The final PPV event of the decade was very well-done, especially considering how insignificant TLC typically is in terms of storyline development. This is because of the event’s placement right between Survivor Series and Royal Rumble. Samoa Joe could also be a mainstay on commentary.
The night kicked off on the pre-show with Andrade taking his second loss in a week to Humberto Carillo (that name still sounds suspiciously like Alberto Del Rio). Zelina Vega is reportedly going to leave Andrade and no longer be his business associate since they have recently been arguing about Andrade’s losing ways.
She will align herself with Carillo, who will dominate the main roster like Andrade never could and possibly even get a WWE Championship opportunity. But this is WWE and, Vince McMahon is an abstract thinker, so no one can ever be 100% certain what is in his mind.
TLC was officially kicked off with an excellent ladder match between The Revival and The New Day. Personally, one could’ve looked for Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder to take up the victory and claim the SmackDown Tag Team Championships from The New Day for the second time this calendar year. This could have served as fuel to the fire for the rivalry between the two teams. However, I can’t ever complain about The New Day being Tag Team Champions.
Some major respect needs to be given to Aleister Black for even being able to finish his match with Buddy Murphy with what I’m about 95% sure was a broken nose. Despite that, the work rate in this match was excellent and not hampered at all. Buddy Murphy unfortunately did not get nearly the spotlight deserved simply because of Black’s injury.
Aleister would absolutely be must-see TV if WWE were to put him in that role. He presents his character in a way that it has an underground following but a slightly darker feel to it.
The OC will likely eventually take the Raw Tag Team Championships from The Viking Raiders – perhaps even at Royal Rumble. It was also smart for creative to book the match so that no one took a pin to keep both teams looking strong. For now, The Viking Raiders are unequivocally the top tag team on Monday Night Raw, as they should be.
WWE is very wisely investing its full effort and attention into establishing Baron Corbin as the company’s top heel. He is the best I’ve ever seen at giving the audience a reason to genuinely hate him. He doesn’t do anything cheesy either like bang on the city they are in. Everything he says to get heat from the WWE universe makes perfect sense within the context of his storyline.
This is also one of the best events for Roman Reigns to take a loss, because the WWE universe will likely forget about it rather quickly because TLC is a relatively insignificant event.
I think I might love Bray Wyatt and his seemingly innocent character even more than The Feed. Miz, however, played an insignificant role in this match. A Universal Championship may indeed be in Daniel Bryan’s future – maybe even as soon as next month at the Royal Rumble.
But he should not resurrect the Yes! Movement just because he cut his hair. In this situation, he should take advice from Chris Jericho and try to come to the realization that nothing like this is ever as good in the second incarnation. Nostalgia is not necessary in this situation
For the first few weeks, Rusev seemed to be the only reason the storyline was salvageable – Lashley had no personality and Lana was just annoying. Now however, a WWE Championship may be in Lashley’s future sooner rather than later.
The fact that Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair made their entrances first for the main event was a subtle indication that The Kabuki Warriors were going to go over in the match. The Women’s Tag Team Division is stacked – and it was hurting for star power just five or six months ago. Pretty amazing if you ask me. Although, a lot more women could be featured but are sitting on the sidelines for whatever reason.
A probable Raw Women’s Championship match may be booked at Royal Rumble between Becky Lynch and Asuka since WWE can now highlight the fact that The Empress of Tomorrow has now pinned The Man in a title match at the same event two years in a row.