Undisputed Face of the WWE.
The fifth annual WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders, & Chairs came to you, live on pay-per-view, from the Toyota Center in Houston, TX. On May 4, 1905, the first World Heavyweight Champion in history was crowned in the legendary George Hackenschmidt and, throughout the next century, some of the greatest and most memorable names in wrestling history have held the gold, including Lou Thesz, Buddy Rogers, Harley Race, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, Booker T, Triple H, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, & current champion John Cena. The WWE Championship was established on April 29, 1963 and boasts an impressive lineage of its own as the gold has been held by the likes of Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Edge, CM Punk, & reigning champion Randy Orton. The two epic lineages of the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship would be merged in a TLC Match as both championships will be hanging high above the ring as World Heavyweight Champion John Cena goes to war with WWE Champion Randy Orton with the first man to climb a ladder and retrieve both belts will win the match and become the Champion of Champions in the WWE!
Two Superstars would be put in a nearly impossible situation at WWE TLC as “The Best in the World” CM Punk would combat all three members of The Shield, United States Champion Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, & Roman Reigns in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match. Daniel Bryan would face a similar challenge as the 2013 Superstar of the Year would face all three members of The Wyatt Family, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, & Erick Rowan in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match, as well!
The WWE Tag Team Titles would also be on the line at WWE TLC in unique fashion as Goldust & Cody Rhodes would defend their WWE Tag Team Titles against The Real Americans, Ryback & Curtis Axel, and Big Show & Rey Mysterio in a Fatal 4-Way Elimination Tag Match, where the last team standing would emerge as the WWE Tag Team Champions! Also at WWE TLC, Big E. Langston would defend the Intercontinental Championship against Damien Sandow and AJ Lee defends the Divas Title against Natalya.
Match Results
- 3-on-1 Handicap Match: CM Punk def. The Shield by pinning Dean Ambrose following an accidental Spear by Roman Reigns.
- Divas Championship: AJ Lee (c) (with Tamina Snuka) def. Natalya by roll-up to retain.
- Intercontinental Championship: Big E. Langston (c) def. Damien Sandow by pin following the Big Ending to retain.
- WWE Tag Team Championship: Fatal 4-Way Elimination Tag Match: First Elimination: Goldust & Cody Rhodes (c) elim. Ryback & Curtis Axel by Goldust (c) rolling up Ryback.
- WWE Tag Team Championship: Fatal 4-Way Elimination Tag Match: Second Elimination: Big Show & Rey Mysterio elim. The Real Americans by Big Show pinning Antonio Cesaro following the Knockout Punch.
- WWE Tag Team Championship: Fatal 4-Way Elimination Tag Match: Third Elimination: Goldust & Cody Rhodes (c) elim. Big Show & Rey Mysterio by Cody Rhodes (c) pinning Rey Mysterio following Cross Rhodes to retain.
- R-Truth (with Xavier Woods, Tensai, & The Funkadactyls) def. Brodus Clay by roll-up.
- No DQ: Kofi Kingston def. The Miz by pin following Trouble in Paradise.
- 3-on-1 Handicap Match: The Wyatt Family def. Daniel Bryan by Bray Wyatt pinning Daniel Bryan following the Sister Abigail.
- Champion of Champions Title Unification Match: TLC Match: Randy Orton (c) def. John Cena (c) to unify the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship, becoming the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Detailed Results
Before WWE TLC officially gets underway, The Authority makes an appearance as WWE Principal Owner Stephanie McMahon states that, tonight, one of the most important matches in WWE and professional wrestling history will take place. WWE COO Triple H says that, for 50 years, both the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships have been held by all of the greats and, tonight, two great champions will walk into the match and only one will walk out of the match and into the history books. Stephanie then declares that either John Cena or Randy Orton will walk out of WWE TLC as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
WWE TLC then officially gets underway with a 3-on-1 Handicap Match as “The Best in the World” CM Punk would face all three members of The Shield, United States Champion Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, & Roman Reigns. During the match, The Shield would dominate CM Punk, but one crucial moment would give Punk the opportunity to fight back as, when Roman Reigns charges CM Punk with a Spear in mind on the outside, Punk would side-step Reigns and Reigns would go careening over the announce table, injuring his left eye in the process. Reigns would manage to avoid getting counted out and Punk would immediately target the left eye, forcing Reigns to quickly tag Seth Rollins in as WWE’s ringside doctor tends to Reigns on the outside. Later on in the match, CM Punk would go for the GTS on Dean Ambrose, but Seth Rollins would rush in and Rollins would get the GTS instead. Punk then hoists Ambrose up for the GTS and Roman Reigns would re-enter the fray, aiming to blast Punk with the Spear, but, again, Punk would side-step and Reigns would blast his own teammate, Dean Ambrose, with the Spear! Punk then tosses Reigns out of the ring, quickly pinning Ambrose to pick up the win over The Shield!
