WWE TLC 2017 Reminded Fans How Much Fun Wrestling Can Be
By Josh Raibick
The WWE Universe will always be critical of creative decisions that the company makes, but WWE TLC 2017 was evidence that even when plans fall through a great show can still be produced. In fact, when plans fall through the WWE can surprise you with how well they can fill a void.
All the drama started back on Friday when it was announced on WWE’s official Twitter page that not only would Finn Balor be facing off with AJ Styles, but Kurt Angle would replace Roman Reigns as the third member of The Shield in a 5 on 3 handicap match. At first like many fans, I thought this had to be a fake and that the post actually came from a WWE parody social media account.
After further investigation I not only saw that it came from WWE’s official Twitter page, but that Angle confirmed the news. The whirlwind of emotion hit myself, similar to probably every other WWE fan.
I could not stop asking myself, “But what about The Shield Reunion? Wasn’t the point of the 5 on 3 match the fact that The Shield works so well as a unit? If just one member of The Shield is taken away doesn’t that defeat the purpose?” Then when I looked at the glass half full I remembered that Angle was returning to the ring, and the excitement surrounding his return was bigger than any questions that I had.
The addition of Styles to the WWE TLC 2017 card was another big news story. As fans we got to witness two of the best superstars in WWE tear the house down when Styles was called in from the SmackDown Live tour as a last minute replacement.
Photo by WWE.com
Both Styles and Balor are on different shows, but speculation has always run rampant about if both former leaders of The Bullet Club would ever clash in a WWE ring. All of a sudden a match that did not have much hype became the talk of the internet in the 48 hours leading up to WWE TLC 2017.
Then Sunday arrived, and the match not only lived up to the hype, it was actually booked perfectly. This was Balor’s slot on a Raw pay-per-view, and therefore he needed the win. The match between Balor and Styles flowed perfectly.
Sometimes matches can easily fall into a “finisher kick out contest”, but in this case the in ring psychology was perfect. It was both superstars in a race to see who could hit their best shot first, and in the process delivered with a 4.5-5 star match. The “two sweet” moment was the perfect follow up to a great performance.
Not to be outdone the main event had a lot of hype with Kurt Angle’s return. At first I even thought that the offering of The Shield vest was some form of symbolism, but then later found out that it was a very literal gesture. And in Angle fashion had viewers bursting into laughter as he appeared behind Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins during The Shield entrance with a huge childish smile on his face.
Once the laughter settled down, business picked up immediately in the ring. Angle, Rollins, and Ambrose isolated Kane and Strowman early on and looked to be working well as a team.
Eventually though the numbers game would catch up to Angle, Rollins, and Ambrose. Similar to Lesnar’s role at SummerSlam, Angle was also removed from the match temporarily because of an injury. Does it matter that we knew Angle would make a return to the match? No, not when the fans are begging for it.
Angle returned and was Angle Slamming everything in sight! The live crowd erupting through my soundbar injected adrenaline back into my system. The match would end with a Triple Powerbomb or “Olympic Triple Powerbomb”, and fans once again were rewarded.
It is funny how the two biggest matches did not make a lick of sense from a storyline point of view, yet I still found myself thoroughly entertained. Proof that WWE does not need everything carefully planned out to deliver.
My final point is as fans we’ve received great moments like Money in the Bank 2011 (Punk vs. Cena) and WrestleMania 30 (Bryan winning the WWE Championship), thanks to original plans changing. Hopefully there are better circumstances next time around, as a fan my first priority is hoping for the best of health for the superstars that risk their bodies and well-being for our entertainment.
Next: WWE TLC 2017: 5 Questions Left To Answer After The Show
All in all, WWE did a great job reacting quickly to unfortunate circumstances and giving the fans a show they will remember. It is shows like this past Sunday that remind me why I am a wrestling fan.