6 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (Oct 27)
5. Mumps > Bumps
Sunday’s TLC event was more like a surreal house show than a pay-per-view proper, only you weren’t inundated with John Cena’s merch despite him not appearing on the bloody card.
Prior to it, a “communicable” disease ripped through the RAW locker room, or at least Bray Wyatt’s Mystery Machine (how is he still a thing?), which meant neither Wyatt nor Roman Reigns could appear on the card. WWE draws more criticism than live crowds these days, but credit where credit is due: they played a reverse Survivor Series 1999 blinder of last minute replacements here. AJ Styles replaced Wyatt as Finn Bálor’s opponent, and delivered a top 5 WWE Match of the Year contender.
The real story, though, was Kurt freakin’ Angle replacing Roman Reigns in the main event. Just to add to that insane-in-and-itself dream scenario, Angle rocked to the ring in a full Shield chest protector, looking for all the world like a C List action hero slumming it on direct to DVD.
Beautifully, though, after Angle took a big bump from Braun Strowman, he heroically returned looking every bit his A grade former self in the last five minutes of the match, in which he dropped Cesaro through a table with a standing Angle slam, stared a hole through the Miz as if he was his ex-wife Karen in 2008, and performed the greatest near-fall spot seen in WWE all year.
Bálor jobbed to Kane 24 hours later, but still - for one batsh*t fun and crazy night, WWE got it right.