6 things that need to happen at TLC

As 2018 draws to a close, the last pay-per-view of the year Tables, Ladders and Chairs has a number of exciting matches including two of the pay-per-view’s titular matches. This is the last chance WWE has to really hone or change their storylines before the road to WrestleMania starts next year at Royal Rumble.

Some matches are already significant in shaping how next year will start, like Baron Corbin taking on Braun Strowman, where Corbin winning will cement his official title as General Manager of Raw whereas Strowman’s win will not only strip Corbin of all authoritative power but will grant him another opportunity for the Universal Championship at Royal Rumble.

However, regardless if the match is for a title or a very personal feud, there are a number of things that the WWE need to do to make sure that not only it is a great pay-per-view for the fans to remember but also to steer them to a very exciting start to 2019.

#6 The Man or The Empress wins the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship match

Anyone but Charlotte winning will be a great result.

The three women facing each other for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship are no strangers to creating history in the WWE. Charlotte won the first ever women’s Hell in a Cell match back in 2016, Asuka claimed the first ever women’s Royal Rumble victory this year, while Becky Lynch won the first ever Last Woman Standing match a few months ago at Evolution.

History will be created once again this Sunday at TLC, with the first ever women’s tables, ladders and chairs match to take place with one of these wrestlers getting another nod for being the first ever to win a new women’s match, not to mention having the title to take home afterwards.

Even though each wrestler is exceptionally talented in the ring, the one wrestler that shouldn’t win this match is the Queen. If there is one match that is almost a certainty for WrestleMania next year, it is that Charlotte will face Ronda Rousey for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship, with Charlotte most likely winning the Royal Rumble to move back over to Monday nights. Her savage attack on Rousey at Survivor Series started sowing the seeds for a rematch at the grandest stage of them all, and possibly even headlining it.

Winning at TLC would be problematic as it would fail to give this match a clear direction, as both wrestlers would be Champions, so unless the WWE decides to unify the titles, the SmackDown title would need to change hands again very quickly, making it a pointless reign.

Either of the other options would be better, as it would either finally give Asuka (the woman who owns the title of the longest undefeated streak in WWE), a championship on one of the main shows, or it’d continue Becky Lynch’s ever-growing popular reign as SmackDown Women’s champion. For these reasons, anyone but Charlotte winning would be a great outcome.

#5 Kurt Angle helps end the reign of Constable Corbin

Expect interference from both sides, but especially Kurt Angle.

When Baron Corbin announced himself as ‘Constable Corbin’ back in June this year, it was clear that Kurt Angle, the General Manager at the time was going to have problems with such a villainous authority figure. With the commissioner, Stephanie McMahon, on his side, Angle was replaced in a matter of months, making Constable Corbin the acting General Manager of Raw.

Since the removal of Kurt Angle, Corbin has used his authority to bully other wrestlers on Raw who aren’t on his side, including placing Bobby Roode, Elias and Finn Balor in matches they couldn’t ever win due to him changing the stipulation of the match when he wanted.

On top of all of this, he blindsided Braun Strowman at WWE Crown Jewel costing him the WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar, which has culminated in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match with the Monster Among Men, with the result having crucial consequences for either wrestler.

Due to the number of storylines Corbin has inserted himself in, this all needs to come to an end sooner rather than later, not to mention that if the WWE want Strowman to be the headliner he is capable of being, he needs a win to head back into the Universal Championship picture next month.

One thing the WWE Universe can expect from this match is that there will be plenty of interference in this match, with McIntyre and Lashley aiding Corbin however they can, while Balor and Elias will do anything to stop Corbin having his hand raised at the end of the match.

The one person missing out from this equation is Kurt Angle, who was last seen suffering a humiliating loss to McIntyre after Corbin placed him in this match. If Kurt Angle was to come back at the last pay-per-view of the year to cost Corbin the match, it would be the perfect way to round off the year of Raw, as the ongoing power struggle between the two will still exist and would most likely culminate in a Loser Leaves Raw match at WrestleMania.

#4 SAnitY interrupts the SmackDown Tag Team Championship match

Sanity are more than capable of being in the Tag Team Title picture — Sanity

With five Tag Team Championships accomplished by every team and a number of memorable classic matches in the last few years, the three biggest Tag Teams currently in the WWE will duke it out again this Sunday.

Regardless of whatever happens and whoever wins on the night, it is safe to say that from their past matches that they may well steal the show. But what will happen afterwards? This is a question that cannot be ignored and it is safe to assume that whoever wins will most likely be seeking a new challenge afterwards, as these three teams have now fought each other for the better half of over two years.