The first title match of the night would then take place as AJ Lee, with Tamina Snuka in her corner, would defend the Divas Championship against Natalya. During the match, Natalya would have AJ Lee moments away from tapping out to the Sharpshooter, but AJ would fight out of the move and, following a distraction from Tamina Snuka, AJ would trap Natalya in the Black Widow. However, Natalya would break out of the hold before striking with the Discus Clothesline, but when Natalya goes for the Sharpshooter, AJ grabs Natalya’s hair, countering the Sharpshooter attempt into a roll-up, scoring the three-count to pick up the win and retain the Divas Title.
The prestigious Intercontinental Championship would also be on the line at WWE TLC as Big E. Langston would make his first pay-per-view title defense, defending the Intercontinental Title against Damien Sandow. Despite an impressive outing from Damien Sandow, the power and explosiveness of Big E. Langston would reign supreme as Langston puts Sandow down with the Big Ending, pinning Sandow to successfully retain the Intercontinental Title.
Then it was time for the Fatal 4-Way Elimination Tag Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship as Goldust & Cody Rhodes would defend the titles against The Real Americans, Ryback & Curtis Axel, and Big Show & Rey Mysterio where two members of any team would battle in the ring with any Superstar permitted to tag in any other Superstar. Goldust would be the man to secure the first elimination as “The Bizarre One” surprises Ryback with a roll-up, scoring the three-count and eliminating Ryback & Curtis Axel from the match. However, Ryback would not take kindly to the elimination as Ryback blasts Goldust with a clothesline after getting pinned. The next elimination would come as a result of a dominant display from Big Show as “The World’s Largest Athlete” knocks out both of The Real Americans, pinning Antonio Cesaro to eliminate The Real Americans. At the end of an incredible battle between the two remaining teams, Cody Rhodes would finally score with the Cross Rhodes on Rey Mysterio, pinning Rey for the win to successfully retaining the WWE Tag Team Titles for himself and Goldust. After the match, the two teams would show incredible respect for each other as Big Show shakes the hands of the WWE Tag Team Champions before the three men help Mysterio to his feet.
After Brodus Clay attacked Xavier Woods on RAW, R-Truth would be looking to stand up for the rookie as Truth, with Xavier Woods, would go one-on-one with Brodus Clay, with Tensai in his corner, at WWE TLC. The story of the match would become the dissention between Brodus Clay & Tensai as Tensai would implore Brodus to end the match, but Brodus would continue to brutalize R-Truth. Tensai would even get on the ring apron, which would lead to an argument between the tag team partners as Brodus yells at Tensai that he is a “main event player”, but the straw that broke the camel’s back was Brodus telling Tensai that he is “better” than Tensai. At this point, Tensai had enough as “Sweet T” walks out on his tag partner! With Tensai already walking out on him, Brodus Clay would turn to The Funkadactyls, ordering Cameron & Naomi to get back in their spots at ringside, but The Funkadactyls would walk out on Brodus, as well! Things would then go from bad to worse for Brodus as R-Truth surprises Brodus with a roll-up to pick up the win.
After a brawl broke out between the two during the WWE TLC Kickoff show, WWE TLC would see The Miz going one-on-one with Kofi Kingston in a no disqualification match. Throughout the match, The Miz would target the ankle of Kofi Kingston, but, in the end, it was Kofi shoving Miz into an exposed steel turnbuckle, following it up with Trouble in Paradise to pick up the win.
In the second 3-on-1 Handicap Match of the night, 2013 Superstar of the Year Daniel Bryan would face the trio obsessed with recruiting him to their clan, The Wyatt Family, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, & Erick Rowan. Throughout the match, Daniel Bryan would refuse to stay down as the resilient Bryan would combat all three men and, after taking Luke Harper & Erick Rowan down on the outside, it would come down to Bryan and Bray Wyatt. Bryan would go for the Yes Lock on Bray Wyatt, but Bray would fight out of it before catching Daniel Bryan with the Sister Abigail, pinning Bryan to pick up the win for The Wyatt Family. After the match, Bray Wyatt would hold Daniel Bryan in his arms, rocking back and forth before kneeling at Daniel Bryan’s side.
