WWE TLC 12/16/2012

Dolph Ziggler puts his Money In the Bank briefcase on the line against John Cena. Plus, the Shield takes on Team Hell No and Ryback in a TLC match!

World Wrestling Entertainment presents Tables, Ladders & Chairs
Date: 12/16/2012
From: Brooklyn, NY

Matches:
1.)Team Rhodes Scholars defeated Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara in a number one contenders match
2.)WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro defeated R-Truth to retain the title
3.)WWE Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston defeated Wade Barrett to retain the title
4.)The Shield defeated WWE World Tag Team Champions Team Hell No & Ryback in a TLC match
5.)WWE Divas Champion Eve Torres defeated Naomi to retain the title
6.)WWE World Heavyweight Champion Big Show defeated Sheamus in a Chairs match to retain the title
7.)The Miz, Alberto Del Rio & Brooklyn Brawler defeated Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre & Jinder Mahal
8.)Dolph Ziggler defeated John Cena in a ladder match

Angle Developments/Notes:
1. All four men start off the match, which is apparently a tables match. I didn’t know that and I’m reviewing this twelve days after the fact. Mysterio head scissors Rhodes to the floor and toss Sandow t the floor. Cara and Rey slide a table into the ring. Rhodes is met with a table to the chest in the ring. Sandow suffers the same fate moments later. Cody slides Mysterio to the floor, which is a spot we see every match I feel like. Cara arm drags Cody after springing of the middle rope. Rhodes hits the Disaster Kick on Cara and Sandow sends Mysterio into the ring post head first. Mysterio and Cara are being dominated on the floor. They ram a table into the ring steps, which has Cara’s left leg trapped in it! Mysterio hits seated senton on Rhodes and a tornado DDT on Sandow. Cara hit a cross body and a twisting crossbody on the floor onto Sandow. Rey hits the 619 on Rhodes and goes to the top rope. Sandow crotches Rey on the top. Rey falls to the floor after having a table smashed into his head. Cara kicks Rhodes off the apron and kicks Sandow in the ring. Rhodes shoves Cara on a springboard attempt and Cara crashes through two tables on the floor to win the match! (***. A good start to the show. Sandow and Rhodes are a really good team and hopefully both men are going to have huge year next year.)

2. Cesaro works over Truth after the challenger screams USA at the champ. Truth nearly rolls Cesaro up a few times but can’t get the gold. Cesaro drops Truth with a back suplex. The fans are bored as Cesaro has a cobra clutch of sorts on Truth for several minutes. Truth gets his head rammed into the top turnbuckle several times but makes a comeback with right hands and a clothesline. Truth nails the champ with a scissors kick but only gets a two count. Truth spin kicks Cesaro for a near fall. Cesaro uppercuts Truth’s back and hits the Neutralizer for the win. (*1/2. A rather boring match, but the right guy went over. Cesaro has more to offer than Truth.) After the match, Striker interviews Cesaro. Cesaro shoves Striker away and says that he is a true international super power and claims to be the greatest WWE United States Champion of all time. He says that when they boo him, they are booing their own country. Cesaro continues by saying they have no respect for anyone including themselves.

3. The Miz comes out to host Miz TV. I personally hate this because it makes it feel like a television show instead of a pay per view. PPV’s should be matches not talking segments. Anyway, let’s see what he has to offer. His guests are 3MB. They are playing air guitar on one of the couches. Miz doesn’t get how they are a band. Mahal says they are a super group. Drew calls Jay-Z an idiot and claims they are better than him. Slater announced they were going to play live on RAW. Miz jokes that it will be the bathroom break for RAW. Mahal pokes fun at the Spanish announce team. Slater and company begin to threaten the duo. Mahal takes a shot at one guy. Drew shoves the other man down. Ricardo Rodriquez comes down and is ganged up on by 3MB. Alberto Del Rio runs out and attacks the band to make the save for Ricardo! The numbers get the better of Del Rio. Miz is shoved by Slater and he begins to hammer away on Heath! Miz is helping Alberto! 3MB are sent to the floor. Slater wants a six man tag for later on in the night. The challenge is accepted. Who will Miz and Alberto find for a partner? The fans hope for Ryder.

