WWE TLC 2015 Predictions

 The last few months have been undoubtedly  incredibly rough for WWE. Along with their top star John Cena leaving to film a reality show and their top heel Seth Rollins going down with an injury, their ratings have hit new lows, and other injuries to superstars like Cesaro, Randy Orton, and the continuously vague health updates of Daniel Bryan have shown just how weak the actual roster is. It hasn't helped that their product has been the worst it's been in a while. In the month after the widely panned Survivor Series, we have Sheamus as champion with the new heel stable the League of Nations (aka, the "Get Roman Over" Club, consisting of Rusev, Alberto Del Rio, and King Barrett), Roman Reigns as the "underdog" having to overcome the odds, and the Wyatt's fighting two old guys and their friends. With the annual Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (shockingly, they decided to drop that much loved "Stairs match" they did last year) pay-per-view this Sunday, here are my predictions for the matches tomorrow night.

UPDATED: Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch

Winner: Sasha Banks

Since WWE just added this on today, I'll give my quick thoughts on it. Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks can work really well togeher, but I don't think they're going to get enough time too really show it. I'm going with Sasha because it's in her hometown and I think they're going to further this "Becky Lynch is a gullible idiot" story a little longer. Giving the win to The Boss

Ryback vs Rusev (aka, The Bathroom Break)

Winner: Rusev

Oh, how the mighty fall. At this time last year, Rusev was the undefeated monster heel who ran through everyone in his path, whether it be the Big Show, Mark Henry, or Sheamus. Then he lost to Cena three times, had one of the worst rivalries of the year with Dolph Ziggler over his manager/girlfriend Lana, and is now in a throwaway match with Ryback, whose in a similar "go nowhere" position. Both of these guys could use a win to help them get back on track, but Rusev definitely needs it more. Ryback seems to be over regardless of wins and losses, so I think it would make sense to give the win to Rusev, who needs win to be a credible threat. Of course, the company still seems bitter over Lana & Rusev's real life engagement and (mercifully) killing the Ziggler-Rusev feud, so having Ryback take the win is also pretty likely. Regardless, I'm going with the Bulgarian Brute over The Big Guy

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs Jack Swagger-United States Championship-Chairs Match

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

Let's be honest, Del Rio's return has gone over about as well as a wet fart. He's the Scrappy Doo of WWE right now. No one really missed him, and no one really cares that he's back. Him facing Swagger is nothing new, and this seems like a filler feud so that Del Rio can eventually drop the belt back to Cena. And even if that wasn't the case, could you honestly see the company give Swagger, someone who as been irrelevant for pretty much all of 2015, a title run. No doubt, Del Rio wins this.

Also, Fun Fact: This is Swagger's first pay-per-view match since last year's TLC. Let that sink in real quick.

The ECW Originals vs The Wyatt Family-8-Man Tag Team Elimination Tables Match

Winners: The Wyatt Family

When the Dudley Boyz came back the night after SummerSlam, it's safe to say that everyone was super hyped and ready to see them in new match ups. However, a few losses to the New Day kind of killed their momentum and some of that interest is gone. They were shunted into a Survivor Series match on the pre-show (yes, one of the most legendary tag teams in history was on the pre-show), and haven't been anywhere near the title picture. The Wyatt's are in a similar position. They started off hot when they debuted, but since they lose pretty much every major feud they're ever in (John Cena, 2/3 of the Shield, and The Brothers of Destruction), they pretty much lost all interest from the crowd. This feud has gained a bit of intrigue back to both teams, and the return of Tommy Dreamer and calling up that young NXT-upstart Rhyno are nice touches. Both teams need this win badly, but since (like Ryback) The Dudleyz seem to be over no matter what, and getting this win would be a huge rub, I think the Wyatt's need to win.

Charlotte (c) vs Paige-Divas Championship

Winner: Paige (by DQ)

If this feud hasn't personified what is the (and pardon my French) clusterf**k that is the Divas Revolution, I don't know what will. Charlotte has completely flopped as champion, mainly because she has zero charisma or mic skills, and (even though she is a great wrestler) has pretty much coasted on the fact that she is Ric Flair's daughter. It looks like she might be turning heel, which is weird because a month ago creative were so desperate to get her over as a face they tried USING HER LEGITIMATELY DEAD BROTHER TO GET SYMPATHY. Paige is supposed to be the heel, but she's done nothing but tell the truth about Charlotte and the rest of the Divas. And sure, they tried having her get "dead brother" heat (is there any other way to describe it?), but that didn't work, and she's still more popular with the fans. This pick was tough, but I'm picking Paige to win by DQ, with two possible outcomes

1. Charlotte "accidentally" hits the referee (see: CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy at The Bash) or
2. Becky Lynch turns heel, attacks Paige, then Charlotte, setting up a three-way at the Royal Rumble.

Either way, I don't see the title changing hands.

The New Day (c) vs The Usos vs The Lucha Dragons-Tag Team Championships-Triple Threat Tag Team Ladder Match

Winners: The Usos

If there has been one thing that has been consistently great since WrestleMania, it's the New Day. They always entertain, no matter what night or what show. They've pretty much become almost the sole reason to watch RAW every week. That being said, I don't think they're leaving TLC as champions. The Usos are almost always in the title picture now as long as they're healthy. That, along with the fact that The Usos have been involved in the main event story with Reigns and Dean Ambrose, it makes sense to put the belts on the Usos. Do I want the New Day to lose? Absolutely not. Do I think they will lose? Yes.

Kevin Owens (c) vs Dean Ambrose-Intercontinental Championship

Winner: Dean Ambrose

This is gonna be my early pick for match of the night. Owens and Ambrose are both great, and put on arguably the best match at Survivor Series, so expect them to put on another great match. As for who is going to win, I'm gonna go with Ambrose for a few reasons. First, I think that Ambrose desperately needs a big win, as he has been losing left and right for the past year, whether it be because of Dusty finishes or (sigh...) exploding TVs. Giving him the belt would be huge for him and could push him to the next level. Second, with the depleted roster, I think giving Kevin Owens a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship would be a great idea. I'm not saying he should win it, but just to give him a shot at the main event. He doesn't even have to turn face, he could be a tweener and face Sheamus. Taking the title off of him would open him up for a world title match. So, I'm giving it to Ambrose, hoping it leads to bigger and better things for both of them.

Sheamus (c) vs Roman Reigns-WWE World Heavyweight Championship-TLC Match

Winner: Sheamus

To say WWE is trying to fit a square peg into a round hole with Roman Reigns would be the biggest understatement of 2015. It's more like they are trying to violently hammer a square peg into a tiny round hole, even though there are a bunch of round pegs available to easily fit through that hole. Reigns isn't John Cena, he's more like Lex Luger. People don't want him as champion. But McMahon and creative are so stubborn that they are trying their hardest to get this guy over at the expense of everyone else. Sheamus and the Get Roman Over Club have been completely squashed by Reigns in pretty much every way possible. They lose 3-on-1 beat downs, they lost a 4-on-1 handicap match on SmackDown, and Sheamus has never gotten the upper hand on Reigns, it's always been Reigns making look Sheamus look weak and incompetent. I will never understand the company's insistence on making their heel champions look weak. That being said, based on how poorly booked feuds in the past have gone, Sheamus is probably going to win on Sunday. He's been dominated so much in the last month, so WWE probably will think it will shocking when Sheamus wins. It won't, it will just be terrible. Expect Sheamus to win with a lot of interference from the Get Roman Over Club, because Roman's got to look strong.

That's it for the predictions. See you Monday for the review of TLC. Thanks for reading