WWE TLC 2018: Honest Thoughts

Last night the WWE presented it’s finally PPV of the year, TLC and what a night it was! From epic women’s title bouts to title changes, to matches that will go down as true highlights of the year the WWE made sure to close twenty eighteen on a strong note and in today’s blog post we are going to be re-living all the best and worse moments from the night.

Please Sir, May I have some more?

PPV Kick off shows can be very hit or miss. On some occasions you can most certainly skip the one-hour special while on other occasions we are presented with must-see matches that can end up being the best of the entire night. This past Sunday the kick off show saw Buddy Murphy defend his Cruiserweight championship against Cedric Alexander in another CW classic. In my opinion, better than their super showdown match these two proved yet again that we need to see more exposer for the CW Division and that includes putting these title bouts on PPV main shows. In twenty nineteen we need to see more for these stars and far more exposer and these two proved exactly why last night. The passion and fight in Cedric and the sheer excellence from Murphy was fantastic!

Way Too Much

We’ve touched on the fact that the WWE pack way too much on PPV shows during previous events throughout the year however with twelve matches on last nights TLC card that point could not have been any clearer. Heading into twenty nineteen its vital the WWE realize less is more and there are several matches that can be saved for either RAW or Smackdown LIVE allowing the bigger and more anticipated matches to have more time on PPV. We had a show that felt way too long, way too much, far too dragged and come the second hour I just wanted the main event to hurry up so I could head off to sleep and that isn’t a vibe you want from your audience.

A Big Return and Rumble Announcements

One of the biggest moments of the night came from a huge return, the return of Kurt Angle. Following, Strowman’s revelation that he cannot compete he got some help in the shape of Finn Balor, Apollo Crews, Gable and Bobby Roode and with the numbers stacked against him things weren’t looking great for the acting GM and it didn’t get any better when the entrance theme of Kirt Angle hit the arena. With nowhere to run Corbin was faced with one heck of an attack leading to Strowman picking up the win and heading on to challenge Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble for the universal champion and Corbin no longer in a position of power. Excellent poetic justice, a good story told, and I loved the involvement of the other superstars.

We also learned that Carmella and R-Truth will be entering at the number 30 sport in their rumble matches in January after defeating Mahal and Fox in the finales of the MMC.

A Much-needed Performance for the Riott Squad

While I wasn’t a fan of the story/build to the tables match between Ruby Riott and Natalya I was in fact really looking forward to the match itself. The stipulation benefited the style of Riott while Nattie had experience in this match and fight from the build. The night was an important one for the heels and with a solid time slot, the trio really did take advantage. From Liv and Logan’s table spot (which was perfectly timed) to Ruby’s general performance, this was the platform and exposer the faction needed. What was so great about this match was the storytelling throughout. The build was, of course, distasteful but the mind games, the story of Nattie taking each member out throughout the match and the satisfying ending really made this a strong bout last night.

Smart Booking

While it may have gotten a little lost amongst the card last night Balor vs McIntyre was a strong one on one contest. With both men showcasing their skill this was an exciting wrestling match easy to enjoy and fun to watch. The closing moments were, of course, the most talked about after Ziggler’s involvement resulted in Balor scoring the win, but the booking overall was very smart. Finn was massively in need of the win and so I’m super glad he picked it up last night while McIntyre isn’t massively affected by the loss and we get to see the progress between Drew and Dolphs feud.

Becky Lynch Stole the Show in 30 seconds

After suffering a loss to Ronda Rousey for a second time a defeated Jax headed backstage to only encounter Becky Lynch who attacked the woman who had taken away the biggest match of her career so far only a month prior. It was a thirty-second moment that stole the show and had fans in attendance the loudest of the night so far.

Keeping it Simple

Daniel Bryan vs AJ Styles was a match I was a little concerned about but I wasn’t left disappointed. I’ll admit that come this awkward stage of the night I was very sleepy but what we saw between the two was something very special. Rare in the WWE do we get to see wrestling at this level and of this style and when we do its pretty amazing. Watching this I did feel as though I was tuning into an indie wrestling show and it was fun to watch. Excellent wrestling a true showing of a different style of top star in the WWE this was a bout catered to hardcore wrestling fans and the end result while predictable went down a treat for its simplicity. We had no crazy stipulation, no interruptions, and everything was kept simple and basic and it worked perfectly.

On the topic of keeping things simple, the Intercontinental Championship bout between Rollins and Ambrose also fell under this category. With no stipulation this was a simple match that card needed however, a big stipulation would have made this that little stronger considering how well these two works together in competition of that level. With that being said, what we got was okay. Nothing less and nothing more. It wasn’t as strong as what we have seen from the two previously and I did find myself bored at times but none the less it wasn’t a weak performance from the superstars just a match that didn’t quite steal the show or live up to expectations.

A New Women’s Evolution

When the women’s evolution started, we still couldn’t dream of what we saw last night. Asuka, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair in the first-ever women’s TLC match for the Smackdown Women’s championship; a match with high expectations and much anticipation. A night that saw the blue brand main event and the women take over completely. Natural, barbaric, intense, entertaining, there was no denying this was the match of the night and the worthy main event of WWE TLC 2018. From start to finish we had every reason to be glued to our TV screens. Not a single dull moment with ladders, tables breaking, kendo sticks, and intense chair shots the match provided everything you could ask for and Asuka’s huge and deserving victory was truly the icing on top of the cake.

The Road to THAT Triple Threat Begins

The main event was by far the biggest moment of the night and RAW women’s champion Ronda Rousey made sure to include herself in this huge main event. Costing both Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair the match Rousey put a major target on her back and fans are very excited! Not only is Rousey vs Lynch a much-anticipated match but a rematch between Ronda and Flair is also a huge demand! After what we saw last night the seeds have most certainly been planted and you can find out more as to what I think we can expect in the coming months when I take an in-depth look at this main event in a future blog post.

To conclude, I personally had very mixed opinions when it came to the TLC pay per view. My main issue was the forever feeling of so many of the matches on the card not coming across as though they belonged on the night and in fact should have been saved for RAW or Smackdown LIVE. There were many matches that were easily forgotten despite being strong but keep in mind that the general storytelling of each match, the booking of most, and the quality of the most anticipated bouts of the night truly did make this one epic way to close the year and the final PPV of twenty eighteen overall was pretty strong and I’d say it was worth the watch.