It's almost time for another WWE PPV, and if you've been keeping up with the product, you've probably noticed what I'm calling "the great divide" between Raw and Smackdown. However, said divide revolves around the quality of storytelling and not a string of mountain ranges separating two sides of the country.
Smackdown has been fantastic, setting up compelling, fun storylines that all lead to TLC--normally, a throwaway PPV. And Raw has been… Well, it's the worst it's been in a long time. Nothing makes sense on that show aside from Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.
This year's TLC PPV is coming to the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Sunday, December 16 at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT, with a Kickoff Show beginning one hour prior. You can see the event for yourself on the WWE Network or on PPV through your cable or satellite provider.
Here's what is currently planned for TLC:
- R-Truth & Carmella vs. Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox (Finals of MMC Season 2)
- Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton (Chairs Match)
- Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Cedric Alexander (Cruiserweight Championship)
- Elias vs. Bobby Lashley (Ladder Match)
- Finn Bálor vs. Drew McIntyre
- Natalya vs. Ruby Riott (Tables Match)
- The Bar (c) vs. The New Day vs. The Usos (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)
- Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka (Triple Threat TLC Match For The Smackdown Women's Championship)
- Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Nia Jax (Raw Women's Championship)
- Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin (TLC Match)
- Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose (Intercontinental Championship)
- (The New) Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles (WWE Championship)
Make sure to come back to GameSpot on Sunday, December 16 for live coverage of the event and a review TLC after it's all over.
R-Truth & Carmella vs. Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox (Finals of MMC Season 2)
If you're confused what the Mixed Match Challenge (MMC) is, it's a series on Facebook Watch where a man and woman wrestler team up and fight other teams. This will be the final match of the tournament, and I'm giving the win to R-Truth and Carmella simply because they've been a lot of fun to watch on Smackdown, and for no other reason. The winners of this match will get the number 30 spot in their upcoming Royal Rumble match, and while R-Truth has no chance of winning, it will be a blast to see him come out. On the flip side, Carmella does have a chance, and this could skyrocket her stock in 2019.
Prediction: R-Truth and Carmella win
Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton (Chairs Match)
Easily the weakest booked Smackdown match on the card, but still stronger than the vast majority of Raw's matches, Orton and Mysterio are involved in a bit of a rivalry, and they'll spend TLC hitting each other with chairs for the duration of their match. Orton has been on a tear as a heel, so this will be a classic good guy vs. bad guy match, with Mysterio coming out on top.
Prediction: Mysterio wins
Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Cedric Alexander (Cruiserweight Championship)
In the rotating door that is the Cruiserweight Championship match, Cedric Alexander gets a rematch for the title. Look, this is going to be a fantastic match, but 205 Live is sadly a dead zone for incredible talent. Hopefully, some of these chaps get moved to the main card--and here's me hoping that means Mustafa Ali will be on Smackdown every week now. Anyway, Murphy is going to win because I'd like to see him keep the belt.
Prediction: Murphy wins
Elias vs. Bobby Lashley (Ladder Match)
What in the hell is going on with Raw? Warning: This is going to be a phrase you'll be reading over and over again. The only good thing about Bobby Lashley is Lio Rush. There. I said it. Having Elias take on Rush again in a ladder match makes sense, but that's not what is happening. It's more Bobby Lashley, who I could not care less about. You know which way this is headed because Elias should be bigger than he is. If you're wondering what's at the top of this ladder for the match, it's a guitar. If you get the guitar first, you can use it as a weapon… in a match filled with heavy, metal ladders. I'll wait for everyone to stop facepalming.
Prediction: Elias wins
Finn Bálor vs. Drew McIntyre
What in the hell is going on with Raw? Drew McIntyre should 100% be in the Universal Championship hunt or in a TLC match with former partner, now enemy, Dolph Ziggler. That makes the most sense. However, that's not what's happening. He'll be taking on Finn Balor who has been in this weird holding pattern and still hasn't had a rematch for his Universal Championship, which he never lost. Reminder: The Universal Championship is that title that occasionally shows up at big PPVs and is very, very red. McIntyre has to win this, right? That makes sense for where is character is headed; otherwise, he's just going to be forever in the midcard.
