5 Reasons why Roman Reigns would have delivered a better TLC main-event than Kurt Angle

The big story going into WWE TLC was the absence of Roman Reigns from the main-event, allegedly ruled out due to mumps, and his replacement being RAW GM Kurt Angle. To Angle’s credit, he came out swinging and probably did as much as WWE would let him do on such short notice.

However, that doesn’t hide the fact that Roman’s absence visibly affected that match and also created a few oddities that had to be booked around, which we will get to later on in the article.

Now don’t get me wrong, the main-event of TLC was not bad by any stretch of imagination, in fact, I really enjoyed the car crash nature of the match. If you discount the lack of blood and headshots, it was very Attitude Era-esque in a way, especially with Kurt coming back out despite the fact that he was led away by medics (yes, this is the 3rd time WWE has done this spot in recent memory).

After taking in the main-event, one thing my mind kept harping back to was the question – how different would this match have been if Roman had been available? No disrespect to Kurt Angle but I think Roman would have helped deliver a better main-event and here are 5 reasons why.

5: 3 on 5 didn't make sense

Roman would have helped even the odds a little more

One glaring issue that was apparently immediately after WWE announced Angle as Reigns’ replacement was the fact that the 3 vs 5 odds didn’t make sense anymore. The 3 on 5 was booked in the first place because The Shield are booked as such a dominant force together and having one of the three heads out of action immediately made the odds look insurmountable.

Yes, Kurt Angle is a multiple time world champion, an Olympic gold medallist and one of the all-time greats but this was his first match in a long time and his first in WWE in 11 years. It was a hard sell that Angle could compensate for Roman, especially when you look at Roman’s dynamic in The Shield – he’s the Powerhouse. And with Kane and Strowman in the other team, Ambrose and Rollins definitely needed a Powerhouse last night.

4: Motives

As Booker T pointed out, did Kurt really need to insert himself in this match?

You can agree or disagree but I think that motivations are very important in pro wrestling and with Angle volunteering to replace Reigns, it made no sense in kayfabe. Before the pitchforks come out, let me have a go at justifying what I’m saying.

With Roman Reigns needing replacement, why would Kurt Angle volunteer himself in such a gruelling match on such short notice? With Kurt being RAW GM, how is he supposed to maintain decorum in the locker room after unleashing chairs, German suplexes and Angle Slams on 5 of his biggest stars? Especially Strowman, we know how unforgiving he is, although he has more important scores to settle first.

Secondly, in kayfabe, Kurt couldn’t find anyone from the RAW, SD or NXT roster to replace Roman? What real beef did Angle have with The Miz and his mates that he felt that he himself needed to step in? Corey Graves did say Kurt volunteered to save the TLC main-event but I’d say someone like Aleister Black or Shinsuke Nakamura would have made more sense. In fact, putting his “son” Jason Jordan in the match would have made more sense in kayfabe.

Lastly, it was clear that Kurt didn’t meet the mental intensity of Rollins and Ambrose who clearly had a score to settle. To be fair, I can’t blame Kurt.

3: Forced into a corner

Did Kane really need to attack Braun when he was the one who struck Braun with the chair in the first place?

With the 3 on 5 match already set before Kurt Angle was put in the match, WWE creative was clearly in a bind. How would they even out the incredible odds?

They chose to have Kane attack Braun Strowman and once again, that did not make much sense. It could have made sense but it didn’t. Why? Because if Kane and Strowman had to go at it, they should have after Kane had hit Strowman with the chair accidentally. The duo even faced off before getting distracted.

Instead, Kane attacked Strowman later on in the match and although a shocking moment, it felt pretty random and contrived. With Roman in the match, this odd booking scenario would not have had to be there.

2: Roman would have bumped around more

An impressive showing from Kurt Angle but Roman would have been a better fit for this match

Let me just say that Kurt Angle did a really good job on short notice, but, my article is about why Roman being in the match would have led to a better match. Which is why, I must point out, that the lack of real bumps Angle took, took away from the match a bit.

Ambrose and Rollins caused carnage and got decimated in the process while it was clear that Kurt was protected (and rightfully so). If Roman had been in the match, the match would have been more of an all out war. We know from Roman’s past matches with Braun that he can take a beating. And last night, every Shield member needed to take that beating to justify the incredible odds stacked against them.

1: (Not) The Shield

Let’s be clear about one thing. The main-event of TLC didn’t include The Shield. It included 2/3rds of The Shield. WWE went as far as giving Kurt Angle his very own Shield gear but it didn’t really work. From the moment Kurt got on the stairs with Rollins and Ambrose, the intensity of his expressions were a world apart from that of Rollins and Ambrose. It just didn’t feel right. It was really good but not as good as it would have been if all 3 members of The Shield had been there.

I’d also like to add that since this was Kurt’s first WWE match in 11 years, he should have come out as a surprise entrant and to his own music. Can you imagine that pop?

Instead, WWE decided to try and integrate him into The Shield. However, I do get why WWE couldn’t have him come as a surprise (this is a guess). WWE needed to justify the fact that Kurt would come out in Shield gear, which probably had padding to help protect Kurt. If Kurt had come out as a surprise, he would have had to come out to his own music and wearing Shield gear and coming out to that would have been borderline ludicrous.

Agree with me? Vehemently disagree? Sound off on the comments below and tell me what you guys think and catch me on Twitter @pratyayghSK