#10 Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin in a TLC Match:
The acting General Manager of Raw, Baron Corbin will square off against the Monster Among Men in the night’s second TLC match. This match has huge Royal Rumble implications if Strowman wins. If the Monster Among Men prevails, he will receive a Universal Title opportunity against Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble. In addition to that, Corbin will be stripped off all authoritative power. If Corbin wins, however, he will become the permanent General Manager of Raw.
Now, it’s still unclear whether Strowman would even make it to the event as he’s just had surgery. If he doesn’t get cleared to compete, expect Bray Wyatt or Kurt Angle to replace him and defeat Corbin, postponing the Strowman/Corbin match until the former gets cleared. Even if Strowman gets cleared before the event, there’s no way Corbin is walking out of TLC with his hands raised in the air. Whether he gets squashed or loses after a competitive bout will depend on Strowman’s health.
Prediction: Braun Strowman (or his replacement) wins.
#11 AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship:
I wouldn’t have believed if you had told me a year ago that AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan will be fighting for the WWE Title. Although we have already seen this match three times this year, their feud is still red hot, and a few more matches can easily be squeezed out of the two. Moreover, Bryan’s recent heel turn has changed the dynamic of this feud.
I will go with Daniel Bryan retaining the Title. As we saw last week on Smackdown Live, Bryan brutally attacked AJ Styles, causing the Phenomenal One to miss Smackdown Live this week. So story-line-wise, there’s no way Styles will be 100% ready at TLC. Expect Bryan to focus on Styles’ injured leg throughout the match. The match, if given appropriate time, will possibly steal the show, provided that Styles is allowed to have a decent amount of offense too. However, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that an injured Styles stands no chance against a vicious heel like “The New” Daniel Bryan. Also, it can be the first time AJ Styles loses a match via Submission (in WWE).
Prediction: Daniel Bryan retains.