WWE TLC 2017 Predictions
Asuka's WWE Main Roster Debut
One of the for sure highlights of the WWE TLC pay per view this year will come from the women's divison as the undefeated empress of tomorrow Asuka makes her main roster debut officially joining the Monday night RAW Women's divison. This is something I and the rest of the wrestling world has been buzzing for. The past two years has seen Asuka dominant the women's division over in NXT defeating the likes of Ember Moon, Nikki Cross, Peyton Royce, Bayley, Nia Jax and many many more. She's been apart of some epic matches alongside the likes of Ember Moon, Mickie James and Bayley and has earned the right to be named one of the most dominant superstars in WWE history. Undefeated, never lost her championship and a reign that lasted over five hundred days, Asuka is a force to be reckoned with and with her main roster debut just days away I cannot contain my excitement. You guys know if you have been following me for a while that I never started out the biggest Asuka fan and it wasn't until the middle to the end of her reign that I really joined the hype. Taking a look back at her short WWE career so far it's insane to see what Asuka has accomplished and the thought of what she is about to do up on the main roster has me massively excited. Now, this weekend Asuka will make her main roster debut when she takes on Emma and honestly I'm looking forward to it. I was sat live in the crowd a couple of years back when these two went one on one at NXT Takeover London and it was actually one of the best matches of the night. The two work really well together, they have decent chemistry and we know from history they can so easily put on a brilliant match. I'm expecting a lot of similarities between the two matches and I'm hoping they are given around the same amount of time as they did back then which is around the fifteen minuet mark. If they are given this time this match could be a standout of the night. It's been made clear that Emma was always the favourite to face Asuka in her debut match on the main roster and its a good call for all the reasons I just mentioned. Emma deserves this spotlight and even though she won't be getting the win she can still have a good performance and turn some heads. I'm excited to see the reaction for Asuka from the live crowd, the impact she makes and what she shows the WWE universe this Sunday as her reign kick starts on Monday night RAW.The Spotlight is on the Cruiserweight Division
The past month really has been a good one for the Cruiserweight divison. I hate to say it but Enzo Amore has elevated this divison to new heights. Okay, so I may strongly dislike him and he's wrestling ability may be questionable to say the least but there is no denying that he has made an impact. We've seen the cruiserweights main event RAW more than once this month and we can see progress finally happening. They're getting more and better exposer and the storyline's are slowly getting stronger. Amore is bringing more character and personality to the divison and it's clear the change that is happening right now has a lot to do with him. This weekend the cruiserweights will once again have the spotlight on them with not one but two matches from the divison set to take place on the night. The first is a tag team match that will see Jack Gallagher and The Brian Kendrick take on Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann. I don't have massively high hopes for this mainly because I believe the WWE are going to keep this pretty short but it has potential without shadow of a doubt. Here we have four of the more popular men in the divison and the guys with a lot of character and skill and with so much diversity in this match we really could be in for a treat. If these guys are somehow provided with a twenty minuet time space then this could very very easily impress and be a standout of the night also. I believe a big standout match is exactly what these guys need individually. They're all so crazy talented and given the time they could turn heads and change things for this divison. I will be backing Swann and Cedric, you guys know I'm the biggest Cedric Alexander fan and I really want to see the WWE focus on building him up, giving him momentum and sending him closer a title opportunity. However, saying that, regardless of the end result I'm confined this could be a killer match full of brilliant wrestling and phenomenal spots.Keeping on the topic of the cruiserweight divison we next have the championship bout between Enzo Amore and current champ Kalisto. Kalisto's victory was very out of the blue. I wasn't expecting it and at first I didn't really know what to think. Right now however, I'm growing to the idea. Kalisto is a very very talented superstar. Throughout his career he has had several standout moments in matches against a number of different superstars with different styles. Okay, so he can be pretty messy and he couldn't cut a good promo if he's life depended on it but no one can take away he's in ring skills which really have always been on show greatly. This weekend he will defend his championship against former champion Enzo Amore and to be honest I'm not too excited for this one. While so many matches on the card this Sunday have great potential this one just doesn't. I'm not expecting this to be a standout or a piece of wrestling art at all. I'm expecting some good spots, impressive little moments but I am also expecting something a little more on the messy side. As far as the end result goes I believe it could go either way but I'm leaning more towards a title change. I strongly dislike Enzo Amore but he brings a lot to the divison, he's mouth and character means he comes across like a good champion and he's a real heel. We don't like him and because of that we pay attention. He generates real heat and has us feeling something as fans which isn't something we have been able to really say when it comes to this divison. With that being said I do believe that Enzo can bring more to the divison and the championship. We do also have to consider Mustafa Ali and where the WWE are going with his feud with Enzo which I actually like.
