Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Jordan Chaffiotte, Greg Coleman, and Ben Guest will be giving their thoughts on all what may happen at this year's TLC pay-per-view.

Tables, and ladders, and chairs, oh my! It's time to preview the 2018 edition of WWE's demolition derby. Who's getting hurt? Everybody! Who's going into 2019 with all the momentum? Let's discuss...


GUEST: I don’t see Bryan dropping the belt yet, and I really, really hope we get a nice clean finish for once in a WWE title match this year. This car is packed so I’m worried they won’t get a lot of time, but either way, these guys are two of the best around and whatever they do, however much time they get, it will be great.

Heel Daniel Bryan is a strange concept considering his journey in WWE, but now that they’ve put it into motion, they need to let him run with it, give him CM Punk style promo’s about how everyone has held him back, but he still made it to the top, let him annihilate opponents, have him beat down opponents when he could easily pin them and end the match. With a guy as popular as Bryan turning heel, you really have to go big. Beating a guy as popular as AJ in humiliating fashion, as much as I hate to say it, could be a great start to that.

She is one of the standout heels in all of WWE, devoted to delivering sadistic beatings and cheap shots to beloved babyfaces at every opportunity. Her expertise in joint manipulation and performing subtle yet dangerous moves with real finesse gives Baszler's matches a sense of realness and jeopardy that many others can't match, even if they are less spectacular. She's a special talent.

COLEMAN: This will be an excellent match with a good amount of false finishes and possibly a ref bump. I am extremely torn on this one because it truly feels that there are no top-level babyfaces on Smackdown for Bryan to feud with heading into Royal Rumble and the Road to WrestleMania. Now, this doesn’t mean that a Raw superstar couldn’t win the Rumble and then jump to Smackdown Live (fingers crossed: FINN BALOR) but outside of that, it seems the path is laid for a babyface champion to fight off Orton, Bryan, Joe, Nakamura, Almas, etc. I’ll go with the New Daniel Bryan winning by underhanded tactics to set up another match between the two at the Royal Rumble with a stipulation perhaps a submission match.

CHAFFIOTTE: It's Bryan's turn, at least for a while. AJ Styles did a great job as champion but it's fair that he didn't get eyes on the WWE Title the way Daniel Bryan will. The fans are eating up this heel turn from Bryan and he finally gets to have all those dream matches he thought he'd never have. Look at his match with Brock Lesnar, a masterpiece come to life. Yes, Styles is great, but we would've never gotten a match like that out of him and Lesnar. There's so much left to do and who knows how much longer Bryan can realistically go. Now is the time to go all in on him as a heel champion and let him take it to new heights.

I would like to see a clean win, if only because I think Bryan doesn't need to cheat to beat Styles. A good cheat is nice now and again but when every heel on the roster needs to cheat to win it starts to get a little flat. I am in love with the idea of Bryan, all 5'8 of him, being a bit of a monster heel. You should be scared of him because he will keep going and going and going until he wears you down and takes you out.


GUEST: This is a very exciting match, all three women deserve to be there, and could all win. They are three of the biggest names on the roster, all of them have proven track records as champion, even if Asuka was in NXT, and most importantly, they all deserve a huge spotlight heading into the most important part of the year. I personally think Vince will do what he always does and panic before defaulting to Charlotte at WrestleMania, but the way Becky Lynch has taken control of WWE and made herself THE MAN. That can’t be ignored, she has well and truly grabbed the brass ring, as a result, she walks away from TLC, and probably even WrestleMania with the title in my eyes. As for Asuka… Her time was last year, they blew their biggest chance to give her a huge push, I would love to see her get the title here, and I wouldn’t be shocked if she won here then lost it at Mania, but I think she needs more building for the kind of monster push she deserves.

CHAFFIOTTE: Is this a serious question Rob? I AM VERY EXCITED. Becky and Charlotte have already shown us what level of brutality they're capable of and Asuka will only add to the equation. I would not be surprised if this is one of the more hard-hitting matches of the night, if not the hardest-hitting. These are tough ladies and they all know each other well enough, specifically Becky and Charlotte, to know how far they can push it. Expect blood. Expect someone to go through a table at a concerning height. Expect them to hold nothing back.

Looking at the SmackDown WrestleMania path, it makes the most sense for Asuka to come out on top here. It's been a little touch and go so far, but nevertheless, Asuka deserves a reign. Meanwhile, you simply can't have Becky sit out of the Rumble. If Becky were to enter at 1 or 2 and go the distance, her victory would garner the biggest pop all night. It would be massive momentum that they could direct into a match with Ronda Rousey, so it feels like a waste to see her enter the Royal Rumble as champion. Charlotte doesn't need another reign right now and it would only propel her and Becky forward when a step back might be the right decision at the moment.

COLEMAN: I am extremely excited for this match! This match should headline this card no question and should definitely close the show. I also think Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Asuka should be featured on the promotional materials for this event as well. These three women will tear the house down and there will be some ridiculous spots. Two of three women in this match have an issue with the Raw Women’s Champion so I’ll pick the one that has no such ties to Raw and predict that the Empress of Tomorrow will finally get her hands on the Smackdown Live Women’s Title.


COLEMAN: There is no chance that this match ends in a forfeit so someone will be wrestling Baron Corbin. I could see a situation where Stephanie allows Braun to pick a replacement and that person beats Corbin or Braun wrestles injured and manages to win. I could also see Lashley and McIntyre or Lars Sullivan getting involved to help Corbin steal a victory. I’m going to pick Braun to win here and set up a Crown Jewel rematch at the Royal Rumble with Brock Lesnar.

GUEST: I think Braun wins, mainly because I don’t see what else they do with Brock Lesnar right now and I think Corbin’s run as GM has just about run its course. Not like WWE to push something down our throats for way too long… I think Corbin as GM has been relatively entertaining, but with Alexa Bliss being an easy and obvious replacement, it’s a good time for this to happen.

My only real issue with Strowman winning is what does Brock do at WrestleMania? Does Braun Strowman win and they have their rematch in April? Does he have a match with The Rock? Daniel Cormier? Someone completely out of left field? Or is this a typical case of WWE booking today and worrying about tomorrow, tomorrow? Who knows anymore?

CHAFFIOTTE: Alexa Bliss should come out in Braun Strowman's place, attack Corbin from behind, pin him and take his job. I'm kidding! (I'm not kidding.) I'm torn on this as it seems to make sense for Corbin to continue his reign of terror but also totally and utterly redundant. Corbin just feels like Authority 2.0, or 5.0 for that matter. At least Bliss was putting a bit of a spin on it with a seemingly uncharacteristic desire to make everyone happy. Even if she's power hungry, she wants the respect and support of the locker room, perhaps because she understands that benefits her in the end. See, Alexa Bliss is the better GM so what are we even doing here? Maybe Braun is healed up and ready to crush Corbin on Sunday, but I'm just having a hard time putting my eggs in that basket. Bliss/James 2019!