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Welcome to things WWE subtly told us at TLC 2020! It was a solid PPV to end perhaps the most unique year in WWE history. While the expectations weren't high, the TLC 2020 PPV still delivered in a big way.
Here is what went down, and this is what WWE subtly told us at TLC!
#5 Drew McIntyre retains in the TLC opener, and order is restored again
Drew McIntyre faced AJ Styles in the TLC opener. It had the TLC stipulation, and it proved to be one of the most exciting matches of Drew McIntyre's WWE title reign in 2020.
There's no doubt that 2020 has been the year of Drew McIntyre, and at TLC, he established that by retaining the Championship - but it wasn't just against AJ Styles.
The match was as brutal and physical as expected, but the Money in the Bank cash-in attempt made the headlines. The Miz cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase and was set to become a two-time WWE Champion at TLC, but Omos took him out before chasing John Morrison away.
The match finished in a triangle with all three men trying to get the best of each other, but only one man reached the top, and that was Drew McIntyre. He ascended the ladder to retain the WWE title at TLC 2020.
With The Miz failing his cash-in, WWE has officially fixed their biggest mistake of 2020. Why even have Otis win the Money in the Bank briefcase when there was no intention for him to win it? Ultimately, he looked bad losing the briefcase to The Miz, and The Miz looked bad failing his cash in.
It seemed like a big waste of the Money in the Bank briefcase, but at TLC, the issue was finally resolved. Drew McIntyre is still your WWE Champion.
#4 Charlotte Flair returns and claims the gold at TLC, but for how long?
Charlotte Flair returned after half a year away as expected, replacing Lana to team with Asuka against Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax. Of course, they defeated the to become the Tag Team Champions at TLC.
As a result, Charlotte Flair became a grand slam Champion at TLC - winning the one title that has evaded her. However, the big question is as to how long their reign will be.
For one, Charlotte Flair and Asuka aren't an established tag team. They're former rivals and have faced each other multiple times. The dynamic with Lana is different for Asuka than what it is with Charlotte Flair.
With Lana, there's a relatively inexperienced Superstar who Asuka has under her tutelage. With Charlotte Flair, there will be an inevitable clash of egos and we fully expect them to lose the Tag Team Championships in the first or second title defense.
This is exactly how the TLC title win can set up a RAW Women's Championship feud, perhaps for Royal Rumble 2021.
On a side note, Asuka is becoming one of the most accomplished women in WWE history.
#3 WWE going all out with Sasha Banks after a massive TLC victory
We were among those worried that Sasha Banks would lose the SmackDown Women's title at TLC 2020. Technically, The Boss has already overcome the "first title defense" curse that followed her for the last four years.
However, given how WWE has been with Sasha Banks' title reigns, it's hard to blame anyone for thinking so. Banks' feud with Carmella hasn't exactly set the world on fire, but they had a solid, technical match to welcome the latter back to the ring after a long time away.
In a good effort, Sasha Banks ended up defeating Carmella at TLC 2020 to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship for the second time. This is a clear-cut indicator that WWE is going all-in with Sasha Banks as the SmackDown Women's Champion. After five short title reigns, she deserves one that has actual length and meaning.
The story played out well and the submission victory made it all the sweeter for The Boss at TLC.
#2 The interesting dynamic with The Hurt Business at TLC
At long last, The Hurt Business has added more gold to the faction. At TLC 2020, Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin took on The New Day's Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston for the RAW Tag Team Championship.
It was a good match, and Shelton Benjamin was all set to finish Kofi Kingston, but Cedric Alexander selfishly tagged in and hit the Lumbar Check, taking the moment of glory for himself.
While Shelton Benjamin was puzzled, MVP and Bobby Lashley were more than thrilled to add more gold to The Hurt Business at TLC. We're happy for Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin for winning gold, but the dynamic has changed.
It seems clear that Cedric Alexander became The Hurt Business' new golden boy at TLC, while Shelton Benjamin could be the first to get ejected. However, there's no reason for The Hurt Business to split up right now, and we hope that they enjoy a long run as the RAW Tag Team Champions.
#1 Is Kevin Owens done with the Universal title picture after losing at TLC?
In the co-main event of TLC 2020, Kevin Owens put on a valiant effort but fell short of the Universal Championship as expected. The truth is, he was never going to beat Roman Reigns at TLC.
Given how early Roman Reigns is into his Universal Championship run, a title change at TLC seemed unlikely. But WWE did their best to go all out when protecting Kevin Owens as the babyface title challenger.
Ultimately, Kevin Owens had to face obstacle after obstacle in his bid for the title, and there were numerous occasions where he was close to winning the Championship. That didn't pan out and Jey Uso played a big role in preventing the title change at TLC.
However, Kevin Owens was as resilient as ever, and given the way he lost at TLC, it wouldn't be surprising to see him remain in the Universal Championship picture. Whether it will be at Royal Rumble or before, we don't believe TLC was the last of the Roman Reigns-Kevin Owens feud.