However, if you take a look at the SmackDown Tag team roster, the options do seem minimal if you consider the fact that even The Colons were part of the SmackDown team on the 10-on-10 tag team Elimination match at Survivor Series, despite having done very little since they arrived on the show over 18 months ago. The only other Tag Team on SmackDown that could realistically challenge for the Tag Team Titles next is SAnitY.

Despite having also done very little since their call-up, their reputation on NXT speaks for itself, including having defeated The Authors of Pain (the current Raw Tag-Team Champions) for the NXT Tag Team Championships during their time there. If SAnitY somehow gets involved during or after the match, it would be the perfect way to round up the two year rivalry with the other three teams and also give the WWE Universe a new start in the New Year for these titles.

#3 Ambrose cheats his way to win the Intercontinental Championship

Since Reigns announced his real-life illness to the WWE and subsequently relinquished the Universal Championship, it was the beginning of the end of The Shield once again, but this time, it would be Ambrose to turn his back on the brotherhood. Despite capturing the Raw Tag Team Championships with Seth Rollins the same night, it was the first of many attacks Ambrose had given to Rollins which has ultimately led to a match between the two at WWE TLC this Sunday.

If there is one pattern that can be noticed between the attacks, Ambrose has always had to resort to cheating tactics like low-blows and attacking with gas-masks in order to gain the upper hand. Despite having captured the Intercontinental Championship a second time back in SummerSlam, Rollins has rarely defended his title since, with his focus either set on more gold or on his brotherhood rivalries.

It is very unlikely that their rivalry will conclude at WWE TLC, and will most likely continue into the New Year. The fact the Intercontinental Championship is on the line is somewhat irrelevant, as their feud is more focused on the disdain they have with each other rather than the obsession of winning or maintaining gold.

If you consider that the feud may continue into the New Year and possibly into WrestleMania, Rollins winning could somewhat hamper the Intercontinental Championship being fought by other wrestlers for the next few months. However, Ambrose winning through unconventional means is beneficial for many reasons.

Firstly, it gives Rollins the incentive to cost Ambrose the title to the next wrestler he defends it against, which will further drive the feud between the former Shield brothers, but it also frees up the Intercontinental Championship between some other wrestlers who may not have as much going for them at the moment.

#2 The women’s tables match doesn’t become another afterthought

A solid match between these two will be a success.

This year’s Tables Match between Natalya and Ruby Riott marks the third time women will fight in such a stipulation at the WWE TLC pay-per-view. While the women in the WWE have proven that they can have as high quality stipulation matches as their male counterparts such as a Last Woman Standing match, the same unfortunately can’t be said for a Tables match.

Back in 2010, when Laycool faced Natalya and Beth Phoenix in a first ever women's Tag Team Tables match in the WWE, even though they created history, the match itself, unfortunately, didn’t live up to its expectations. Six years later, Alexa Bliss faced Becky Lynch in another underwhelming match.

Regardless of whoever wins this match, the WWE need to avoid another disappointing match a third time round because, even though it can be argued WWE are trying to create more history in women’s wrestling, the reality is that a bad match is often worse than no match. If the women’s tables match this Sunday becomes another disappointment, it sets a precedent – and whoever is next to fight in a women’s tables match would have a harder time winning the WWE universe’s interest due to the underwhelming matches there has been in the past.

#1 Daniel Bryan retains the WWE Championship with his former mentor’s help

Miz assisting Bryan to retain would be an amazing addition to the story.

When Daniel Bryan had to use a low-blow to capture the WWE Championship from AJ Styles, it wasn’t clear to the WWE Universe if Bryan was just opportunistic in the match to win the title or if he had turned. When he continued to savagely attack Styles after winning the title, the lines were much clearer to everyone.

Bryan’s villainous turn is also one of the most interesting championship reigns the WWE has seen in recent years, with Bryan having to justify he’s not a villain and all he did was ‘kick one man in the groin on one day’.

His turn has been more of a talking point to the WWE Universe rather than the fact that he has re-captured the WWE Championship again, despite being forced into retirement due to injuries for over two years.

Just because of the fact that Bryan’s character has become such a talking point to the WWE, it would be unjustified if the WWE decide to give the title back to Styles after Bryan only having had it for a month. The wildcard between these two wrestlers on the actual night is Bryan’s former mentor, The Miz.

When The Miz confronted Bryan that the reason why he was Champion was due to The Miz’s belief in winning at any cost, Bryan failed to give an answer. Despite this, The Miz still protected Bryan against Styles.

If The Miz interferes in the match, it will not only cause Bryan to have a dilemma again between winning fairly or not, it could also create a very unpredictable partnership between two wrestlers who were on opposite sides of the ring just a few months ago.