Tainted Love.
The last WWE pay-per-view of 2012 promises to be the most destructive and unpredictable night on the WWE calendar as the fourth annual WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders, & Chairs came to you, live, from the brand new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. After being the victim of countless attacks by The Shield, including twice being put through the announcer’s table, and being cost the WWE Championship at Survivor Series, “The Sin City Cyborg” would align himself with two other recent victims of the new trio as the powerhouse known as Ryback teams with the WWE Tag Team Champions, Team Hell No, to battle the men who call themselves a “shield from injustice”, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, & Roman Reigns in a 6-Man TLC Tag Match, where tables, ladders, and chairs will be completely legal for all six men to use, and, for the first time in the history of the TLC Match, the match can only end by pinfall or submission! After an intense, personal rivalry sprouting from Dolph Ziggler’s unwelcome involvement in the entire “AJ scandal” created by RAW Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero, the ten-time former WWE Champion John Cena will be looking to take from Dolph what is most dear to him, the Money-in-the-Bank briefcase, as the briefcase containing a guaranteed shot at the World Heavyweight Title at any time in the future will be hanging high above the ring with John Cena and Dolph Ziggler going to war in a Ladder Match, with the first man to successfully retrieve the briefcase winning the match and, more importantly, the Money-in-the-Bank title opportunity. After Sheamus brought the giant to his knees with an onslaught of over thirty steel chair shots at Survivor Series, both “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus and World Heavyweight Champion Big Show will be allowed to legally use steel chairs in any way that they see fit as the two super heavyweights collide in a Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. With Cody Rhodes back with his tag team partner, Damien Sandow, Team Rhodes Scholars look to pick up right where they left off in the tag team division, but to become the #1 Contenders for the WWE Tag Team Titles, Rhodes & Sandow must defeat Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara in a Tables Match, where the only way to win is to put both members of the opposing team through a table. With two non-title victories to his name over the Intercontinental Champion, “The Bareknuckle Brawler” will look to pick up a win where it counts as Wade Barrett challenges Kofi Kingston for the Intercontinental Championship. In an impressive reign as United States Champion that has seen him put down men down twice his size, there is one Superstar who has repeatedly put a blemish on Antonio Cesaro’s rise to stardom and that is R-Truth as the proud American looks to take the United States Title away from the Swiss-born Superstar. Also, while he is unable to compete due to an emergency knee surgery two weeks ago, the WWE Champion CM Punk has vowed to be present in the Barclays Center as the sixth longest reigning WWE Champion of all-time claims that he wants to see The Shield destroy Ryback in person!
Match Results
- #1 Contender’s Santa’s Helper Divas Battle Royal: Pre-Show Exclusive: Naomi (with Eve) def. Kaitlyn, Tamina Snuka, Natalya, Layla, Aksana, Cameron, Alicia Fox, & Rosa Mendes to become the #1 Contender for the Divas Title.
- #1 Contenders Tables Match: Team Rhodes Scholars def. Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara to become the new #1 Contenders for the WWE Tag Team Titles.
- United States Championship: Antonio Cesaro (c) def. R-Truth by pin following the Neutralizer to retain.
- Intercontinental Championship: Kofi Kingston (c) def. Wade Barrett by pin following Trouble in Paradise to retain.
- 6-Man TLC Tag Match: The Shield def. Ryback & Team Hell No by Roman Reigns pinning Daniel Bryan following a double powerbomb off of the top rope through a table.
- Divas Championship: Eve (c) def. Naomi by pin following the swinging neckbreaker to retain.
- World Heavyweight Championship: Chairs Match: Big Show (c) def. Sheamus by pin following a chair shot with a giant steel chair to retain.
- 6-Man Tag: The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, & The Brooklyn Brawler def. 3MB by Jinder Mahal tapping out to The Brooklyn Brawler’s Brooklyn Crab.
- Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match: Dolph Ziggler (with AJ Lee & Vickie Guerrero) def. John Cena to keep his Money-in-the-Bank title opportunity.
