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Another incredible action-packed week of WWE Programming came to an end this week as the company celebrated the Holidays week on TV. The week kicked off with WWE's final PPV of 2018, WWE Tables, Ladders and Chairs, followed by the customary episodes of RAW and SD Live airing on Monday and Tuesday respectively.
The second season of the Mixed Match Challenge ended at the TLC pay-per-view and the team of Carmella and R Truth emerged as the winners of the 2nd season of the inter-gender tournament.
Also, the McMahons returned to WWE TV this week with Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H and Shane McMahon promising the WWE Universe a fresher product. The special episode of WWE Tribute to the Troops also aired on TV with Seth Rollins and AJ Styles forming a dream tag team to defeat the team of Dean Ambrose and the new Daniel Bryan.
While a lot of action took place on TV, there was a lot more interesting stuff on the social networking site, Instagram and here are this week's top 25 WWE photos from Instagram:
#25 Naomi brags of her opportunity
This past week on SmackDown Live, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair wanted the new champion Asuka to defend her title against them. But, they were interrupted by the Chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon as he announced that Asuka will defend the title but not against Becky or Flair. Naomi's music hit and it was revealed that we will be getting Naomi vs Asuka for the SD Live Women's title.
Though Naomi lost the match, she posted a picture of herself with Vince and mentioned that she had knocked the door down in order to earn the opportunity.
#24 - The Singh Brothers join R Truth and Carmella for a dance break
The grand finale of the WWE Mixed Match Challenge II took place on the TLC PPV and the team of Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox battled with the team of Carmella and R Truth to become the MMC champions. However, in the middle of the match R Truth and Carmella called for a dance break.
The duo started dancing and was joined by none other than the Singh Brothers. Samir Singh and Sunil Singh have been the allies of the Modern Day Maharaja Jinder Mahal yet the twin duo grabbed the opportunity and performed Bhangra in the ring. Their dance, however, was shortlived as they were quickly sent out of the ring. Sadly for the Singhs, Mahal failed to win the final at TLC.
#23 - Dean Ambrose accomplishes his mission of winning Seth Rollins' Intercontinental Championship
While the Lunatic Fringe, Dean Ambrose is not active on social media, WWE's official Instagram handle shared the new Intercontinental Champion's picture from WWE TLC. Ambrose had betrayed his S.H.I.E.L.D brother Seth Rollins on the night when Roman Reigns announced his battle with Leukemia. This kick-started one of the most personal rivalries in WWE history as the Lunatic Fringe completely destroyed the Kingslayer.
The two battled for the IC title this past Sunday at TLC which saw Dean defeating Rollins to become the new Intercontinental Champion of Monday Night RAW. Looking at the events which took place this week on RAW, it does not look like by any means that the feud between Ambrose and Rollins has ended. The WWE may soon announce a rematch between the two for the Royal Rumble PPV.
#22 - Undefeated, Undisputed and Unstoppable
The Baddest Woman on the Planet and the reigning RAW Women's Champion, Ronda Rousey had put her championship on the line against Nia Jax on Sunday at TLC. The Facebreaker tried her best but could not end the reign of Rousey. This has extended Ronda Rousey's undefeated streak in the WWE thus far and the Instagram handle of the company too acknowledged this fact as they referred Ronda as Undisputed, Unstoppable and Undefeated.
The RAW Women's Championship will be defended once again on next Monday night as Ronda Rousey will go one on one with the winner of the Gauntlet Match of RAW, Natalya. It will be interesting to see how the two best friends battle it out for the title on RAW. Also, a future feud with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair is on the cards for Rousey.
#21 - Mom and Dad show up on 205 Live
It is no secret that the couple of Maria and Mike Kanellis recently had a baby and the couple has been a regular feature on the Cruiserweight Show, 205 Live. Ahead of the 205 Live tapings, however, the couple posed for some mirror selfies which were shared by Maris on Instagram. The post has received nearly 6,000 likes and 35 comments on Instagram.
Maria and Mike had returned to WWE in 2017 and were expected to dominate the SmackDown show as the top heel couple. But, things did not turn out for the duo as expected and they were soon relegated to the role of jobbers. Maria took time off TV due to pregnancy as Mike moved to RAW. He performed regularly on WWE Main Event before finally re-aligning with Maria on 205 Live.
