TLC 2018 Reax

Read on for my thoughts on last night's WWE Network special.
-- Kickoff:
- Corbin interview:
Ohhhh boy. They're continuing the Corbin segments. It's felt like he's been in charge a lot longer than he has.

Corbin might not last long in this one.

- Murphy vs. Cedric:
This is already solid.

I love Murphy's power.

Both men look strong here.

Pretty big bout.

Oh, wow. Murphy kicked out of Lumbar Check.

Boom. The champ's reign continues.

- Becky promo:
Now this is something to get me excited for the main show.

- Elias/Lashley/Lio:
Wow. Lashley went from dominant Impact World Champion to working the pre-show.

- Elias vs. Lashley:
Unsurprisingly this is basically a handicap match.

NICE powerbomb.

Wait.... really? They totally changed the stipulation. That's underwhelming.

- Post-match:
50-50 booking. One side win but the other gets their heat back. Keeps everything pretty stagnant.

-- TLC:
- Jinder/Alicia vs. Truth/Carmella:
Wait, THIS didn't make the pre-show????

You could make the argument this match embodies what WWE needs to change going forward.

Ehhhh.

- Post-match:
Complete waste of time. I hope they do something different instead of MMC Season 3 based on how this went.

- Bar vs. Kofi/Xavier vs. Usos:
These names always deliver. It just feels like they're in Purgatory doing the same thing over and over. It doesn't even matter which team holds the title, since they're going to feud with the other two teams.

Impressive work here.

It's always smooth when these teams work together.

Pretty good work!

- Braun vs. Corbin:
Pretty vintage idea to get heat and set up an ass-kicking.

Ha. This is a good ending for Corbin's tenure. Everything's paying off (but where's Rhyno?).

That's how you have someone who's not physically cleared win a match. Yeah, it didn't make him look like he can beat Brock, but it destroyed Corbin and that's what was needed.

- Natalya vs. Ruby:
HAHHAHAAHA Liv taking the bullet.

This is kind of goofy with the Neidhart stuff.

HAHAHAHAHA that table's even sillier.

Oh my God this is the biggest push the Anvil has gotten in decades!

That was solid from a wrestling standpoint, but this was mostly about the gimmick.

- Drew vs. Finn:
Two of the best workers in WWE. They hit hard and can go the distance.

This feels like a big fight.

I'm enjoying this.

Damn. They're going through some punishment.

Oh God damnit Dolph don't you have comedy to do?

Ehhhhhh. Everything was good, but there's a lot of shenanigans on the show already.

- Orton vs. Rey:
Good physicality early.

I like how they're using the chairs here.

Wow. Rey's taking some abuse.

Both men look good here.

This feels like a big match.

I wasn't crazy about the ending, but overall a pretty good match.

- Finn/Dolph:
Wow, Finn. Ungrateful much?

They keep trying to make Dolph a thing.

- Ronda vs. Nia:
These two match up well. Ronda faces a bigger variety of opponents in WWE.

Rousey is absolutely game.

That was badass!!!

- Post-match:
I'm definitely seeing the Stone Cold comparisons with Becky.

That was cool.

- Bryan vs. AJ:
It's good to have a nice, smooth technical match on a crazy hardcore show. Balance is important.

Fun so far. Bryan as a heel is fresh.

This feels different from their other matches. It's really personal now.

These two work together really well.

Both men have clear strategies. I like it.

It feels like either man can win this.

That was nice! Two top pros showing why they're where they are.

- Ronda promo:
I'm down for Ronda vs. Charlotte and Becky vs. Nia at Royal Rumble.

- Seth vs. Dean:
I like the mind games.

Nice so far.

These two deliver once again.

Clever callback to Seth's injury.

This is nice.

I liked the Shield callback.

This is physical. I like it.

Haha. Nice ending.

- Becky vs. Charlotte vs. Asuka:
I'm already impressed here.

It's good to see women having physical matches after SO many years of holding them back.

They're definitely putting their bodies on the line.

They're swinging for the fences!

Charlotte took that leg drop HARD.

The physicality here is really something.

This feels like a WAR.

Everyone's earning their spot in this one. Goddamn.

Ronda felt a little tacked on here.

They made it look like a fluke win for Asuka, but I'm excited for Ronda/Charlotte II and Ronda vs. Becky. We're seeing characters become badass warriors more and more.

More wrestling coming up.