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Lucha Dragons def. New Day (non-title)
This is somewhat usual booking leading into a title match at a pay-per-view, but the fact that Sunday’s match is a triple threat throws a wrench into any predictions. That said, with the huge personalities at play with New Day and The Usos, the Lucha Dragons would have a hard time carrying much weight as champions in the next feud.
This is where New Day’s performances in recent months will serve the three men well, as it will be hard for the writers to book them too far away from the tag title picture for a very long time.
Next up is the contract signing between Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens for the Intercontinental Championship match at TLC. As Ambrose has pointed out quite hilariously in the past, these things nearly always end in a fight, and this one is no different.
Owens delivers a cheap shot that leads to the brawl before retreating while Ambrose signs the contract and stands tall in the ring.
Given recent results, Ambrose as Intercontinental Champion makes sense, but the time may not be right to take the belt from KO. Regardless of who wins, it likely won’t be on the line at Royal Rumble, so the winner of this match will hold the belt for at least the next couple of months.
Ryback def. The Ascension
WWE’s creative team seems to really have no clue what to do with The Ascension. Once a promising call-up from NXT, losing in handicap matches is not a good sign for the future for this young team.
On the other side, Ryback has been booked somewhat impressively this week, so it will be interesting what direction his character is on course to take between now and Royal Rumble.
The Big Guy could be a good candidate for a medium build over the next month or so toward a nice run in the Royal Rumble match. Doubtful he’d win the match, but he could keep the crowd invested and help boost the eventual winner.
Dolph Ziggler def. Tyler Breeze
This feud seems to be approaching its expiration date. Once these two square off on Sunday, it could be time to move them separate directions or even team them up if the creative team wants to get really bold.
Breeze and Ziggler as a narcissistic heel tag team that is also wildly talented would be a solid move for both men, that adds to an increasingly deep tag division.
The Wyatt Family cuts a promo ahead of the faction’s matchup with ECW legends the Dudley Boyz, Rhyno and Tommy Dreamer. In what seems like a running theme, the Wyatts really need to win this matchup.
Squaring off against four men with no long-term future in the WWE and no need to protect the legends as viable threats down the road, there’s no reason Bray and Co. should take a loss Sunday.
Becky Lynch def. Paige
Becky Lynch gets the No. 1 contender for the Divas title to tap out, and this could be foreshadowing for a Paige victory at TLC and a Triple Threat down the road, perhaps at Royal Rumble.
This win on Smackdown would give Lynch a traditional claim on a title match, and Charlotte would also be lined up for a rematch. Throw in the three wrestlers’ intertwining storylines and the next step seems obvious.
Hopefully, this story could also involve Sasha Banks as it is high time the Legit Boss gets her singles push at the main roster level.
Roman Reigns/Dean Ambrose def. Sheamus/Kevin Owens
At least, Sheamus and KO were willing to get in the ring this time. If the WWE are going to put all the men’s belts on heels, having them all run scared from challenges makes for dull programming at times.
The recent focus on faction alignments in WWE has added some intrigue to Sunday’s pay-per-view, but it also adds an element to predictions for the event. With Reigns, Ambrose and The Usos all challenging for titles, that Samoan Asylum faction isn’t likely to be undefeated on Sunday.
Since New Day is taking a loss on Smackdown, perhaps they’ll win Sunday, which opens up Reigns and Ambrose to possibly both win. But if The Usos come away victorious in what will almost certainly be an earlier match at TLC, we can expect that Sheamus, KO or both will retain later in the evening.
