WWE TLC 2019 will take place on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT live on the WWE Network with the kickoff show beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. The following is some early match card predictions two weeks away from a PPV that is certainly not well-known for tender, loving care.
Tables. “We Want Tables’ is a prominent chant in the WWE and rightfully so. Once a Superstar tosses his/her opponent through a table, that superstar not only attains a victory but also guarantees his/her own satisfaction in incapacitating his/her opponent. Rest assured, that satisfaction is also guaranteed for the WWE Universe, especially when the table is set on fire.
Ladders. When there are no spiders on the ladders, these matches usually turn out ok. Usually, there is either a championship or a MITB Briefcase suspended above the ring that superstars must relinquish from a hook after climbing a 20-ft ladder. If any superstar is afraid of heights, that superstar is in for a rude awakening because there will be high drops and deadly falls.
Chairs. Due to the overuse of chairs in the WWE, this match stipulation is not as exciting as the other two. Nonetheless, the WWE Universe knows that the chairs are not used for sitting. Superstars wrap these chairs around their opponents’ necks, arms, and legs to inflict unforgiving and agonizing pain onto each other until they eventually win the match by pinfall or submission.
With that being said, only one match has been announced thus far: (1) Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Daniel Bryan for the Universal Championship in what will most likely be a TLC match.
Without further ado, it’s time to open some presents under the Christmas tree, sing some melodious Christmas carols, and plunge into a plenitude of surprises for December’s Christmas-themed WWE PPV with my illustrious colleague, Kevin Parvizi. Let’s now predict the WWE TLC 2019 card, starting with the SmackDown Tag Team Championship match.
The New Day (c) vs. RooDolph [SmackDown Tag Team Championships]
Mark Justice: Before The New Day won the SmackDown Tag Team Championships, RooDolph defeated them in an old school tag match. With this victory as well as their Christmas-themed pseudonym, expect RooDolph to be the next challengers for The New Day’s SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
Despite their recent losses against Roman Reigns, Shorty G, and Mustafa Ali, Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler have been pretty relevant on SmackDown Live due to their formidable alliance with King Corbin. The other tag teams on the SmackDown roster have been relatively absent from in-ring competition, so a title match for RooDolph would be fitting while Corbin deals with Reigns.
Considering that The New Day just won the tag team championships and received a nod of approval from Vincent K. McMahon, 50:50 booking should be implemented here with a New Day retention and a positive road to WrestleMania. Besides, Kofi Kingston should have a lengthy tag title reign as a consolation prize for losing his WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar in a mere ten seconds or less.
Prediction: The New Day
Kevin Parvizi: It honestly doesn’t make any sense for Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler to win this match. They haven’t been half bad as a tag team, but they have little heat and no real upside as champions. The SmackDown Tag Team Championships are special, and they need to be held by a worthy team in the build to WrestleMania 36.
There is no worthier team than The New Day, whose work continues to be top notch. Everything they do on television is must-see, and I’m curious to find out if WWE can find a worthy rival for them in 2020.
Prediction: The New Day
Viking Raiders (c) vs. The O.C. [Raw Tag Team Championships]
Mark Justice: At Crown Jewel 2019, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson defeated the Viking Raiders in the final round of the Tag Team Turmoil to win the World Cup and become the best tag team in the world. Ever since then, the Viking Raiders have been angry about losing their very first match on the main roster to the O.C.
In fact, a few weeks ago, the Viking Raiders called out the O.C. and assured them that they will get their revenge sooner rather than later. This is enough to surmise that the O.C. and the Viking Raiders could have their very last match together at WWE TLC 2019.
Many naysayers may claim that the WWE has given up on the Viking Raiders since that devastating loss and the O.C. may win the titles back due to their ephemeral reign months back. However, the Viking Raiders’ triple threat victory against The New Day and Undisputed Era at Survivor Series says otherwise.
Henceforth, the Viking Raiders should continue their momentum, attain their revenge, and retain their Raw Tag Team Championships against The O.C. All in all, 50:50 booking should come in handy here as the Viking Raiders await their next challengers in AOP on the road to WrestleMania.
Prediction: Viking Raiders
Kevin Parvizi: As impressive as The Viking Raiders were at Survivor Series, I’m still going to need to see more of their character work in order to feel confident about them defeating The Club.
While WWE tends to book the tag team titles less cautiously than singles titles, we’re heading into WrestleMania season when the calendar flips to 2020. And now, WWE has a few awesome factions they can boost during WrestleMania Season, with The O.C. being one of them.
