After six months away, Charlotte Flair returned to WWE programming at tonight’s TLC pay-per-view.
Charlotte & Asuka defeated Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler at tonight’s PPV to win the Women’s Tag Team titles. Charlotte pinned Baszler after hitting Natural Selection.
Lana was originally announced as Asuka’s partner for tonight’s Women’s Tag Team title match, but there was an angle on last week’s Raw where Lana was taken out of the match after being attacked by Baszler & Jax. WWE said that Asuka would still be challenging for Baszler & Jax’s titles at TLC but would instead be teaming with a partner of her choosing.
An attack by Jax this June was the storyline reason for Charlotte being off TV.
Dave Meltzer had reported earlier today that Charlotte was expected to return at TLC and team with Asuka. “Flair has been out of action since June 22 when they rushed her into a title match with Asuka on Raw and did an injury angle with Jax afterward,” Meltzer wrote. “She had taken time off for surgery and to pursue some acting gigs, which included recently filming an episode of the remake of Punky Brewster alongside fellow WWE star Alexa Bliss.”
Ric Flair also made an appearance at tonight’s PPV and was shown watching the Women’s Tag Team title match and Charlotte & Asuka’s post-match celebration from backstage.
This is the first time Charlotte has been a Women’s Tag Team Champion.
Asuka, who also holds the Raw Women’s Championship, is now a double champion. She previously held the Women’s Tag Team titles with Kairi Sane.
The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract at tonight’s TLC pay-per-view — but it didn’t lead to a title change.
In the opening match of tonight’s main card, Drew McIntyre retained his WWE Championship in a tables, ladders, and chairs match. AJ Styles started the match as McIntyre’s only challenger, but it turned into a triple threat match when The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract while the match was going on.
McIntyre gave Styles a press slam from the ring through a table on the outside during tonight’s match. As McIntyre was climbing the ladder, The Miz and John Morrison ran out and Miz powerbombed McIntyre through a table. The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to make it a triple threat match. Miz started to climb the ladder while both McIntyre and Styles were laid out, but Styles’ associate Omos pulled Miz off the ladder and threw him through a table on the outside.
Omos followed Morrison to the back when Morrison tried to bail after hitting him with a steel chair. McIntyre and Styles recovered and then fought at the top of a ladder. The Miz also recovered and set up a ladder next to the one that McIntyre and Styles were on. McIntyre, Styles, and Miz then fought with each other. It ended with McIntyre knocking over a ladder while Styles and Miz were on it. Styles was sent outside of the ring and McIntyre hit a Claymore on Miz. McIntyre then climbed the ladder and unhooked the title belt to retain the WWE Championship.
The Miz had won the Money in the Bank contract by defeating Otis at Hell in a Cell this October. Otis was the original holder of this year’s men’s Money in the Bank briefcase.
Tonight was the first title defense of McIntyre’s second WWE Championship reign. After losing the title to Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell, McIntyre defeated Orton on the November 16 episode of Raw to regain the WWE Championship.
Eight-man tag team action is set for tonight’s TLC pre-show.
WWE has announced that Big E, Daniel Bryan, Chad Gable & Otis vs. Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura will be the pre-show match for tonight’s TLC pay-per-view. The one-hour pre-show begins at 6 p.m. Eastern time and will air on the WWE Network and WWE’s social platforms.
Big E and Bryan have both lost to Zayn by countout in non-title matches on SmackDown in recent weeks. On this past Friday’s SmackDown, there was a segment where Big E got back at Zayn by ruining his “first annual Sami Awards.”
After Gable & Otis lost to Cesaro & Nakamura the previous week, Otis defeated Nakamura in a singles match on this past Friday’s SmackDown.
Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler returned to WWE television earlier this month as Corbin’s Knights of The Lone Wolf.
