5 Questions from WWE TLC that most need answering

In many ways, the WWE should be commended for their ability to put together a fairly decent show in light of the recent health problems they have experienced. There were basically three signature features of this card - the debut of Asuka, the involvement of Sister Abigail, and the Shield reuniting for the first time in years.

Because of said health concerns, only one of these was allowed to happen. In Bray's absence we got a mouth-watering affair between two former leaders of Bullet Club, and for the main event, we were treated to the first WWE match involving Kurt Angle for nearly 11 years.

With so much on the line, what are we really able to take away from TLC? Here are 5 questions from the show that most need answering:

#1 Why didn't Asuka main event?

The Meningitis that is currently spreading around the WWE locker room is an unfortunate occurrence, not least because it effectively ruined two of TLC's most promoted matches. Not only was Bray Wyatt (Sister Abigail) forced out of his match against the Demon King, but Roman Reigns also missed out on a much anticipated Shield in-ring return.

While the last minute changes to the card did arouse some interest, especially for fans of Kurt Angle's late 90s/ early 00's career, the WWE could have gone a different way with the main event of the show.

Down on NXT, Asuka has been busy proving to fans that she really is the most exciting female talent to be involved with the WWE for quite a long time. There are some that would argue that the Empress of Tomorrow has the potential to be the biggest ever female star the company has seen. Her main roster debut has been well talked about on social media and her NXT send-off, which included Triple H himself, was an indication that things are looking very bright for her.

Therefore, instead of putting together a strange mix of characters in a rather haphazard fashion, wouldn't it have been better to have built the show around Asuka instead? Granted, a match against Emma isn't exactly the biggest marquee line up we've ever heard of, but the match itself was all about introducing the Empress to the main roster audience, regardless of the opponent.

The company could have used an unfortunate situation to help cement a new star in their women's division by showcasing her match above all the others. Sadly, this was not something the WWE saw any worth in.

#2 Is Jason Jordan destined for a heel turn?

There's no denying that Jason Jordan is in a very precarious position at the moment. Most of his problems are not of his own doing. The WWE has, rather characteristically, been inconsistent with his booking and nobody really knows how they are meant to respond to him.

The problems began when the company decided not to follow through on the Kurt Angle's illegitimate child storyline that appeared to have so much promise. WWE fans are not idiots and they do not like to be treated as such. When an exciting story arc is presented to them and no real conclusion follows it, they will naturally become disgruntled and turn away from all characters involved.

There is still the possibility that all of this will lead to some kind of showdown at Wrestlemania involving Jordan and Angle, and perhaps somebody like Triple H. But most of us now know that you shouldn't get your hopes up when it comes to future WWE narratives.

At TLC, the company decided to utilise Jordan in a rather unconventional way. Much to the surprise and bemusement of the audience in attendance, son of Kurt kept interrupting Elias's concerts by throwing various vegetables at him. This then led to a match that Jordan won in controversial fashion.

The problem here is that while Elias is still a very effective heel, fans are gaining a lot more interest in him than they are in Jordan. This screws up the whole heel/face dynamic of the feud and will most likely lead to people siding with Elias. What becomes of Jordan after this is anyone's guess.

#3 Will the Cruiserweight Division still be around this time next year?

Neville's departure from the WWE has caused a lot of speculation as to the future fate of the company's Cruiserweight Division. Neville has easily been the most interesting aspect of the roster for the past year, exceeding expectations and becoming a very effective long-term heel champion.

Now the division seems to be in the hands of Enzo Amore, and for all of the positive things we can say about him in terms of his mic skills and charisma, TLC showed us all that he does not appear to have the wrestling ability to maintain the weight of 205 Live on his shoulders.

One of the main criticisms aimed at the division is that they do not really focus enough on high-flying cruiserweight action. A lot of the matches we see on RAW and PPVs have too much mat-based wrestling included, and considering almost everyone on the main roster has the ability to do high-flying moves anyway, there doesn't seem to be much point in a cruiserweight-only show.

With Neville gone, the division's problems will be slightly different. His advanced mic skills will entertain for a while but the focus will once again be drawn away from the action. The WWE really needs to start building up some of the lesser known talents rather than relying on smaller guys who have failed on the main roster like Enzo and Kalisto.

#4 How will Bullet Club respond?

Rather than try to piece together a match between Finn Balor and some other RAW Superstar in Wyatt's absence, the WWE decided to turn to the Smackdown Live roster, inviting AJ Styles over on a one night only basis. On the surface, this was a pretty decent move as management knew fans would have been up for seeing the two go head to head and that there would be a very strong possibility of them stealing the show.

However, one cannot ignore the backdrop to this match. Even if you are not a follower of New Japan Pro Wrestling or ROH, there's a pretty good chance you'll have heard of the Bullet Club. You might also be aware that both Balor and Styles have, at one point, been leaders of this popular faction.

In the midst of this classic match-up, the WWE and Bullet Club have been engaged in a little back and forth recently. First, there was the 'cease and desist' order that Vince filed against the group for using what he sees as WWE trademarks like 'Suck it!' and the 'Too-Sweet' hand gesture. Then we had a very interesting episode of 'Being the Elite' in which Cody and the rest of Bullet Club 'invaded' Monday Night RAW.

Therefore, there's a pretty strong possibility that Vince chose to have Styles face Balor as a way to signal that he is still the grandfather of wrestling and that no matter how big you might become by being involved in Bullet Club, everyone eventually ends up wanting to wrestle on the WWE platform.

Having the two men end the match by 'too-sweeting' each other just went to show that when it comes to public disagreements, Vince is not usually the one to back down. The next few weeks will be very interesting, especially if Bullet Club do decide to respond in some way.

#5 Why does Vince think attempted murder is PG?

There is a very strange habit the WWE has apparently adopted recently. Instead of having a superstar exit a match by being pinned or submitted, it appears as though some now have to be the victims of attempted murder, in particular, Braun Strowman.

TLC was not the first time this year that the Monster Amongst Men has had his life threatened by his opponent. First, there was Roman Reigns who drove an ambulance into a brick wall with Strowman inside. Then on Sunday night, the team of Miz, The Bar and Kane decided to place him in a dumpster truck before activating the mechanism that would have surely killed anyone inside.

In a way, this is nothing new. During the Attitude Era, and to a lesser extent the Ruthless Aggression Era, superstars' lives were being threatened all the time. For example, Stone Cold was once run over by Rikishi, and in response, Triple H was dropped from a huge height whilst still locked inside a car.

The problem is, the WWE is supposed to be in a different position now compared with the late 90s/early 00's. We have moved into a PG style of programming which means no swearing or crude hand gestures. Many of today's fans long for a return to TV 14 but have long given up hope of it ever happening.

This makes it all the more confusing as to why Vince thinks it is ok to not allow swearing as part of his content, but somehow still agrees to have his wrestlers try to end each other's lives. What is the deal here exactly? Either kids are watching and we need to be careful what we're presenting to them, or they're not and we are free to go back to the days of old.

This is not just a superficial point either. It seems the company has a huge identity problem, sometimes catering to the younger audience and occasionally remembering that they also have older fans to please. Can the WWE survive being all things to all people or do they need to finally make a decision as to who their main target audience is?

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