WWE TLC 2017 Review 10/22/2017

Hello Misfits! It’s the Wrestling Classic here with my TLC review. It was truly a once in a lifetime event that was unique for the generation but I’ll get more into that later. This TLC build up was structured around The Shield reunion but due to a bad case of the mumps or meningitis to a handful of members of the Raw roster, there were some last minute changes to the show. Initially, I didn’t expect much from this show besides that the main event was going to be something with The Shield reunion. However, with the break out of the illness, my expectations became a whole different thing. This event became the return of Kurt Angle in the WWE ring wrestling for the first time in 11 years. It also became the event where we would see AJ Styles and Finn Balor go toe-to-toe for the very first time EVER. It got me a lot more hyped for the event even though it was last minute and it felt like they were giving away two potential great storylines for the future, it worked here. It had to be done to give the fans their money worth and fill up the card. I was 7-0 with my predictions which is a perfect score. I haven’t had a perfect score in a while but I did here. Yes there were some predictable matches such as the main event but there were a lot that weren’t and I got them right. Oooooh Yeah! Lets get to my review though.

Image via WWE.com

No Mercy 2017 comes to us from the Target Centre in Minneapolis, MN.

– The opening video package focused on Kurt Angle making his WWE in-ring return after 11 years. They also highlighted other matches on the card including Alexa vs. Mickie, Asuka vs. Emma and the TLC match main event

– The Raw announce team of Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Booker T are calling the show.

Sasha Banks def. Alicia Fox
in 11:00 via submission
This was a perfectly fine and entertaining match. These girls can both wrestle scrappy style where it looks more like a fight rather than a wrestling match. That is what we got here. Alicia tried going for the pin fall outside of the ring at one point which was pretty funny and stupid but it makes sense with her crazy character. It went back and fourth and they created suspense with a count out scare but in the end Sasha Banks won with the Bank Statement. This was a solid kick off match but would have much rather of seen it on the main card over the multiple Elias and Jordan skits but thats just me. They could have done that here to set up the match on the main show, while having this match on the main card. Little thing but it is my preference. Decent match though.
Rating – **1/2

Asuka def. Emma
in 09:20 via submission
This was Asuka’s big main roster debut and its against someone she has wrestled before in Emma. Emma is playing the role Ziggler has been playing on Smackdown where they give the NXT call up their first big main roster match to give them a solid showing. Asuka went over as everyone expected but Emma looked really good in this match as well. I’m glad Emma looked strong and had a solid showing but it kind of felt like it defeated the purpose. I dig Emma and I do think she deserves more than she gets for sure. On top of that her butt looked fantastic at TLC. However, they spent a couple of months building up Asuka as this killer coming to Raw yet she worked a 50/50 match where she was working the babyface comeback to Emma’s offence. I felt like Asuka should have been more dominant and this shouldn’t have gone as long as it did. It shouldn’t have been an average wrestling match but something special with Asuka looking unstoppable. It wasn’t a bad match what so ever and Emma is under-appreciated so those were the positives but I wish Asuka looked more dominant rather than a regular match where she overcame the odds.
Rating – **3/4

– The Miz was shown in the back with the Intercontinental Title and he was with The Bar. Sheamus and Cesaro worked in their “The Bar” catchphrase. Miz complained about how Angle leveraged himself to put be in a main event position against him. Miz said that Kurt wants to play superhero, but he’ll run into a Monster Among Men and Braun Strowman walked into the picture. Strowman told them to stay out of his way. Kane showed up to say that he does what he wants. Miz said there’s enough carnage for all of them. Miz said with Angle done, Seth and Dean injured, they will run Monday Night Raw. Strowman said there is no tomorrow and Kane said he’s turning TLC into hell on Earth. The big guys left. Miz, Sheamus & Cesaro did The Shield’s three man fist pose and Miz did the Angle catchphrase saying “it’s true, it’s damn true” to end it.

