more than living up to the opportunity when he got the better of a feud with John Cena.

So, after the brand split, Ambrose and Styles were set on a collision course. Their early matches were good. Their blow off match at TLC was great.

Styles’s work rate and selling ability perfectly suited Ambrose’s penchant for plunder for a fun, fast-paced brawl. The ending of the match diminished this one a bit for James Ellsworth turning on Ambrose to hand Styles the win. Just the same, the turn told a logical enough story, with Ellsworth doofishly thinking he could unseat Styles for the title on his own.

#1. D-Generation X vs. Chris Jericho and The Big Show, TLC 2009

No, D-Generation X vs. Jeri-show wasn’t a five-star classic, particularly from a purist’s perspective. It was, however, a prime example of how four talented veterans can build a story around key spots and competent work to arrive at a special match. Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels were particularly good at selling the brutality of the match’s plunder, and this match was also a great showcase for Big Show as a monster heel who worked some key power spots.

Chris Jericho wrote about this match in his most recent book, discussing how the guys had intended for it to be a low key, low risk take on the TLC gimmick that focused on showmanship over any dangerous spots. He notes, with irony that the match instead featured him standing on Big Show’s shoulders to try to get at the tag titles suspended above the ring, only for Shawn Michaels to superkick the big guy and send Jericho crashing into a table at ringside. (He fell just short of actually going through the table, which would have made it more a more aesthetically pleasing spot, but the landing actually looked more brutal for the miss.)

And then there was the finish. While Triple H holding up half of a busted ladder so Michaels could climb it was a little silly, WWE sold the story perfectly of the two working together, and Triple H offering his physical strength and moral support so Michaels could climb to new heights. It was a memorable finish to a bit of a forgotten gem of a main event match.

Which matches would you add to the list? The Six-Pack Hell in a Cell Match from Armageddon 2000, Triple H vs. Vince McMahon from Armageddon 1999, and Batista vs. Edge vs. The Undertaker at Armageddon 2007 were my top runners up. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Read more from Mike Chin at his website and follow him on Twitter @miketchin.