Detailed Results
The opening match of the night guaranteed that WWE TLC would get off to a very destructive start as Team Rhodes Scholars, Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow, collide with Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara in a Tables Match, where the only way to win is to put any member of the opposing team through a table with the winning team being named the new #1 Contenders for the WWE Tag Team Titles. During the match, the sinister intelligence of Team Rhodes Scholars would result in severe pain for Sin Cara as, with Sin Cara’s leg trapped between the steel steps and the steel ring post, Rhodes & Sandow drive a table into the stairs, smashing Sin Cara’s leg between the steel! Later on, the match was over in a blink of the eye as, when Sin Cara goes for a springboard maneuver off of the top rope, the quick-thinking Cody Rhodes would shove Sin Cara off of the top rope and through a table at ringside, securing the victory and the #1 Contenders’ spots for Team Rhodes Scholars!
In a video message to Ryback & Team Hell No, The Shield appears in their signature fashion. Dean Ambrose states that Ryback put WWE Champion CM Punk out of action and they will not let that stand, vowing to feed Ryback “more” than he can handle! Seth Rollins then says that Team Hell No has the “audacity” to call themselves the WWE Tag Team Champions, saying that a team never argues. Ambrose then says that Team Hell No is a “disgrace” to all tag teams with Roman Reigns chiming in, saying that they simply do not like Kane & Daniel Bryan.
The United States Championship was on the line at WWE TLC in traditional fashion as the anti-American Antonio Cesaro defends the United States Title against the proud American, R-Truth. Antonio Cesaro would take the best that R-Truth had to offer and endure it all before hitting the Neutralizer on R-Truth en route to successfully retaining the United States Title. After the match, Antonio Cesaro states that he is an “international super-power” and he is the greatest United States Champion of all-time. Cesaro continues, saying that Americans have “no respect” for themselves or their country.
WWE TLC would feature a special edition of Miz TV as The Miz appears in the Barclays Center, welcoming everyone to Miz TV. After describing his guests as a “train wreck”, The Miz introduces his three guests, the trio known as 3MB as Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal, & Drew McIntyre join The Miz on Miz TV. Jinder Mahal refers to 3MB as a “super group” with Drew McIntyre saying that 3MB is much better than Jay-Z. Heath Slater then claims that The Rolling Stones wish that they could “rock out” with 3MB before vowing that 3MB will be performing live on RAW tomorrow night. The Miz congratulates 3MB on setting the “official bathroom break” for the Slammy Awards edition of RAW. Jinder Mahal then laughs at the Spanish commentators for not speaking English. 3MB then confront the Spanish announce team, saying that, in this country, they speak “American”. 3MB then bully the Spanish announcers as Drew McIntyre even shoves one of them down. However, an apparent friend of the Spanish commentators, Ricardo Rodriguez, comes out to try and diffuse the situation. 3MB then turns their attention to Rodriguez, but Rodriguez’s employer, Alberto Del Rio, comes to the aid of his personal ring announcer. 3MB would get the better of Del Rio, but after the trio rolls Del Rio into the ring, Drew McIntyre shoves The Miz down and Miz responds by attacking 3MB! Miz and Del Rio then work together to rid the ring of 3MB, resulting in 3MB challenging Miz and Del Rio to find a partner and face them in a 6-Man Tag Match. The Miz vows to find a third man to face 3MB, vowing to destroy the three of them!
The Intercontinental Championship would also be decided at WWE TLC as Kofi Kingston would defend the Intercontinental Title against the man who has pinned him on two different occasions, “The Bareknuckle Brawler” Wade Barrett. In the end, Wade Barrett would go for the Bull Hammer Elbow on Kofi Kingston, but Kofi counters, landing Trouble in Paradise on Barrett en route to successfully retaining the Intercontinental Title.
From his own personal skybox in the Barclays Center, WWE Champion CM Punk, with Paul Heyman, appears at WWE TLC, saying that it was tough to leave his home in Chicago to come to Brooklyn, calling Brooklyn the “slums of Staten Island”. Punk continues, saying that Ryback and the fans have a lot in common, saying all of them are “dumb”, and saying that Ryback is also “lucky” that he injured CM Punk. The WWE Champion says that he “single-handedly” defeated Ryback at Hell in a Cell and again at Survivor Series, saying that no one is going to take the WWE Title away from him. Punk then vows that he will end 2012 the same way that he started it, saying that he is just getting started.
