Every week, WWE produces a ton of content that can be hard to keep track of. At this point in the year, it seems like, on top of the usual seven hours of wrestling, there is a Pay-Per-View every week. This week is highlighted by the Raw-exclusive event TLC, as well as SmackDown Live and NXT building towards Survivor Series weekend (NXT is building towards War Games).
Monday Night Raw (10.16.17)
Even though this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw is the go-home show for TLC, there is still a Pay-Per-View caliber main event. Last week, The Shield reunited and took out Braun Strowman. This week, Roman Reigns reignites his feud with the Monster Among Men when he takes on Strowman inside a steel cage.
With only a few matches confirmed for TLC, Raw this week should help solidify the card. Alexa Bliss will probably continue to insult Mickie James for her age, Enzo Amore and Kalisto will continue their Cruiserweight Championship rivalry, and Bray Wyatt will continue trying to get into Finn Balor’s head with Sister Abigail.
SmackDown Live (10.17.17)
Last week, SmackDown Live came out of Hell in a Cell feeling refreshed and with much-needed momentum. Sami Zayn explained his actions for saving Kevin Owens from certain destruction, Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin became new #1 Contenders to the SmackDown Tag Team Championships, and Baron Corbin legitimately retained the United States Championship against AJ Styles.
The next Pay-Per-View for SmackDown Live is the dual-branded Survivor Series event, which features a lot of SmackDown vs. Raw matches. This could mean that the weeks leading up to the event feature more title matches and big opportunities, especially with rumors that there will be a Team Kevin Owens vs. Team Shane McMahon match at Survivor Series. The only downside is that Jinder Mahal confirmed that he will be defending the WWE Championship in India in December, so he probably won’t be defending it (or losing it) anytime soon.
One thing that is certain for SmackDown Live this week, however, is a rematch from Hell in a Cell. Bobby Roode defeated Dolph Ziggler in his WWE Pay-Per-View debut, but he pulled Ziggler’s tights for leverage, giving him an unfair victory. An awkward promo segment from last week leads to a rematch this week and hopefully, they can move on to other opponents afterward.
205 Live (10.17.17)
On Monday Night Raw last week, Kalisto became the face of 205 Live by capturing the Cruiserweight Championship from Enzo Amore. With another title defense around the corner, this week could be the last time that Kalisto is the champion for 205 Live.
WWE NXT (10.18.17)
Since NXT is taped in advance, they can advertise segments to help build hype for each episode. On the last episode, Peyton Royce defeated Liv Morgan and Nikki Cross to earn a spot against Kairi Sane and two other women for the vacated NXT Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver: War Games. This week, the second open spot is filled when Ember Moon faces Ruby Riot and Sonya Deville.
In the men’s division, there will be an “exclusive interview” with current NXT Champion Drew McIntyre after he successfully retained the title against Roderick Strong. Also, the main event will feature the NXT Tag Team Champions SAnitY taking on The Undisputed Era in a non-title six-man tag team match.
TLC (10.22.17)
Like with Hell in a Cell and every other WWE Pay-Per-View, there will be a more detailed preview (with predictions) later in the week. With Raw still yet to happen, the entire card could change or an injury could throw plans out the window. However, this is what the current card for TLC looks like as of this writing:
- Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor (not confirmed on WWE.com, but heavily implied)
- Asuka vs. Emma
- Kalisto (c) vs. Enzo Amore – Cruiserweight Championship
- Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Mickie James – Raw Women’s Championship
- The Shield vs. Braun Strowman, The Miz, Sheamus, & Cesaro – TLC Match
