Dave Meltzer Talks About The Star Rating O/U Lines For TLC 2018

On today's episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Garrett Gonzales talked about Kambi's star rating betting lines for Tables, Ladders and Chairs. Here are some notes I took.

Mixed Match Challenge Final
When Garrett told Dave that the line for Carmella and R-Truth versus Alicia Fox and Jinder Mahal is 1.25, Meltzer laughed out loud and said that the oddsmaker had probably got it 'about right'.

Rey Mysterio .vs. Randy Orton
Meltzer mentions that Mysterio and Orton obviously have the ability to exceed the line of 3.25 stars. What could hinder the two from doing better than 3.25 is the fact that this is a chairs match. Meltzer did note that Mysterio is sure to get a good reaction from the Californian crowd.

Buddy Murphy .vs. Cedric Alexander
There are a lot of matches that Meltzer is concerned about in regards to allotted time. The Cruiserweight Championship match is one of them. He believes that Murphy and Alexander could have one of the better matches on the night, but it depends on timing if it's to beat the line of 3.75.

Natalya .vs. Ruby Riott
The line for the tables match has been set at 2.25 stars. Garrett is confident these two could go over in a regular match, but the stipulation restricts them. Meltzer once again noted how time could play a factor in how it's received.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship
This is another match where Meltzer is concerned about how the matches are set up for tonight's show. He feels that if they are given enough to work with, they could have a great match. The line for it is set at 3.75 Stars.

Elias .vs. Bobby Lashley
When discussing the 2.25 line for the ladder match, Meltzer says that he has a gut feeling that Elias versus Lashley could go under.

Finn Balor .vs. Drew McIntyre
Garrett noted that he felt the line of 3.5 Stars might be too high. Meltzer disagreed to an extent. However, both agreed that that this is another match where the allotted time is key to whether it gets a good review or not.

Daniel Bryan .vs. AJ Styles
Meltzer was very optimistic that Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles could do better than the 4.25 line that has been set for the WWE Championship match. 'They're too talented not to have a great match,' Meltzer said to his co-host.

Ronda Rousey .vs. Nia Jax
The line of 3.5 Stars for Rousey versus Jax might be asking a lot of the competitors according to the newsletter editor. The pair went on to mention the star rating of the previous Rousey/Jax match. Dave couldn't remember if it was 3.25 or 3.5 but mentioned that it was in the ballpark. This is something I had checked as soon as the match was first announced and I guess the Kambi oddsmaker did the same as they have it right where it was the last time - 3.5.

Braun Strowman .vs. Baron Corbin
When Garrett read out the line for Strowman .vs. Corbin, he mentioned that 2.5 seems far too high considering how this could be a short meeting. Dave agreed and noted that he thinks it's going to a one-move match, if it happens. As I wrote in yesterday's post, I also felt it was high. However, there is a possibility that this could end up being ungraded if it goes short.

Seth Rollins .vs. Dean Ambrose
Dave mentioned that he felt the line of 3.75 Stars for the Intercontinental Championship match was 'fair'. Garrett added that he thought it was 'pretty close' to his expectations. Dave didn't completely commit to saying it had a chance of doing better than 3.75, but kind of said if he had to pick whether it goes over or under, he would lean on it higher more than he would on it being lower. He also added that Seth Rollins could be motivated to pull out a good match seeing as he's on the same card as a Daniel Bryan .vs. AJ Styles bout.

Smackdown Women's Championship
The line for the TLC match for the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship has been set at 4.25 Stars. Garrett said that - before some of the most recent matches, like the Lynch .vs. Flair match from Evolution - he would have been surprised at the line, but isn't now. Dave mentioned that the lack of experience in TLC matches could be a drawback for the women. This could result in botched spots that could affect how it's received. To counter his own thoughts, Dave mentioned that he is confident that the effort put in by all three ladies will be 'off the charts' and that might be enough to offset the inexperience. He also pointed out that this will surely be a match that the crowd will react well to.

Kambi's Observer markets can be found alongside other WWE Tables, Ladders and Chairs match and specials odds on sites like Mr Green or 32Red. The Observer specials will be settled shortly after next week's issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter published. This is usually on a Thursday morning UK time.