Then it was time for the 6-Man TLC Tag Match as The Shield would make their in-ring debut as Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, & Roman Reigns would collide with the three men that The Shield has targeted in several attacks in recent weeks, “The Sin City Cyborg” Ryback and the WWE Tag Team Champions, Team Hell No, and, for the first time in TLC Match history, the match can only end via pinfall or submission with tables, ladders, and chars all legal to use! The match starts quickly and ferociously with the six men pairing off, but after temporarily taking out Kane & Daniel Bryan, The Shield would hone in on Ryback, knocking “The Sin City Cyborg” out of the ring. The trio then continues their strategy of singling out their opposition, using a ladder on Daniel Bryan. Ryback would then return to the fray, taking Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins down with a ladder before Roman Reigns takes it to Ryback with a steel chair. Shortly after this, Kane targets Roman Reigns as he and Daniel Bryan send Reigns into a ladder set up in the corner. Kane then places Seth Rollins in the center of a ladder, before sandwiching Rollins in the ladder with several chair shots. A little later on, Ryback would find himself in the ring alone with Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins and “The Sin City Cyborg” would take it to the two vigilantes, delivering a double suplex to Ambrose & Rollins on top of a steel ladder!
With Roman Reigns joining in, The Shield manages to isolate Ryback, stomping and pummeling away at Ryback. Then, on the outside of the ring, The Shield dismantles the Spanish announce table before hoisting Ryback up and driving him through the table with their signature three-man powerbomb! While Roman Reigns and Kane battle on the outside, Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins focus on Daniel Bryan in the ring with Ambrose slamming Bryan on a steel chair. Ambrose & Rollins then horizontally set up a table in the corner of the ring before they send Bryan face first into the side of the table. Ambrose & Rollins then use the table as a platform as they deliver a double superplex to Daniel Bryan! Kane then saves Daniel Bryan from being pinned, but Kane would then become The Shield’s target as, after Kane sends Roman Reigns to the outside, Ambrose & Rollins would try to superplex Kane, as well, but Kane would knock Dean Ambrose out of the way before taking Seth Rollins down with a flying clothesline. Shortly after this, Kane grabs Dean Ambrose by the throat, delivering a chokeslam to Dean Ambrose through a steel chair!
The destruction then continues on the outside with the designated hitter of The Shield, Roman Reigns, charging Kane and driving “The Big Red Monster” through the ringside barricade with a spear! The Shield then bury Kane under a pile of rubble before targeting Daniel Bryan again as Ambrose & Rollins set up a steel chair in the center of the ring, but Bryan is able to fight back, delivering kicks to The Shield. The numbers game would catch up to Daniel Bryan, however, with Seth Rollins delivering a stomp to the skull of Bryan, sending Bryan’s head into the steel chair! Somehow, Ryback is then able to rejoin the fray, tossing Ambrose & Rollins to the outside before focusing on Reigns. However, when Dean Ambrose make the save for Roman Reigns, Ambrose would become the target as Ryback drills Ambrose with the Meat Hook Clothesline, following it up with Shell Shocked, but Reigns & Rollins save Ambrose from being pinned. The action then returns to the outside of the ring as Ryback goes to war with Reigns & Rollins in the entrance area, but the tide would turn for The Shield following a chair shot from Dean Ambrose. The Shield then grab steel chairs, waylaying Ryback with several chair shots before setting up a table, putting Ryback on the table. Seth Rollins then ascends a gigantic ladder, instructing his teammates to go deal with Team Hell No. That would prove to be a mistake by Rollins as Ryback would get off of the table, chasing Rollins to the top of the ladder. The indestructible Ryback then gets his hands on Rollins, pulling Rollins off of the top of the ladder, sending Rollins through a stack of tables to the concrete below! Meanwhile, in the ring, Ambrose & Reigns deliver a double powerbomb to Daniel Bryan off of the top rope through a table and Ryback would try his best to get back to the ring in time, but Roman Reigns is still able to pin Bryan to pick up the unlikely win for The Shield, who, somehow, manage to leave on their own accord!
After costing Kaitlyn the #1 Contender’s spot on the WWE TLC Pre-Show, Eve would defend the Divas Championship against one of Brodus Clay’s Funkadactyls, Naomi. In the end, it was another successful title retention for Eve as Eve hits the swinging neckbreaker on Naomi en route to picking up the win.