Can Mickie James walk out as Champion?
We don't have a lot of title matches on the card this weekend, in fact it's only two and one of those comes from the women's divison as Alexa Bliss defends her RAW Women's championship against Mickie James. In all honesty, I'm looking forward to this. I don't believe it will be a standout match in the women's divison this year, the standard has been so high and I don't think this will reach that this weekend however it has potential. I like story behind it with Alexa playing on how much older Mickie is and how she believes right now it's about the future of the division not the past talent like James. It's a decent story and Alexa really makes it work with her mic ability and the character she has. Both these women a pretty similar in the sense they're both pretty small but very skilled and with Alexa really reminding us all of Trish Stratus theres a cool little feel to this feud that I like. If these girls are given enough time this weekend again this could really be a good solid match. Mickie has a lot of experience she is bringing to the table and with Alexa forever improving there is a lot of potential here. Do I think there will be a title change? Honestly, I don't know. I'm so glad Mickie has been finally given the chance to compete one on one for the title, she really does deserve this shot and she is without a doubt one of the pioneers in women's wrestling deserving to be highlighted as just that and so I would love for her to walk out as champion but looking ahead I would much rather wait to see Bliss vs Asuka. I feel as though there is more in that as a story and I would prefer a title change there. If Asuka wasn't in the picture my opinions may be different and I would probably be rooting for Mickie much much more. This remains one of the more unpredictable matches of the night.Can The Shield defeat the Odds?
Okay, lets be honest there is one match we're all looking forward to the most, the main event. The biggest talking point in the world of wrestling right now is the epic Shield reunion. If you know me you know that I have always been the biggest Shield fan. Since starting my blog I've written several blog posts focusing on the faction and of course have always written about Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins as singles competitors in what I'm sure is hundreds of posts. Two weeks ago we finally saw the Shield reunite as it was made clear all three men had mutual enemies in Cesaro and Sheamus, the Miz and soon to be Braun Strowman. The reunion is something crazy fans like myself have been waiting for for what seems like forever and trust me when I say I marked out harder than I ever have before when these three once again stood together as a unit, as the Shield live on Monday night RAW. The past three years or so has seen these guys dominant the WWE as individual stars all capturing gold and standing out for different reasons. They have been leading faces of this new generation of superstars and as they stand together again as the Shield there's a new level of excitement in the air. Now, with that being said I have come across a few negative comments. There are people who don't back the decision to reunite these guys despite me personally believing that the timing is just right. I understand where those not so optimistic comments have come from and I get that side of the argument but honestly, guys this is a Shield reunion can we just damn well enjoy it while it lasts. Now, if I am being honest I do have one problem with what we have gotten over the past week and that comes down to the TLC match booked involving these guys. This pay per view has a lot of history for the Shield, it was their debut match, pay per view and their first win as a team in the WWE and so it's always going to feel special seeing these guys compete there however, the match that has been booked has me a little frustrated. I was all down for the three on three Tables, Ladders and Chairs match between the Shield and the Miz and Cesaro and Sheamus however, we now have a five on three match up with Strowman and Kane now thrown into the mix and honestly I don't like it. I'm confident this has every bit of potential to be one of the best matches of the year still however, I personally would have much preferred the three on three idea. I understand that the Shield have always had the numbers on their side and this time round they don't and so it all fits together nicely but at the moment it just feels a little messy. I'm sure the idea will be to have the Shield defeat the odds and walk out as the winners but I'm just not sold and I feel as though it would be much more beneficial for everyone if this has been kept three on three. I don't get Kane's involvement at all and it just makes things feel even more messy and for me personally some of that excitement has faded. However, this for sure will be a match full of carnage. The Shield are one of the best factions in WWE history and with the question of can the Shield out do the odds laying heavy on everyone's minds this is a true must see and I'm sure we won't be disappointed.Final Thoughts
I'm going to be honest, this is a pretty weak card. There are about three matches I'm looking forward to and even that is pushing it. Asuka's debut, the women's championship match and the main event are clearly the must sees here and with the last two pay per views being so strong I doubt this will be able to live up to Hell in a Cell and No Mercy. We do have Sasha Banks VS Alicia Fox and Bray
As always, any recent blog post will be linked bellow including this weeks Smackdown LIVE highlights and finally, you can let me know what your predictions are for Sunday's show by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me over at @TezangiVictoria.
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