WWE TLC 2017 5 Takeaways: Finn Balor and AJ Styles Tear Down The House
By Tim Sherry
Photo by WWE.com
1. Finn Balor and AJ Styles Reminded Us All Just How Good The WWE Could Be
On the September 25th episode of RAW, Bray Wyatt went to the well once again as his “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands” played as Finn Balor stood in the center of the ring. For wrestling fans, it was like a punch to the gut. See, the feud between the two had been ongoing for over two months and many believed that the night before this happened, No Mercy where Balor beat “The Eater of Worlds” for the second straight PPV, would’ve signified the end of a feud that had so much potential yet failed so miserably. So when it was insinuated that the rivalry would continue, there was a collective groan over the WWE Universe.
Things only got worse when Wyatt unveiled his ludicrous Sister Abigail alter-ego prompting Balor to return as a pumpkin-faced demon, and the two would be squaring off at TLC. But fate decided it had enough of this charade when Wyatt was not cleared medically for action. This prompted the WWE to do something that was shocking, yet clearly best for business when they offered the match to AJ Styles. Make no mistake, a Balor/Styles showdown is a dream match and the duo went on to prove that notion Sunday night as they tore the roof off The Target Center in Minneapolis. With not a ton of time to prepare as Styles had been performing in Argentina just two nights earlier, the level of talent in the ring took over and the two produced a match of the year type bout.
In watching this however, it does show just how good the WWE could be if it got out of it’s own way and allowed the best in-ring talent to perform as opposed to saturating the material with nonsensical story lines, much like the “Demon vs Sister Abigail” silliness. With a roster that has guys like Balor and Styles to go along with names like Shinsuke Nakamura, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Bobby Roode, Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, and Samoa Joe, it’s an absolute joke that the two world titles are currently being held by a part timer, and a guy who couldn’t work his way out of a paper bag.
The Balor/Styles match was everything that is right about the professional wrestling industry. Two generational type talents squaring off in front of a crowd who are just dying to see it happen. There were no sensationalized story lines or overblown run-ins. Just pure wrestling at its very best and from the crowds reaction at TLC proves, that is exactly what the WWE needs a lot more of.