#20 - Superwoman Sasha Banks
The Boss Sasha Banks has been away from the RAW Women's Championship picture for a long long time. However, she has formed a tag team with her best friend Bayley on WWE TV and the duo are known as the Boss n Hug Connection. Sasha Banks has been very active on Instagram and she uploaded an edited picture of herself to please her fans this week.
Sasha captioned this picture as follows -
"I am a Superwoman, Yes I am ,Yes she is
Even when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest, Oh yes
I'm a Superwoman "
The former RAW Women's Champion made quite a statement in the caption but she has failed to make it big on WWE TV. It is being rumoured that the Women's tag team title may be introduced soon and Bayley and Sasha are the prime contenders to win the gold first.
#19 - The Baddest Woman on the Planet's baddest Payback
Becky Lynch defended her SD Live Women's title in the first ever Women's TLC match against Charlotte Flair and Asuka on Sunday. All the three female superstars blew the arena's roof down before the RAW Women's Champion, Ronda Rousey came out and sent Becky and Charlotte crashing.
Both the SD Live superstars were climbing a ladder when the Baddest Woman on the Planet pushed that ladder and sent Becky and Flair out of the ring giving Asuka the golden opportunity to win the title. The Japanese superstar won the title while the RAW Women's Champion paid Charlotte and Lynch back for their differences against her. It will be really interesting to see how things proceed to head up to WrestleMania 35 as a Women's main event is being speculated for the Grandest Show of WWE.
#18 - Rusev and Lana visit a beach
The Bulgarian Brute, Rusev who has switched his gimmick and is now the leader of Rusev Day, shared a picture of himself and his wife, the Ravishing Russian Lana walking on a beach. Rusev used the #tbt in the caption to upload the couple's old photo on Throwback Thursday.
Rusev also asked a question to his followers on the social networking site, Instagram. He asked the fans to pick the hotter one out of himself and Lana. The photo has received 47,000+ likes thus far in addition to the 500+ comments. Rusev will be facing the United States Champion, the President of Nak-America, Shinsuke Nakamura in a title match on the Christmas special episode of SmackDown Live as he would like to become a 3-time United States Champion.
#17 - Finn Balor teases the return of the Demon King
Finn Balor has been one of the most underused superstars of the main roster. He had been booked several meaningless feuds on WWE TV when he made his return after injury despite being the first ever Universal Champion of the company. However, of late he has been winning matches on TV and even won a singles match on the TLC show against Drew McIntyre.
The most unique thing about Finn Balor is his alter-ego, the Demon King. Finn has never lost a match when painted in red and black which has helped the WWE Creative establish it as one of the most mystical characters on TV. Balor teased a return of his alter ego on Instagram and it would be exciting to see it back in the WWE again. The Demon King has been absent from WWE since long and it is high time that the WWE Creative brings it back.
#16 - The Bar plan a strategy to keep a hold on their SD Live tag team championships
Cesaro and Sheamus also known as the Bar have been the tag team champions on SD Live since the brand's 1000th episode. They have defended the championships against multiple opponents and have managed to retain the belts on all occasions. Last Sunday at TLC, the Bar put their titles on the line against the New Day and the Usos in a triple threat match.
All the 3 teams delivered a fantastic match to the fans but Cesaro and Sheamus defeated the other 2 teams to remain champions on the B show. One half of the Bar, Cesaro shared the duo's photo where the Swiss Cyborg is whispering something in the ears of the Celtic Warrior. Cesaro also asked his fans to caption this picture.
#15 - Nikki Bella celebrates the Holidays Week
WWE female superstar and former Divas Champion, Nikki Bella has become a part-time superstar in the WWE. Nikki has been very active on social media though and she regularly shares her photographs to update her fans. Bella has not been a part of any of the two rosters since WrestleMania 33 where she teamed up with John Cena to defeat the Miz and Maryse.
However, she had appeared in the first ever Women's Royal Rumble match in January 2018 before making another return to the company in the month of October. Nikki Bella performed at WWE Super Show Down and main evented the first ever All Women's PPV, Evolution. The Total Bellas star shared a photo of herself celebrating the Holidays week posing beside the X-Mas tree.
#14 - The Miz hosts Miz TV at his favourite event
It is no secret that the Tribute to the Troops event holds a special place in the heart and soul of every WWE Superstar as it is the one time of the year where they perform in front of the US Army. On this year's edition of WWE Tribute to the Troops, the Miz hosted a special edition of Miz TV with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch as the guests.