Prediction: McIntyre wins
Natalya vs. Ruby Riott (Tables Match)
Well, this feels like poor taste to get heat on a heel. So, just what in Sam Hill is going on with Raw? The women's division storylines are just a shame, which makes me even sadder when the talent on the roster is incredible. Riott is using the death of Natalya's father to get to her, so the two can get a match together. The tables match angle to it all really works, but personally, I'm not into how this is playing out because it's really over-the-top. That being said, Natalya gets the win.
Prediction: Natalya wins
The Bar (c) vs. The New Day vs. The Usos (SmackDown Tag Team Championships)
Finally, something enjoyable on the card. If you missed out on the December 11 episode of Smackdown then you missed the rap battle of the century, where The Bar remixed Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby," and I spent the evening giggling like an idiot. Listen, all three of these tag teams are phenomenal. They know their role within the division, and a triple threat tag match is perfect. While the tag titles keep getting passed around between the three teams, I'd like to see them back on the Usos again, and I feel they could help elevate the titles a bit more right now, making way for new challengers like Sanity.
Prediction: The Usos win
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka (Triple Threat TLC Match For The Smackdown Women's Championship)
This should be the main event, and if it's not, WWE is bonkers. We're getting a rematch between Charlotte and Becky Lynch, which was the match of the year at Evolution, and Asuka is added to the mix, and she very much needs a push to the main event right now. With how on fire "The Man" has been recently, she needs to remain dominant so we don't have a revolving door of champions. Lynch will lose the title, but it won't be here. I am nothing but hyped for this bout, and you should be too.
Prediction: Lynch wins… She always wins so long as I'm writing this piece.
Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Nia Jax (Raw Women's Championship)
And here we are, in a Wrestlemania holding pattern. The match makes logical sense, when you forget about the fact that it seems like Nia Jax and Tamina were more headed the route of tag team, but personally, I'd like to see someone else--Ember Moon--get a title shot, even if it's a surefire loss for the challenger. And no matter who she faces, don't expect Rousey to lose any time soon. In fact, she won't get her first loss until 2019's Wrestlemania when she finally faces Becky Lynch, and if that match and outcome don't happen, I give up. Nia, you're needed in what will eventually become the women's tag division right now, at least until the women's title changes hands.
Prediction: Rousey wins
Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin (TLC Match)
What in the hell is going on with Raw? Personally, I'd rather see Corbin take on Heath Slater, who Corbin has ordered to become a ref. Sure, that's a quick push for a PPV match, but if there's one thing Slater needs--especially after his tag team partner Rhyno retired--it's some sort of push, even if it's just for a spot on the midcard. Anyway, the match at hand. This will be a squash match as Corbin needs to be put in his place and Strowman just had elbow surgery, and probably has to take it easy.
Prediction: Strowman wins
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose (Intercontinental Championship)
Out of the six Raw matches booked for TLC, this is the only one that makes a lick of sense for both characters. What in the hell is going on with Raw? This match makes perfect sense with Rollins being this babyface champ--who recently came out to say what we're all thinking, "Raw sucks"--and Ambrose fully embracing how weird he is, in a very dark way, after betraying Rollins. This is going to be a brutal and excellement match that hopefully doesn't end with a shaky finish. It's time for Ambrose to shine--all while continuing this feud--so I'm giving the win to Ambrose.
Prediction: Ambrose wins
(The New) Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles (WWE Championship)
I forgot how great Daniel Bryan works as a heel. He's amazing and his promos have been straight fire the past few weeks. (The New) Daniel Bryan has to grant a rematch to AJ Styles after Bryan turned heel and hit Styles with a low blow. Hey, AJ Styles, will you wear a cup already? Illegal hits aside, this will be a fantastic match, but we are just getting started with Bryan as champion, and he needs to be set up as legitimate and not just a sneaky heel who cheats to win. That being said, Bryan will get a clean win here in a barn-burner of a match.
Prediction: Bryan wins.
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