WWE TLC 2017: Full Results and Star Ratings for Asuka vs. Emma and Each Match

WWE produced another pay-per-view full of quality wrestling action, as has become the norm in Vince McMahon's sports entertainment empire.

From top to bottom, WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was an entertaining show with a few spots, moments and highlights that are sure to define it.

One such spot was a Finn Balor-AJ Styles match that was clearly the best of the night and a trio of women's matches that helped establish that, yes Virginia, there really is a Women's Revolution overtaking the company.

Quality cruiserweight action and an...interesting Tables, Ladders & Chairs match capped off the explosive broadcast.

Find out how many stars each match earned, and why, with this recap of all of Sunday's in-ring competition from Minneapolis.

Star Ratings Explained

Credit: WWE.com

Star ratings are among the most polarizing elements in wrestling today.

Fans, critics and analysts take turns rattling off stars that reflect their opinions of certain matches and expect fans to fall in line and accept them.

That is not the case here.

For the purpose of this TLC review, the star ratings are a reflection of this writer's opinion only and represent the following:

• ZERO: A bad, irredeemable match.
• *: Just slightly above worthless.
• *½: Merely OK.
• **: Subpar.
• **½: An average wrestling match.
• ***: Above average.
• ***½: Very good.
• ****: Great.
• ****½: Match of the Year candidate.
• *****: Classic.

Sound off in the comments section below and let your own opinions and match ratings be known.

Sasha Banks vs. Alicia Fox

Sasha Banks and Alicia Fox kicked off the night's action at TLC with a Kickoff Show match that was better than it had any right to be.

Banks and Fox have long had a solid in-ring chemistry, and it was on full display during the first half-hour of Sunday's festivities.

Fox, a charismatic in-ring performer whose strengths lie in playing to the crowd, captivated the audience and kept them invested in a match that dates back to just this past Monday night.

The in-ring action itself was solid enough, with some impressive visuals due to Fox's athleticism, but in the end, it was Banks who scored the victory via submission with The Bank Statement.

Rating: **½

Asuka vs. Emma

There are those who believe Asuka should have squashed Emma in short order at TLC, igniting a run of dominance for herself on the main roster. That is not quite what happened Sunday night as she debuted in a match that saw her fighting from underneath, forced to overcome an Emma who was more than ready for the newcomer's onslaught.

Thus single-handedly unraveling the "no one is ready for Asuka" catchphrase that had been established in the buildup to the match.

With that gripe out of the way, the match was a hard-hitting affair that put Emma over as a competent in-ring worker and scored Asuka her first main roster win.

Did it live up to the lofty expectations following their math at TakeOver: London? Not really, but it did not have to. The Superstars shined, Asuka got her win and all was right with the world.

Rating: ***

Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann vs. Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher

Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann battled The Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher in a cruiserweight tag team match the likes of which are usually reserved for 205 Live. With so much talent devoted to the main event, there was room on the card for a showcase of talented individuals.

Seizing the opportunity, the four competitors delivered a thrilling match that saw the babyfaces lay it all on the line with death-defying aerial assaults and some ground-and-pound by the heels.

A wicked Phoenix Splash by Swann popped the crowd, but it was the Lumbar Check from Alexander that earned him and his partner the victory.

The pace, the sequences and the high spots added up to one of the better matches on the entire broadcast.

Rating: ***½

Raw Women's Championship Match: Mickie James vs. Alexa Bliss

A fierce, vengeful and insulted Mickie James unloaded on Alexa Bliss during their Raw Women's Championship match. Hellbent on proving she was not a washed-up, old woman incapable of winning the title for the seventh time, she exchanged strikes with Bliss and came within seconds of making history as only the second woman to win the title seven times.

It was not a match without flaws. In fact, there were two or three spots that were either disjointed, mistimed or just plain ugly, but the story fueled the match and elevated it beyond what it was on the surface.

Bliss was her arrogant best, but when the time came, she proved that few female performers can take the ass-kicking she does.

The third in a trio of quality women's matches Sunday night.

Rating: **½

Cruiserweight Championship Match: Kalisto vs. Enzo Amore

Enzo Amore is not a good wrestler.

Showman, yes. Wrestler, no.

Listening to an accomplished in-ring technician like Nigel McGuinness attempt to put over his in-ring strategy during Sunday's match was almost depressing, especially as he worked a headlock for what felt like an eternity.

He bumps well and was a solid enough base for Kalisto throughout the high spots, but the match never did much to drum up interest in the match or generate any type of sustained reaction.

Given how over Amore had become as a heel, and the television time devoted to the rivalry, it was a disappointment, to say the least.

Rating: *½

Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles

The match between AJ Styles and Finn Balor had no established backstory in WWE, nor did it have any rhyme or reason for happening. It was a match added to the card to make up for the absences of Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt.

It was the best match of the night.

Two of the best in the world unloaded on each other in a physically intense battle. They held nothing back, fed off a rabid crowd and put each other through grueling punishment in the most taxing match on the card.

Without using a single ladder, table or chair.

The match lived up to expectations, provided Finn Balor with his most significant victory since his win over Roman Reigns last year and ended with a Too Sweet in the middle of the ring that put an exclamation point on the entire package.

A superb bit of wrestling from two Superstars whose abilities have never been in doubt.

Rating: ****½

Jason Jordan vs. Elias

Jason Jordan threw vegetables at Elias on two different occasions while The Drifter was attempting to perform for the lovely folks in Minneapolis.

That was the reason behind the thrilling match the two gifted the fans inside Target Center.

An ice-cold miss that would have struggled to gain traction on Raw let alone a pay-per-view, the contest failed miserably to generate interest.

It is a shame, too, because Elias is an engaging character, while Jordan's in-ring exploits far outweigh his charisma.

The two should have brought different dynamics to the match, but instead, the match became bogged down in rest holds and monotony.

Jordan's small package rollup brought it to a merciful end.

Rating: *½

Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match

The Tables, Ladders & Chairs match was a disasterpiece of sorts.

It was hot garbage on a summer day, but it was still weirdly entertaining.

Overbooked, with too much going on and what looked to be a murder playing out on the WWE Network for everyone to see, it was a match that stank of desperation booking.

The story involving Kurt Angle returning from injury and beating the ever-loving hell out of Sheamus, Cesaro, Kane and The Miz made little sense. Yes, he is a legitimate badass dating back to his day as an amateur wrestler, but he is 48 years old and in no way should be unleashing hell on Superstars in the midst of their athletic primes.

Braun Strowman was not involved because he had been tossed in a trash compactor by his own teammates and crushed to death (or so it appeared) before being driven out of the ring.

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins fought back enough to stay in the fight but probably should have succumbed to the brutal assault they were dealt much earlier.

The Kane-Strowman side story, booking Angle like Superman at the expense of Ambrose and Rollins, and the Raw general manager's involvement as an honorary Shield member all came together to make for a cluster of storytelling, disjointed "action" and a complete disregard for long-term booking.

It was a nice moment for Angle, but it did not benefit the young talent who will be leaned on to carry the promotion for years to come.

Rating: **½, and that is generous