WWE TLC Review - October 22, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Sasha Banks def. Alicia Fox (Kickoff Match)

Needless to say, I couldn't have cared less about this bout coming into the event because they've feuded before and have never had the greatest in-ring chemistry, but this was actually a pretty passable matchup and the women made the most of the time they were given (almost 11 minutes, surprisingly enough). Banks winning was a no-brainer, but I hope she has some direction going forward, possibly going to back to teasing tension with Bayley.

Asuka def. Emma

I fully expected this to be Squash Match City in favor of Asuka, but that's not what this was. Instead, it was all about Emma for the most part before Asuka battled back in the final minute or so of the bout before locking in her finisher and forcing Emma to submit. This didn't live up to expectations and it got to a point where the crowd got bored of seeing Emma on offense and likely would have wanted Asuka to destroy her. This could have been a stronger debut for Asuka, but it was still decent.

Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann def. The Brian Kendrick and Gentleman Jack Gallagher

In the year that the Cruiserweight division has been around, I believe this is the only pay-per-view to feature two Cruiserweight matches on the main card. I doubt that will be a regular thing going forward, but this went way better than I thought it would. I never doubted the ability of the men involved, but I figured the crowd would sit on their hands for this. Instead, they were pretty lively and gave this match the respect it deserved. It was a ton of fun from start to finish, but I really want to see Alexander break out of the division at some point because he has a lot of untapped potential.

Raw Women's Champion Alexa Bliss def. Mickie James

As solid of a story as these two have told over the past month, they simply never have had the greatest in-ring chemistry together. Don't get me wrong, this was easily the best bout James has had since her TakeOver: Toronto against Asuka last November, but then again, that isn't saying much because her main roster run has largely been lackluster. It was a good match, but the crowd was quiet for the better part of it. James' post-match promo was well done and indicated that this feud is not yet over.

Enzo Amore def. Kalisto to Win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

The first Enzo vs. Kalisto match was entertaining at points thanks to the Lumberjack stipulation. If you take away all the smoke and mirrors, they won't have nearly as enjoyable of a match. There were sloppy spots and, again, the crowd couldn't have cared less. Enzo regaining the gold was the right move considering how much more relevant he has made 205 Live as of late, but it was fairly predictable and nothing else about this was memorable in the slightest.

Finn Balor def. AJ Styles

You know what's scary? Styles took a 16 hour flight just to get to TLC and essentially competed immediately, not to mention that this bout had no build whatsoever, and it was still stellar. As I'll discuss soon enough, I liked the main event, but this was without question the match of the night. Hell, the crowd was chanting "This is awesome!" before they even touched, so it clearly had a big-fight feel. The action itself was exceptional and the crowd was electric for this from start to finish. Balor needed the victory much more than Styles, and the post-match "too sweet" from the both of them got a big pop out of me. Build off this for a future feud down the road and I guarantee you something even more magical the next time they cross paths. 

Jason Jordan def. Elias

There were already two segments on this show with Elias attempting to perform with the audience booing him out of the building and Jordan throwing lettuce at him. Maybe WWE thought that by allowing Elias to elicit so much heat that Jordan beating him would get him over? It didn't exactly work out that way as you could have heard a pin drop during this. It wasn't a terrible match, but it was in the death spot coming off of Balor vs. Styles. The fluky finish didn't help matters, either.

Raw General Manager Kurt Angle and Raw Tag Team Champions Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins def. Intercontinental Champion The Miz, Sheamus, Cesaro, Braun Strowman and KAne in a 5-on-3 Handicap TLC Match

Well, that was a hell of a headline, and I suppose that's fitting because this was a hell of a match. I don't mean that as if it was an instant classic, but rather that it was one giant mess. I mean that in the best way possible because I enjoyed this on the whole and as I saw someone say on Twitter, I felt like a main event straight out of the Attitude Era. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, and the first ten minutes were terrific. However, it was during that loooooong stretch of time that seemingly dragged on forever where I became annoyed. I realized they were setting up Strowman vs. Kane for a late date, but they should not have been the stars of the match. Thankfully, the crowd came alive for Angle early on as well as down the stretch, and seeing him hit his signature spots on everyone was fantastic. I'm sure this isn't the last we've seen of Angle in the ring, and I really hope we get that full Shield reunion at some point.

Overall Show

Before the card changes were made on Friday night, TLC didn't have much to offer outside of the main event, and unsurprisingly, this was a two-match show between the TLC main event and Balor vs. Styles. I would say the good outweighed the bad because the undercard wasn't atrocious as Asuka's debut and Enzo winning the belt back were newsworthy, and the other Cruiserweight match was a treat, too. It is unfortunate and a tad concerning that it took an illness to make this a better show, though.