Thursday 29 November 2018 11:29, UK
TLC is now just two weeks away and the focus is firmly on Monday Night Raw as acting general manager Baron Corbin continues to push towards that promotion.
But the build ahead of his match with Braun Strowman at the final pay-per-view of the year may have hit a few obstacles...
Good week
Seth Rollins (Raw)
Seth Rollins has been on the back foot over the past few months as he dealt with the emotions surrounding Roman Reigns' departure from WWE as well as the fact his best friend turned his back on him.
Dean Ambrose has been a few steps ahead of Rollins no matter where he has turned in recent weeks but this week on Raw the Kingslayer was able to step out from his shadow and steal the show in a match with Dolph Ziggler.
The Showoff answered his open challenge for the Intercontinental championship but came up short as Rollins showed Dean Ambrose the kind of beatdown that awaits him at TLC in less than three weeks' time.
Asuka (SmackDown)
Asuka has been slowly dropping down the pecking order on SmackDown Live over the past few months and has not been part of the women's championship picture since she lost back-to-back matches to Carmella back in the summer, so it was quite a shock this week when The Empress of Tomorrow was thrown back into the title picture at TLC.
The Japanese star will now battle Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in the first ever women's tables, ladders and chairs match for the SmackDown title at the final pay-per-view event of the year in a match where she is fast becoming the favourite to steal the title thanks to the lack of rules within this setting.
Lars Sullivan (NXT)
Lars Sullivan took on the undefeated Keith Lee this week on NXT, knowing he could have been one of his toughest tests to date but he was able to pass with flying colours as he became another victim of The Freak Accident.
It is unknown as to whether or not this is Sullivan's final match on the developmental brand since he has been called up to the main roster, but if it is then he has been able to walk away with a huge win over a man who is destined to become a star in WWE in the future.
Bad Week
Finn Balor (Raw)
Finn Balor was once the first-ever Universal Champion but like many stars on the Raw roster he has been lost in translation for the best part of the year.
This week on Raw things got even worse when Baron Corbin changed his match with Balor into a no-disqualification contest, where he brought in Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley to beat down Balor and send a strong message to Braun Strowman ahead of their match at TLC.
It is unknown what condition Balor is in at present, but hopefully, there will be a point where The Demon King brings back his alter ego and reminds the Raw roster who he really is.
Jeff Hardy (SmackDown)
Jeff Hardy was celebrating two decades of death-defying stunts in the ring this past week on SmackDown before he was rudely interrupted and belittled by Samoa Joe.
The two men have been in the business for long enough to know each other quite well but Joe picked a fight with the former world champion when he decided to take this celebration away from him.
Samoa Joe has already crafted out quite the path of destruction on SmackDown in recent months but it appears Jeff Hardy has no idea what awaits him in the form of the Samoan Submission Machine.
Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch (NXT)
Oney Lorcan and his British partner Danny Burch picked up a confidence-boosting win over The Mighty this week on NXT but even though they were able to pick up the victory, it was the Australian duo who had the final say as they beat down both men following the match and even sent Lorcan into the ring post numerous times.
The problems between these four are far from over and it could lead to many more moments like this for Lorcan and Burch in the future but hopefully WWE finds a way to push the hard-hitting tag team to the top of the brand in 2019.
