WWE TLC 2017: Early Match Card Predictions After No Mercy

The annual celebration of ladder-centric violence will come early this year at WWE TLC 2017.

Alexa Bliss won't have to wait long after her victory at Sunday's No Mercy pay-per-view to face a new challenger. TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, the PPV normally reserved for December, is set for Oct. 22 in Minneapolis.

For Bliss, that could mean she just has weeks to hold on to the Raw Women's Championship. Her likely TLC opponent will force the champ into the underdog role shortly after she survived a Fatal 5-Way match on Sunday.

At No Mercy, Roman Reigns walked out victorious, and Braun Strowman left fuming.

What's ahead for those warriors and the rest of the Raw roster at TLC? It looks as if a trio of No Mercy rematches are on the way. And WWE will do some shifting thanks to Asuka joining the red brand and two household names likely to miss the upcoming event.

The following is a projected look at the TLC card based on where current rivalries are headed and what pieces WWE has in hand to move around.

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro and Sheamus (Raw Tag Title; Ladder)

If there's one No Mercy match WWE should revisit at TLC, it's the Raw Tag Team Championship barnburner. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins holding off Cesaro and Sheamus proved to be the match of the night. 

And much like the situation at SmackDown, Raw's options for the tag team division are limited.

Injuries have The Revival and The Hardy Boyz off the potential list of contenders. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson taking on the champs wouldn't have a lot of buzz to it.

At TLC, WWE could put a bow on this feud, give the duos one more shot to shine, and make it feel new and fresh by way of incorporating ladders.

Asuka vs. Emma

Asuka is poised to start doing her hunting on a new plain.

WWE announced on Sunday that the former NXT women's champ is set to debut at the TLC PPV. Her opponent was not named.

As great as it will be to see Asuka tearing through the women's division and go after Bliss' gold, the company is likely to take a more patient approach. The amount of attention her arrival is getting suggests WWE is set to treat her as a special attraction.

She's more likely to be in the title picture come WrestleMania time.

For now, she can devour an old NXT foe in Emma. WWE knows these two work well together from their strong showing in London in 2015. This bout promises to be a glorified squash match, more of an Asuka showcase than anything competitive.

Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax (Raw Women's Championship)

Bliss didn't beat Jax at No Mercy. She was lucky enough to evade her.

The champ pinned Bayley to retain the women's title, and it took the rest of the Fatal 5-Way field working together to topple Jax. That was likely an attempt to soften the blow of Jax not winning and keep her momentum going strong heading into a title bout at TLC.

Jax and Bliss have history as rivals and allies. The powerhouse has been presented as a dominant force but has yet to win a championship.

That's bound to change before long as Jax continues to purse The Empress of WWE.

Jax will get her latest crack at the titleholder at TLC. And she would be a good fit in a tables match where she could send Bliss crashing through wood.

Cruiserweight Championship TLC Match

As hard as it may be to believe, Enzo Amore is the current cruiserweight champion. The smack-talking Superstar defeated Neville at No Mercy to claim his first title. 

And while it's clear Neville isn't finished with Amore thanks to a low blow being the deciding move in the title bout, things promise to get crowded in the title picture.

The TLC gimmick opens the door for WWE to throw a bunch of its cruiserweights in one place. This is an easy chance to showcase a number of names at once, from Mustafa Ali to Jack Gallagher.  

Plus, going with a five- or six-man bout would help mask Amore's deficiencies in the ring.

Neville vs. Amore at No Mercy was an ugly contest. Rather than revisit that, welcoming a good chunk of the cruiserweight division would make for a much more spectacular match.

Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt

Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt doesn't scream for another rematch, but it's a safe bet to happen.

Balor won at No Mercy, upping his record to 2-0 against The Eater of Worlds. It didn't feel like the end of their story, though. There was no great apex, no resounding defeat for Wyatt, only a comeback for Balor in a very ordinary match.

Keeping this feud going is the easy route for WWE. It doesn't have to find new foils for either man in the next month. And it can give the third go-round a climactic feel by adding a stipulation.

This is likely the match that gets stuck with the chairs part of the TLC equation.

Matt Hardy vs. Braun Strowman

Here's where WWE may deliver the unexpected.

Strowman will need a new animal to feed on after Lesnar's likely hiatus. The Beast Incarnate's part-time schedule promises to keep him quiet until Survivor Series. That will leave TLC without a Universal Championship match and The Monster Among Men without a place to direct his rage.

Enter Matt Hardy.

The decorated champ looks to be without his partner all of a sudden. Jeff Hardy reportedly injured his shoulder, per Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet.

Matt standing up to Strowman would result in a powerfully unsettling violent scene. And getting walloped by the big man would be an easy lead-in to an adjustment of Matt's character should the dispute over the "broken" gimmick get resolved.

The Miz vs. Jason Jordan (Intercontinental Championship)

The Jason Jordan push isn't ending anytime soon.

Some fans are clearly not convinced by the "gold-blooded" Superstar to this point, but WWE has shown sustained confidence in him. He's bound to win the Intercontinental Championship and get a shot to prove himself.

That means his feud with The Miz will continue well past No Mercy.

At Sunday's PPV, The Miz only won thanks to The Miztourage interfering. That's generally a recipe for a rematch. TLC is looking like a likely spot for Jordan's coronation.

Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe

Like Strowman, Reigns' No Mercy opponent isn't likely to be around for TLC.

John Cena bowed to the crowd after losing on Sunday and seemed to signal an exit. It makes sense that The Cenation Leader would say his goodbyes as he has a role in a Transformers spinoff on the horizon, per Rebecca Ford of the Hollywood Reporter.

So what does The Big Dog do while Cena is off doing his Hollywood thing? 

Samoa Joe would be a heck of a replacement foe. He and Reigns have had plenty of issues in the past but only have yet to meet one-on-one on PPV.

And The Destroyer could be healthy enough in time for TLC. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc), Joe is expected back from his knee injury in late October.