WWE TLC 2016: Feuds That Will Continue Through Royal Rumble

WWE TLC 2016 featured the culmination of several storylines, most of which had been brewing since September. That is a testament to SmackDown Live's ability to tell compelling long-term stories and blow them off in a meaningful manner.

The ruthless rivalry between AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose finally reached an apex when Styles reigned supreme over his archrival to retain his WWE World Championship. The Miz was also successful in his defense of the Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler.

However, the blue brand won't be running another exclusive pay-per-view for another few months. In the meantime, it has the Royal Rumble to look forward to, a dual-brand event that will take place at the end of January.

With the road to the Royal Rumble already underway, these are the feuds fans can expect to see more of in the weeks ahead.

Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss

Credit: WWE.com

Alexa Bliss has had her sights set on Becky Lynch's SmackDown Women's Championship for months, even coming close to capturing the championship on an episode of SmackDown Live in early November. But at TLC 2016, she was finally successful in taking the title from Lynch in a tables match.

Although Bliss' foot was on the bottom rope the last time they did battle for the belt, there was no controversy surrounding this outcome. Bliss beat her fair and square, becoming only the second SmackDown women's champion in history.

Technically, this feud has roots to when Bliss initially arrived on SmackDown Live back in late July, and although these two have had their fair share of matches against each other, all of their encounters have been high-quality affairs. Their tables match was solid, but it was apparent they could do better.

Of course, Lynch is owed an automatic championship rematch, so it is only inevitable before they cross paths over the title again. It's possible they face off on an upcoming episode of SmackDown or WWE holds off on their third championship clash until the Royal Rumble.

Not only was Bliss winning the strap the right move to make because she's been an exceptional heel but also because Lynch flourishes in chase mode. As a result, the feud could be even more compelling moving forward.

The Wyatt Family vs. Heath Slater and Rhyno

Credit: WWE.com

No one has known what to make of the story surrounding The Wyatt Family for months, and there isn't an obvious endgame at this point, either. But the unpredictability is the most exciting aspect of the angle.

Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton in a one-on-one rivalry was largely disappointing, so pairing the two together instead was the best thing WWE could have done. They have been an intriguing tandem thus far with Orton's motivations still uncertain, and it was a mystery whether he and Wyatt would coexist at TLC in their SmackDown Tag Team Championship match against Heath Slater and Rhyno.

In addition to staying on the same page, Wyatt and Orton made short work of the comedic duo and took the titles from them in a matter of minutes. This unholy alliance now has the power to rule the blue brand's tag team division with an iron fist.

The Wyatt Family earned their shot at the gold mere days ahead of the event, so the feud between the two teams wasn't given time to develop. Now that The Wyatt Family are in possession of the twin titles, Slater and Rhyno are even more motivated to become two-time champs.

Slater and Rhyno have been treading water for nearly two months now, so this is the perfect way to shake up the tag team scene on SmackDown. In fact, it was confirmed Tuesday morning on WWE's Twitter account that Heath Slater and Rhyno will invoke their rematch on tonight's edition of SmackDown Live.

Baron Corbin vs. Kalisto

Credit: WWE.com

The bad blood between Baron Corbin and Kalisto dates back much further than Kalisto sidelining Corbin with an injury about one month ago. In fact, Kalisto was the target of countless backstage attacks at the hands of Corbin, and only just recently did he exact his revenge on SmackDown Live.

The two had been at odds for weeks, and their ruthless rivalry reached such a point where a chairs match was an appropriate way for them to settle their score. Granted, chairs matches are traditionally terrible, but they exceeded expectations by producing an exciting affair.

Despite Kalisto's best efforts to ground the 2016 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner, Corbin retaliated and laid out his foe on a pile of chairs for the hard-fought victory. It seemingly put the rivalry to rest in a decisive manner, but Kalisto may still have unfinished business coming out of the event.

Corbin made it quite clear on the episode of Talking Smack that immediately followed the pay-per-view he felt he deserved a spot in the main event picture. But his career won't be able to progress as long as Kalisto remains a thorn in his side.

Few fans would have wanted to see more matches from them prior to TLC, but after that entertaining affair, it would be exciting to see what else they could be capable of delivering in a standard singles match or in another gimmick matchup of some kind.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

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