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The past week in WWE was all about building up to what will be the final pay-per-view of the year, TLC 2020, all set to take place this Sunday on December 20, 2020. Both Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown did a decent job to hype up the big matches for TLC, yet a lot of things and decisions weren't appreciated by the fans and critiques.
A massive point of discussion was the record low ratings of WWE's flagship weekly show RAW, something that has reportedly raised alarm backstage among the officials and the creative team. As we head towards TLC 2020, fans can expect the company to take some bold steps to ensure the viewership doesn't go down any further.
In this article, let's take a look at three things WWE got right this week and three they got wrong. Be sure to comment down and let us know your thoughts and opinions on the current product.
#3 WWE got right: Exciting build-up of the Universal Championship match between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens
In a match that could likely main-event TLC 2020 this Sunday, Universal Champion Roman Reigns will put his title on the line against Kevin Owens in a TLC match. WWE has done a great job in building-up the feud on SmackDown in the last few weeks with KO getting outnumbered by The Tribal Chief and Jey Uso.
This past week on SmackDown, Kevin Owens suffered multiple beatdowns at the hand of the two and even got buried under a pile of tables, ladders, and chairs at the end. However, he got back up to end the show with a massive statement that this Sunday he'll beat Roman Reigns to win the Universal Championship, or he'll die trying.
While the chances of WWE taking the Universal title off Reigns are extremely low, the build-up to the feud has the fans interested to witness what goes down this Sunday at TLC 2020. The match is surely going to be a great one, and will likely see multiple outside interferences.
#3 WWE got wrong: Booking of Keith Lee on Monday Night RAW
One of the biggest main roster call-up from NXT this year has been that of Keith Lee. The former NXT Champion joined the roster of Monday Night RAW on the night after WWE SummerSlam 2020. However, his booking on the main roster has been questionable, to say the least.
Reports emerged recently that Vince McMahon has sent Keith Lee and a few other Superstars back to the WWE Performance Center for training. This didn't sit well with a lot of fans who consider Keith Lee to be one of the better in-ring workers on the roster.
This past week on Monday Night RAW, Keith Lee delivered a weird coin-toss promo before facing The Miz and John Morrison in a handicap match. Contrary to expectations, Keith Lee lost clean to the two of them on RAW, something that was highly criticized by fans on social media. It is indeed disheartening to see WWE mishandle a Superstar like Keith Lee, who could certainly be a future world champion.
Recent reports have suggested that WWE is planning a massive triple-threat match for WrestleMania 37 involving Drew McIntyre, Brock Lesnar, and Keith Lee. If that is true, Keith Lee should be booked a lot better than this to be taken as a serious threat to someone like The Beast Incarnate.
#2 WWE got right: Announcing unique stipulation of 'The Fiend' vs. Randy Orton at TLC 2020
The storyline between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt has been one of the only few interesting things about Monday Night RAW in the last few weeks. WWE had already announced that Randy Orton would go one-on-one with 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt at TLC 2020, however, they took things up a notch by announcing a unique stipulation for the match, just a few days before the pay-per-view.
On this week's RAW, mind games between the two were at the top level as Randy Orton trapped Bray Wyatt inside a box and set it on fire, only for The Fiend to emerge out of it and attack Orton with the Mandible Claw. WWE has now announced that the two will compete this Sunday at TLC 2020 in the first-ever Firefly Inferno match.
Fans are intrigued to know what exactly will happen in this match with some of the common predictions being that it will likely be a cinematic match. A lot could happen in this match and fans would be on their seat to witness this contest between Randy Orton and The Fiend.
#2 WWE got wrong: Lana being taken out of WWE TLC 2020 after storyline injury
The storyline of Lana standing-up to Nia Jax and fighting off her bully has been one of the 'feel-good' storylines in WWE recently. With the announcement of Lana teaming up with RAW Women's Champion Asuka to challenge Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler for their WWE Women's Tag Team Championships, it looked to be a perfect setup for Lana to get her revenge.
This week on RAW, Lana picked up a surprising victory over Nia Jax in a singles match. However, following that, Shayna Baszler rushed to the ring and joined Nia Jax to assault Lana, severely injuring her. Later on the show, WWE announced that Lana has been taken out of the match at TLC 2020 due to her injuries and will be replaced by a mystery superstar in the match.
Fans were left scratching their heads as to why WWE took out Lana, the main reason for the match taking place, from the match itself. It was a perfect opportunity for Lana to put Nia Jax through a table at TLC and get some revenge for being put through the announcer's table for several weeks.
The only explanation is that WWE wanted to create some buzz around the pay-per-view with the mystery Superstar angle, but one has to wonder if that was good enough to deprive the storyline between Lana and Nia Jax from a proper conclusion.
#1 WWE got right: Odds stacked-up against Drew McIntyre at TLC 2020
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre will be putting his title on the line this Sunday against AJ Styles in a TLC match. The fact that McIntyre has so many odds stacked up against him has made the fans wonder if we might see the WWE title change hands at TLC 2020.
AJ Styles already has his bodyguard Omos to protect him and as witnessed this week on Monday Night RAW, The Phenomenal One has formed an unlikely alliance with John Morrison and Mr. Money in the Bank The Miz. Of course, the ever-opportunistic Miz will be eyeing the perfect opportunity to cash-in his contract and walk out as the new WWE Champion.
From the looks of it, Drew McIntyre has to face the odds of one against four at TLC 2020, but one man that can even up things a little bit is Sheamus. The friendship between McIntyre and Sheamus has been portrayed on WWE TV for a while, and one has to wonder if The Celtic Warrior would come out to help his friend this Sunday? Or maybe there is a twist in the tale with Sheamus betraying Drew McIntyre, setting up the next major WWE Championship feud heading into the new year.
#1 WWE got wrong: Shinsuke Nakamura taking a loss against Otis
One of the strangest pairing in all of WWE right now is that between former Mr. Money in the Bank Otis and Chad Gable. While it is good to see WWE trying to do something new with the two SmackDown Superstars, the decision they took this week didn't go well with fans.
Friday Night SmackDown this week saw Otis take on former Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura. To the surprise and displeasure of many, he went on to defeat Nakamura clean. While there is nothing wrong in Otis picking up a couple of victories to gain back some momentum after losing his Money in the Bank contract, it should not be someone like Shinsuke Nakamura to take the loss.
A former United States, Intercontinental, and Tag Team Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the best in-ring workers on the current WWE roster. However, it doesn't seem like the company has any proper plans in place for the 2018 Royal Rumble winner. Fans have already started speculating whether Nakamura would be leaving WWE once his current contract expires. Only time will tell.
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