There are now seven matches in total announced for tonight’s TLC event. Here’s the updated card for the show:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends his title against Kevin Owens in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends his title against AJ Styles in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
Randy Orton vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Inferno match
SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defends her title against Carmella
Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defend their titles against Asuka and a partner of her choosing
Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) defend their titles against The Hurt Business (Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander)
Big E, Daniel Bryan, Chad Gable & Otis vs. Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura (pre-show)
The first-ever “Firefly Inferno match” will take place at Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view.
Following the angle where Randy Orton lit Bray Wyatt on fire on Monday’s episode of Raw, WWE has announced that Orton vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt at TLC will now be a Firefly Inferno match.
There was a segment on this week’s Raw where Wyatt brought his Firefly Fun House characters on a field trip to the WWE ThunderDome. Orton appeared on the video screen and challenged Wyatt to a game of hide-and-seek. It ended with Orton attacking Wyatt and putting him inside of a box. Orton lit the box on fire, but The Fiend emerged from it and put Orton in the Mandible Claw.
Randy Orton and The Fiend are set to turn up the heat at WWE TLC in the first-ever Firefly Inferno Match.
Orton and Wyatt are no stranger to the destructive flames, as The Viper once sadistically burned down The Wyatt Family Compound. Last week, The Viper trapped Wyatt inside a burning box, but The Fiend emerged unscathed to punish Orton for his brutality. Now Orton will have to step inside The Fiend’s twisted inferno, and HE never forgets.
After The Fiend’s mind games cost Randy Orton an opportunity to once again compete for the WWE Championship, The Viper fired right back by taking hold of Alexa Bliss in attempt to coax The Fiend during a tense installment of “A Moment of Bliss.”
The Fiend has changed every man to step into the ring with him, but Orton has proven time and again to be a different breed of Superstar. Can The Legend Killer walk through the fire or will The Fiend burn Orton for his past transgressions?
Don’t miss WWE TLC on Sunday, Dec. 20, streaming at 7 ET/4 PT on the award-winning WWE Network.
Here’s the updated card for TLC:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends his title against Kevin Owens in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends his title against AJ Styles in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
Randy Orton vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Inferno match
SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defends her title against Carmella
Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defend their titles against Asuka and a partner of her choosing
Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) defend their titles against The Hurt Business (Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander)
WWE has announced that Lana is out of TLC following an angle that took place on Monday’s go-home episode of Raw.
It was said on Monday’s Raw that — due to being attacked by Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax earlier in the show — Lana won’t be able to wrestle at TLC. Raw Women’s Champion Asuka and a partner of her choosing will now challenge Baszler & Jax for their Women’s Tag Team titles at the pay-per-view.
Who Asuka will be teaming with at TLC hasn’t been revealed.
Lana defeated Jax on this week’s Raw, pinning her after fighting out of a Samoan drop attempt from the second rope. As Asuka celebrated Lana’s win backstage, she was ambushed by Baszler. Jax then attacked Lana in the ring. Baszler and Jax beat Lana down and ended the attack with Baszler bending Lana’s leg back and Jax giving it multiple leg drops. Asuka then recovered and ran out to make the save.
WWE said that Lana had been taken to a local medical facility and had “devastating injuries to her elbow and leg.” Later on Raw, Baszler vs. Dana Brooke ended in a disqualification when Jax interfered and pushed Brooke off the top rope. Mandy Rose ran out with a kendo stick to make the save for Brooke after the match. She attacked Baszler and Jax with the kendo stick, but Baszler was able to get it away from her. Asuka then attacked Baszler and helped Brooke and Rose clear the ring.
TLC is taking place on Sunday (December 20). Here’s the updated card for the show:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends his title against Kevin Owens in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends his title against AJ Styles in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defends her title against Carmella
Randy Orton vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defend their titles against Asuka and a partner of her choosing
Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) defend their titles against The Hurt Business (Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander)
A new title match has been added to the card for this month’s TLC pay-per-view.
WWE has announced that Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) will defend their titles against The Hurt Business (Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) at TLC. While Benjamin & Alexander have unsuccessfully challenged for The New Day’s titles twice recently, Alexander has defeated Woods and Kingston in singles action on Raw over the past two weeks.
