This Sunday's third annual WWE TLC Pay-Per-View will be headlined by a match that has been four months in the making.
At SummerSlam 2011, the wheels of this feud starting spinning when Kevin Nash inexplicably cost CM Punk the WWE title, accusing Triple H of ordering the "hit" via a text message. When it was settled that Nash acted on his own accord, relations between the former "Kliq" buddies became testy.
Nash thereupon took it upon himself to intercede at Night of Champions 2011, attacking both Punk and "The Game" in their match; then, at Vengeance 2011, the seven-footer jack-knifed Triple H, costing him and "The Straight Edge" superstar their tag contest against The Miz and R-Truth; finally, Nash shattered any hope for diplomacy by waylaying Mr. Helmsley with his weapon of choice—a sledgehammer.
Now here we are: The former confidants turned adversaries will lock horns in not just any match but a ladder match with a sledgehammer suspended above the ring.
You read that right.
In their first match in over eight years—the last one, a Hell in a Cell match, transpiring at Bad Blood 2003—both men will be in largely unfamiliar territory.
Triple H has only one ladder match under his belt—at SummerSlam 1998 against The Rock—and Kevin "Big Sexy" Nash has exactly none.
Given the grudge that has developed between the two, one would reasonably expect a no-holds-barred encounter (with sledgehammers galore) to be enough, but the WWE just had to throw a 10-foot high ladder into the mix when it was entirely unnecessary.
The WWE higher-ups must have figured they had to have an "x" number of ladder, tables and chairs matches to satisfy the pay-per-view's gimmick and thus decided to randomly assign the stipulations to the bouts.
As a result, the former Diesel and blue blood are stuck with an unwieldy apparatus in the ring that will surely detract from the two men's strengths—what's left, anyway.
In addition to a lack of experience, what makes this a lose-lose endeavor for both participants is the fact that neither man is mobile, agile or flexible enough to safely partake in a ladder match. Triple H's arsenal never relied on sheer athleticism, and Kevin Nash has always been one to gingerly feel his way through the confines of a ring.
Furthermore, both "The Game" and the former NWO ringleader have age and a stockpile of injuries against them. Coincidentally, both have a history of quad and knee issues sustained doing rudimentary things in the ring.
Triple H tore his quad and knee by merely planting his leg and delivering a routine spinebuster, respectively. Nash, on the other hand, has suffered most of his ailments by simply walking inside the squared circle.
Therefore, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to extrapolate that these two have very circumscribed limitations that must not be exceeded lest something goes seriously wrong.
One misstep, sudden break of a rung, unexpected tilt and/or loss of balance could spell an immediate career end for either Triple H or Kevin Nash.
That being said, the catastrophic implications of this match go beyond just the inexperience, age, health and safety of both individuals.
The real question is, can the former "Kliq" friends even have a good one-on-one match, let alone one with foreign elements involved?
Suffice to say, despite having a match of the year candidate with Undertaker at WrestleMania 27, Triple H has slowed down considerably, leaving the last impression of a wrestler past his prime at Vengeance 2011.
The quality of Kevin Nash's ring prowess isn't even a query worth proposing; he hasn't had a good match in nearly 15 years.
And even in Triple H and Nash's last affair against each other at Bad Blood 2003, it was a bump by Mick Foley—the special guest referee—that stole the show.
Not to mention, there was at least blood to make up for the absence of even a steady pace in their Hell in a Cell encounter. This time around, in the PG epoch, neither Nash nor Triple H will have the benefit of the crimson mask to elevate their match.
One would assume an exception would be made for a matchup characterized by a bipedal, steel contraption and a sledgehammer. However, as past precedence has shown us, we'll have to suspend our disbelief way up into the Earth's stratosphere, far away from all human reason and rationality.
In conclusion, watching two over-the-hill, injury-ridden (and prone) wrestlers in a bloodless grudge fight—who are not only unfamiliar with a ladder, but never had the aptitude for such a match-type anyway—is a disaster waiting to happen.
If you're pay-per-view purchase of TLC 2011 is predicated on this match, you're better off donating your $50 to charity.
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