I’ve been slightly disappointed with the overall quality of work from The O.C. outside the ring lately, but that has more to do with what they’ve been given. I have a feeling WWE will use The O.C. more as champions in 2020, so a retention looks likely at TLC.
Prediction: The O.C.
Bayley (c) (w/Sasha Banks) vs. Lacey Evans [SmackDown Women’s Championship]
Mark Justice: On SmackDown last week, Lacey Evans delivered a Women’s Right to Sasha Banks as a way of making a statement to SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. Despite the peculiarity behind Bayley not even attempting to attack Evans after such an attack, this is still a strong sign that Bayley will defend her championship against Evans next.
There’s not much storyline to fall back on here as of yet, but these two have wrestled on SmackDown before and it was an amazing match. The only difference here is that their roles are reversed. When they had that match, Bayley was the huggable babyface and Lacey Evans was the elegant heel. Now, Bayley is the dark heel and Evans is the tea-loving babyface.
Now that the dynamics have shifted, it’ll be interesting to see how differently their match will turn out. If this match occurs, Bayley is definitely retaining. Although Lacey Evans had not yet won a main roster championship and already failed to do so against Becky Lynch on Raw a few months ago, it is evident that Bayley is at the top of her game and will assuredly be holding onto the championship for the road to WrestleMania 36.
Prediction: Bayley
Kevin Parvizi: Lacey Evans will win her first championship in 2020, but she won’t win it at this Pay Per View. Bayley is about to go on a rampage after tapping out to Shayna Baszler in the main event of Survivor Series, meaning her loss at the Big 5 PPV is about to serve her well into Royal Rumble Season.
Bayley is basically a slam dunk to hold the SmackDown Women’s Title into WrestleMania 36 in her second reign as champ. She is producing some of the best work in all of wrestling right now, so this match with Evans is more about WWE wanting to see the very best from both women inside the ring.
If Bayley delivers, it makes it more likely she’ll hold this title for a long time. And I fully expect her to have a great match.
Prediction: Bayley
Rusev vs. Bobby Lashley (w/Lana in a shark cage) [Grudge Match]
Mark Justice: The fatuous infidelity storyline amongst Rusev, Bobby Lashley, and Lana makes Raw intolerable to watch every Monday Night. However, this rivalry should come to a close at WWE TLC 2019.
It is imaginable that Lana will be in a shark cage as a way of preventing her from interfering in this match. Rest assured, anyone who is in a shark cage for a match tends to escape it anyways.
Lana will most likely do just that and assist Bobby Lashley as much as she can. However, since Rusev already lost his wife to Lashley, he might as well win the match not only as a consolation prize but also as a way of proving that cheaters never win and that infidelity is not the remedy, especially on a beloved Rusev Day.
Prediction: Rusev
Kevin Parvizi: I’m not even sure I want to bother writing a prediction for this one, because this has been such an awkward angle, which is about par for the course for all three of these wrestlers. I mean, have Rusev and Bobby Lashley been given the worst material of any world title-caliber wrestlers in the Men’s Divisions over the past few years? (Don’t answer that, because I have a feeling there are a few people I’m missing…)
Anyway, I do have to give credit to all three of these wrestlers for trying to make something out of this storyline. Most of that credit goes to Rusev, who has built a career off getting any stupid thing over.
Rusev is winning this match, and if you want to pick Lashley, then you’re simply looking to torture WWE fans at this point.
Prediction: Rusev
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) (w/Sami Zayn) vs. Braun Strowman [Intercontinental Championship: Tables Match]
Mark Justice: Can Braun Strowman catch a break already? As the monster among men, his resume of championships is quite ignominious, to say the least. On a further note, this viewpoint might sound a tad rabid, but Shinsuke Nakamura is quite frankly the least relevant champion on SmackDown at this moment in time.
He has held the championship since July, and it’s probably safe to say that the WWE Universe is ready for something new in SmackDown’s mid card. With Strowman losing countless Universal Championship matches in his career, it is crystal clear that he is not entering the main event scene anytime soon.
His plan B should be a mid card championship to build his character back up and attain the credibility he rightfully deserves as a monster. He approached Nakamura and Zayn two weeks ago with his eyes on the Intercontinental Championship, so this match is very likely to happen at WWE TLC 2019.
A tables match would be very fitting for Strowman in his quest to win his first main roster singles title. There’s no doubt that he should come out with the victory here and finally have a meaningful role as a champion on the road to WrestleMania.
