TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2017)

The 2017 TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It was the ninth annual TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs and took place on October 22, 2017, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event aired via pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming and exclusively featured wrestlers from the promotion's Raw brand division. It was the last brand-exclusive TLC event.

Eight matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. Two days prior to the event, Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt, who were originally scheduled to perform, were removed from the match card due to a viral infection. As a result, two of the matches were changed, one of which became an interpromotional match with a wrestler from the SmackDown brand. The main event was originally scheduled to be The Shield's (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins) reunion match, but Reigns was replaced by Raw General Manager Kurt Angle, and they defeated the team of The Miz, Braun Strowman, Kane, Cesaro, and Sheamus in a 5-on-3 handicap Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. This was Angle's first WWE match in 11 years. Bray Wyatt, in the guise of "Sister Abigail", was originally scheduled to face "The Demon" Finn Bálor, but Wyatt was replaced by SmackDown's AJ Styles, who would lose to "The Demon". The event was also notable for the main roster debut of Asuka, who defeated Emma in the opening bout.

Production

Background

TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was an annual professional wrestling event produced every December by WWE since 2009. The concept of the event was based on the primary matches of the card each containing a stipulation using tables, ladders, and chairs as legal weapons, with the main event generally being a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. Announced on June 19, 2017, the 2017 event was the ninth TLC. Although the event had previously been held annually in December, the 2017 event moved the show up to October, and it was scheduled to take place on October 22, 2017, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event aired on pay-per-view (PPV) worldwide and was livestreamed on the WWE Network. Tickets went on sale on June 23. While the 2016 event was a SmackDown-branded event, the 2017 event exclusively featured wrestlers from the Raw brand, following the reintroduction of the brand split in July 2016.

Storylines

The event comprised eight matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw brand, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and the cruiserweight-exclusive 205 Live. Two days prior to the event, two of the originally scheduled wrestlers were removed from the match card due to a viral infection. As a result, one of those matches featured a wrestler from the SmackDown brand.

On the September 11 episode of Raw, it was announced that NXT wrestler Asuka, who had just relinquished the NXT Women's Championship due to injury, was signed to Raw. After her main roster debut was scheduled for TLC, Bayley, Sasha Banks, Alicia Fox, Dana Brooke, and Emma demanded to face her. General Manager Kurt Angle decided that the winner of a fatal five-way elimination match between them would face Asuka at the event; the match was won by Emma. The following week, Emma said she was tired of hearing about Asuka and touted about how she started the women's revolution and beat four of Raw's toughest women to earn her spot against Asuka, Emma then promised that she would force Asuka to get on her knees and thank her for starting the women's revolution.

At No Mercy, Alexa Bliss defeated Bayley, Sasha Banks, Emma, and Nia Jax in a fatal five-way match to retain the Raw Women's Championship. Afterwards on Raw Talk, Bliss insulted Mickie James, calling her an "old lady". The following night on Raw, James challenged Bliss to repeat her comments, and, after Bliss insulted James again, attacked the champion. The following week, James received gifts, including adult diapers and a walker. Wanting to confront Bliss, James found the locker room guarded by Jax, who challenged James to a match. The match ended in Jax being disqualified after Bliss attacked James. General Manager Kurt Angle then booked Bliss to defend the Raw Women's Championship against James at TLC. On the October 9 episode, James said she would become a seven-time WWE women's champion and insulted Bliss' looks, to which Bliss responded with more remarks about James' age. James then chased after Bliss and attacked her, but Bliss escaped. The following week, James and Bayley teamed up to face Bliss and Emma where James pinned Bliss.