Then it was time for, quite possibly, the most important match in the history of the WWE and professional wrestling as a whole, as WWE Champion Randy Orton would collide with World Heavyweight Champion John Cena in a TLC Match with both the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship hanging high above the ring with the first man to climb a ladder and retrieve both titles will win the match and, more importantly, become the Champion of Champions and walk out of WWE TLC with both titles as the one and only top champion in the WWE, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion! The match would quickly turn extreme as John Cena would grab a ladder early on, slamming it into the arm of Randy Orton before Cena props up a table in the corner of the ring. Orton would then introduce a steel chair into the match, slamming the steel into the spine of Cena before driving the chair into the mid-section of his adversary. On the outside of the ring, Orton would continue the punishment, scoring with another chair shot to the spine, but when Orton swings the steel chair at Cena’s head, Cena moves out of the way and Orton makes contact with the ring post. Cena then takes the chair from Orton, driving it into the mid-section of Orton. Cena then sets a table up on the outside, but when Cena goes for a powerbomb on Orton through the table, Orton fights out of it, sending Cena into the steel ring steps.
Randy Orton then brings a ladder into the ring, setting it up under the title belts, but Orton would get mere fingertips on the titles before Cena pulls Orton off of the ladder. After knocking Cena down, Orton slides the ladder back to the outside before continuing to punish Cena. Orton would slide the ladder back into the ring, but Cena would grab the ladder and drive it into the gut of Orton before Cena tries his hand at climbing the ladder before Orton knocks Cena off of the ladder. Orton would then look to use the ladder as a weapon, but Cena would dodge Orton and the ladder would land on the outside. Orton then gets his hands on a steel chair again, wedging the chair in the corner of the ring and, after a brief flurry from Cena, Orton would fight back, sending Cena skull-first into the chair! Orton then brings another ladder into the ring, again setting it up in the center of the ring, but Cena would again get to Orton before Orton could retrieve the title belts. Cena then climbs the ladder, but opts to hit Orton with the Five Knuckle Shuffle from the ladder. Cena then folds the ladder up, using it to knock Orton off of the ring apron and through the table at ringside!
Cena then climbs the ladder, but Orton uses what little strength he has left to knock the ladder over and, while Cena lands on his feet, Orton quickly strikes with the RKO, leaving both men down in the ring. Cena and Orton then fight back to their feet and Cena tosses Orton to the outside before grabbing the top half of the steel steps and ramming them into Orton’s skull! Cena then sizes Orton up again, delivering a second shot with the steps. Cena then grabs a table, propping it up in the corner of the ring, but when Cena heads to the outside to retrieve Orton, Orton grabs a microphone, popping Cena in the head with it. Orton then repeatedly jabs Cena in the skull with the microphone before Orton dismantles the Spanish announce table. With a punt to the skull in mind, Orton would charge at Cena, but Cena would dodge the kick, picking Orton up and slamming Orton through the Spanish announce table with the Attitude Adjustment!
Still struggling from the multiple shots to the head, Cena would set up a ladder in the middle of the ring and would manage to climb to the top and get his hands on both title belts, but that is when Orton returns to the ring, taking the ladder out from underneath Cena, leaving Cena dangling in mid-air, hanging precariously from the title belts! However, a chair shot to the back would bring Cena down and Orton would continue the punishment, delivering two more chair shots before Cena puts his own body on the line to deliver a Spear to Orton through one of the tables set up in the corner! Apparently avoiding the brunt of the impact, Orton would recover first as Orton quickly digs under the mats at ringside to procure handcuffs, using them to handcuff Cena to the bottom rope! After tossing the key out to the crowd, Orton walks up the entranceway to retrieve a taller ladder, driving it into a nearly helpless Cena. As Cena frantically tries to break the handcuffs with a steel chair, Orton sets up the ladder in the center of the ring, but as Orton climbs the ladder, Cena turns his attention to the bottom turnbuckle, unscrewing the buckle from the ring post and climbing the ladder with the turnbuckle and bottom ring rope still handcuffed to his wrist!
Cena uses the turnbuckle to his advantage, repeatedly smashing it into the skull of Orton until Orton finally falls from the ladder. However, what aided Cena would also work against Cena as Orton would grab the ring rope, leading to a tug-of-war between Cena and Orton as Orton tries to pull Cena off of the ladder. Orton would ultimately succeed, pulling Cena off of the ladder with Cena landing skull-first onto the table set up in the corner! Orton then re-adjusts the ladder, climbing the ladder and taking the time to look down at Cena and savor the historic moment before Orton successfully retrieves both legendary championships, winning the match and becoming the brand new and first ever WWE World Heavyweight Champion! After the match, Randy Orton’s celebration would be interrupted by the arrival of WWE COO Triple H, WWE Principal Owner Stephanie McMahon, & WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon. As John Cena watches from the outside of the ring with tears in his eyes, Mr. McMahon & The Authority applaud and congratulate the new undisputed face of the WWE, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Randy Orton.
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