WWE WrestleMania 34: Match card predictions after TLC

After WWE TLC, how do the WrestleMania 34 match card projections look?

WrestleMania 34 is five-and-a-half months away. The built hasn’t started, but WWE TLC may have planted some very early seeds for what’s to come, at least for the months that precede the Show of Shows in April 2018.

The Shield was supposed to reunite for the TLC main event. However, with Roman Reigns out with meningitis, Kurt Angle replaced him. It was his first WWE match in 11 years.

Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles was the other highlight. This wasn’t planned for the show, as Balor vs. Bray Wyatt (dressed as Sister Abigail) had been scheduled. The Demon won in an instant classic.

Did these matches impact the card projections for WrestleMania 34? What about the others that occurred on Sunday night? Let’s take a look.

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
The Usos (c) vs. The Authors of Pain vs. New Day

The Usos and New Day will be involved in the SmackDown Tag Team Championship until the end of time, apparently. Their match at Hell in a Cell was phenomenal and worth rewatching on the WWE Network. It cooled their feud, for now, but don’t be surprised if it pops up near WrestleMania 34 season.

If New Day vs. Usos happens again, it could use an extra wrinkle. That’s where the Authors of Pain factor in, a tag team that hasn’t been called up to the main roster.

Akam and Rezar have dominated NXT upon arrival. They’re two behemoths of superstars that would bring an impactful force to SmackDown Live. Both would change the landscape of the tag team division and bowl over the Usos and New Day at WrestleMania 34.

Kurt Angle vs. Triple H

Kurt Angle returned to a WWE ring for the first time in 11 years at TLC. It was a match that meant basically nothing, as Roman Reigns’ meningitis took him out of the 5 vs. 3 TLC match, but still produced a weirdly fun 30-minute showing. There was classic Angle moves, and he even entered in Shield attire.

The next time the Olympic Gold Medalist competes in a WWE match, it won’t be with the Shield. It should be a one-on-one with meaning, with a grand setting like WrestleMania 34.

For the opponent, Triple H still makes the most sense. The potential power struggle for Raw is there, even though it makes little sense why he and Stephanie McMahon haven’t pursued it (in storyline). That makes the real return of Angle a plot-filled match, something that might roll the eyes of a few fans but is logical.