After being forbidden from coming in contact with each other via a no contact clause that would remain in effect until their title match, it was then time for the World Heavyweight Championship to be decided as Big Show defends the World Heavyweight Title against “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus in a Chairs Match, where steel chairs will be legal to use in any way they please. After several chair shots to Big Show and a scoop slam, Sheamus was unable to successfully pin Big Show, so Sheamus would grab a chair and dive off of the top rope, toppling the giant, but when Sheamus goes for the maneuver a second time, Big Show would counter with a spear. On the outside of the ring, Big Show would get his hands on a steel chair, using it on Sheamus before rolling Sheamus back into the ring. Big Show then continues the punishment with the steel chair, methodically picking Sheamus apart. Later on in the match, Big Show tosses four steel chairs into the ring, picking one chair up and placing it on the chest of Sheamus before coming off of the second rope with a big splash, smashing Sheamus under the chair, but Sheamus is still able to kick out. Big Show then sets up two steel chairs in the middle of the ring, but when Big Show goes for a chokeslam, Sheamus would counter, delivering White Noise to Big Show through the steel chairs, but Big Show kicks out! Sheamus then goes for the Brogue Kick, but Big Show dodges it and, with Sheamus hung up on the top rope, Big Show blasts Sheamus with the K.O. Punch, but “The Celtic Warrior” still kicks out. Running out of ideas, Big Show retrieves a supersized steel chair and, while he has a hard time lifting the giant chair, Big Show manages to hoist the massive piece of steel above his head, waylaying Sheamus on the back with it en route to finally pinning Sheamus to successfully retain the World Heavyweight Title!
Following their brawl during Miz TV earlier in the night, 3MB would face the unlikely team of The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, and a mystery partner of their choosing in a 6-Man Tag Match. Before the match, The Miz says that, when they were looking for a tag team partner, they wanted to find someone who was a tough New Yorker, so they looked to the homegrown Brooklyn native, The Brooklyn Brawler! In the end, it was The Miz hitting the Skull Crushing Finale on Jinder Mahal, but Miz decides to tag in The Brooklyn Brawler, who locks in the self-proclaimed Brooklyn Crab, making Jinder Mahal tap out to pick up the win for his team!
Then it was time for the intensely personal main event as the ten-time former WWE Champion John Cena would face Dolph Ziggler in a Ladder Match with Dolph Ziggler’s Money-in-the-Bank briefcase hanging high above the ring with the first man to successfully retrieve the briefcase winning the match and earning themselves a guaranteed shot at the World Heavyweight Title at any time in the future. In a match that quickly turned brutal, Dolph Ziggler would use a ladder to bloody the eye of John Cena. Shortly after this, Cena uses the steel steps, sending the steps into Dolph’s skull! Cena then sets up a table and a ladder in the ring, but Dolph manages to get back into the fray, trying to slow Cena down with a sleeper hold. With Dolph still in his back, Cena would still climb the ladder, trying to retrieve the briefcase while carrying the weight of Ziggler. However, the sleeper hold would take it’s intended effect as Dolph puts Cena to sleep, but that results in both men falling from the ladder and going through the table! Ziggler is the first man to his feet and Dolph sets up the ladder and starts the climb, but Cena would manage to pick the ladder up with Dolph still hanging on, ready to deliver the Attitude Adjustment to both Dolph and the ladder. However, Ziggler is able to avoid disaster and regain the advantage, temporarily taking Cena down. Later on in the match, both Cena and Dolph would battle for control on top of the ladder with Cena managing to knock Dolph down.
Before Cena can get the briefcase, Ziggler takes Cena off of the ladder, essentially putting both men back at square one. Cena would then manage to pull a head scissors out of his arsenal, sending Dolph careening through a table in the corner! Later on in the match, John Cena would go for the Attitude Adjustment on Dolph, but Dolph would fight out, delivering chair shots to Cena’s leg. As Dolph plans his next move, Cena is able to recover, hitting the Attitude Adjustment on Ziggler! The Managing Supervisor of RAW, Vickie Guerrero, then makes her way to the ring, grabbing a steel chair. As Vickie looks ready to hit Cena with the chair, AJ Lee rushes down, taking it to Vickie, using all of Cena’s signature moves to take out the Managing Supervisor! Cena then sets the ladder up and begins his climb, but AJ Lee intentionally pushes the ladder over, sending Cena careening onto the top rope, which Ziggler follows up with a super kick to Cena! After shocking the world, including Dolph Ziggler, AJ Lee would give a quick smile to Dolph before skipping away from the ring as Dolph sets up the ladder, climbing the ladder, and successfully retrieving his Money-in-the-Bank briefcase to win the match and keep his guaranteed title opportunity!
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