Tables were left shattered, ladders were climbed and chairs tattooed the backs of the wrestlers that went to war at WWE TLC last night.
Thankfully, WWE ended the King Corbin promo known as the year of 2020 on a good note, with an impressive final pay per view in TLC. To be honest, WWE has had a wicked streak of great pay per views, despite the lack of engagement on their weekly shows.
With returns, championship wins, failed cash-ins and a literal man being burned to death, there is a lot to unpack on this edition of ‘Six Takeaways’. Therefore, let’s begin discussing the ‘Six Biggest Takeaways From WWE TLC 2020’:
6. Drew McIntyre Retains WWE Championship/The Miz Fails Cash-In
When it was announced that the WWE Championship TLC match between champion, Drew McIntyre and challenger, AJ Styles was kicking off the show, I sighed a sigh of relief that today is not the day for a Miz Cash-In.
Oooh how wrong I was. See, WWE have changed up their formula from years past in certain aspects. Such as the pay per view loser getting the upper-hand on the go-home edition a week before, or big angles being saved for the main event. It is quite refreshing actually. Less predictable this way.
Nevertheless, McIntyre and Styles managed to convey all their abilities and give us a taster of what a match between the two; without shenanigans would look like. It would be a bold decision to say this wasn’t their last encounter and another title match between the two would be ruthless!
During this match, we saw unique variations of the calf-crusher; using all the nearby weapons to inflict further pressure on McIntyre’s leg.
When Miz and Morrison ran out, and may I say with a big gulp of disappointment, officially cashed in the briefcase, I feared the worst was yet to come.
However, WWE tricked me as we all forgot, including Miz and Morrison, that Omos was towering at ringside. He stopped Miz from winning the Championship and chased Morrison away. It did leave questions on why he didn’t help Styles win from the get-go but the intensity was raised afterward, so I’m not too fussed about this illogical decision.
As a result, the end of this match was a triple threat of unpredictable tendencies. It was still in anyone’s court and each time one of the three were alone on the ladder, it was believable to say that would be the conclusion.
Finally, Drew McIntyre conquered Miz and Styles, walking out of 2020 with his WWE Championship. A fantastic way to start the show. One of my nit-picks about this is they really have devalued the Money In The Bank contract. Once upon a time, the briefcase holder had a guaranteed main event future. Now… not so much.
The number of cash-in losses has desaturated the aura that once made this stipulation one of the most thrilling. I won’t get my hopes up for the winners of the 2021 MITB.
5. Sasha Banks Retains SmackDown Women’s Championship
There is a hefty amount of talent in the WWE Women’s division, it is easy to see why many of our favourites get lost in the shuffle.
Carmella is a good example of this. She surprised me and many others that she can actually put on a nice match with Sasha Banks! Furthermore, the Code of Silence into the Bank Statement was a sweet delivery of the end result and the right outcome.
Carmella has been elevated with the star-power of Banks and with her new ring gear, entrance and character, there is no doubt she can develop into one of the biggest heels of the division in 2021. Potentially, her sommelier could have a larger status in the new year too, now that he has a name.
On the other hand, Sasha Banks is also looking to have a great new year, heading onto the Road to WrestleMania as the Smackdown Women’s Champion. It is quite foggy where the next direction for ‘The Boss’ would be but I’m sure we may get answers on the Christmas edition of SmackDown.
4. Roman Reigns Retains WWE Universal Championship In Terrific TLC Bout
In the match of the night, Roman Reigns was victorious against Kevin Owens.
This TLC bout began at climax level and kept the temperature rising for the rest of their conflict!
Owens understood he had to take out the ‘Tribal Chief’ rapidly, as unlike Omos, Jey Uso immediately interfered trying to bring the end near.
However, Owens was ready for this handicap clash and super kicked everyone in eyesight. He was not holding back but either was Reigns. The ‘Head of the Table’ speared KO through a table, moreover, he was left broken and splintered when he was driven through two other tables at ringside! Despite the toughness of the Universal Champ, Owens was resilient. He took Uso out of the equation by dropping him into the commentary table and pop-up powerbombed Reigns into a table for likewise measure.