4. Wade opens the bout with a scoop slam and attempted a quick cover but didn’t even get a one count. Kingston hit a jumping back elbow for a two count on Barrett. Barrett clotheslines Kingston to the floor. Kingston rolls back into the ring to take Wade out with a suicide dive! Barrett stops Kofi with a kick to the midsection and hit a pump handle slam for a near fall. Wade follows up with a backbreaker to maintain control of the contest. Kofi runs into a tilt a whirl backbreaker for a two count. Barrett hit a middle rope elbow drop for a two count. Kofi fights back with a side Russian leg sweep. Kofi hits a dropkick and a leaping clothesline. Kingston delivers a leg drop but misses the Trouble In Paradise. Kingston hits the SOS and nearly wins the bout. Wade hits a spinning full nelson slam but can’t get a three count. Barrett rolls through a crossbody off the top but can’t get a three count! Barrett plants Kofi with a swinging side slam but only gets a two count! Kofi counters the Bull Hammer attempt and hits the Trouble In Paradise to win the match! (***1/4. I thought this was a really solid match. Kingston is growing on me and Barrett is as solid as ever. These two are part of the future for the WWE for sure and I look forward to seeing these guys rise up the ranks.)

5. WWE Champion CM Punk is hanging out in his own personal skybox. Paul Heyman tells everyone to forget about getting an update on the champ’s knee. Punk says it’s no one business. Punk says no one in the arena knows what it means to be a champion. He calls the fans dumb, just like Ryback. Punk says he is most dangerous man in the WWE. Punk would have broken every chair and table in New York. Punk is confident that the Shield will beat Ryback tonight but continues to say he is not associated with them. Punk believes his reign as champion is just getting started.

6. All six men start to brawl on the floor to kick off the match. Bryan is kicking Rollins in the chest over and over again. Ambrose is working over Ryback in the corner but that isn’t have much impact on Ryback. Ryback hits a Thez Press but is triple teamed by the Shield quickly. Ryback is dropkicked off the apron by Ambrose. Kane has gotten a ladder but Rolling sends it right into him quickly. Bryan is sent into the ladder but Ryback returns and kicks the ladder into the Shield. Roman whacks Ryback over the back with a chair to slow him down. Kane is back and works over Roman. Roman is sent into a ladder back first and Bryan dropkicks him against the ladder for a near fall. Kane throat thrusts Rollins as he jumps off the top rope. Kane puts Roman in a ladder and whacks a chair against the ladder several times because he can. Ambrose returns and plants Kane with a DDT onto a chair! Rollins rams a ladder into Ryback’s midsection and slams Ryback face first into the ladder. Ryback splashes Rollins and Ambrose against the ladder in the corner. Ryback delivers a snap suplex to both Ambrose and Rollins onto a ladder! Roman returns to the ring to help control Ryback with chair and ladder shots. The Shield looks to send Ryback through the announce table! They hit the triple team powerbomb sending Ryback through the table! Bryan hits a suicide dive on all three men! Ambrose scoop slams Bryan onto a chair and Rollins delivers another chair shot. The Shield sets up a table on the top turnbuckle. They send Bryan face first into the table. Ambrose and Rollins hit a superplex off the ladder on Bryan for a near fall. Kane shoves Rollins off the top and Kane hits a top rope leaping clothesline on Ambrose. Kane drives Roman down with a side slam for a two count. Kane choke slams Ambrose through a chair but can’t get the three! Roman spears Kane through the guard railing! The Shield piles a bunch of stuff onto Kane. Bryan has the YES Lock on Ambrose but has to let go but he puts it on Rollins. Bryan gets it on Roman was well but Ambrose makes the save. Bryan delivers several kicks on Ambrose and Rollins. Rollins leaps up and stomps Bryan’s face into a chair! Ryback is back up and makes the save. Ryback backdrops Rollins and kicks a chair into Roman’s face. Ryback sends Rollins over the top onto Ambrose on the floor! Ryback spears Ambrose and delivers a big clothesline. Ryback hits the Shell Shock on Ambrose but can’t get the three as the Shield makes the save. Ryback is near the entrance way brawling with the Shield. The Shield gets the better of Ryback as he is laid out with a ladder over his body. Rollins climbs a ladder while Ryback is laid over a table. Ryback gets up and Rollins tries to get away. Ryback yanks Rollins off and Rolling crashes through two tables! Roman powerbombs Bryan off the middle rope through a table and wins the match as Ryback is too late getting back to the ring. (****. A great match here that had plenty of spots and did a great job of establishing the Shield. This is how you introduce new guys to a promotion and get them over. Yeah, Ryback losing is not good, but again he wasn’t involved in the outcome. Ryback is losing steam, but the Shield is the buzz of the company now anyways.)

