WWE Backstage: 5 Takeaways from the December 10th episode

With TLC under five days away, the focus of this week's WWE Backstage covered the lead up to the final PPV of 2019. They took the confirmed heel turn of Seth Rollins to task while discussing the possible outlook for the new partnership between The Kingslayer and the Authors of Pain.

They also relived one of the best matches in WWE history in the 2017 TLC showdown between Finn Balor and AJ Styles. King Corbin joined the show and offered up a lot of what goes into his heel character, including how easy it is for him to be hated by many fans. He offered up a lot of insights into just how he crafts his persona.

A different segment aired this week in CM Punk's return to the show as he, Paige and Corbin all competed for a chance to win $50,000 of Booker T's money. None of the contestants won the money but Paige got three of the four questions correct.

The build to TLC was also discussed as were segments from last week's SmackDown and this week's RAW. The panellists all had varying opinions on everything as they usually do, so here are five takeaways from the December 10th episode of WWE Backstage.

#5 The Seth Rollins alliance with AOP

Seth Rollins and AOP left Kevin Owens in a heap backstage on RAW.

One of the first topics that were tackled by the panellists was the ongoing saga between Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and the Authors of Pain. Rollins has tried to reassure both Owens and the WWE Universe that he in no way has been in cahoots with AOP. Owens still didn't believe anything The Architect said and wanted to keep his distance from the former Universal Champion.

Rollins finally caved, saying that since everyone thought he was allied with them anyways, he might as well join forces with Akam and Rezar. Punk was hesitant of the formation, taking a "wait and see" approach because he'd seen Rollins allied with a few lackeys before. He didn't want to see "a regurgitated version of the Shield."

Paige said that she loved this version of Rollins while Booker T said that the alliance with The Beastslayer would give AOP the rub of working with a talent like the former member of The Shield. The panellists felt that The Architect did better work as a heel and that is what he should be going forward.

#4 The King Corbin interview

King Corbin joined the show and talked about dog food.

The show's special guest this week was none other than King Corbin. He has been featured in an ongoing feud with Roman Reigns and even "humiliated" The Big Dog last week with a bath of dog food.

Corbin was asked about how he likes playing the heel today and he answered that he "loves irritating people to the max" and for "some people it comes naturally." He went on to add that he "gets to see how riled up he can get the fans" and that people like Dolph Ziggler have told him that they "haven't heard boos like he's getting since Vickie Guerrero."

The former US Champion went on to say that "when people boo me, it makes me feel like I'm doing my job to the fullest." He feels that "it's a lot easier to be a bad guy" and that "it's hard to be a good guy and get people to care about you", noting the difference in difficulty between the two sides.

One of the memorable lines was Corbin saying that "my job as a bad guy is to go out there and to beat you up in front of these little kids. If I'm doing my job, it's going to help people love to see you and love to see you retaliate."

He also said that he "makes little kids cry all the time in the front couple rows." The former Money in the Bank winner said that "it's not hard to trigger people these days", noting the more sensitive nature of society in today's age. Corbin also praised The Rock and the special moment they shared together in the ring on the debut of FOX on SmackDown.

#3 Finn Balor and the panel relive Finn vs. Styles from TLC two years ago

With the TLC PPV slated to end the 2019 cycle for WWE, the participant of one of the most memorable matches in that PPV's history, Finn Balor, looked back at his match with AJ Styles from two years ago.

As highlights from the match played, Balor felt that "the stars aligned and we got the match we have always been looking forward to and the fans have always been looking forward to." Since Styles filled in for an ill Bray Wyatt, Balor revealed that both men had "little prep going into match but we have similar styles and we gel together well."

After The Demon ended up victorious, the two men shared a moment of respect in the middle of the ring. The former Universal Champion revealed that the "Too Sweet" gesture wasn't planned but Styles talked him into it after they shook hands.

The match was truly a dream bout for everyone involved, and Balor said that "myself and AJ delivered that day. There was no storyline and no revenge to be sought, just two guys in the peak of their career giving everything they had."

The panel all agreed that the match was one of the best in WWE history and that sometimes the moments that come up due to last-minute changes can often make things more special. It happened with the NXT Invasion following Crown Jewel as well.

#2 TLC preview

One of the stranger things about TLC has been the lack of matches announced in advance. Just this past week on RAW, the Women's Tag Team match and a bout between Buddy Murphy and Aleister Black was confirmed. And even during WWE Backstage, it was announced that the Viking Raiders would be putting forth an open challenge on the PPV.

The match between The Miz and Bray Wyatt was discussed as the A-Lister is likely filling in for Daniel Bryan until the story is fully paid off after TLC. Paige admitted that she wanted to see the A-Lister's father, George Mizanin, involved in the feud. The Anti-Diva also wanted to see a Bray Wyatt match without the red lights.

Another match they discussed was the ongoing saga between Rusev, Lana and Lashley. The segment continues to take up a good portion of RAW and the two men will have a tables match at TLC. After suggesting last week that Lana should be put up in a shark cage, Punk took things even further. He suggested that the All Mighty should eventually get tired of Lana like Rusev did and that the two men should bond over her terrible nature.

He even booked the feud with the Ravishing Russian through WrestleMania, suggesting that Lana should manage another tag team to feud with Lashley and Rusev. The pay off would be at 'Mania with the loser of the match getting the Ravishing Russian as the prize. Simply put, Punk thought that everyone would have been annoyed by Lana's antics by April 2020 so much so that no one would want her. Harsh but accurate.

#1 The dog food segment

Much like the costumed Big Dog that came out to the ring several weeks ago on SmackDown, the recent bit between Corbin and Reigns was also polarizing. Some people disliked it while others loved it. Knowing how CM Punk has reacted to similar angles since he has joined Backstage, many people expected him to completely blast the segment.

Surprisingly, the former WWE Champion said that "I did not hate the dog food as much as everyone assumed I would hate it." Punk likened the use of dog food to the use of pig's blood in the movie Carrie, stating that "bad guys need to do bad things to the good guys."

Paige brought up what a lot of people saw in a portion of the segment regarding the possibility of someone under the ring. She mentioned that the commentators didn't acknowledge it but Renee Young just liked that people was talking about it.

While it might have turned some people off, Corbin is one of the few true heels left throughout all of pro wrestling and he is getting the desired result. He understands his role and is exceptional at garnering heat from the crowd. Perhaps the funniest line from the conversation was from Punk when he asked Corbin if the dog food was real. The former WWE Champ said he "could imagine Vince yelling that 'it has to be real dog food'!"