5 reasons why the new TLC card is better than the original plan

Angle is back and a first-time exchange with The Miz is just the tip of the iceberg for what we can expect this Sunday.

WWE usually has a roadmap. While bits and pieces of the master booking plan will change according to injuries, fan response, and the emergence of unexpected talents or new ideas, on the whole WWE knows the overarching trajectory of its creative product and usually has a pretty concrete plan in place building from at least one PPV to the next.

There have been exceptions, however. Consider No Mercy 2007, where long-reigning WWE Champion John Cena was scheduled to continue his program with Randy Orton until a chest injury derailed the champ, and WWE had less than a week to shuffle the deck. Triple H wound up inserted into the main event picture, and Orton walked out with the title after both opening and closing the show in two strong matches against Triple H.

This week, WWE finds itself in a markedly similar spot. The TLC PPV has been built around the return of The Shield, only for core member and WWE’s chosen one Roman Reigns to be sidelined due to illness. Bray Wyatt is amidst a potentially career-redefining push as the Sister Abigail crystallizes, but he’s out, too. Two days before TLC, WWE officially announced radical changes to the show, and this article is going to take a look at why new card actually better than the original plan.

#5 Kurt Angle in a WWE Ring

The eleven year wait is almost over--we will see Angle in a WWE ring again this weekend. — The eleven-year wait is almost over--we will see Angle in a WWE ring again this weekend.

WWE only has so many cards, within its control, realistic possibility, and the realm of responsible business that can genuinely thrill an audience. Certainly, CM Punk’s return to WWE would be electric, but neither side seems interested in doing business with the other. It would be great to see Daniel Bryan back in the ring, but WWE doesn’t want to assume the liability for him potentially getting hurt.

The Rock’s movie schedule will only allow him to return to wrestling so often. A legend like Shawn Michaels isn’t interested in getting back in the ring, and the ship seems to have sailed on legends like Bret Hart or Steve Austin to trust their bodies inside the ring.

But Kurt Angle?

Angle is all too ready and willing and seems to have passed WWE’s physical requirements to not only make it back to the ring but for WWE to feel comfortable with him working a TLC Match. It’s the Olympic Hero’s first WWE match in over eleven years.

WWE needed to make up for the disappointment of the full Shield not returning to action as planned. Angle is one of the only options imaginable to not only make up for Roman Reigns’s absence but actually make fans more excited about the TLC main event than they originally were.