– Elias was on the stage trying to do one of his concerts. As he was playing the guitar, somebody threw lettuce and celery at him. I thought it was a fan at first which I thought was funny as hell. It was Jason Jordan on the side of the stage throwing fruits and vegetables at Elias. Jordan left with his cart full of groceries. Elias didn’t sing, so that was the end of it. This totally seemed like Vince McMahon kind of angle. It would have been hysterical on TNT in the 80s.

Cedric Alexander & Rich Swann def. Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher
in 11:40 by pinfall
It is cruiserweight tag team action time. This was a fun back and fourth match that was non stop action. All four guys are super talented and it showed here. A few them are still lacking character or any giving us any reason to tune into 205 live beyond their wrestling skills. The wrestling though might have just done the job here. These guys worked a perfect pace to the finish. It started off slow and kept working its way up to the finish with Alexander hitting lumbar check. I had a feeling the babyfaces were going to go over here since I predicted Enzo was going to win the title later on. It gives a perfect balance between a babyface and heel win for the cruiserweight division fans. I feel like the WWE enjoys booking that way. I’m sure we’ll see this match again on a Raw or 205 Live where the heels get over on these dudes to continue this angle but this was good. Solid match and I throughly enjoyed it.
Rating – **1/2

– Alexa Bliss was interviewed by Charly Caruso. Bliss fired off more insults towards Mickie. Bliss said when she was young, she idolized Mickie James and put her over for going toe to toe with Hall of Famers like Beth Phoenix, Lita and Trish Stratus. Bliss called her old again. Alexa also said she liked her butt because she thinks it cute, it popped the internet.

Raw Women’s Championship
Alexa Bliss (C) def. Mickie James
in 11:25 via pinfall
I’m kind of upset that they rushed the Sasha and Alexa rivalry because they had great chemistry. Although, I am happy Bliss is feuding with Mickie because they do have a history spawning from the night James returned. Mickie James was excited and holding up the seven as she was trying to tie Trish Stratus’s record of seven times as women’s champion. Alexa Bliss came into the match fully confident and almost as if she was underestimating James. The match was very competitive. There were some moments you could just tell were playing to the build up where James was showing her age also meant she was more wise in the ring. At one point Mickie James used her motherly instincts and spanked Alexa Bliss on her biscuit butt.  This was definitely one of Alexa Bliss’s better single matches and it really says a lot about Mickie James as a seasoned veteran. The way she sold the arm stuff and Alexa’s offence was brilliant. One of the biggest moments missing from this match was the sense that Mickie might actually win this. There was no false finish or even a sneaky roll-up where it looked like Mickie might just win. At no point did it feel like she ever had it in the bag. Alexa picked up the victory as I predicted. I feel like they are building Asuka as a babyface so I would suggest she’d need a top heel to overcome. Alexa is that top heel. I kind of wish Alexa went back to using her Twisted Bliss or something else as a finisher because the DDT falls flat these days because 80% of the roster uses it as a regular move in matches and Roode also uses the DDT as his finish.
Rating – ***3/4

– Following the match Mickie James was interviewed by Charley Caruso. James said she may have disappointed, but she is proud of her performance and she gave her heart and soul. James said that it won’t be her last time in the Women’s Championship match. Mickie thanked the entire WWE Universe for all of their love and support. James said she loves the fans and they are why she does what she does. Mickie was crying which made it feel like a legit moment with raw emotion.

– Kurt Angle was shown getting ready in the locker room. It got a pop. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins showed up. Angle wondered if they were there to talk strategy, but Dean said they aren’t there for that. Angle said he is going to give them 100%. Rollins said they respect Kurt for doing what he did. Rollins said they weren’t there to talk strategy, they came there for this and gave Angle a Shield vest. Ambrose said if you’re in, you need to be all in. Angle said he’s in and you can believe that (Roman line). Dean and Seth left.

– Elias was on the ramp trying to do his song again. Fans tried to drown him out with boos as he said nothing will stop him from giving us the performance we need. Elias said he would sing a song that would change our life. With the crowd booing loudly, Elias said he was going to start over, which led to more boos. The booing increased. Jason Jordan showed up with vegetables again as the crowd cheered. Elias ran away from the groceries to end the segment. Graves ripped on Elias while Cole was supportive of him. The announcers argued about it.

