WWE TLC 2018: Ranking all of the main card matches 

TLC was the final PPV of 2018
TLC was the final PPV of 2018

A little less than one month after Raw decimated SmackDown at Survivor Series, the blue brand proved why they are the real dominant brand in the WWE, outshining their Monday night counterparts at the final WWE PPV of 2018.

The card saw most of the SmackDown matches deliver, whereas Raw was left looking pretty poor in comparison.

With Vince McMahon set to turn up to shake things up on Raw tonight, let's take a quick look over the matches from TLC and rank them from best to worst.


10: Braun Strowman vs Baron Corbin

This can't really be considered a match
This can't really be considered a match

The main event scene on Raw is a mess right now, and that was perfectly highlighted by this 'match'.

Of course, Strowman was injured, so it's a little unfair to criticise this as an actual match when in reality, it was a glorified segment.

Having the superstars exact revenge on Baron Corbin made sense in some respects, but equally, surely the likes of Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley would have wanted to defend their ally here?

Regardless, at least the age of Corbin has finally been laid to rest, and we can all move on with our lives.

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9: Fabulous Truth vs Mahalicia

Fabulous Truth earned the number 30 spots in the Royal Rumble
Fabulous Truth earned the number 30 spots in the Royal Rumble

The second season of the Mixed Match Challenge has been an absolute disaster and at least having Carmella and R-Truth win managed to make it into some sort of comedy segment.

The whole thing was quite fun, but frankly, it had no place on the main card, especially given how excellent the Cruiserweight match was on the pre-show.

Fabulous Truth winning was the right choice, and the duo are fairly over as a comedy act right now.

As for the fact that R-Truth can now enter the Rumble at number 30, fear not, the WWE are clearly going to book him to come down for the wrong Rumble match and accidentally surrender that right.

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8: Natalya vs Ruby Riott

Where does Ruby Riott go from here?
Where does Ruby Riott go from here?

This was a fairly competent match from these two women. Unfortunately, the circumstances and the storyline involved in the bout left a bit of a sour taste in the mouth.

While Natalya must have consented to her dad being used as part of this storyline, it still felt pretty unnecessary, and if anything has just left The Riott Squad looking terrible.

The group, despite their obvious potential, have been given zero momentum since they stepped up to the main roster, and having Riott lose here just leaves the whole group dead in the water as things stand.

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7: Rey Mysterio vs Randy Orton

Mysterio got some revenge against Orton
Mysterio got some revenge against Orton

Once again, this was another perfectly competent encounter that was instantly forgettable the moment the show finished.

The two men put on a solid encounter but the match gimmick felt fairly pointless, and given how violent Orton has been in recent months, he didn't really get a chance to showcase that quite as much here.

Having Mysterio win means that we will get a rematch at some point in the next month, but it was nice to see the former World Heavyweight Champion exact some revenge on his tormentor, even if it is only likely to be short-lived.

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6: Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins

Ambrose and Rollins have not lived up to the hype
Ambrose and Rollins have not lived up to the hype

Well, this was the biggest disappointment of the night.

The feud between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose has not taken off in the way that many fans would have hoped, and the two men failed to live up to expectations in the ring last night as well.

Rollins has had an exceptional year in 2018, but this match just felt flat, and the crowd didn't feel all that invested.

Ambrose winning was the right choice, but the finish felt anti-climactic and the whole thing just felt lacked the kind of buzz that fans had expected from it.

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5: Drew McIntyre vs Finn Balor

McIntyre suffered a shock defeat
McIntyre suffered a shock defeat

Hopefully, the WWE has bigger plans in store for Drew McIntyre in the coming weeks, otherwise, what was the point in having him lose this?

The two men put on a solid match that played off the classic David Vs Goliath match structure which was going steady until Dolph Ziggler got himself involved in the finish.

A handicap match pitting McIntyre against Ziggler and Balor would be a nice way to get out of this situation and make McIntyre look strong once again, otherwise, this will all turn out to be a total waste of time and talent.

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4: The Usos vs The Bar vs The New Day

The Bar held onto their tag-team gold
The Bar held onto their tag-team gold

As always, these three teams put on a really entertaining tag-team match early on the card.

Like a lot of the SmackDown tag-team matches this year, this match was kept reasonably short, but it did a great job with what it had at its disposal.

The Bar picking up the victory was the right choice, and it made them look good again following the Drake Maverick fiasco at Survivor Series.

Hopefully, we get to see more of The Usos Vs The Bar in the coming months, as it has been nice to see the former back in the title scene as of late.

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3: Nia Jax vs Ronda Rousey

Nia Jax and Ronda Rousey have a great chemistry
Nia Jax and Ronda Rousey have a great chemistry

Nia Jax's in-ring work has come under fire over the last couple of months, but there is no denying that she and Ronda Rousey have an excellent chemistry together.

The two women told an excellent story in the ring and they barely missed a beat from a technical perspective.

Rousey has developed into one of the finest workers on the women's roster in such an incredibly short space of time, and she helped take Nia Jax to one of the finest matches of her career here.

Rousey will now turn her attention towards her WrestleMania opponent, whereas Jax will probably slip back down the card a little bit.

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2: Charlotte vs Asuka vs Becky Lynch

These three women didn't disappoint
These three women didn't disappoint

How awesome was it to see this match go on last? Not only was this the first time women have been given the chance to main-event a PPV this year, but it was also the first time SmackDown have been allowed to main-event a duel branded PPV as well.

These three women put on an exceptional encounter, one which made use of the match's gimmick effectively and also managed to whip the live audience into an absolute frenzy.

Asuka winning was the right choice as it allows Lynch and Flair to move on to their feud with Rousey, and it was also a nice way to get her back on track after what has been a rather rough 2018.

The finish, which saw Rousey cost both Lynch and Flair, was perfectly executed and continues what is easily the hottest rivalry in the WWE right now.

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1: Daniel Bryan vs AJ Styles

A late contender for match of the year
A late contender for match of the year

Well, this was really quite something. AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan are two of the best wrestlers on the planet right now, and they delivered in a big way at TLC.

While Michael Cole's insistence on calling Bryan, The New Daniel Bryan has become pretty annoying pretty quickly, it must be said that Bryan's heel work is exceptional and he really got himself over as the top heel on SmackDown with his performance here.

The exchanges between the men were a thing of beauty, and the perfectly executed submission near-finishes were incredible.

Bryan winning with the roll-up really cements his place as an excellent heel right now, and I'd love to see him smugly refuse Styles a rematch on the basis that he has beaten him fair and square.

Also, something should be said for Daniel Bryan's exceptional facial expressions. It's a rarely appreciated art in wrestling, and Bryan is unrivalled at it right now.

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