By: Jim Kennedy
TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, the last Raw pay-per-view before Survivor Series, was supposed to be the reunion of one of WWE's most dominant groups. No, not D-Generation X, or NWO. I mean the Shield. After attacked by the team of The Miz, Cesaro and Sheamus, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins put their personal differences aside and team up for at least one night to face their attackers in a TLC match. You also had the debut of the undefeated former NXT Women's Champion Asuka, as she takes on Emma in her first main roster match. The last match of note was the Demon King, Finn Balor, taking on Bray Wyatt's "Sister Abigail".
On Friday, October 20th, it was announced that due to "medical issues", Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt were scratched from the card. Reigns was replaced by Raw GM Kurt Angle, and Wyatt was replaced by Smackdown Live's A.J. Styles. Even though there were major changes to the card, we at Beyond The Top Rope still viewed TLC, and put in an honest review of the event as we always do.
TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, the last Raw pay-per-view before Survivor Series, was supposed to be the reunion of one of WWE's most dominant groups. No, not D-Generation X, or NWO. I mean the Shield. After attacked by the team of The Miz, Cesaro and Sheamus, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins put their personal differences aside and team up for at least one night to face their attackers in a TLC match. You also had the debut of the undefeated former NXT Women's Champion Asuka, as she takes on Emma in her first main roster match. The last match of note was the Demon King, Finn Balor, taking on Bray Wyatt's "Sister Abigail".
On Friday, October 20th, it was announced that due to "medical issues", Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt were scratched from the card. Reigns was replaced by Raw GM Kurt Angle, and Wyatt was replaced by Smackdown Live's A.J. Styles. Even though there were major changes to the card, we at Beyond The Top Rope still viewed TLC, and put in an honest review of the event as we always do.
Best Match of the Night: Finn Balor def. AJ Styles
The match was the first time these two would ever fight. For one night only, Raw welcomed Smackdown's AJ Styles to take Bray Wyatt's place in facing "The Demon" Finn Balor. The match was a toss up, and in the end Balor emerged victorious. The reason that this was the match of the night is because this match was a dream match-turned-reality. Fans in Minneapolis were given a treat that they'll remember for a long time. Some may make the case that you can see these two again at Survivor Series, if the cards play out right. But for what it's worth, the "Too Sweet" match, a match that came about at the last second due to medical issues, was sweet indeed.
Worst Match of the Night: Asuka def. Emma
In what would've been her final pay-per-view match, Emma looked to stop the rising tide of the former NXT Women's Champion, Asuka. Yet, Asuka goes 1-0 on her main roster debut, extending her WWE undefeated streak. The match had the same hype as the debut of Shinsuke Nakamura on Smackdown Live, yet it wasn't impressive at all. Asuka joining the main roster was the right decision, yet it's still to be seen on how she'll be used.
Moment of the Night: Kurt Angle being an honorary member of The Shield
The Raw GM was the honorary member of the Shield to replace Reigns, who was scratched. The fact that he walked through the fans like the Shield usually does, it showed that the trio were all in the same mindset. During the match, Angle was taken to the back to be evaluated by medical staff, but came back to finish the match. He gave Cesaro an Angle Slam through a table, and finished off the Miz with the Shield's Triple Powerbomb. It was good to see Angle back in the ring, and the chants of "You Still Got It" were definitely worth it.
Overall Grade: C-
Given the fact that two of the matches, one of them the main event, had to change things up, the pay-per-view was ok. The Balor/Styles match probably stood out throughout the whole night, and is a contender for "Match of the Year". The TLC main event was only noteworthy for Kurt Angle stepping up. The rest of the show was below average. I'll give WWE credit for scrambling in the face of adversity, but there's nothing more to say about the last Raw event before Survivor Series.
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