Cruiserweight Championship
Enzo Amore def. Kalisto (C)
in 08:45 via DQ
Lets be honest, Enzo Amore is not over because of his amazing in ring offence. Enzo is over for his gift of gab, his presence on screen and his character. I don’t go into a Enzo Amore match expecting a five star match but I do expect some sort of shenanigans. That is exactly what we got. Enzo is not your wrestler’s wrestler but he sure is your entertainer’s entertainer. Enzo cut a promo before the match and ironically he lost his voice which is the his strongest asset so it was kind of funny. The match was nothing special but the outcome was what I expected it to be. Enzo poked Kalisto in the eye and hit his finisher to win to once again become the cruiserweight championship. A championship he should have never lost because Enzo was the hottest heel on 205 Live since Neville first returned as a heel. I also dont think people cared enough about Kalisto for any of this to matter. It should have been Neville. If WWE can build up a cruiserweight that’s a likable face then it would mean something when they have a feud with Enzo, but Kalisto really didn’t have much crowd support. This cruiserweight run for Kalisto is going to be forgettable and thank god Enzo Amore is the champion again. The championship doesn’t make Enzo relevant but Enzo makes the championship relevant. That says a lot. The match was whatever but I expected that.
Rating – *

The Demon Balor def. AJ Styles
in 18:20 by pinfall
This was a match I was really looking forward to when it was first announced as a last minute audible. Originally it was booked to be a continuation to the Balor/Wyatt feud with Bray debuting his Sister Abigail anti ego. Unfortunately, Bray Wyatt was one of those who fell ill so WWE decided to give the fans a match that many may consider a dream match between two former prominent Bullet Club members. For the casual fan this was just a cool little treat because you have two popular babyfaces going toe-to-toe but to the hardcore fans this was two of the best from the NJPW/Indy scene facing each other for the first time ever. There was a ton of hype and rightfully so. I understand why this was booked here but it definitely could have been something for the future with a solid build up. Also a ton of respect for AJ Styles who had the hardest schedule that entire week including the two shows he worked after this event. He literally got off a 18 hour flight from South America just to be there to help the card.
The match lived up to the hype in my mind. The fans were chanting this was awesome before the two guys even touched. While I wouldn’t put it at match of the year level, it was great to watch. The last few minutes were outstanding. I was a bit surprised that they didn’t have either man kick out of a finishing move, but that’s fine because it puts over their finishers as stronger moves. I actually appreciate that the match producers are trying to reduce the use of false finishes through kicking out of finishers because that concept was becoming super regular in matches they wanted to be mega matches and it was hurting the significance of finishing moves. The lack of a story may have hurt it for some people, but once the bell rang it was all about the action with both men trying to prove who was better. The ended up being the story and it worked for what they had to work with. The finish came out of nowhere but it meshed in perfectly. I expected Balor to win because he’s a Raw star and this is a Raw PPV and the fact that he has never lost in the Demon paint. Nobody loses anything from a loss here because it was a face/face match that was just a competitive sprint. I think the match was great but they held back just the right amount of stuff incase they ever get to have proper feud in the future where I’m sure they’ll kill it. They shared a super cool moment of showing respect to each other after the match. They put up the two sweet signs and connected which had the fans pop. It was awesome.
Rating – ****

Jason Jordan def. Elias
in 08:50 by pinfall
This was a fill in match that was basically for angle advancement and to fill time than for anything else. Elias does a good job of working like a heel while Jordan’s selling is a strength of his. Both guys are in similar spots on Raw in terms of where they are on the card as mid carders on the rise, so it’s no surprise that neither man was put over strong. I’m sure this was just to fill that horrible buffer spot between two big matches. Nothing against these guys but this was the go take a piss and grab another beer match but it was pretty decent for what it was.
Rating – *1/2

– The Miz, Sheamus, Cesaro, Braun Strowman and Kane were backstage and Miz said he had a surprise after the match. He said they would treat Angle, Reigns and Ambrose like garbage. Miz said they are garbage, so you drive garbage to the dump.

