Raw General Manager Kurt Angle marked his triumphant in-ring return as he joined forces with Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose at WWE TLC. Photo by WWE.com.
Oh, it’s true. It’s damn true.
Kurt Angle returned to action in a WWE ring for the first time in 11 years as he teamed up with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose and came out on top in the 5-on-3 tables, ladders, and chairs match in the main event of WWE TLC Monday (Manila time) in Minneapolis.
The Raw General Manager dusted off his wrestling boots once again as he stepped up to the plate after the newly-reformed The Shield lost Roman Reigns due to viral infection.
And as always, the Olympic Hero showed that he still got it, unleashing his repertoire to help the trio gain the victory over the team of The Miz, Sheamus and Cesaro, Braun Strowman, and Kane.
It was a wild match from the get-go that saw the heel team gain advantage. That was until Kane accidentally swung a steel chair on to Strowman, which threw the Monster Among Men off the rails as he shoved the Big Red Machine to the ground. The other three tried to pacify the situation, but Kane later on attacked Strowman as the former chokeslammed him through the stage and buried him in a pile of steel chair.
Enraged, Strowman got back on his feet and attacked his teammates, but the foursome was just too much as they put the behemoth inside a garbage truck as The Miz motioned for the driver to leave the arena.
That gave The Shield the edge they needed as Angle came back and delivered a pair of Angle Slams to Cesaro and Sheamus, before the trio finished off the Intercontinental Champion with a King’s Landing from Rollins, a Dirty Deeds from Ambrose, an Angle Slam, and to cap things off, an Olympic Shield bomb as Angle celebrated his in-ring return.
Reigns wasn’t the only one who was taken out of the pay-per-view due to viral infection, as Bray Wyatt has also been pulled off the show.
That left “The Demon” Finn Balor without an opponent, before SmackDown Live’s AJ Styles stepped up to the plate in a WrestleMania-worthy duel.
The clash delivered, as the former Japanese standouts put on a classic that ended when Styles missed his springboard 450 splash, giving Balor the chance to nail the shotgun dropkick to the corner and set the stage for his Coup de Grace.
After the match, both showed tremendous respect for each other and did the “Too Sweet” to the delight of the crowd.
In the other matches, Alexa Bliss retained her Raw Women’s Championship after yanking Mickie James to the turnbuckle before connecting with her DDT.
Enzo Amore also became a two-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion as he outsmarted Kalisto, distracting the referee as he went on and poked the champ in the eye and hit the JawdonZo.
Asuka made her triumphant debut in the main roster as she dominated Emma, ending the match with her Asuka Lock.
Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann also topped The Brian Kendrick and Gentleman Jack Gallagher in a tag team match pitting fierce cruiserweight rivals after Alexander nailed Kendrick with the Lumbar Check.
Jason Jordan beat Elias with a small package after interrupting his musical performance for the third time in the night.
In the kickoff show, Sasha Banks continued to get the number of Alicia Fox as she scored a submission win via her Bank Statement.