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From Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens' highly-awaited clash to the first-ever Firefly Inferno Match, WWE TLC 2020 featured many contrasting moments.
For the most part, WWE PPVs have been a treat to watch ever since the ThunderDome format was introduced. TLC was no different, and the event as a whole was a great way to conclude a very strange year.
Each and every match on the main card featured an interesting takeaway of some form. The road to WrestleMania 37 isn't too far away, and it is now apparent which Superstars are going to play a major heading into the new year.
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Here are the five biggest news stories from WWE TLC 2020.
#5: Sasha Banks retains her WWE SmackDown Women's Championship against Carmella
Heading into TLC, Carmella was booked as a strong challenger to Sasha Banks' SmackDown Women's Championship. Despite that, Sasha Banks was still the favorite to retain her title on the final PPV of the year.
Banks and Carmella put on an entertaining contest, and one can't deny that The Legit Boss can put up a good match against any woman in the WWE locker room.
Carmella's sommelier got involved in some shenanigans, but Banks was still able to outsmart the duo and force Mella to tap out to the Bank Statement.
Some may say that it was perhaps too early to book the returning Carmella in the top title scene, but the feud with Sasha Banks added a lot of steam to her Mella's new diva persona.
WWE could continue this feud until the Royal Rumble by giving Carmella a rematch. Either way, her gimmick has the potential to flourish with or without the title. As for Sasha Banks, who could be the next Superstar to step up against The Legit Boss after this year's WWE TLC, if a rematch featuring Carmella is not in the cards?
Bianca Belair is being prepped to enter the SmackDown Women's Championship scenario, but her feud with Bayley may not have concluded just yet.
#4: Charlotte Flair returns; New Tag Team Champions crowned in the men's and women's division of WWE RAW
Asuka's surprise partner at WWE TLC was The Queen, Charlotte Flair, who many had predicted to be Lana's replacement before the PPV.
From a storytelling perspective, Charlotte was written out from WWE TV as a result of Nia Jax's actions. So it only made sense for Flair to return the way she did at TLC.
Moreover, Asuka hasn't been a part of a storyline as major as her rivalry with The Golden Role Models, and Charlotte Flair's return could certainly change that pattern.
Charlotte and Asuka became the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions by defeating Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. It now remains to be seen if WWE will also insert Charlotte Flair into the RAW Women's Championship picture against the other half of the Women's Tag Team Champions, Asuka.
Meanwhile, Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin of The Hurt Business won the WWE RAW Tag Team Titles from the New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods). It looks like WWE may have hit the reset buttons on both the men's and women's tag team divisions, something that has been long overdue.
#3: Roman Reigns and Jey Uso brutalize Kevin Owens at WWE TLC
As expected, another Universal title match involving Roman Reigns delivered at a big stage. At WWE TLC, Kevin Owens brought a lot of heart into a fight that he wasn't willing to lose. But his fate had already been set in stone against The Tribal Chief of WWE SmackDown.
Jey Uso was an important factor throughout this clash, thanks to No Disqualification rules in a TLC match. Owens was brutalized by the Anoa'i family duo to a point where any other WWE Superstar would have probably given up. Being the babyface here, The Prizefighter never gave up, even though he was outnumbered right from the start.
Towards the end, The Tribal Chief hit Owens with a low blow and trapped him in the Guillotine on the top of a ladder. Once KO passed out, Roman Reigns retrieved his title to end the match.
Roman Reigns is an unstoppable force right now and is likely to be involved in top feuds heading into Royal Rumble and WrestleMania.
#2: Drew McIntyre overcomes AJ Styles and The Miz's cash-in attempt at WWE TLC
The WWE Money in the Bank briefcase angle was compromised by a few aimless booking decisions and a couple of inevitable situations in 2020. Otis didn't exactly fit the mold of Mr. Money in the Bank, so The Miz was booked to take the briefcase away from Otis at Hell in a Cell PPV in October.
It has become abundantly clear now that WWE see Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns as the rightful champions. Drew McIntyre is currently an unstoppable force in WWE, not too different than Roman Reigns. So whoever comes up against either of the two is likely to meet the same fate as all the previous contenders to their titles.
At WWE TLC, McIntyre overcame everything thrown at him and still managed to have a great match against AJ Styles and The Miz, who cashed in his contract mid-match.
Even The Phenomenal One's bodyguard, Omos, also was made to look strong during the match.
This was the first time that AJ Styles and Drew McIntyre faced each other in a one-on-one match, and there is enough scope for there to be a rematch between these competitors without the involvement of any shenanigans in the near future.
#1: Randy Orton immolates The Fiend at WWE TLC in the first-ever Firefly Inferno Match
Given the history between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton, the WWE Universe has been demanding a feud between the two, especially after Wyatt introduced his alter ego, The Fiend. To add more intrigue, WWE announced a Firefly Inferno Match stipulation for their match at TLC. The "Firefly" aspect of it left the fans confused and made them believe that the bout would feature a few elements similar to that of the Firefly Fun House match.
The absence of Alexa Bliss, who was an integral part of the feud and was frequently teased to make an appearance alongside The Fiend, did hurt the continuity heading into the TLC match. Despite all that, the Firefly Inferno match was a really fun affair, and it turned out to be an excellent match from a visual standpoint.
The way the Firefly Inferno Match panned out between Randy Orton and The Fiend may have now set a benchmark for what an Inferno match should be.
From a booking standpoint, The Fiend may have lost to The Viper, but there is a lot more to it than what appears to be on the surface. Movie monsters often go through situations that may kill a normal person, but they often return as seemingly indestructible forces in the long run.
The Fiend was set on fire by Randy Orton in a manner that would certainly be classified as straight-up murder in the normal world. But this storyline has been rooted in the fictional world, unlike any other WWE storyline in recent memory.
Even though Wyatt's alter-ego may have been "killed" at WWE TLC, the character will probably return as an even stronger force - in a somewhat repackaged form - after a considerable period of time. Life is a circle, and Randy Orton's sins at TLC may come to haunt him back in 2021.