Tables, Ladders and Chairs
Kurt Angle, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose def. The Miz, Sheamus, Cesaro, Kane & Braun Strowman
in 35:25 by pinfall
This was supposed to be the first stop on the Shield reunion tour to get Roman cheered having them overcome five of the top heels on Raw. Unfortunately, Roman was another one who had fallen to mumps. It was decided that Kurt Angle would take Roman’s spot and the rest was history. This was Kurt Angles big return rather than The Shield’s. This match might have been a overbooked cluster fuck but it was also fun as hell. Its all about perspective and expectations but I actually have no idea what people were expecting for a match like this. It was 5 against 3, so of course there was going to be some over booking to make sure the three didnt just get dominated and it made sense that they walked out victorious. Kurt Angle came out with The Shield boys looking like an older sibling or a fun dad who had to take care of the kids and was forced to play along with their games. I was sort of disappointed Kurt Angle didn’t come out to his own gear and music for his return just for the visual but I’m sure it’ll definitely happen in the future.
The match had way too many spots for me to go over each and every one of them. It was the only TLC match on the card so they did every possible spot they could think of. There was the first glimpse of old Angle as he took members of the heel team to suplex city. There were leaps off of ladders to put guys through tables. There were beat downs. There was internal beef between the heel team and turns. There was chokelsam through the stage and chairs being pulled down from the set to crash onto a body. There was a man stuffed into a garbage truck. They had Angle taken out of the match carried out on a stretcher only to make his triumphant return to save his team from defeat. There were angle slams and ankle locks. There was a “USA” chant when two Americans were in the ring. The entire match was whacky and chaotic but it truly was different and entertaining. It was 36 minutes long and many people have complained that this was too long. To me it flew by because i was enjoying the ride and just so intrigued in how they were going to make this work. How were they going to make three guys defeat five guys where one is a mastermind, two are monsters and the other two badass ass-kickers. Things were cheesy and overbooked but it reminded me of the stuff we’d see during the Monday Night Wars on both WWF and WCW television. Does anyone remember that buried alive match from Smackdown between The Rock N Sock Connection against Undertaker and Big Show? It reminded me of that sort of chaos and just pure ridiculousness which was accepted back then but complained about in the current era.
This match was not about having a lot of believable near falls although there was that close instance at the end with The Miz nearly pinning Angle. The ending was fantastic with Angle taking care of Cesaro and Sheamus followed by Rollins and Ambrose destroying Kane, which led to Miz being isolated against the three faces so that he could take their finishing moves. Rollins and Ambrose were amazing all match long. I loved the energy that they brought into the match including the ladder attack through the tables and then the way they made the heels look great when they were selling. I almost thought that the heels were going to get the victory here just they could continue this with the return of Roman. Then when Kane turned on Braun and they did the whole part of the match where they put Braun into the garbage truck…I knew that was it. Judge me all I want but I’d say watch this match. Watch this with your kids, your younger cousins, your non-wrestling friends and anyone else that enjoys car crashes and chaos because this was it. It wasn’t the greatest wrestling match of all time but it was definitely fun as hell.
Rating – ****

Final Thoughts
This PPV was a two match show when it comes down to it because it’ll always be remembered for the first ever encounter between Finn Balor and AJ Styles, and the chaotic main event whether people remember it positively or negatively. People will remember this show for the return of Kurt Angle too in a WWE ring for the first time in 11 years. I also guess people will remember it for Asuka’s debut but I still think that fell flat. Everything else sort of just happened. If you have time, I would definitely recommend watching those two big main events I mentioned above. Go into he main event with an open mind and that wrestling doesn’t always have to be competitive sprints or technical masterpieces but that wrestling can be stupid and fun sometimes for the sake of entertainment. Dig it?!
Final Rating – 6.5/10

What were your final thoughts on TLC? What final grade would you give the event? Where would you rate it on a scale of ten? Do you agree with my review? Leave your comments, opinions and thoughts below in the comments section.