This segment led us to a tag team match between Becky and Flair versus Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. However, the A-Lister shared 3 photos from this event and showcased his gratitude towards the US Army in the caption of the post. He even stated that the US Army was #Awesome and Tribute to the Troops was his favourite show of the year.
#13 No Way Jose wants to start afresh
The terror of Baron Corbin ended on RAW this past week as the McMahons took control of RAW and SD Live guaranteeing the fans a fresher product. Vince McMahon and Triple H said that they will introduce new faces to the WWE Universe.
However, there was 1 superstar who has been ignored by the WWE Creative team since long and is desiring to make a return to TV. That superstar is none other than the NXT Graduate No Way Jose. Jose posted a picture of a WWE truck on Instagram where he is standing behind Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Kurt Angle (the chief authorities of RAW).
No Way Jose mentioned that he had got their back in RAW's fresh start.
#12 - Sami Zayn just remembered that he was a pro wrestler
The Canadian superstar, Sami Zayn has been away from WWE TV since the Money in the Bank PPV where he got injured after his match with the Almighty Bobby Lashley. It has been nearly 6 months that Zayn has wrestled in a WWE match but the WWE aired a vignette promoting the Underdog from the Underground's return to WWE TV during RAW.
Sami had quite an astonishing reaction to this as he captioned the above image saying
"During this time off, I've been working on becoming a better person and letting go of a lot of toxic elements that come with egotism & ambition. But I just watched that teaser for my return on RAW and remembered how great I am at pro wrestling. I actually forgot how great I am haha! "
#11 - Asuka celebrates her SD Live Women's Championship triumph with Triple H
How often have we seen NXT graduates pose with the brainchild behind NXT, Triple H backstage after they win their first championship on the main roster? Kevin Owens, Bobby Roode and several others have made this a tradition and the Japanese superstar, Asuka too caught up with Triple H after becoming the SD Live Women's Champion.
Asuka was undefeated in NXT before moving to the main roster. She had failed to win the SD Live Women's championship several times before she won the title at TLC. Asuka defeated Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat TLC match thanks to interference from Ronda Rousey, to win the title. As promised by the McMahons, the things are really shaking up now on WWE TV.
#10 - Mickie James commences her countdown to Christmas
Mickie James has been one of the integral parts of the WWE's female division. Being a legend, she has consistently performed well on Monday Night RAW. The former Women's Champion had portrayed the role of Alexa Bliss' ally for a long time before the Goddess was sidelined due to injury.
However, James has been competing on every episode of Monday Night RAW and she had also battled the RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey in a title match ahead of TLC. Though Mickie failed to defeat her, she gave Ronda tough fight. On the last episode of RAW, we saw Mickie compete in the Gauntlet Match to become the #1 contender for the RAW Women's Championship. Despite trying her best, Mickie came up short in that match. However, she uploaded a picture of herself in Christmas attire to commence her countdown for the arrival of Santa Claus.
#9 - Zack Ryder ZACKS UP himself
Zack Ryder is one of the most popular superstars in the WWE and Long Island Ice Z has been training hard to reach the top of the WWE. Ryder has been a part of Monday Night RAW roster since the Superstar Shake-up of 2018 but is yet to be a part of a top feud.
He had a short feud with jobbers Jinder Mahal and Mojo Rawley but the former Intercontinental Champion rarely features on RAW. He has been wrestling on the WWE Main Event show in random tag team matches. Ryder, however, has not lost any hope as he is working out harder to reach the mid-card of RAW. He shared an image from his gym where Zack showed his 'Zacked up' look to his loyal fans on Instagram this week.
#8 - Charlotte Flair thanks the US Army
After the special episode of Miz TV where she appeared along with former SD Live Women's Champion, Becky Lynch on the A-Lister's talk show. This segment led to a tag team match where Flair joined forces with the Man to take on the former members of Absolution, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville.
In a tag team battle which had several backs and forths, Charlotte and Becky emerged victorious in front of the US Army. The Nature Girl then shared a picture of herself from the event and thanked the soldiers in the caption as follows -
"Performing in front of our brave women and men in the armed forces is one of my favourite shows of the year... Happy Holidays to the true warriors. We love and honour you!"
#7 - All eyes on the IIconics
The IIconics, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay had got a big win in front of their home crowd at WWE Super Show Down in October. However, the Australian duo has not done anything worthwhile ever since. They have participated in random tag team matches on the B show and were also ignored to represent team SD Live at Survivor Series.
