Tribute to the Troops Review - December 28, 2013

Daniel Bryan lands a hard kick on Bray Wyatt.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Daniel Bryan def. Bray Wyatt by Disqualification

This match was over before it even started, as the interference from Luke Harper and Erik Rowan caused it to go to a disqualification no more than a minute into the bout. That was probably for the best since it appears WWE is saving Bryan vs. Bray for down the road, and it could be a marquee matchup if built to correctly. Doesn't this count as Bray's first loss in singles competition to date?


Daniel Bryan and CM Punk def. Luke Harper and Erik Rowan by Disqualification

We saw the same match at Survivor Series, so it was much of the same from the two teams. That isn't to say that it wasn't a solid tag team outing while it lasted, though. Bray Wyatt getting banned from ringside only to return and cause the match to go to a DQ was odd, but it help set up the subsequent six-man tag match also involving John Cena. Speaking of such, I found it refreshing that not a single person booed Cena upon his entrance. It is not everyday something like that happens.

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Big Show knocks Damien Sandow out cold.

Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and John Cena def. The Wyatt Family

I like the trio of Cena, Bryan and Punk, as it combines three of the top babyfaces in WWE today and puts them against one of the best heel factions in the company today (alongside The Shield). I would have rather seen the two prior matches not even happen in order to give this match more time, but it was still a good match for what it was and the babyfaces going over was pretty predicable given how this was filmed for Tribute to the Troops.

Daughtry Performed "Waiting for Superman"

Daughtry was my favorite contesting on Season 4 (or was it Season 5?) of American Idol, so it was cool to see him doing a live performance for the troops as opposed to some of the other artists WWE could have chosen. Personally, I liked the song and thought it was fitting for the troops. They seemed to enjoy the performance as well, and that's all that matters.


R-Truth def. Fandango

Although the fans in attendance might I have taken to Truth, I still couldn't care less about the guy. He's uninteresting to me unless Xavier Woods is around, and he wasn't on this show. Fandango is another guy who doesn't spark my interesting, which is why this match couldn't have been any more boring for me. Thankfully, it was kept short and sweet with the fan favorite going over in an anticlimactic fashion.


Jeff Dunham and Peanut Entertained the Audience

I am a huge fan of Dunham and always find his material to be hilarious. He mentioned how this show took place after the Christmas holiday, which might have confused those in attendance since it was taped a few weeks ago. Some of his material was from his Christmas special, but I still found it funny regardless and Peanut's brief altercation with Big Show was fun as well.


Big Show def. Damien Sandow

This was nothing more than an elongated squash match for Show. It was a shame to see Sandow used as the fodder, but given the way he has been booked in recent months, is anyone really surprised? It was essentially a showcase for Show's dominance, but as with the previous matchup, at least it was relatively quick and painless.


Overall Show

These specials usually also air on the USA Network, but that doesn't appear to be the case this year. More matches air on that version of the show since it isn't condensed into an hour. Nonetheless, the show was enjoyable for the six-man tag match as well as for the performances by Daughtry and Jeff Dunham (both of whom I am fans of). Besides, this show isn't meant to be taken seriously for its wrestling anyway and it is always great to see WWE give back to the troops every year.

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