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The WWE took a tremendous concept for a match and turned it into a pay-per-view. Actually, WWE has done that a couple times: Hell in a Cell, Money in the Bank, and Tables, Ladders and Chairs.

I don’t like the idea of turning a special match into a theme for a pay-per-view. It forces at least one match on the pay-per-view to be that style match – whether or not the feud warrants it – and it almost prevents the use of that match at another time during the year, when it might be more appropriate.

The themed pay-per-view Sunday in Baltimore is Tables, Ladders and Chairs (TLC), in which the use of – what else? – tables, ladders and chairs is permissible. The TLC match first burst onto the scene as part of the tag team feud involving Edge and Christian, the Hardys and the Dudleys. The image of Edge leaping off a ladder and spearing Jeff Hardy in mid-air as Hardy hangs from the cable holding the championship belt during WrestleMania XVII will live for forever in WWE lore.

I should make it clear that complaining about themed pay-per-views doesn’t mean I’m not recommending the event. Money in the Bank this summer was tremendous. TLC might not reach those lofty heights, but it appears to have a solid lineup.

The TLC match at TLC features C.M. Punk defending the WWE Championship against Alberto Del Rio and The Miz. The question here is how well Miz and Del Rio will work together. There’s also the question of which wrestler is going to take the big bumps. None of the three is a high flyer, so we could see a slightly different style than in past TLC matches. I expect Punk to retain his title.

Mark Henry will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Big Show in another colossal collision. The use of chairs is legal. I expect Henry to retain his title.

A match I’m looking forward to is Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett in a tables match. Given the way the storyline is going, I expect Barrett to beat Orton, adding ammunition to Barrett’s claim that he’s inside Orton’s head. Orton will eventually get him back, but I think Orton can withstand one more loss, especially in a fluky fashion in a tables match, before getting his revenge.

One match I’m not overly excited about is Triple H vs. Kevin Nash in a Sledgehammer Ladder Match. The rule is that a sledgehammer is hanging above the ring. If you can get up a ladder to get the sledgehammer, you can use it during the match. Or perhaps the question should be whether Nash can get up the ladder at all. I’ve seen too many bad matches from Nash the last five years to get too excited about this match.

On the other hand, I’m extremely interested in Booker T challenging Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship. This feud is the latest step in elevating Rhodes. I expect Rhodes to sneak away with a victory – or at least with his championship belt.

We need at least one title to change hands, don’t we? I think it’s time for Zack Ryder to finally win the United States Championship from Dolph Ziggler. One reason I think the time is right for a title change is I think Ziggler is ready for bigger and better things. He’s almost always in one of the top two or three matches on WWE television each week (the top two matches). I envision Ziggler challenging Punk for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble.

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END OF AN ERA? The big news this week was that the Asylum Arena, best known as the ECW Arena, has been sold. The new owners, heaven forbid, are apparently not interested in having professional wrestling in their venue.

The South Philadelphia “bingo hall,” as Jim Ross used to call it, gained fame during the glory days of ECW. The building itself doesn’t have much to offer. But the fans gave the building its character.

After ECW died out, the building was rechristened the New Alhambra before eventually becoming The Asylum. Wrestling has remained a staple, with CHIKARA, Combat Zone Wrestling and Dragon Gate among the organizations that have continued to present events in the building.

I hope wrestling events will be held in that building in the future. If January is the end of wrestling in that venue, however, this bingo hall will still occupy an honored place in wrestling history.

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NO RESOLUTION: The main event of TNA’s Final Resolution pay-per-view featured no resolution. The “Ironman” match between champion Bobby Roode and A.J. Styles ended in a 3-3 draw, with Roode stalling away the final minutes in order to keep his title.

Some people didn’t like the match ending in a draw. I don’t mind, as long as it isn’t done too often. There used to be a lot more draws and inconclusive endings in order to build feuds, but those were at arena shows, not on pay-per-view. We’ve become accustomed to a big emotionally satisfying ending to pay-per-view events.

In this instance, I like the draw. It makes Roode look a little cowardly, but it makes perfect sense. The draw also gives Styles a good reason to demand a rematch down the line. It appears that Jeff Hardy will be getting the next pay-per-view crack at Roode’s championship.

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SLAMMING SLAMMYS: Last week I mentioned how much I enjoy the Slammys and Tribute for the Troops (which will be rebroadcast Saturday at 9 p.m. on NBC). Rarely does Achilles Heel ever steer you wrong, but I can’t blame you if you didn’t like the Slammys on RAW.

There were long stretches with very little wrestling. The opening segment featuring Michael Cole, Jim Ross, Booker T and Hornswoggle was awful. It also seemed ill-timed to have the comedy-centric Slammys on the RAW immediately preceding a pay-per-view.

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MATCH OF THE WEEK: In the midst of that sub-par RAW was a tremendous four-way match featuring Rhodes, Ziggler, Ryder and Daniel Bryan. These four second-tier stars tore up the ring in an excellent bout. (Ziggler and Ryder are reportedly involved in another great match on Smackdown, teaming with Barrett and Orton, respectively.)

Unfortunately, this outstanding match also highlighted what was wrong with RAW. Instead of concentrating on the terrific action, the broadcasters spent a significant portion of the match wondering which of the four participants would win the Slammy for the WWE Twitter trender of the year. The award speculation detracted from the match.

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I’VE HEARD ENOUGH: If I never hear the phrase “trending on Twitter” again, I’ll be a very happy man. Well, I’m already an extremely happy man. You would be happy, too, if you looked like me and had my life.

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RINGING IN NEW YEAR: Ring of Honor’s “Final Battle 2011” will be held on Fri., Dec. 23, at the Manhattan Center in New York. Davey Richards defense the Ring of Honor World Championship against Eddie Edwards, who will have UFC Hall of Famer and former WWE wrestler Dan “The Beast” Severn in his corner.

Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas defend the World Tag Team Championships against Mark and Jay Briscoe. There will also be a tag team gauntlet match, with the winning team to receiver a future title shot. Jay Lethal, Roderick Strong and Steve Corino also will have matches at Final Battle 2011.

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RAW IN PHILLY: Don’t forget that Monday’s post-TLC RAW will emanate from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. As Mean Gene Okerlund used to say, “Get your tickets now! Don’t you dare miss it!”

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VIDEO MOMENT: I’m not much of a video game fanatic, but I’ve heard nothing but rave review of WWE 12. While we’re on the topics of gifts, Achilles Heel may be putting together a holiday gift list for next week’s column.

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