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What's the story?
Only a few hours ago, it was announced that Sister Abigail, Bray Wyatt's alter ego would be unable to compete at TLC because he was down with an illness. Instead, Finn Balor would be facing a man he has much history with, AJ Styles.
Both men reacted ahead of their dream clash. Both men seemed quite enthusiastic about facing one another.
In case you didn't know...
AJ Styles and Finn Balor are two men who have never clashed yet, even though they were both integral components of the independent wrestling scene prior to joining WWE. The IWC has longed for this clash for a really long time.
Former leaders of the Bullet Club in Japan, both men are incredible workers and absolute IWC darlings. Even though Styles hails from brand SmackDown, he had to make an exception to face Balor at TLC, a Raw-exclusive pay-per-view, in light of the current circumstances.
The heart of the matter
As one can see in the video linked above, Balor alluded to the fact that despite their similarities, they had never fought each other inside the ring:
Finn Balor. AJ Styles. Similar careers. Similar journeys. But for some reason, our paths have never crossed. Until TLC. See you then, AJ.
AJ Styles, in South America with SmackDown Live, had bold words for his opponent at TLC:
I think most people thought that they would see AJ Styles versus Finn Balor...maybe at a different time, maybe in a different country. Maybe not so abruptly. But it's happening.
What's next?
With no kind of build or fanfare, we get a dream match in just a few hours from now. This could be the match of the night when TLC comes around.
Author's take
As unfortunate as the illness that is plaguing the locker room is, it has led to some interesting matches. I cannot wait to see these two men mix it up and steal the show.
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Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE
