The Real Winners and Losers from 2020 WWE TLC

WWE TLC 2020 was the final big night on the WWE calendar, which meant it was the last opportunity for stars to make their mark on the year.

Nights like this set the stage for massive opportunities come WrestleMania season. A true winning performance could spark a career-defining run to The Grandest Stage of Them All, but a failure could see a Superstar missing out on WrestleMania 37 entirely.

Drew McIntyre walked into a war with one of the best in the business. AJ Styles wanted to hurt The Scottish Warrior using tables, ladders and chairs to win the WWE Championship. In the end, it was an unexpected figure who walked out of this angle looking better than ever before.

Sasha Banks had a tough battle with Carmella, a woman who had too much confidence to believe she could lose. They put on an inspired performance that especially showed that The Untouchable One is far better than many give her credit for.

The Hurt Business had one last chance at greatness. If Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin had lost to The New Day again, the group would have been out of contention. Instead, they brought everything to the fight and won clean against Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.

Kevin Owens walked in with little chance beyond a miracle against Roman Reigns, but he had a plan to beat the odds. It wasn't enough, though, and Roman Reigns and Jey Uso ruined his opportunity.

In the end, this show was a winner on his own right, establishing just how talented the whole WWE roster is. But certain stars rose even further than others.

AJ Styles had an impressive game plan against Drew McIntyre and went after the WWE champion's leg with every weapon in his arsenal. However, the Scot turned the tide and threw his rival through a table.

The Miz arrived and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to make it a Triple Threat match. However, Omos did not approve and hurled The A-Lister through a table before running off John Morrison, who shattered a chair across the big man's back.

In the chaos that followed, McIntyre took out Miz and Styles to win.

While the Scot pulled off a big win here, this match made an impact with the first major spotlight on Styles' bodyguard, Omos.

The giant made Miz and Morrison look like they were facing something beyond human. Omos manhandled The A-Lister and was then completely unaffected by a steel chair across his back. Much like other WWE giants, he presents a unique challenge in the ring. He sold that well.

Omos may never be a great in-ring competitor, but he is in a good position. He can continue to look imposing while Styles does the heavy lifting in the ring. He can then have these moments where he dominates great wrestlers without breaking sweat.

Carmella was ready for Sasha Banks. From the outset, she had a confident game plan, wearing down The Boss mentally and physically. However, even with the help of her sommelier, Reginald, she still got caught in the Bank Statement and tapped out.

This was the best match of The Untouchable One's career. She has been steadily improving, especially since late in her reign as SmackDown women's champion. But she had never had a performance quite like this.

The chemistry between Carmella and Banks was on point. They battled back and forth, trading pinfall attempts and submissions. Along the way, Mella sold herself as the likely winner, despite going into the contest without much of a chance.

The Princess of Staten Island needed a match like this. She has always been talented but often held an unfair label as a much better talker than wrestler. This performance showed she can back up anything she says.

Banks continues to build her championship legacy, so she was also a winner here as well, but Carmella helped elevate the champion to another level.

It will be interesting to see who steps up next because few will be able to match up to the work of Bayley and Carmella with The Boss.

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods came out swinging, clearly catching Cedric Alexander off his game. However, a breather and water break let him regroup as Shelton Benjamin changed the dynamic of this contest.

After The Gold Standard set the stage, Alexander hit the Lumbar Check on Kingston to win.

This was the victory The Hurt Business desperately needed. This wasn't just the best match Alexander and Benjamin have had as a team, it was also their biggest win. It was the moment when the tag team arrived.

Bobby Lashley has been the only real focus of the stable for a while, and that continued as Alexander and Benjamin lost repeatedly to The New Day. Instead, they got one more chance and brought their best to finally overcome one of the greatest tag teams of all time.

Alexander and Benjamin are perfectly suited for this opportunity. One is a newcomer looking to prove his worth while the other is a long-time veteran in need of titles to add to his legacy. They add a fresh element to a Raw tag title scene in need of new matches.

If The Hurt Business can continue to rise to every occasion like this, everyone will benefit. MVP has revitalized the careers of both men, and it should only be a matter of time before it is no longer a surprise to see Alexander and Benjamin on pay-per-view alongside Lashley.

Kevin Owens came in with the ultimate plan. He attacked Roman Reigns from behind and then made sure to eliminate Jey Uso with pure malice.

He knew this was an unfair fight, so he fought dirty. However, the numbers game was still too much, and he was put to sleep by The Tribal Chief.

This was an inspired performance by KO to the point that it was easy to buy the idea of him winning. He made a promise that he would do anything for victory, but he was still left sitting on the outside without the WWE Championship by the end.

It could have been a much worse loss of Owens, but so much work was done to build him as the one man who could challenge Reigns more than anyone who had gone before.

This was the right time for KO to become world champion again. Now that he's lost, it is unlikely he will return to world title contention for a full year. He will need to build to another opportunity instead.

In kayfabe, KO will be heartbroken, but Owens is likely to also feel bad that WWE would not pull the trigger on a title win after such a build. He made an impression, but he may not be rewarded for it for some time.