5 reasons why the new TLC card is better than the original plan

WWE usually has a roadmap. While bits and pieces of the master booking plan will change according to injuries, fan response, and the emergence of unexpected talents or new ideas, on the whole WWE knows the overarching trajectory of its creative product and usually has a pretty concrete plan in place building from at least one PPV to the next.

There have been exceptions, however. Consider No Mercy 2007, where long-reigning WWE Champion John Cena was scheduled to continue his program with Randy Orton until a chest injury derailed the champ, and WWE had less than a week to shuffle the deck. Triple H wound up inserted into the main event picture, and Orton walked out with the title after both opening and closing the show in two strong matches against Triple H.

This week, WWE finds itself in a markedly similar spot. The TLC PPV has been built around the return of The Shield, only for core member and WWE’s chosen one Roman Reigns to be sidelined due to illness. Bray Wyatt is amidst a potentially career-redefining push as the Sister Abigail crystallizes, but he’s out, too. Two days before TLC, WWE officially announced radical changes to the show, and this article is going to take a look at why new card actually better than the original plan.

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#5 Kurt Angle in a WWE Ring

The eleven-year wait is almost over--we will see Angle in a WWE ring again this weekend.

WWE only has so many cards, within its control, realistic possibility, and the realm of responsible business that can genuinely thrill an audience. Certainly, CM Punk’s return to WWE would be electric, but neither side seems interested in doing business with the other. It would be great to see Daniel Bryan back in the ring, but WWE doesn’t want to assume the liability for him potentially getting hurt.

The Rock’s movie schedule will only allow him to return to wrestling so often. A legend like Shawn Michaels isn’t interested in getting back in the ring, and the ship seems to have sailed on legends like Bret Hart or Steve Austin to trust their bodies inside the ring.

But Kurt Angle?

Angle is all too ready and willing and seems to have passed WWE’s physical requirements to not only make it back to the ring but for WWE to feel comfortable with him working a TLC Match. It’s the Olympic Hero’s first WWE match in over eleven years.

WWE needed to make up for the disappointment of the full Shield not returning to action as planned. Angle is one of the only options imaginable to not only make up for Roman Reigns’s absence but actually make fans more excited about the TLC main event than they originally were.

#4 AJ Styles Vs. Finn Balor could be a classic

AJ Styles might draw the four or five star match out of The Demon King that Bray Wyatt never could.

Finn Balor has worked with Bray Wyatt at the last two PPVs to feature Raw talents and the results have been, at best, middling. Balor’s one of WWE’s best in-ring performers, but just doesn’t seem to have a ton of chemistry with "The Eater of Worlds". Wyatt, for his part, has had a pretty lacklustre year in big match situations on the whole. While the Sister Abigail twist to his gimmick held some intrigue, it still didn’t exactly promise a great match to follow.

AJ Styles, though? The guy is quite arguably the best in-ring worker in WWE today, and pitting him against Balor marks a huge first-time match up, with four star-plus potential. If WWE needed to put together a last minute match with no built-in storyline, this was about as well as they could possibly do. As an added bonus, as Survivor Series shapes up to feature brand vs. brand matchups, including Brock Lesnar vs. Jinder Mahal and a rumoured elimination tag team match between rosters, this match has some logic behind it and may even help set up things to come for next month’s big co-branded PPV.

#3 The Main Event isn’t a foregone conclusion

Sure, Angle, Ambrose, and Rollins are the favourites, but will they come up short?

While the five on three odds may have seemed stacked against The Shield for Sunday’s main event, the reality was that The Shield was going over. Maybe there was a small chance of Ambrose turning heel and splitting the group, but the smart money is on WWE holding off on that until at least Survivor Series, and probably longer to get the fans fully invested in the group again and milk them for a couple more high profile matches.

Angle, Ambrose, and Rollins, though? While the smart money is on Angle’s return match to be a triumph for him, the new makeup of the face team puts some cracks in our certainty. Could Angle wind up taking the fall for his team? Doing so might help put over Reigns and his key role in the Shield unit, while also perhaps set up Angle looking for redemption in a follow-up match. Needless to say, things have gotten more interesting.

#2 WWE can reload The Shield Reunion later

The Shield worked for now, but it could be even better later.

It’s unclear how long Roman Reigns is going to be out of action. Maybe he’s just missing this one PPV. Maybe he’ll be out for a longer span of time such that WWE has to essentially scrap this Shield reunion angle. While the angle was off to a good start, if WWE does have to call it off for now, it opens the possibility for the faction to come back to an even bigger response down the road.

It may be just as well for everyone involved to forestall the reunion anyway. Rollins and Ambrose are clicking as a team for now and may well wind up in a fresh new one on one program with each other, this time with Rollins as the face and Ambrose the heel. Reigns seems bound for the Universal Championship picture come spring, and Angle as a high profile part-timer opens all manner of possibilities.

#1 The unpredictability factor

There's a rare sense of unpredictability heading into TLC.

While there is some appeal to the understanding that WWE has a master plan and everything is happening for a reason, there’s also something refreshing about an unexpected seismic shift in the company’s landscape. While TLC was shaping up to be a fun enough PPV with some quality matchups, the recent shifts in the card have elevated the show to an absolute 'can't-miss' material for serious fans.

Kane is back. Kurt Angle is back. AJ Styles is making a guest appearance on a Raw branded show. Brock Lesnar isn’t on the show, and while some may miss him, it also removes a match with a predictable outcome. The bigger question coming out of this show is just who will be lined up to challenge him coming out of his inter-brand program with Mahal.

Right now, just about anything seems possible for this Sunday’s big event, and it has been a while since the product has seemed this up in the air. So buckle your seatbelts, WWE fans, we’re in for one heck of a ride.