Alexander defeated Woods on Raw last week. On this Monday’s show, Kingston defeated Benjamin but suffered a storyline knee injury in the process. Alexander then got on the microphone and challenged Kingston to face him. Kingston agreed and then lost to Alexander.
The New Day will look to keep The Hurt Business in the red and once again retain their Raw Tag Team Titles at WWE TLC.
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods have gotten the better of Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander in two epic championship battles on the red brand. Alexander has found success on his own in recent matchups against Kingston & Woods, but his solo swagger has definitely caught the attention of his Hurt Business associates.
It will be another clash of styles when The Power of Positivity takes on the no-nonsense culture that MVP has put in place.
Will The New Day head into the holidays feeling golden? Or will The Hurt Business be stacking titles and profits entering the new year?
TLC is taking place on Sunday, December 20. Here’s the updated card for the PPV:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends his title against Kevin Owens in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends his title against AJ Styles in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defends her title against Carmella
Randy Orton vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defend their titles against Asuka & Lana
Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) defend against The Hurt Business (Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander)
A stipulation has been added to Drew McIntyre and AJ Styles’ WWE Championship match at TLC.
WWE.com now lists that McIntyre vs. Styles at TLC will be a tables, ladders, and chairs match. This is the second stipulation match that’s been announced for the pay-per-view. The Universal Championship will also be on the line in a tables, ladders, and chairs match as Roman Reigns defends his title against Kevin Owens.
Styles became the number one contender to McIntyre’s title by defeating Riddle and Keith Lee in a triple threat match on Raw last Monday.
After winning the number one contender’s match, Styles agreed to help The Miz cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase because it would be easier to defeat Miz instead of McIntyre. Styles was on commentary for last week’s McIntyre & Sheamus vs. Miz & Morrison main event. He caused the match to end in a disqualification by hitting the Phenomenal Forearm on McIntyre. Miz was going to cash in his briefcase, but McIntyre fought back, sent Morrison out of the ring, and laid out Miz with a Claymore. McIntyre was then about to go face-to-face with Styles, but Styles’ associate Omos carried Styles away.
Styles, Miz & Morrison will face McIntyre & Sheamus in a three-on-two handicap match on this Monday’s episode of Raw.
TLC is taking place on Sunday, December 20. Here’s the updated card for the PPV:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends his title against Kevin Owens in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends his title against AJ Styles in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defends her title against Carmella
Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defend their titles against Asuka & Lana
This year’s TLC pay-per-view has its first official stipulation match.
The Universal Championship will be on the line as Roman Reigns defends against Kevin Owens in a tables, ladders, and chairs match at TLC. The pay-per-view is taking place on Sunday, December 20.
On tonight’s episode of SmackDown, Owens interrupted an interview with Reigns and challenged Reigns to put the Universal title on the line against him in a tables, ladders, and chairs match at TLC. Reigns said Owens being on his island of relevancy is the best thing that will ever happen to Owens. Reigns said he doesn’t back down from any man or fear anyone. He then accepted Owens’ challenge.
As Reigns was leaving, Owens called Reigns a bitch for not fighting him right now. Jey Uso had accepted a challenge on behalf of Reigns for Reigns to fight Owens then and there.
Reigns told Uso last week that Owens doesn’t look at him with fear and ordered Uso to change that. Owens faced Uso in last week’s main event. The match ended in a disqualification when Uso attacked Owens with a steel chair, but Owens turned the tables by hitting a stunner. He sent a message to Reigns by beating down Uso to close the show. As Reigns watched on the monitor backstage, Owens asked where Reigns was and said he would be waiting for him.
Reigns has been Universal Champion since defeating Braun Strowman and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in a no holds barred triple threat match at Payback this August.
Here’s the updated card for TLC:
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends his title against Kevin Owens in a tables, ladders, and chairs match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends his title against AJ Styles
SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defends her title against Carmella
Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defend their titles against Asuka & Lana
Randy Orton and The Fiend know each other very well, and they are set to collide at WWE TLC.
