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WWE TLC 2017: How To Fill Three Hours

October 18, 2017 | Posted by Justin Watry

The Shield WWE TLC Miz Cesaro Sheamus Braun Strowman

Image Credit: WWE

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Backstory

Thanks to those who suggested column ideas on Twitter. I will put those in my memory bank and get back to them. Hopefully. Maybe. probably not. WWE TLC 2017 is this Sunday, and I decided to take a look at this one match show from the red brand.

Filling Out Three Hours: TLC Edition

I am writing this Monday afternoon. Just six days away from the Raw October 2017 pay-per-view event, just four bouts have been announced with many of them coming last week. Following up a strong No Mercy card and a nice Heck on a Deck showing from Smackdown LIVE, this is tad bit disappointing. There are two VERY positives though, which we will get to. Until then, I couldn’t help but ask myself “How the heck is WWE going to fill three hours on Sunday?”

Four hours if you count the Kickoff Show (or three and a half depending on if the company cares enough for our well being). Personally, I’ll be in Green Bay for the Packers game (save the comments on Aaron Rodgers), so I will end up watching the event when time dictates.

OPENER: Cruiserweight Title Match: Kalisto vs. Enzo – The only single’s match bout announced so far is for the WWE Crusierweight Title. One that we just got on Raw last week in the main event and was called on the fly. How lovely. I have been asking for Kalisto to be featured more on television for about two years now, so this is actually a good thing in my mind. Doing the whole 205 Live thing is pointless, as I don’t watch it. Being shown more on Raw though? Yeah, nice choice. Feuding with Enzo and getting some time to shine on TLC will be interesting to watch. Could go very well for Kalisto or simply be filler. Remember Rich Swann? Tozawa? Yeah, they also had title reigns.

The sad part is, regardless of talent, I do not suspect WWE giving them much time. With three hours to stall until Survivor Series next month, that puts them in a bit of a pickle. If the opener drags on for too long, the show is doomed to fail right off the bat. If it is short like most cruiserweight bouts, then it is not the hot opener we all expect. Tough call.

TIME: 15 minutes

Asuka vs. Emma – Love, love, love this matchup. Kudos to WWE on the creative here. Asuka is a star and deserves all the hype in the world for her main roster debut. If she was going to come up and destroy somebody, Emma is the perfect fit. She gets the social media crowd going. She is very experienced in the squared circle. She has worked in both WWE and NXT (with Asuka too). Plus, she is a heel that fans will love watching get pummeled. All in all, this is a brilliant move and one that should instantly make Asuka look like a million bucks.

Including entrances and post-match stuff, their NXT Takeover London clash took up exactly 20 minutes. I am not sold on WWE giving them the same amount of time here. I mean, they SHOULD! Both are more than capable. Certainly will have plenty of minutes to spare. To be safe, let’s go with a little bit lower time frame…

TIME: 15 minutes

RAW Womens Title: Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James – Mickie James was a big supporter of Alexa behind the scenes while she was in NXT as a guest trainer, so it made sense to have them connected at the hip once the veteran returned. From their time paired up on the blue brand over to Monday nights, it has been an ongoing struggle and a rivalry that won’t end.

The story of Mickie being ‘too old’ is fine. People offended by it are also the same ones crying for the return of Attitude Era hijinks and whining about the dreaded PG rating. Hypocrisy at its finest over a heel acting like a HEEL! Maybe if it was Kevin Owens or a different internet darling saying these harsh words, it would be okay? Pretty sure that is how it works online.

The question is really who holds the belt for when Asuka claims it. That is the whole point of the division now. Asuka has feuded with most of them in NXT (minus Sasha Banks). It all hinges on if WWE can be patient until WrestleMania to give Asuka her big moment or if other plans are in place. I think that favors Bliss retaining and thus gives us a decent match at TLC with not a lot of drama.

I will be generous here.

TIME: 15 minutes

The Shield vs. The Miz, Cesaro, Sheamus, and Braun Strowman – This is exactly the scenario I laid out back in April when the Superstar Shakeup went down. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins reunite around Summerslam time, with Roman Reigns joining a little bit later to kill a few months before the Royal Rumble/Mania build begins. Right on schedule. Fitting for TLC to mark five years since their introduction. I am all for the idea, and this more than sells the event without a Brock Lesnar Universal Title match. We had those for three straight months; the special attraction champ is not needed here.

As for The Shield’s opponents? Eh, does it really matter? I mean that with all due respect. The Bar have been great. The Miz is excellent as always at promos, and Braun is still a monster. Honestly, it could have been the whole roster taking on The Shield, and nothing would be much different. This is all about Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose reuniting. Fans are rabid for the stable, so why not? Sell some t-shirts for the holiday season and then focus on New Orleans in April 2018.

The issue with having such a mega main event is the rest of the card suffers. You have seven big names in one match. That is what usually fills up a three hour pay-per-view event for WWE. Same with the Elimination Chamber gimmick. With so many all in one setting, the rest suffers. At least with the Royal Rumble, we know that takes up a full hour. Can the same be said come Sunday and The Shield tag?

Doubtful. Even with a wild brawl expected to go all over the building, there is no way this goes for an hour. A conservative estimate is likely around 30 minutes. Since there is very little else on this show announced, I will push it to 45 minutes. This is the reason fans are watching; it makes sense to give them the most time by a wide margin.

TIME: 45 minutes

More? – Well, that fills up half the show. I even went high on some of my time guesses. Any other suggestions? Jason Jordan and Matt Hardy doing something with The Club again? Bray Wyatt and Sister Abigail against Finn Balor and The Demon? Those are ten or fifteen minutes TOPS. Okay, that gives us another hour to fill. Ummm, Kurt Angle talking about his college days some more? I’d enjoy a Paul Heyman promo talking smack against the Raw roster and then turning his attention to the Smackdown LIVE, assuming the Survivor Series rumors are true about more interbrand battles. That would be entertaining…for five minutes.

SUMMARY: Truthfully, I am at a lost. The Shield and Asuka are big attractions, but the remaining card is questionable at best. You tell me. How will WWE TLC 2017 fill three hours?

NRW: The Match

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