WWE TLC 2020: 5 things that we learned

The last pay-per-view of the year in WWE's calendar, TLC, took place over the weekend, and it certainly helped 2020 go out with a bang. Across the event, the WWE Universe saw two title changes, a huge return, and some top-quality matches across the card.

This year's TLC seemed to smash fans' expectations out of the park and delivered a series of high-quality matches to round off one of the most difficult years yet for WWE.

As 2020 comes to an end, here are five things that were learned at WWE TLC.

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#5 Roman Reigns's new WWE persona is still impressing

Fans have been lauding Roman Reigns with praise since he returned to WWE in the summer with a seemingly whole new outlook.

The star came back to WWE with Paul Heyman as his advocate and quickly won the WWE Universal Championship at Payback. Reigns arrived late and defeated Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt in a Triple Threat match to win another world title with the company.

Since returning, Roman Reigns has dubbed himself the Tribal Chief and has been pressuring his cousin Jey Uso into being at his beck and call on SmackDown.

The mistreatment of his family member in the name of total dominance led to a feud between Reigns and Kevin Owens, who called him out on an episode of SmackDown after Survivor Series.

The pair faced off at TLC this weekend for the WWE Universal Championship. Owens held his own against the Tribal Chief, but Reigns had Uso coming to his assistance during the match, and it eventually proved too much for the host of The K.O Show.

By the end of the match, Reigns looked on with the title in his hands having successfully retrieved it from the ladder. He was flanked by Heyman and Uso as Owens struggled in the ring, surrounded by destruction.

Roman Reigns has fitted seamlessly into his new villainous persona in WWE. The Superstar has managed to keep fans intrigued for months with her new character, and it seems as though the WWE Universe is eager to see what is next for him.

#4 The Hurt Business is one of WWE's most dominant modern factions

Over the past few weeks, The Hurt Business, led by MVP, who returned to WWE at last year's Royal Rumble, have targeted the now-former RAW Tag Team Champions The New Day.

The faction has been a huge part of RAW since its inception earlier this year when MVP offered his services as a manager to Bobby Lashley. The pair were later joined by Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander.

Currently, Bobby Lashley is the WWE United States Champion after he defeated Appollo Crews at Payback. Following this, the group started feuding with The New Day, who moved to RAW without Big E in the 2020 WWE Draft.

The Hurt Business had already unsuccessfully challenged the pair for the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships before TLC, but they didn't appear to let that deter them at the pay-per-view.

Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander became the latest WWE RAW Tag Team Champions as Alexander pinned Kingston after hitting him with a Lumbar Check to claim the victory for The Hurt Business.

Following this victory, The Hurt Business are now holders of two different titles on The Red Brand. The faction appears to be dominating RAW at the moment, and now with three champions in the faction, it will be exciting to see what the next step for them will be.

#3 Carmella is thriving in her new WWE gimmick

After spending many months away from WWE through 2020, former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Carmella returned to The Blue Brand this fall.

In the build-up to her comeback, a series of vignettes were shown on SmackDown, portraying a mystery woman with blonde hair and glamourous clothing.

After much speculation, Carmella was eventually revealed as the woman and she dismissed her old persona, dubbing herself "Untouchable." Following Sasha Banks defending the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship against Bayley, Carmella attacked The Boss on the ramp, establishing a rivalry between the pair.

Over the past few weeks, the pair have been engaged in an intense feud. They have been subject to attacks from eachother both in and out of the WWE ring.

The match between Sasha Banks and Carmella at TLC was fantastic, and the pair showed great chemistry in the ring. It was great to see Carmella doing well in her new gimmick, which feels like a throwback to the Divas Era of WWE in the best possible way.

Carmella has taken to her persona brilliantly, and it will be interesting to see which direction she will be taking next.

#2 Charlotte Flair is the latest WWE Women's Grand Slam Champion

After being absent from WWE since late June following an on-screen attack from Nia Jax, Charlotte Flair made her return at TLC. She was Asuka's mystery tag team partner after her previous partner Lana suffered an injury at the hands of Jax and Shayna Baszler.

This year's TLC was quite the contrast to last year's event when Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch challenged The Kabuki Warriors for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.

Flair and Asuka defeated Jax and Baszler to become the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, establishing Asuka as a double champion and also a record-breaker in the women's tag division.

As well as this, the most recent championship win for Charlotte Flair means that she is joining Asuka, Bayley, and Sasha Banks as a Women's Grand Slam Champion.

All four stars have won the NXT Women's Championship, the RAW and SmackDown Women's Championships, and the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.

On top of winning all of the current women's titles currently on offer in WWE in the United States, Charlotte Flair was the last holder of the WWE Divas Championship in 2016. That was before it was discontinued to make way for the WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 34.

#1 The Fiend and Randy Orton gave fans possibly the best Inferno match in WWE history

Leading into this year's WWE TLC, The Fiend and Randy Orton were involved in one of the biggest Monday Night RAW rivalries in recent months. Reigniting their feud from a few years ago which involved Orton burning down the Wyatt Compound, the pair began battling back and forth on WWE RAW.

The Fiend's new sidekick Alexa Bliss was even involved in the intense rivalry, and former WWE Champion Randy Orton even attempted to kidnap her in a strange segment on RAW.

The Inferno match headlined TLC and has since become one of the most talked-about bouts on the card. The pair battled while flames surrounded the ring, and Orton narrowly avoided going up in flames at the hands of The Fiend while sat in a rocking chair.

The thing about fire is, it does what it pleases. I burn, you burn, we all burn. Eventually. ⭕️#WWETLC pic.twitter.com/8dTkYc7p2M

— Bray Wyatt (@WWEBrayWyatt) December 20, 2020

Towards the end of the bout, The Fiend was set alight when he was pushed into the flames before Randy Orton managed to deliver an RKO to his rival while his jacket was flaming. Following this, he doused The Fiend in petrol and dropped a match onto his body, causing his enemy to be engulfed in flames.

There have only been a handful of Inferno Matches in WWE so far, but the most recent one has had a great fan reception so far.