However, they have been much active on their social media handles and Peyton Royce shared a picture of their entrance from a WWE Live Event. She captioned the above photograph saying that all the eyes were on the two of them as they are all looking at the IIconics. Hope to see these 2 superstars return to SD Live and make Tuesday nights Iconic once again.
#6 - Natalya pays tribute to her father
Jim 'The Anvil' Hart, the father of WWE superstar Natalya passed away in August 2018 and the Riott Squad used his death to harass the Queen of Harts on RAW. The Canadian superstar battled the leader of the Riott Squad in a Tables Match at TLC which saw Natalya putting all the 3 superstars of the Riott Squad (Livv Morgan, Sarah Logan and Ruby Riott) through a table to win the match.
She also paid a tribute to her late father after the match and shared a picture of herself on Instagram. Natalya captioned it will 3 motivational lines - 'Stay strong. Stay true. Stay you'.
This photo has received more than 15,000 likes and 300 comments on Instagram. Natalya won a Gauntlet Match this week on RAW to earn an opportunity for the RAW Women's Championship.
#5 Becky Lynch promises to bounce back
Becky Lynch is one of the hottest things in the WWE currently as the Irish Lasskicker won the hearts of the fans with her heel turn at SummerSlam 2018. Becky then won the SD Live Women's Championship at TLC and defended it in the first ever Last Woman Standing match against Charlotte Flair.
She was all set to battle Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series but she suffered a concussion after being hit severely on the face by the Irresistible Force, Nia Jax. Lynch has however recovered from that injury and she also took part in the first ever Women's TLC match last Sunday where interference from Rousey cost Becky her title. The Man shared a black and white image of herself from TLC and promised to bounce back soon.
#4 - Zelina Vega and Andrade Cien Almas return to dominate SmackDown Live
Andrade Cien Almas and her business manager Zelina Vega made their presence felt on SmackDown Live this week when Almas joined forces with the WWE Champion, the new Daniel Bryan to take on the team of the Phenomenal AJ Styles and Mustafa Ali. Though the heels lost the match, Almas impressed one and all with his wrestling skills.
Her business manager Zelina Vega shared the duo's picture on Instagram and said that they were not just here for one episode but they are here to dominate. Almas has not made it to the match card of any PPV despite being on the main roster since the last 7 months and thus, Vega's statement hinted that this time the Mexican duo will dominate the B show.
#3 20 Years of Kurt Angle
The legendary Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle celebrated the 20th anniversary of his WWE Career yesterday. It has been 20 years since the Gold Medalist showed up on WWE TV for the first time and he even acknowledged the fact that he had spent 11 out of the 20 years out of the WWE.
But, Angle was really grateful for his WWE Career as he had thought that his pro wrestling career would only last for 5 years. He thanked the WWE Universe for keeping him going and also thanked his luck for he was going to retire at the place where he had started his pro wrestling career. Angle was a part of the WWE World Cup at Crown Jewel and was also squashed by Drew McIntyre on RAW before returning at TLC to defeat Baron Corbin.
#2 Alexa Bliss enjoys her time off TV
Alexa Bliss is a former RAW and SD Live Women's Champion who had dominated the WWE female division in the years 2017 and 2018. However, Little Miss Bliss got injured during her match with Ronda Rousey earlier this year which led to her being away from in-ring competition. The Five Feet of Fury had pursued an Authority figure's role during the tenure of Baron Corbin as RAW's GM.
However, with the McMahons taking over the control of both RAW and SmackDown this past week it is unknown whether Alexa will continue to portray that character. Nevertheless, she has been enjoying the Holidays season and she shared a candid picture of herself on the photo-sharing site, Instagram. Bliss is recovering from her injury and is expected to make her return to the ring soon.
#1 Mella, the Elf
Carmella won the second season of the Mixed Match Challenge with R Truth this Sunday after defeating the team of Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox. The team known as Fabulous Truth will now enter their respective Royal Rumble matches at #30 and also will visit the WWE Headquarters in an all expense paid trip. However, they lost a mixed tag match to The Miz and Mandy Rose this week on SmackDown Live.
Also, Read - 5 reasons why Mandy Rose teamed up with The Miz on SmackDown Live
But, it was not Carmella's victory in the MMC II finale which set the internet on fire, it was her elf avatar which captured the attention of the fans. Carmella uploaded a picture of herself being dressed as an elf with a Christmas background. Looking at the image, it seems like we will get a Christmas segment on next week's SD Live involving R Truth and Carmella.
Which superstar had the best Instagram photo of the week? Share your answers in the comments box below.
