WWE TLC 2017: Dream Outcomes for Kurt Angle, The Shield, Finn Balor and More

WWE TLC 2017 has drastically changed over the past few days with the two top matches shifting radically. What was once expected to be the opening of the reunion tour for The Shield as well as a final battle of supernaturally gifted opponents has now turned into the surprise return for a legendary veteran and a dream match that seemed to be forever delayed.

Sunday night's contests have set up a whole different show than the one everyone expected with interesting potential outcomes that could change Monday Night Raw at a time when the brand is in flux. The right result could turn this show into a coming-out party for a variety of rising talent.

Moreover, this show will likely decide the future of WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle as an in-ring competitor while also potentially defining the role of The Shield once they are back to full strength with the return of Roman Reigns. It could even be an opportunity for Finn Balor and AJ Styles to potentially cement their roles as future world championship contenders on their respective brands.

Few knew what to expect of WWE Tables, Ladders & Chairs before these sudden changes, and now outcomes for the whole night feel more uncertain than ever. With Enzo Amore battling for the heart of the cruiserweight division and Alexa Bliss and Asuka both potentially on a slow collision course for the top prize in the women's division, this is a show that has important outcomes where the dream for certain wrestlers will change the brand.

Asuka Begins Her Reign over Monday Night Raw with a Dominant Win

Credit: WWE.com

Asuka is the future of WWE.

As the company strongly pushes for better representation of its female performers, Asuka walks in day one as one of the best performers on the entire roster, male or female. She is an incredible striker with power that just should not be possible given her 5'3" and 137-pound frame, allowing her to work a different type of match than anyone else can deliver.

The Empress of Tomorrow took over NXT in a matter of months, and she remains undefeated in singles competition. This is a star on another level ready to take over an impressively stacked Monday Night Raw roster. Her first match at TLC must be a showcase of the Japanese star, as it will be her first impression on many WWE fans.

Emma is a talented wrestler who has never been well-represented. Even if she can put on a great match with Asuka as she did at NXT TakeOver: London, it would be the best for Asuka if she steamrolls through Emma. Emma even lasting 10 minutes with Asuka would likely be a poor first impression for showcasing Asuka's dominance.

2018 should be the year of The Empress, so these next few months will be vital to creating the momentum necessary to make her a household name before she captures the Raw Women's Championship.

Enzo Amore Regains His Championship at Any Cost

Credit: WWE.com

Not everyone was on board when Enzo Amore first appeared on 205 Live, and they had every right to be. However, his heel turn has changed everything, setting up Enzo as the centerpiece of the division, particularly with Neville's recent exit. While he may not be well-liked and is far from the greatest in-ring performer, Enzo is one of the most charismatic wrestlers in the entire company.

That charisma coupled with his mic skills have allowed Enzo to effortlessly become the top man in the cruiserweight division, and the gap between him and the next cruiserweight is fairly large. Current cruiserweight champion Kalisto is a great performer in the ring, who is getting a second chance to shine, but he will not garner attention to the division like Smacktalker Skywalker.

Perhaps the Realest Guy in the Room does not need the championship to help the division, but it would be easily the best story for him if he does get the championship back quickly. This time, he clearly has support from the heel cruiserweights, while only Mustafa Ali is in Kalisto's corner in this fight. As an opportunistic heel, this is the perfect spot for Enzo.

Enzo would garner more heat than ever if he walks out of TLC a two-time champion, particularly after relying on everyone else to do the heavy lifting. He may still be disliked by the locker room, but no one would doubt that putting the championship on Enzo makes perfect sense especially given heel champions are always better suited for long reigns.

Alexa Bliss Retains Her Championship, with Mickie Looking Like a Real Threat

Credit: WWE.com

Alexa Bliss has defeated everyone on Monday Night Raw, except Mickie James and the soon-to-debut Asuka. A victory against Mickie will mean little on its own for Bliss especially given that she has repeatedly mocked Mickie as being over the hill. However, a great match that ends with Bliss winning with Mickie looking like a real threat would benefit both.

