Sunday 16 December 2018 07:31, UK
WWE wrap up their 2018 pay-per-view schedule with TLC on Sunday night, an event which could provide some clues for the new year.
The Royal Rumble in January is usually the starting point for the big-name programs which come to a boil at the biggest event of the year, WrestleMania, in April.
But TLC - which is live on Sky Sports Box Office at midnight on Sunday - should provide some pointers of where the company might be heading in 2019.
We took a look at some of the key issues which will need to be resolved this weekend...
Will Braun Strowman turn up?
The Monster Among Men hasn't been seen on WWE programming since he was the victim of a stair-based three-on-one attack by Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley in November, and he underwent surgery on his elbow shortly afterwards.
Strowman is scheduled to face Corbin in a tables, ladders and chairs match on Sunday night and if he wins he will get his Universal title shot against Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble. If Corbin wins, he will become the permanent general manager of Raw.
But is Strowman even going to be able to compete? And if he does, will he find the odds stacked against him with Corbin again using Heath Slater as his personal referee?
What title changes are likely?
Six of WWE's championships are on the line at TLC, with just the Universal title and the Raw tag-team belts not at stake in San Jose.
It seems unlikely that Ronda Rousey will lose the Raw women's title at this stage of her career and considering her positioning as the ace of the company's female division.
But a case could be made for changes in all five of the other title matches and we could head into the end of 2018 with some new champions on both Raw and SmackDown.
How brutal will Flair, Lynch and Asuka get?
The last woman standing match between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair at Evolution proved the SmackDown ladies are not averse to some violence and the same can be said of Asuka, who memorably had a match with Nikki Cross in NXT which featured an attempted drowning.
All three showed a willingness to get vicious with the kendo sticks on the go-home episode of SmackDown this week and there is every chance the brutality will be turned up to 11 on Sunday night.
While that is not everyone's cup of tea, it will give the match an extremely intense edge which could see it enter the conversation for WWE match of the year.
Is this the start of Ruby Riott's push?
Ruby Riott has been one of the sleeper successes of 2018, contributing performances of increasing quality on a consistent basis both in the ring and on the microphone.
While her promo on this week's Raw was a little discomforting - she brought out a table with an image of her TLC opponent Natalya's late father Jim Neidhart on it - it has created a heightened level of anticipation for the pair's match this weekend.
Raw is short of an obvious heel challenger to Ronda Rousey after Nia Jax and Riott would seem to fit that bill. If she beats Natalya, she could find herself primed to be moved into the main event spotlight.
Who will emerge as Brock Lesnar's challenger?
Braun Strowman will become the next Universal title opponent for Brock Lesnar if he beats Baron Corbin, but what happens if he doesn't? How steps up to face the Beast then?
The most common theory is that it will be Seth Rollins who faces Lesnar in his next high-profile match, most probably at WrestleMania. To do that, he will need a clean and decisive win in his match at TLC, where he faces former friend Dean Ambrose.
Rollins, however, is just one of several contenders seemingly being groomed for the top title. Drew McIntyre is one who has been heavily mentioned in conversations about the next big thing, and Bobby Lashley - because of his MMA background - will also have his supporters.
Sunday night could provide some clues about which direction the Lesnar storyline is headed.