7. In order to kill the crowd, we get the Divas championship match. I don’t care about this and I’m sure nobody cares either. Eve wins with a swinging neckbreaker.

8. Sheamus wastes no time just hammering away on Show. Sheamus avoids a splash in the corner and continues to pummel the champ. On the floor, Show kicks a chair into the face of Sheamus. Sheamus fights back with a running shoulder block off the apron. Show knocks Sheamus down with a clothesline back in the ring. Sheamus gets a chair and begins to whack Show over the back in the ring. Sheamus hits a slam but Show kicks out! Sheamus comes off the top with a shoulder block assisted with a chair to knock the champ off his feet. Sheamus goes for a second attempt of the same move, but Show spears Sheamus in midair! Show splashes Sheamus in the corner to maintain his advantage. Sheamus low blows Show over the top rope. Show comes back with a choke slam but Sheamus kicks out at two. Show tosses four chairs into the ring and whacks Sheamus over the back with one. Show leaps off the middle rope to deliver a splash but Sheamus kicks out again. Sheamus hits the White Noise onto two chairs but Show pops his shoulder up at two! Sheamus misses the Brogue Kick and Show nails him with the knockout punch but only gets a two count! Show goes under the ring to get an enormous chair. Show whacks Sheamus over the back with it and wins the match. (**1/4. It wasn’t all that good but they did the best they could. It’s a big win for Show, as I was surprised that he won here. I think a chairs match has to be one of the most boring matches in WWE, but again, they did an okay with it.)

9. The Brooklyn Brawler is the mystery partner for Miz and Del Rio. So much for listening to the fans who wanted Ryder. Anyway, Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale on Mahal and Brawler got the tag to put a Boston Crab on Mahal to get the submission win. Yep, that’s it.

10. The fans are strongly behind Ziggler to win this. Cena gets the early advantage with a hip toss and headlock. Cena follows up with a snap suplex and nearly botches a monkey flip out of the corner. Ziggler rams a chair into Cena’s midsection on the floor. Cena stops Ziggler in the ring with a flapjack. Ziggler drops Cena on the floor after hitting a baseball slide into a ladder. Back in the ring, Cena drives the ladder into Ziggler’s face. Cena is bleeding under his right eye. Cena drives the steel steps into Dolph’s face on the floor. Cena slides a table into the ring. Ziggler drops Cena throat first across the top rope and sets the ladder up. Cena stops Dolph and they trade blows. Ziggler has a sleeper hold on Cena, who is climbing the ladder. Cena is reaching for the briefcase but Cena passes out and they crash through a table! Cena stops Dolph from climbing the ladder and freaking press slams the ladder over the top to the floor, but Ziggler got off of it. Cena with a flurry of offense but Ziggler hits the Fame-Asser! Cena recovers and puts the STF on Ziggler. Cena keeps the hold on and Ziggler passes out. Cena catches Dolph on a slingshot but Ziggler breaks free to hit the Zig Zag! Cena slams Ziggler down and hit a five knuckle shuffle. Ziggler avoids the AA to hit a jumping DDT! Dolph gets the biggest ladder on the aisle way and slides it into the ring. Ziggler climbs the ladder but Cena makes his way up there as well. Cena head butts Ziggler off the ladder! Cena is by himself and could get the briefcase. Well, Ziggler recovers quickly to prevent Cena from reaching the briefcase. Cena is rammed face first into the ladder. Cena hits a hurricanrana to send Ziggler through a table in the corner! Ziggler absorbs a series of blows from Cena but headbutts him off the middle rope. Dolph hits a crossbody off the top but Cena rolls through and goes for the AA but Ziggler gets a chair and whacks him over the back several times. Cena ducks the superkick and hits the AA. Ziggler rolls to the floor but here comes Vickie Guerrero with a chair. AJ runs down and knocks her down with a shoulder block. AJ hits the five knuckle shuffle too. Cena has a ladder and climbs up to get the briefcase. Wait, AJ tips the ladder over and Cena falls over the top rope throat first. The fans exploded for that turn! Ziggler is baffled. AJ leaves and skips to the backstage area. Ziggler climbs up the ladder and gets the briefcase to win the match! (***1/2. A good match to close the show and a huge, much needed win for Dolph Ziggler. The turn by AJ Lee was unexpected and an association with Ziggler could be interesting. This is a statement victory for Ziggler, even though it wasn’t by pin or submission over the top guy.)

Final Thoughts:
A good pay per view to end the year for WWE. I can’t complain with the execution presented here. A thumbs up for WWE TLC 2012.

Thanks for reading.