WWE Raw 5 Predictions: Braun Strowman To Make A Statement?

4. Matt Hardy Is Not The Fourth Shield Member

The main event for TLC is currently booked as a three-on-four match between the Shield and The Bar, The Miz, and Braun Strowman. I don’t anticipate Kurt Angle making an announcement that evens the score, because the whole point is to have the Shield “overcome the odds” at TLC against four fearsome opponents.

Some fans have speculated that Matt Hardy could be the fourth member of the Shield, because he seems to have nothing better to do with brother and tag team partner Jeff Hardy out until around WrestleMania season with a torn rotator cuff. Matt was saved by the Shield last week after a lopsided encounter with Strowman, so there is some storyline logic to the speculation.

I think it’s more likely for Matt Hardy to get thrown into a blow-off match, teaming up with Jason Jordan to score an easy win over The Club, whom the WWE seems to have no intention of pushing on Raw. The former tag team champions will likely job out before moving to SmackDown Live, which should have already happened, so I’d expect Matt to team up with Kurt Angle’s “son” one more time.

Believe me, it’s not exciting to propose a random match for Hardy, who deserves much better than what’s been given to him so far. He was the hottest thing in wrestling in TNA as the leader of the “BROKEN Universe”, and he’s been excellent in the ring during his latest stint with the company. But there just isn’t anything built for him at TLC, and it would be worse for him to get lumped together with the Shield.