| TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuringRyback | |||
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Date | December 16, 2012 | ||
| City | Brooklyn, New York | ||
| Venue | Barclays Center | ||
| Attendance | 15,748[1][2] | ||
| Buy rate | 175,000[3] | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs chronology | |||
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The 2012TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was the fourth annualTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairsprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced byWWE. It took place on December 16, 2012, at theBarclays Center inBrooklyn, New York. It was the first professional wrestling event to be held at the Barclays Center and WWE's first event held inBrooklyn.
Ten matches were contested at the event, with two matches contested on the pre-show. In the main event,Dolph Ziggler defeatedJohn Cena in aLadder match to retain theWorld HeavyweightMoney in the Bank contract. In other prominent matches,The Shield (Dean Ambrose,Roman Reigns, andSeth Rollins) defeatedRyback andWWE Tag Team ChampionsTeam Hell No (Kane andDaniel Bryan) in aSix-man tag teamTables, Ladders and Chairs match which was also The Shield's debut match as a stable andBig Show defeatedSheamus in aChairs match to retain theWorld Heavyweight Championship.
The event received 175,000 pay-per-view buys, down from 179,000 buysthe previous year.
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TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was an annualprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV) produced every December byWWE since 2009. Theconcept of the event was based on the primary matches of the card each containing a stipulation usingtables,ladders, andchairs as legal weapons, with the main event generally being aTables, Ladders, and Chairs match.[4][5] The 2012 event was the fourth TLC and was scheduled to take place on December 16, 2012, atBarclays Center inBrooklyn, New York. It would in turn be the first professional wrestling event held at the Barclays Center and subsequently WWE's first event held inBrooklyn. In addition to the event, winners of several categories of theWWE Slammy Awards were announced on the pre-show.[6]
Theprofessional wrestling matches at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs featured professional wrestlers performing ascharacters inscripted events pre-determined by the hostingpromotion, WWE.Storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows,Raw andSmackDown.[7][8]
The major rivalry going into TLC was between the reigningWWE ChampionCM Punk andRyback. Having been denied the title atHell in a Cell by 'rogue official'Brad Maddox, Ryback along withJohn Cena competed in a triple threat match for Punk's title atSurvivor Series. However, Punk was able to retain the title again when the debuting trio ofDean Ambrose,Seth Rollins, andRoman Reigns interfered andpowerbombed Ryback through a table as he was closing in on victory. The trio followed this up by putting Ryback through a table once again the next night onRaw, and, calling themselvesThe Shield, continued to attack a myriad of superstars over the following weeks including repeated assaults on theWWE Tag Team ChampionsTeam Hell No (Daniel Bryan andKane), who vowed to put aside the personal differences which had marred their title reign and become united as a result.[9] Having been denied the chance to win the WWE Championship at Survivor Series, Ryback was granted another opportunity at the title in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match against Punk.[10] However, the following week during a brawl involving The Shield, Team Hell No andThe Miz, Ryback assaulted Punk with a chair and a ladder beforepowerbombing him through a table. The next day, Punk underwent surgery for a (legit) knee injury, and so was removed from the card. Instead, Ryback would team with Team Hell No against Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns in asix-man tag team TLC match. This match (which was announced via a press release by WWE chairmanVince McMahon) differed from standard TLC matches as it would be decided via pinfall or submission.[11] However, the original TLC match between CM Punk and Ryback was rescheduled for the firstRaw of 2013.[12]
On October 28, 2012, at Hell in a Cell,Big Show won theWorld Heavyweight Championship after defeatingSheamus.[13] The conflict between both men intensified after the match, leading to Big Show's attack on Sheamus andWilliam Regal while the two were visiting an English pub during WWE's European tour.[14] Another fight broke out between the two of them in a parking lot during the November 16 episode ofSmackDown.[14] The conflict reached its worst during their rematch atSurvivor Series: the Big Show used a referee to shield himself from the Brogue Kick and managed to deliver a knockout punch (WMD) while Sheamus was checking on the downed referee. This foul play ultimately caused the Big Show to be disqualified from the match, thus retaining his title. Shortly after failing to regain the title, Sheamus attacked Big Show with a steel chair while the Big Show pleaded for a cessation of the attacks. Sheamus relented, but followed up the beating by performing his finishing move, the Brogue Kick, on the Big Show.[15] Therefore, a chairs match between Big Show and Sheamus was first announced on the November 23 episode ofSmackDown by General ManagerBooker T. TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs events have been an emotional point for Big Show as he both gained and then lost his title during thelast event held in 2011 in a record of 45 seconds, as a result of Bryan Danielson cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase afterMark Henry knocked out Show post-match.[14]
Leading up to Survivor Series,Wade Barrett replacedThe Miz as the final entrant of Team Ziggler, matching up withKofi Kingston. During the Survivor Series tag team match between Team Foley and Team Ziggler, Barrett managed to pin Kingston and eliminate him.[16] On the November 19 episode ofRaw, Barrett defeated Kingston in a non-title match.[17] During the November 26 episode, Barrett was granted a match to vie for Kingston'sIntercontinental Championship at the TLC event.[18]
Since October 2012,John Cena was accused of having an inappropriate romantic relationship withAJ Lee during the latter's time asRaw general manager, which newly appointedRaw managing supervisorVickie Guerrero andDolph Ziggler were trying to prove, beginning a feud between Cena and Ziggler.[19] During the December 3 episode ofRaw, Guerrero (after being coaxed by WWE ChairmanVince McMahon) made a ladder match between Cena and Ziggler for Ziggler'sMoney in the Bank World Heavyweight Championship contract at the TLC PPV. It marked the second time Ziggler would defend his contract.[20]
Antonio Cesaro was feuding with R-Truth heading into the pay-per-view after R-Truth unsuccessfully challenged him for the United States Championship at Survivor Series. The weeks building up included them facing off in a Six Man Tag Team Match and with Cesaro mocking America on the episode ofSmackDown before the show. R-Truth suffered a small knee injury but competed anyway.