After The Fiend’s mind games cost Randy Orton an opportunity to once again compete for the WWE Championship, The Viper fired right back by taking hold of Alexa Bliss in attempt to coax The Fiend during a tense installment of ‘A Moment of Bliss.’
Orton has upstaged Wyatt in the past by burning down The Wyatt Family Compound and defeating him for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33, but this time, The Legend Killer will be face to face with a whole different animal in the form of The Fiend. And he… doesn’t forget.
The build to Orton vs. Wyatt will continue with a segment that’s been announced for Monday’s episode of Raw. WWE is hyping for Monday’s show that Orton has invited himself to Wyatt’s Firefly Fun House.
TLC is taking place on Sunday, December 20. Here’s the updated card for the PPV:
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends his title against AJ Styles
Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defend their titles against Asuka & Lana
After getting two non-title wins against the champions, Raw Women’s Champion Asuka & Lana are set to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles.
WWE has announced that Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax will defend their titles against Asuka & Lana at TLC on Sunday, December 20. A stipulation for the match hasn’t been announced as of now.
Asuka & Lana have defeated Baszler & Jax in non-title matches on Raw each of the past two weeks. In their first win, Lana avoided a charging Jax and Jax went over the announce table. Asuka then rolled up Baszler as Baszler was focused on Lana. Baszler had Lana in the Kirifuda Clutch at the end of this week’s tag match, but Asuka broke it up with a kick. Lana then pinned Baszler to get the win.
Lana was the sole survivor for Team Raw in the women’s elimination match at Survivor Series last month. After Baszler and Jax ordered her not to tag in, Lana was the only person left standing after Jax and SmackDown’s Bianca Belair were counted out at the end of the match.
Baszler & Jax have been Women’s Tag Team Champions since winning the titles from Sasha Banks & Bayley this August.
Here’s the updated card for TLC:
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends his title against AJ Styles
Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defend their titles against Asuka & Lana
AJ Styles is the new number one contender to the WWE Championship.
Styles won a triple threat number one contender’s match on Raw tonight and will challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at TLC on Sunday, December 20. This will be the first one-on-one match McIntyre and Styles have ever had against each other on WWE television.
Styles defeated Riddle and Keith Lee in tonight’s number one contender’s match. Styles pinned Riddle after hitting the Phenomenal Forearm.
At Survivor Series, Styles, Lee, Riddle, Sheamus & Braun Strowman were on Team Raw in the men’s elimination match. They defeated Team SmackDown in a clean sweep. There was then a segment on last week’s Raw where all of the members of Team Raw had to state their case for a title shot. After Strowman snapped on Adam Pearce and attacked him, WWE announced that Strowman has been indefinitely suspended in storyline.
Styles, Lee, and Riddle won qualifying matches last week to advance to tonight’s number one contender’s match. Styles defeated Randy Orton, Lee defeated Bobby Lashley, and Riddle defeated Sheamus.
McIntyre defeated Orton on Raw two weeks ago to regain the WWE Championship. McIntyre had lost the title to Orton at Hell in a Cell last month.
A look at the issues involving the firing of Thea Budgen aka Zelina Vega, as well as a number of historical stories regarding issues with talent and management is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We explain why the ending was inevitable based on the circumstances, look at WWE and SAG AFTRA, Andrew Yang, Gabrille Carteris and the different players involved in the story. We look at what wrestlers and fighters earn as compared to other top athletes and why the discrepancy, what the Saudi Arabia flight story showed, what is fair for WWE to do and what isn’t, complaints by talent regarding an exemption, as well as a number of historical stories related to the topic that feature such names as Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, Superstar Billy Graham, Ivan Koloff (twice), Johnny Valentine and many others.
Also in this issue:
Update to the Survivor Series card with changes and injury notes.
WWE’s move to Tropicana Field in a few weeks.
