8 WWE TLC 2017 Card Predictions After No Mercy
Brock's next challenger, Asuka's debut, and a full-on Shield reunion...
No Mercy 2017 had real "Show Of The Year" potential.
Highlighted by two genuine WrestleMania main event-calibre matches in John Cena vs. Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman, it was one of the most star-studded Raw-branded lineups of the year, but fell short of expectations. The big bouts didn't deliver, and while the Women's and Tag Team Title fights saved it from outright mediocrity, it's hard to shake the feeling that No Mercy should've been so much more.
Regardless, the pay-per-view is now in the books, and it's time to move forward. Brock Lesnar, Alexa Bliss, and The Miz still rule their divisions, and Enzo Amore is our new Cruiserweight Championship. Elsewhere, a full-on Shield reunion now looks to be on the cards following big wins for the Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins and Reigns, who survived four Attitude Adjustments to defeat Cena.
There's a lot to unpack ahead of WWE's next Raw-branded pay-per-view. Taking place on 22 October, TLC 2017 could feature a number of repeat bookings from No Mercy, and we already know Asuka will debut at the event, but how will Raw's biggest stars line up? Let's take a stab at it...
8. Asuka Vs. Emma
It has been several weeks since WWE announced that Asuka was heading to Raw, and No Mercy finally gave us her arrival date. The record-breaking NXT Women's Champion will arrive at TLC on 22 October, and while details remain scarce, she'll likely wrestle at the pay-per-view rather than debut via an NXT-style introductory segment.
There are plenty of options when it comes to potential opponents. WWE may decide to throw her straight into the title mix, and have 'The Empress Of Tomorrow' defeat Alexa Bliss on her first night as a main roster star, but the company have other Women's Championship programs to tie up first (we'll get to that). Pitting her against a fellow babyface in Sasha Banks or Bayley doesn't make much sense either, leaving one other option on the table: Emma.
The Australian has spent the past few months playing a deluded heel character, which makes her perfect fodder for Asuka's debut. Furthermore, the duo had a tremendous singles bout at TakeOver: London back in December 2015, and while WWE would be wise to make Asuka's debut a more one-sided contest, the evidence suggests that Emma should be a great first opponent.