5 booking mistakes WWE made at TLC 2018

WWE presented the final PPV of the calendar year 2018 from San Jose, California. Tables Ladders, and Chairs on paper looked like a long PPV, but had some promising encounters. On the whole, the PPV delivered tremendously with fun spots and right booking overall.

WWE has faced criticism for its booking decisions in the last few weeks with respect to the declining ratings of Monday Night RAW. However, TLC 2018 promises a new wave of change in the grand scheme of things, and WWE took a step in the right direction.

For all the good WWE did at the PPV, there were several glaring mistakes. The booking of the matches was fine overall, but some decisions left the fans wondering.

We look at five decisions made at the PPV which weren't exactly best for business.

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#5 No stipulation for Rollins vs Ambrose

Enough of the rest holds

When Dean Ambrose first turned heel in October, it was seen as a start of a mega push for The Lunatic Fringe, and a hot feud with Seth Rollins loomed large. However, WWE failed to capiltalise on this feud, which led to fan interest declining severely in this match-up.

Rollins and Ambrose have a heated rivalry which goes back several years. They have shown their chemistry in the ring on numerous occasions, and produce a classic encounter every time they step in the ring.

However, their match-up at TLC was far from the best. The match was filled with rest holds and long breaks, which eventually led the fans to chant "this is boring!", which is a major shocker, considering the talents involved.

Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are two of the finest superstars in the company today, and them being on the receiving end of a "boring" chant is catastrophic.

A stipulation in the match-up could have made this a better match.

#4 AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan should have been a TLC match

A blood feud needs higher stakes

Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose suffered due to a lack of crowd support and stipulation in their match. However, the Bryan vs Styles match-up had no issues overall, and these two individuals produced a classic encounter which was undoubtedly a stand-out performance.

However, the AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan match-up totally warranted a TLC stipulation instead of a normal match-up. Both these individuals have had a fiery rivalry, and Styles losing his championship after holding it close to 400 days adds more substance to the feud.

These two superstars produced a fine match, which could have been even more amazing if there was a TLC stipulation attached to it. AJ Styles produced one hell of an encounter against Dean Ambrose at TLC 2016, and could have reproduced the magic with Daniel Bryan if given the opportunity.

A missed opportunity for WWE, but a great match-up nonetheless.

#3 No US Championship?

Missing in action

Ever since Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Jeff Hardy to win the United States Championship, he has been missing in action. Nakamura has defended the title on a select few occasions, making his reign quite a forgettable one.

TLC 2018 marked yet another PPV without the US Championship being defended. Shinsuke Nakamura has become a shadow of his former NXT self, and WWE are not utilising his talents correctly.

A match-up against Rusev, or a ladder match with Joe, Jeff, and Almas involved, could have made the title seem more prestigious, rather than an after-thought. Nakamura's continued absence from WWE programming is quite sad.

Hopefully WWE fixes this mistake and gives more time to the #2 championship on SmackDown Live. Superstars like Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy, Andrade Almas, Sanity, Rusev, and Nakamura being off the PPV is not a great sight.

WWE need to make the US Championship great again!

#2 Ruby Riott vs Natalya was a mess

We didn't need this match-up

When the Riott Squad first started a feud with Natalya, the premise of their rivalry turned off several fans. A rivalry based on Natalya's recently deceased father, Jim Neidhart, was not in good taste, and made zero sense.

WWE usually doesn't do secondary women feuds, and keeps its attention on the championships in the women's division. A secondary feud felt fresh, and gave a chance to the women wrestlers to showcase thier skills. However, Natalya and Ruby Riott had a disgusting feud, which ended in a forgettable match-up.

Tables matches are usually not the most enjoyable match-ups, and same can be said for the Natalya vs Ruby encounter. WWE should have booked some other match-up, like the US Championship for instance, instead of this match.

WWE did a good job of making a solid card for the PPV, but this match-up is worthy of RAW, and not a PPV.

#1 The second coming of an iconic TLC match-up

A major what if moment for WWE

Edge and Christian vs Dudley Boyz vs The Hardy Boys TLC match-up is an iconic encounter which set the game for Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. It is considered one of the greatest matches in WWE history, and with the kind of talent involved, it wasn't surprising.

WWE had a perfect opportunity to replicate that match-up, with The Usos, New Day, and The Bar. These three teams are on the same level, if not better than the previous trio.

These three teams feuding for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship during TLC season should have easily warranted at least a ladders match. However, WWE kept it a normal triple threat match-up, which ended rather quickly, without anything to write home about.

We could have witnessed an all-time classic TLC encounter between the three sides.