New Japan’s Super Juniors and tag team tournaments, this week’s schedule and updates.
Seth Rollins’ schedule, Alexa Bliss engagement, NXT Takeover notes, lots of WWE injury updates, Undertaker answers retirement questions, Miz talks why he moved to Texas, description of new President Nick Khan, how WWE & AEW did compared to other sports this past week, WWE and AEW ratings in Canada and England, WWE market value and the most-watched shows on the WWE Network for the past week.
Saturday’s UFC show, the background and match-by-match coverage.
Dragon Gate’s Kobe World show, the biggest show of the year from Japan’s second largest company.
Why television networks should be interested in purchasing UFC or WWE outright as far as a long-term investment that will pay off in the long run.
Television business, with ratings breakdowns in every segment for Wednesdays and every category for other shows, looking at stats not available elsewhere to get the deepest read into how shows are doing, what categories are doing well and how shows compare with previous weeks and one year ago.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight covering Raw, the Shad Gaspard Award and some history topics with Wrestling Observer Radio. You can send questions for tonight’s show to [email protected]
Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman for the WWE title is right now the scheduled main event for TLC on 12/20. Right now regarding Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan for the Universal title, that match is scheduled to take place at some point, it could be TLC, but it’s leaning toward a later date.
Survivor Series was the No. 10 most searched term on Google yesterday with more than 500,000. It’s the number we projected so it was no more or less popular than expected. This was a rare UFC/WWE PPV weekend where the WWE show had more interest, and actually by a lot, since UFC 255 was at 200,000 searches, which is exceedingly low for a PPV show. We’re taking polls for both shows, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
Very little has been announced for Raw tonight. Alexa Bliss vs. Nikki Cross is scheduled. Monday Night Football has a strong game with the Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Bucs, so it’ll be legit major competition. It should be well above normal coming after Survivor Series, but easily could drop from last week with the Orton vs. McIntyre title match.
Last night was Seth Rollins last appearance until after Becky Lynch gives birth.
New Japan’s tour continues tomorrow morning with a 4:30 a.m Eastern time show from Fukushima:
Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma vs. Yuji Nagata & Yota Tsuji
Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens
Hiroshi Tanahasihi & Toa Henare vs. Evil & Yujiro Takahashi
Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa
Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Great O’Khan & Jeff Cobb
Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi vs. Shingo Takagi & Sanada
Want to thank everyone who participated in our fundraiser last night for Jay Dumont. It was very successful thanks to the web site subscribers.
WWE
PWInsider reported that Pam Murrin, who was Senior Vice President for Data Strategy is the latest on the list of top executives who have been fired this past week. The WWE is less interested in data analytics because that was something George Barrios was behind and Vince McMahon is less interested in it.
Rob Gronkowski and Lahemm Lilliard have been added to the roster of the WWE 2K Battleground game. Gronkowski will be known as Gronkser and also announced are Randy Savage, Undertaker, Rhea Ripley, Boogeyman, Kane, Andrade, Billie Kay, Murphy, Edge and Peyton Royce.
OTHER NEWS
Impact on AXS TV tomorrow night has just announced the continuation of the Knockouts tag team title tournament, Johnny Swinger in retro Wrestlers Court and Rich Swann vs. Ken Shamrock for the Impact title.
FITE TV is debuting its first ever scripted series on Friday night with The Count, a Ballers meets Entourage comedy-drama in Vegas and international gambling circuits (w/ a Fight Club-like subplot). It features cameos from both Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr., as well as Rampage Jackson and Cung Le.
ONE has announced shows on 12/4 and 12/18 from Singapore Indoor Stadium. 12/4 is headlined by light heavyweight kickboxing champion Roman Kryklia defending against Murat Aygun. Both shows will be broadcast live on the ONE app.
Scott D’Amore of Impact has said that anyone who donates money for Melissa Coates’ Go Fund Me, he will match every donation dollar for dollar.
Calvin Tankman will debut on MLW Fusion on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. on YouTube, Fubo Sports and Pluto TV.
