MATCH CARD PREVIEW TABLES, LADDERS & CHAIRS MATCH FOR THE RAW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Triple H {c} vs. Finn Balor
RAW World Champion Triple H is represented by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. When Heenan brought him back to WWE, he had Triple H attack AJ Styles, who turned down Heenan’s attempts to recruit him to join the Heenan Family. When Triple H and AJ Styles ended up as finalists in the RAW World Championship title tournament, Heenan ensured that his client would win the title by using the entire Heenan Family to stop Styles from becoming the champion. Styles looked outside WWE to find help in his battle versus the Heenan Family when he reunited the Bullet Club. This was when Finn Balor made his WWE debut. At Survivor Series, when the Bullet Club met the Heenan Family in a Survivor Series match, it was Finn Balor who was the sole survivor of the match, lasting nearly 40-minutes to get the win for his side, and in the process, earning each member of the Bullet Club a shot at the RAW World Championship. Since then, Triple H has successfully defeated Bad Luck Fale. He still has four title defenses to make. As the only survivor of the Survivor Series match, Balor decided that he wanted to challenge Triple H next, and that he wanted to do it in a TLC match. To show the serious threat he poses to Triple H’s title reign, Balor fought Baron Corbin in a TLC match on the December 13 episode of RAW, winning in decisive fashion.
TABLES, LADDERS & CHAIRS MATCH FOR THE RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Bianca Belair {c} vs. Nyla Rose
On the November 22 episode of RAW, Nyla Rose interrupted the interview of RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, to say she went to Vince McMahon’s office to find out when she would get her title shot only to find out that she wasn’t booked for one that night, the following week, or any other week after that. She said she earned it when the RAW Women’s team beat Smackdown’s women’s team at Survivor Series. Belair said she didn’t earn anything. She said she offered her a match if she eliminated anyone from the Smackdown side, but she did not. The only woman other than the EST of WWE to eliminate someone was Raquel Gonzalez, who was also the only other survivor of the match, so she would be getting the shot. Rose didn’t like that answer and attacked Belair, finishing her off with a powerbomb through a nearby catering table. The week after, she attacked Gonzalez after her match, giving her a sit-out powerbomb through the announce table. On the December 6 episode of RAW, Rose and Gonzalez had a match where the winner would face Belair for the RAW Women’s Championship at TLC. Rose won the match after hitting Gonzalez more than once with a steel chair – something she was able to get away with after a ref bump – and giving her a sit-out powerbomb to get to the win. Now, Belair and Gonzalez are set to compete in a TLC Match, a match Rose asked for after powerbombing Belair through a table during the contract signing for the match on December 13.
WWE RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS MATCH
Harlem Heat {c} vs. Keith Lee & Ricky Steamboat
Nearly two months ago, Keith Lee wanted the opportunity to win championship gold. Harlem Heat agreed to defend their RAW Tag Team Championships against Lee and a partnership of his choosing if Lee could defeat both Stevie Ray and Booker T in singles competition. Just before Survivor Series, Lee defeated Stevie Ray and Booker T in back-to-back weeks to earn the title shot. On November 22, the night after the Survivor Series, Keith Lee revealed the identity of his tag team partner: Ricky Steamboat! Lee and Steamboat would go on to defeat the Full Blooded Italians on November 29 and the Street Profits on December 13 to show that they are a team that is poses a real threat to the title reign of Harlem Heat.
INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Eddie Guerrero {c} vs. Johnny Gargano
On November 22, a battle royale was held to determine who would challenge Eddie Guerrero for the Intercontinental Championship at TLC. Gargano outlasted the 20-man field that included Pete Dunne, PAC, Kevin Owens, Tommaso Ciampa, Sheamus, Cesaro, most members of the Heenan Family and Bullet Club, as well as the Full Blooded Italians and Job Squad, among others. Guerrero congratulated Gargano for his unexpected victory. Gargano acknowledged that he is viewed as an underdog. He has been the underdog his whole life, but that hasn’t stopped him from chasing his dreams. He will show the world he belongs in the hunt and deserves this title shot. To this end, he racked up victories against Big Vito and Little Guido of the Full Blooded Italians on November 29 and December 6, respectively. Most impressively, on December 13, when Guerrero arranged to get the much-decorated lucha libre superstar Alberto Del Rio a WWE try-out match with the intention of having him embarrass Gargano, it was Del Rio who was embarrassed when he tapped out to the Garga-No-Escape. Gargano says that he is ready for Guerrero and he will win the Intercontinental Championship at TLC.