On the September 25 episode of Raw, Roman Reigns was the guest on Miz TV for his victory over John Cena at No Mercy. The Miz gloated about retaining the Intercontinental Championship and insulted Reigns' former stable, The Shield, claiming that he and The Miztourage (Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas) could beat The Shield. The two then faced off where Reigns defeated Miz, but Reigns received a beat down. Also at No Mercy, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, also former Shield members, retained the Raw Tag Team Championship against Cesaro and Sheamus. The following week, Cesaro and Sheamus attacked Ambrose and Rollins, following an attack by Braun Strowman, and Reigns defeated Miz by disqualification after Cesaro and Sheamus interfered. The three heels performed The Shield's signature triple powerbomb on Reigns. Before the show ended, Reigns was approached backstage by Ambrose and Rollins. On the October 9 episode, Miz, Cesaro, and Sheamus were interrupted by Reigns, who was then joined by Ambrose and Rollins, officially reuniting The Shield, and the trio attacked Cesaro and Sheamus, and performed a triple powerbomb on Miz. A six-man tag team Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match between The Shield and the team of The Miz, Cesaro, and Sheamus was scheduled for TLC. Later, Strowman attempted to brutalize Matt Hardy, but The Shield stopped Strowman and performed a triple powerbomb on him through the broadcast table. Miz then requested for Strowman to be added to the match at TLC. General Manager Kurt Angle reluctantly agreed, and as a result, made the match a 4-on-3 handicap TLC match. The following week, Ambrose and Rollins retained the Raw Tag Team Championship against Cesaro and Sheamus, and Miz convinced Angle to add a fifth member to his team at TLC. Angle decided that if Strowman beat Reigns in their Steel Cage match, a fifth member could be added, but if Reigns won, Strowman would be off Miz's team. During the steel cage match, Kane returned from a ten-month hiatus by tearing through the ring canvas and chokeslammed Reigns, allowing Strowman to win. Kane was made the fifth member, making it 5-on-3. On October 20, however, WWE announced that Reigns would be unable to compete due to medical issues. Angle, who had been at odds with Miz ever since Miz came to Raw, was made Reigns' replacement, marking Angle's first WWE match since 2006.

At No Mercy, Enzo Amore defeated Neville to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. The following night on Raw, at Amore's request, General Manager Kurt Angle signed a no-contact clause; if any cruiserweight attacked Amore, they could not challenge for the championship. Later, Amore's championship celebration was interrupted by the entire cruiserweight division and Neville attacked Amore despite the no-contact clause. Immediately after Raw on the WWE Network, Braun Strowman powerslammed Amore and let the entire cruiserweight division each take a shot at him. On 205 Live, Amore clarified that due to their actions, none of the cruiserweights could challenge him for the title. Neville explained that he knew that he risked his title rematch, but did not care and would do it again. He then faced Ariya Daivari, who befriended Amore, and Neville won by disqualification after Amore attacked Neville with his crutch. The following Raw, Amore was confronted by the cruiserweights, who were led by Neville and surrounded the ring. However, before they could attack Amore, he revealed that Angle signed another no-contact clause, with this one stating that they would be fired. Angle interrupted and backed up both clauses, but introduced Kalisto as the newest member of the cruiserweight division and who would not be affected by either clause as he had joined the division after they had been signed. Kalisto then attacked Amore. The following week on Raw, Angle scheduled Amore to defend the Cruiserweight Championship against Kalisto at TLC. After some remarks from Amore, however, Angle rescheduled the Cruiserweight Championship match for that night and made it a lumberjack match, lifting the second no-contact clause. Kalisto subsequently defeated Amore to win the title. The following night on 205 Live, Amore invoked his rematch clause for TLC and he and Daivari lost to Kalisto and Mustafa Ali.

In the preceding months on 205 Live, Gentleman Jack Gallagher and The Brian Kendrick had been feuding with each other. However, Gallagher assisted Kendrick by attacking Cedric Alexander, aligning himself with Kendrick and beginning a feud between Gallagher and Alexander. On the October 16 episode of Raw, Gallagher and Kendrick were scheduled to face Alexander and Rich Swann at TLC after Alexander defeated Gallagher. The following night on 205 Live, Swann defeated Gallagher after Alexander thwarted Kendrick's attempted interference.