Prediction: Braun Strowman
Kevin Parvizi: I could go either way with this one, because a win would be validating for Braun Strowman, who doesn’t get to win nearly enough big matches despite his popularity in WWE.
That said, I think Shinsuke Nakamura sneaks off with a win. Somehow, Sami Zayn gets involved and helps Nakamura flukily put Strowman through a table. I mean, that’s why this is a Tables Match, right?
Selfishly, I also want to see Nakamura with this new IC Title in more feuds. He still has some room to navigate with this championship, especially since he’s been quietly producing some excellent work lately.
Prediction: Shinsuke Nakamura
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton [United States Championship: Ladder Match]
Mark Justice: Based on recent events with the United States Championship, this would be an interesting triple threat feud for WWE TLC 2019, especially with Rey Mysterio as the babyface champion, AJ Styles as the heel challenger, and Randy Orton as the tweener opportunist. Quite frankly, it is sensible for any of these superstars win this match.
For Mysterio’s case, he just won the championship and will most likely not lose it until he potentially retires in 2020, preferably around the time of WrestleMania 36. However, his reigns do have a trend of being ephemeral.
As for AJ Styles, he has every right to win his championship back after he was robbed of his championship, thanks to Randy Orton’s interference in his championship match with Mysterio.
Finally, as for Randy Orton, he has not won any championships in 2019, which is unusual for a legendary superstar like himself. He certainly has a chance at winning the championship outta nowhere, but his prime had vanished a long time ago.
When looking at all the possibilities, AJ Styles has the edge in this match, especially if it’s a ladder match. With some help from Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Styles could feasibly neutralize Orton and Mysterio and attain a sly, nefarious victory to win the championship back.
Prediction: AJ Styles
Kevin Parvizi: Maybe Rey Mysterio is merely a one-hit wonder as the United States Champion, but I’d like to think he’ll get a couple of more months out of this reign. It’s great to see Mysterio as a fighting champion in WWE, and I could do without Styles in the US Title scene. I mean, it’s never really fit him in the past, and it’s time for him to move on to a different title.
As for Randy Orton, he’d make this match more interesting due to his history with both men, as he had vicious rivalries with Mysterio and Styles in 2018 when AJ was still a babyface. The dynamic Orton brings to a Ladder Match is intriguing, mostly because of the RKO, and he’d also be the only slow-paced guy in the match. That’s also to say: he’s sure as hell not winning.
Prediction: Rey Mysterio
Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin [Chairs Match]
Mark Justice: Roman Reigns wins lol.
Prediction: Roman Reigns
Kevin Parvizi: I mean, there’s absolutely no way Roman Reigns loses this match, but it’s no laughing matter. Reigns is headed for a massive run to WrestleMania 36 and is probably THE favorite to main event the show, with the possible exceptions of Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Kevin Owens (depending on how much his stock rises in 2020).
Reigns was billed as SmackDown’s biggest acquisition during the Superstar Shakeup before SmackDown moved to FOX, and WWE have simply been waiting for him to be beyond-all-doubts 100-percent for a major run.
King Corbin has always tried to stand in Reigns’ way, and it never ends up looking good for Corbin. He only has a fraction of Reigns’ talent, and, deep down, he knows it. That’s why he overcompensates with his short jokes, stupid crown, and authoritarian complex.
Reigns and Corbin will have a killer match at TLC, this will be the end of the feud, and Reigns will use the win as a launching pad for his Royal Rumble success.
And if I had to make a longer-term prediction, I would guess that Reigns will win the Rumble, main event WrestleMania against The Fiend, and pin the white-hot Wyatt for the Universal Title. (By the way, Reigns will get his own custom title.)
Prediction: Roman Reigns
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka vs. Kairi Sane [Raw Women’s Championship: TLC Match]
Mark Justice: These four women will most likely be in action amongst each other at WWE TLC 2019. However, the question on everyone’s mind is: Will it be for the Raw Women’s Championships or the Women’s Tag Team Championship?
If it’s for the Women’s Tag Team Championships, Kabuki Warriors will most likely retain against Lynch and Flair unless they want Becky Lynch to start calling herself ‘Becky 3 Belts.’ If it’s for the Raw Women’s Championship, it will most likely be a fatal four way TLC match, in which Lynch will retain her championship and await her next challenger on the road to WrestleMania.
