 The Shield def. Samoa joe and Raw Tag Team Champions Sheamus & CesaroThis match was teased at the end of Raw two weeks ago, so it was merely a matter of time before it transpired. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a rematch on an upcoming episode of Raw. Nevertheless, this was a very good six-man tag team match for as long as it lasted and there never seemed to be a dull moment. These six Superstars have excellent chemistry together and have been holding down the fort on Monday nights with their entertaining encounters. SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair def. Carmella and Ruby Riot in a Triple Threat Match (Non-title)Going with a three-way here instead of a straight-up singles match was a wise idea because Riot should be protected this early into her main roster run and Carmella was kept limited. It wasn't without its issues, of course, but it was a good Triple Threat matchup on the whole. It also provided as a preview for what we can expect in Sunday's Lumberjack match at Clash of Champions considering all the women that surrounded the ring during this bout.
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 Roman Reigns and Big Cass celebrate their victory. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Big Cass Saved United States Champion Roman Reigns From WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens and Rusev I have no problem with them holding a handful of matches on these Tribute to the Troops shows, but kicking it off with a segment that belongs on Raw felt unnecessary. This was such a paint-by-numbers segment, which I'm sure was the last thing the fans wanted to see through after already attending SmackDown Live that same night. If nothing else, Owens' mic work was hilarious as always, and Rusev was humorous as well, so there was that. Cesaro & Sheamus def. The Shining Stars, The Golden Truth and The Club in a No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match For the Raw Tag Team Championship Although this was a fun Fatal 4-Way match, it was difficult to care about any of these tandems right now. Cesaro and Sheamus as well as The Club have lost to The New Day on a number of occasions, including as recently as Monday's Raw. As for The Shining Stars and The Golden Truth, they're filler teams and hardly anyone takes them seriously to begin with. That said, Cesaro and Sheamus were the right tandem to go over. The Club should get a run with the straps at some point, but WWE needs to justify putting Cesaro and Sheamus together by having them win the twin titles at Roadblock.  Dean Ambrose leads his team to victory. By Graham "GSM" Matthews
League of Nations Interrupted Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and The Usos This was a pretty paint-by-numbers segment with everyone making an entrance and setting up the 16-man tag team main event for later on in the show. Only Reigns and the League of Nations got mic time with the League of Nations talking about how much better they are than the United States to elicit heat. It was Wrestling 101 yet effective. On a side note, it was wise for WWE to not have anyone come out with their championships. They would have spoiled the title changes from TLC and Raw if they had the new champions wear their belts and it would have been awkward if the old champions were wearing them. Better to avoid that whole mess by having no one come out with gold. Jack Swagger def. Rusev in a Boot Camp Match I likely wouldn't have cared less about this match any other time of the year, but it was fitting to rekindle this rivalry at Tribute to Troops. It also helped that Swagger has meant a little more as of late. Granted, he's still a glorified enhancement talent, but at least his recent feud with Alberto Del Rio has legitimized him to the point where he didn't feel too out of place against Rusev. The annual Boot Camp matches are always a blast and this bout was no exception. Swagger forcing Rusev to tap out truly was a Christmas miracle, but because it's Tribute to the Troops, it's almost as if it never happened.  By Graham "GSM" Matthews
WWE Champion John Cena def. World Tag Team Champion Edge (Non-title) The classic feud between Cena and Edge dominated the better part of 2006, so it was perfect that they closed out the year by having them go up against each other one final time. They can always be counted on for a quality contest and this was another great matchup from the two longtime rivals. It was also fitting to open Tribute to the Troops with Cena since he has become such an integral part of the event over the past decade. CM Punk def. Shelton Benjamin Punk was only months into his WWE run, and as part of the ECW brand, I would have never guessed that he would be invited on the Tribute to the Troops tour. That said, I was pleasantly surprised to see him a part of the event and in a match with Benjmain. The two had fun chemistry each other, but it's a shame Benjamin didn't mean more at the time and was instead toiling in the undercard on the Raw brand.  By Graham "GSM" Matthews
Mr. McMahon Addressed the Troops It's only fitting that the Chairman of WWE kicked off the annual event and express his gratitude to the troops, regardless of whether his on-air character was a heel or a babyface at the time (I honestly can't remember). Say what you will about the man being "out of touch" or what have you, but he really does go above and beyond in giving back to the troops with these shows and going overseas when they aren't obligated to. Granted, they no longer go overseas for the event and instead travel to bases here in the United States, but it might be because there's no longer as large of a presence over there as there once was. Either way, it's always an enjoyable event and this was a heartwarming promo from McMahon to start the show. World Tag Team Champion Big Show def. Carlito In addition to being hilarious, Carlito was was such a slimy character that he was the perfect choice to go one-on-one with Big Show because he could escape all of his offense. He did that for a portion of this match, but Show mostly squashed Carlito, which was fine because the crowd got a kick out of it. These two would later enter a feud over the World Tag Team Championship going into WrestleMania 22. |
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