First, it would allow the feud to continue, giving Bliss a rival for the rest of the year while Asuka is tuned up for Raw's marquee showdown of the Empress of Tomorrow vs. The Goddess. Bliss would look like a bigger threat by lasting longer as champion without unnecessary returns to Bliss' feuds with Sasha Banks and Bayley.

Mickie is one of the best female wrestlers in WWE's history though has shown signs of slowing down in recent months. This match will be her chance to prove herself both in character, given Bliss' comments about her age, and as a performer with a contest that can live up to Mickie's legacy, including a fantastic battle with Asuka that was not that long ago.

Bliss needs a rival, and Mickie needs one last top-of-the-card run to prove she is a clear Hall of Famer. The dream would be that both get that for the rest of the year, and they end up being an integral part of Monday Night Raw's product through fall and winter 2017.

Finn Balor Proves He Deserves Universal Championship Shot by Defeating AJ Styles

Balor is at an important crossroads in his career. At 36 years old, Balor spent much of his career outside of WWE and still comes off mostly as a rookie in the eyes of casual WWE fans. While he technically has a WWE Universal Championship reign on his resume, it is hard to see him right now as a true main event star on Raw.

He can be though with the same booking he had before a shoulder injury sidelined him for seven months. His feud with Bray Wyatt has done little to help him get back on track, but a surprise match with AJ Styles at WWE TLC could change that. Styles is a former WWE champion and beginning a feud with current champion Jinder Mahal.

No one questions The Phenomenal One's standing with him headlining TV often as United States champion over Mahal. A victory over Styles would solidify Balor's status and set him up for a rivalry with current universal champion Brock Lesnar. However, even as The Demon, Balor will need a major push forward to even compete against The Beast.

A fantastic match with Styles, as anyone would expect of the pairing, is helpful, and Styles is also in need of victories after losing his championship to Baron Corbin. Therefore, a win is far from certain, but Balor will need this win if there is any hope of a main event run from The Demon any time soon.

The Miz Proves He's a Mastermind by Winning This War

The new dynamic of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Angle vs. The Miz, Braun Strowman, Sheamus, Cesaro and Kane opens up an equally important outcome for each side of this match. While most of the heels could survive a loss, one man on the five-man team could have his future radically changed by this match: The Miz.

The intercontinental champion has been an integral part of Raw, but he has not been truly showcased as a top talent in years. This will be his first true main event appearance on WWE pay-per-view in years. Despite this, he has been working at an all-time high level that is deserving of recognition.

The dream for Miz would be to have his plan come to fruition with a win, no matter how hard the faces fight. A heel losing in a five-on-three scenario is never a great look, but Miz would be crushed in the outcome. His whole plan was set up to show off his greatness. It would be even better if he got the decisive pinfall but just being able to stand tall after a win from Strowman or another of his heavy-hitting allies would be big.

A dream scenario though, especially in this case, leaves out the other side of this equation. Miz winning may help him, and it likely would not hurt the understaffed team he was facing. However, it is just more likely WWE wants to put over its tag team champions as well as their legendary ally.

Kurt Angle Proves He Can Still Go and Helps Ambrose and Rollins Survive

Kurt Angle is returning to action in WWE for the first time since August 2006. The Wrestling Machine has not been out of a ring entirely during that decade, with a legacy in Impact Wrestling perhaps more impressive than his time in WWE, but he has grown much older with many believing he was more or less retired from action.

This will be his chance to prove he has more left in the tank with even a potential WrestleMania match coming. A win would certainly help him solidify that status as well as help to further cement the top status of the two men he is fighting with: Rollins and Ambrose.

Without Reigns, the tag team champions do not have The Shield's legacy to protect in this match, but their own status would certainly be elevated by a victory. Their cohesion with Angle will be tested, but more importantly, their toughness will be on full display. Ambrose, in particular, has made a career of being a man who will not go down easily, and a win here would help cement that.

The dream for this trio would be an impressive hard-fought win, with Angle helping cement the victory even if he is not the one taking the decisive pinfall. Pinning Strowman would obviously be ideal, but defeating any of these five men would be enough to make for a lasting victory.