If Lynch is ever going to battle NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler in the future and handle some unfinished business, she has to keep her title and gain as much momentum as possible until that match occurs. She already lost at Survivor Series, and her strong booking this year should unquestionably warrant her a championship retention at WWE TLC 2019.
Prediction: Becky Lynch
Kevin Parvizi: I won’t say what the spoiler for this match is, but I love the idea of a Fatal Four-Way involving these four women. They are four of the best in-ring performers in the industry, and it’s basically a throwback to last year’s TLC main event, except with the addition of Kairi Sane, who is arguably the best wrestler of these four.
Asuka is a legitimate sleeper pick to win this match, and you can never count out someone as accomplished and prone to winning as Charlotte Flair. That said, Lynch is walking away with the Raw Women’s Championship and nobody should think twice about it. She’s holding the title into WrestleMania 36 and will keep that championship for at least a year. She’s earned it.
Prediction: Becky Lynch
Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Daniel Bryan [Universal Championship: TLC Match]
Mark Justice: This bout is a rematch from WWE Survivor Series 2019. The Miz has been heavily involved in this feud, so it will be interesting to see if gets included in this match for the Universal Championship or even interferes in this match to help Daniel Bryan defeat Bray Wyatt.
However, it is still safe to say that Bray Wyatt is retaining the Universal Championship against Daniel Bryan. As the top merch seller in the WWE at the moment, there is no way he is losing any momentum on the road to WrestleMania. Now is not the time to let him in. Now is the time to keep him in.
Prediction: Bray Wyatt
Kevin Parvizi: As wild as it would be for WWE to book Bray Wyatt to lose so early into his “Fiend” gimmick and miss out on capitalizing more on $6,500 custom titles, I actually think Daniel Bryan has a fighting chance at winning this match, especially if the end of SmackDown is indeed a character change.
But I don’t quite have the guts to predict an upset title change, even if it’s Daniel Bryan. Like, WWE would have to be wild to release an expensive custom title and actually have Bray carry around this weird thing, only to have him lose said title a couple of weeks later.
All I care about is the quality of the match, and I’m hoping it ends up as the No. 2 Match of the Night behind the Raw Women’s Title bout. Because, let’s be honest, nothing is topping a match with Becky, Charlotte, Kairi, and Asuka all in the same ring.
Prediction: Bray Wyatt
Seth Rollins and Authors of Pain vs. Kevin Owens and Street Profits [TLC Match]
Mark Justice: Faction war incoming? When Seth Rollins roasted everyone in his post-Survivor Series town hall meeting for only winning one match in the brand war, it was quite lucid that he turned heel.
While all the superstars backed away from Rollins’ tough love, Kevin Owens stepped up to the plate but was unfortunately beaten down by Authors of Pain in his main event match against Rollins. During that beat down, Authors of Pain surprisingly left Seth Rollins unscathed despite the criticisms they received from him at the aforementioned town hall meeting.
This could be a sign that Rollins is forming a new Shield with the Authors of Pain. If that is the case, Kevin Owens needs some help of his own and it is very likely he could call on his compadres, the Street Profits, to help him fend off the new Shield.
Owens helped the Street Profits fend off the O.C. a month ago, so it is fair and sensible that Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins do Owens a favor in return. If this match were to occur, it’s a tough call but Rollins and Authors of Pain should pick up the win.
Street Profits have been booked poorly as of late, and might hold Owens back in picking up the win here. Authors of Pain need to look strong after teasing their return for weeks on end and Rollins needs to bounce back from losing his Universal Championship at Crown Jewel and the Men’s Survivor Series match at Survivor Series 2019.
Prediction: Seth Rollins and Authors of Pain
Kevin Parvizi: I’m going to go for a full homer pick here and select the Street Profits and Kevin Owens to win in an upset. Seth Rollins doesn’t need another win for momentum; he needs to start doing actual interesting stuff as a heel. The same goes for the Authors of Pain. Nobody is going to care if these guys win a random six-man tag match at TLC. All that matters from their perspective is the beatdown afterwards, which will be glorious. (Imagine both KO and Montez Ford selling for Akam and Rezar!)
So I think the Street Profits and Owens pick up the upset with Owens setting up a picture-perfect Frog Splash from Ford for the win. I wouldn’t sleep on this match if it were to happen, and I also wouldn’t overlook Owens’ chances of teaming up with a great duo to add a key win over Rollins in their budding rivalry.
Owens is a great candidate to win next year’s Rumble, as he has a world of babyface momentum behind him.
Prediction: Kevin Owens and The Street Profits