BEST OF SEVEN SERIES FINALS
Pete Dunne vs. PAC
Pete Dunne and PAC teamed together in a match versus the Street Profits on Monday, October 25. That night, they lost the match. Each superstar blamed the other for the loss. They didn’t just argue over who was responsible for the loss but also about which one of them was the better wrestler. They had a match a week later. Dunne got the win. PAC claimed it was a fluke and challenged Dunne to a rematch. Dunne accepted but lost the next match. At Survivor Series, they had another rematch, but they could not break the tie as they fought to a 20-minute time limit draw. After eliminating each other from the November 22 battle royale and brawling around ringside and in the backstage area for much of the rest of the night, Dunne and PAC were told they would continue their series of matches with the superstar who collected the most wins in seven matches receiving a future Intercontinental Championship title match. On November 29, PAC picked up the win, but Dunne pulled even in the series with a victory of his own on December 6. Their match on December 13 didn't resolve anything, as they fought to a double countout when they brawled all around ringside. Now, tied at 2 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws, Dunne and PAC enter TLC with one last chance to beat their opponent, and collect a title shot and bragging rights in the process.
GRUDGE MATCH
AJ Styles vs. Adam Cole
There is a deep-seated grudge held between AJ Styles and Adam Cole. When Styles had the opportunity to become the first RAW World Champion at Clash of Champions, Adam Cole’s interference was instrumental in ensuring that his Heenan Family compatriot Triple H won the championship and not Styles. Since then, they have opposed each other as members of the rivaling Heenan Family and Bullet Club, even stepping into the ring to compete against one another at the Survivor Series. On November 22, Styles eliminated Cole from a battle royale to decide who would become the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship. Cole jumped back into the ring and hit Styles with a superkick and a Boom, making it easy for Styles to be eliminated by Baron Corbin. That was enough for Styles put his guaranteed shot at Triple H’s RAW World Championship on the backburner, and focus on getting revenge against Cole, who for his part says that at TLC, he will prove that Styles is “phenomenally over-rated.”
RIOT SQUAD GAUNTLET
Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, and Ruby Riot
At Survivor Series, Rhea Ripley had an opportunity to end the two-and-a-half-year Universal Women’s Championship title reign of Asuka. She was almost successful, getting Asuka in position to execute the Riptide. As she began executing the maneuver, Asuka spat mist in her face. This got her disqualified but allowed her to retain the title. The next night on RAW, Ripley cut a scathing promo and called for Asuka to come to TLC in Kansas City to defend the title in a no DQ match. Instead of getting a response from Asuka, she got one from Ruby Riot, who claimed that she wasted her chance to win the title, and that if it were she who had the title shot, she would have got the job done. Ripley challenged Riot to prove she was better than her, but in their match the following week, Riot’s compatriots ambushed Ripley. Ripley said she wanted matches against the entire Riot Squad. They accepted the challenge, but only under the condition Ripley faced them all in the same night. Ripley told them to throw down the gauntlet because she was ready to wreck it.
TABLES, LADDERS & CHAIRS TAG TEAM MATCH
Kevin Owens & Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Bar
Going back to October, Kevin Owens had singles matches against Sheamus and Cesaro. He lost both matches, but only after Cesaro helped Sheamus to win and vice-versa. Owens wanted a fair fight so he found a partner in Tommaso Ciampa, who helped him beat Sheamus and Cesaro in a tag team match. The Bar wasn’t happy with this turn of events so they attacked Owens and Ciampa backstage after the November 22 battle royale, where Sheamus and Cesaro were eliminated by Owens and Ciampa, respectively. With Owens getting put on the shelf as a result of this attack, Ciampa sought retribution in singles action, but lost to Sheamus and Cesaro in consecutive weeks, when Sheamus helped Cesaro win, and vice-versa. When Owens returned on December 13, he and Ciampa attacked The Bar after it defeated Al Snow and 2 Cold Scorpio of the Job Squad. With plenty of bad blood between the two teams, a TLC match was signed. May the most vicious team win!