Show
Time and location
SAN JOSE — “Ice, Ice Sheamy” was all fun and games, but The Bar were all business at WWE TLC, holding firm against a challenge from two of SmackDown LIVE’s best tag teams to retain the blue brand’s tag team championships.
While the victory was an impressive feat from a numbers-game perspective, the match was also something of a litmus test for Cesaro & Sheamus, as it was their first title defense since jettisoning Big Show from their ranks. Given that the match quickly devolved into a fast-paced brawl (New Day were built for speed in this match, going with the combo of Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods), it was looking like the champions would be especially missing the equalizing strength of the giant down the stretch. But The Bar dictated the pace and the makeup of the match, focusing on Woods while bulldozing The Usos off the apron at every turn to keep the affair as a standard tag team match for as long as possible.
They could not, obviously, keep them out forever. A sneaky tag by Jimmy Uso entered The Usos into the match for the first time, and the twins quickly dished out superkicks and splashes to anything that moved. But that was about all The Usos got in this match, as The Bar and The New Day decided their best path to victory was to take out Jimmy & Jey. Cesaro rocked both twins with uppercuts, and Kofi took out The Usos and The Swiss Cyborg with a Trust Fall to the outside.
That brought the fight down to Sheamus and Woods, a one-on-one contest that seemed heading toward an upset when Woods landed a few hard rights to The Alabaster Gladiator. But after Cesaro tripped up Woods to slow him momentarily, the Irishman connected with a devastating Brogue Kick to put the match away, and The Bar left TLC as they walked in: With gold on their waists, smiles on their faces and ice in their veins.