Furthermore, he survived the meet and greet ticket with chairs and ladders, which he autographed with his back.
The end saw Reigns dastardly low blow Owens while climbing the ladder and as a result, Reigns remains at the top of his game.
If you haven’t watched this match, I’d say definitely consider it as it is seriously a late contender for Match Of The Year.
It was logical, entertaining and saw Kevin Owens go toe-to-toe with Reigns – a feat that not many people can say they have accomplished. Ultimately, just like Reigns’ prior feud with Jey Uso, he has made a star out of Owens. Any other day and KO could’ve picked up the Universal Championship.
Additionally, Reigns is looking even more powerful heading onto the Road to WrestleMania. It is unknown who will challenge him at Royal Rumble but my money is on Daniel Bryan because he was on the receiving end of the Uso heel turn.
3. Charlotte Flair Returns
This was already reported before the show, nevertheless, it was exciting to see another face involved in the RAW Women’s division. It was a well-needed break from Charlotte, but her absence did leave WWE scratching their heads with what to do with the rest of the talent.
As it comes with most Asuka, Charlotte and Baszler matches, the bout was quite good which ended with Baszler being hit by the Natural Selection finisher.
It is quite annoying to see Charlotte winning the tag titles on her first night back but intriguing to see Asuka holding two belts. What do you think her nickname will be?
Another disappointing factor was the removal of Lana. Love her or hate her, this match should have featured Lana getting revenge for being slammed through a table each week by Jax. Plus, witnessing Lana win her first WWE title would have been a wholesome moment, moreover, against the bully, Jax.
If Lana vs. Jax is still continuing post-TLC, it wouldn’t have the stakes that this match regarded and that is unfortunate.
On the other hand, Asuka being in a combustible team with Charlotte will probably lead to that Asuka vs. Charlotte WrestleMania rematch for the RAW Women’s Championship; no matter if they are still holding the Tag Belts at that point.
Hopefully, they find a route towards this that doesn’t see Charlotte winning the Rumble two years in a row.
2. The Hurt Business Wins RAW Tag Team Championship
The Hurt Business are draped in gold, bay-bay!
This was actually a prideful moment, as The Hurt Business have been one of the better things to come out of Pandemic-Wrestling.
However, even after a good match with the New Day, WWE have little appreciation for tag team wrestling and therefore, I wouldn’t get my hopes up on this run.
No idea who they will face in their first defense. Most likely, it will be the New Day again.
1. “The Fiend” Goes Up In Flames
Finally, WWE TLC was main evented by the dramatic Firefly Inferno match.
You may ask: “What is a Firefly Inferno match, exactly?” Originally, I thought it was going to be a traditional Inferno match – ring is trapped in a swirling ring of fire – but with the Firefly Funhouse puppets burning in some dilerious ritual.
Instead, it was announced to be a match where the only way to win is to “set your opponent on fire”. Well, that took a drastic turn.
The match had some boiling points such as Orton dazed on Wyatt’s rocking chair, where he narrowly avoided a line of fire speeding towards him.
Another hot moment was when “The Fiend’s” jacket caught on flames and like a zombie that has just been exterminated with a flamethrower, he took his last plunge towards food before falling down at Orton’s feet.
In the most epic and crazy way to end the show, Orton poured gasoline around the unconscious, Fiend. Lighting a match and brutally setting him alight as we watched this warrior send-off.
This has been heavily acclaimed to be the most opinionated segment of the show, with many loving it and others absolutely hating it.
Personally, I thought it was insane and a terrific way to end this flaming garbage year known as 2020. However, I believe this could impact Wyatt’s fear factor and has just conveyed this monster to be more man than creation. Which ultimately, subtracts the fun out of the character.
Let’s hope he can be resurrected by Alexa Bliss as a new second level, boss mode version of “The Fiend”.
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