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Only a few days ago, this pay-per-view seemed far less exciting than it eventually turned out to be, when all was said and done. Sadly, it was a viral outbreak that forced WWE to take necessary precautions and take some decisions that made TLC a pretty solid show.
There were very few 'worsts' throughout the night. There are some aspects that we felt that we had to list out, as they could have a bearing over the course of the following few months. We've listed everything we liked and disliked through the course of the show, for your convenience.
We present, as is tradition, the best and worst of WWE TLC.
#1 Best: Match of the year?
As disappointing as it is to hear about superstars falling ill, the recent viral outbreak gave us a very interesting matchup at TLC. The two Leaders of the Bullet Club collided for the first time ever. The outcome was just 'too sweet', honestly.
AJ Styles and Finn Balor took each other to the limit. Before they even locked up, the WWE Universe was already chanting 'this is awesome'. We even feel that the decision of Balor going over was the right one, considering the 'demon' persona had to be protected.
What made the match a modern day classic is the fact that after all was said and done, the two men got up and showed each other a sign of mutual respect. We're certain that we haven't seen the last of them, inside the ring.
It would have been cool to see 'The Club' play a role in the outcome of the match in some ways, but in some other ways, this was simply outstanding.
#1 Worst: Diminishing The Shield's seriousness
Kurt Angle looked almost jubilant to be outperforming with The Shield. Unfortunately, the smile on his face ruined the seriousness of the Shield's entrance. It would have been cool to see Angle in his trademark wrestling singlet, coming out to his classic theme.
Yes, we got that entrance later, but it wasn't the same. The Shield comprises of three irreplaceable men in Reigns, Rollins and Ambrose. Kurt's goofiness took away from the mystique surrounding the entrance of The Shield.
The main event match deserves an article in its own right. We'll touch upon another aspect of the match in the page that follows.
#2 Best: Strowman turns face?
During the course of the main event, the heels told a great sub story as well. There was a point during the match, when Strowman and Kane had a bit of an altercation. This led to the two monstrous men trading blows. At a certain point, the heels turned on Strowman.
They packed him up in a garbage can and sent him off into the sunset. We're certain he'll return very soon for a program against Kane, when Survivor Series eventually does come around. We don't know if he's a traditional babyface, but in this particular program, he certainly is.
Special mention for Kane. Kurt Angle may be slower than he once was, but Kane never seems to age, does he?
#2 Worst: Alicia Fox
It's very hard to see a 'bad' wrestler these days, with the NXT system and everything else that goes along with being a WWE superstar. Alicia Fox was just too far behind Sasha Banks during the TLC Kickoff match.
There is a vast gulf between Fox and the rest of the locker room, male or female, right now. Even Enzo seemed far more improved than he has been, thus far. Fox needs to go back to the basics again, and just add some more finesse to her work.
#3 Best: Enzo as Cruiserweight Champion
We were never in approval of Enzo losing the Cruiserweight Championship to begin with. We're glad to see that he has regained it once more, and hope that he does continue to remain the face of the division.
As we saw from the multi-man match during TLC, as talented as the men of the Cruiserweight Division are, they lack Enzo's charisma and sheer presence. The division needs to rotate around Enzo, and that will bring newer viewers to the show.
We wonder who will be his next opponent for the Championship? Could Hideo Itami or Johnny Gargano be called up from NXT?
#3 Best/Worst: Asuka's debut against Emma
Emma and Asuka recreated their magic from NXT Takeover London, at the top of the show, when they took each other to the limit. As good as the match was, we wonder if it was the right match to have, at this point in time.
Comparisons are often made between Asuka and Goldberg, because of the 'undefeated' nature of their streaks. We wonder if Asuka should have squashed Emma in no time at all, to prove that she was a league above the rest of the women's division, and a serious threat to RAW Women's Champion, Alexa Bliss. Much like Goldberg used to.
For what it was, the match wasn't bad at all. Therefore, we give it a Best/Worst rating, and not a 'worst' one.
# 4 Worst: Not extreme enough
Most of this show was really good. However, when all was said and done, we felt like this show did not feel like a 'TLC' event, until the very end. Had the other matches had stipulations as well, it would have just made the show a lot more special.
In any case, thank you WWE for a pretty solid pay-per-view, from start to finish. Let's hope that RAW manages to deliver as well, in a few hours from now.
Thank you for joining us, for our extensive TLC coverage. We will see you again, for the 'Best and Worst' of Monday Night RAW.
TLC wasn't a perfect show, but Alexa Bliss is.