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Englishcommentators | Michael Cole |
| Jerry Lawler | |
| John Bradshaw Layfield | |
| Pre-show commentators | Scott Stanford |
| Matt Striker | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Marcelo Rodriguez | |
| Interviewers | The Miz(Miz TV) |
| Ring announcers | Lilian Garcia |
| Justin Roberts | |
| Tony Chimel(Pre-Show) | |
| Referees | Mike Chioda |
| Charles Robinson | |
| John Cone | |
| Jack Doan | |
| Scott Armstrong | |
| Ryan Tran |
In an untelevised match,JTG beatDavid Otunga by pinfall.
The next match aired on the pre-show. It was a "Santa's Little Helpers"battle royal for the #1 contendership to theDivas Championship betweenAlicia Fox,Aksana,Naomi,Cameron,Tamina Snuka,Kaitlyn,Layla,Natalya, andRosa Mendes. Naomi won the match after last eliminating Kaitlyn.[21]
WWE also offered a tribute to the victims of theSandy Hook Elementary School shooting at the start of the pay-per-view. The audience was prompted to rise as the bell was tolled 26 times in a gesture of respect to the 26 victims of the tragedy, their families, and everyone affected by the events.[21]
The first match was a tables match to determine the #1 contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship between Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes) and Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara. In the end, Sin Cara attempted aspringboard maneuver, but Rhodes pushed Sin Cara off the ropes, knocking him through a table on the floor, meaning that Rhodes and Sandow won the match.[21]
Next was the United States Championship match between Antonio Cesaro and R-Truth. Cesaro performed aNeutralizer on R-Truth to retain the title.[21]
The Miz came to the ring to host an unannounced episode of "MizTV". 3MB (Heath Slater,Drew McIntyre, andJinder Mahal) were the guests. They announced that they were going to perform "live" for the first time during the 2012WWE Slammy Awards. 3MB began mocking Miz and the crowd before mocking the Spanish announce team.Ricardo Rodriguez came to the aid of the Spanish announce team, but was attacked by 3MB.Alberto Del Rio came to Ricardo's aid and attacked 3MB with The Miz. Slater then challenged Miz, Del Rio, and a partner of their choosing to fight 3MB later in the night, which Miz and Del Rio accepted.[21]
The third match was for the Intercontinental Championship between Kofi Kingston and Wade Barrett. In the end, Barrett attempted aBull Hammer on Kingston, but Kingston ducked and performedTrouble in Paradise on Barrett to retain the title.[21]
In the fourth match, The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins) faced Team Hell No (Kane and Daniel Bryan) and Ryback in a six-man Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. The Shield dominated the early part of the match, isolating one member of the other team and performing atriple powerbomb through an announce table on Ryback. Ambrose and Rollins performed adoublesuperplex off a table, which was positioned on the top rope, on Bryan and attempted the same move on Kane, who countered and performed aflying clothesline on Ambrose. Reigns performed aspear through the barricade on Kane and The Shield buried Kane underneath rubble from the broadcast table and barricade, taking him out of the match. Bryan applied theYes Lock on each member of The Shield, but each member broke the hold. Ryback recovered, dominated The Shield and executedShell Shocked on Ambrose, but Rollins and Reigns broke up the pin. As The Shield fought with Ryback on the entrance ramp, Ryback threw Rollins off a ladder through two tables. Back in the ring, Reigns and Ambrose performed anaided powerbomb on Bryan off the top rope and through a table and Reigns pinned Bryan to win the match.[21]
The next match was the WWE Divas Championship match between Eve Torres and Naomi. Eve executed aHeart Breaker on Naomi to win the match.[21]
The chairs match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Big Show and Sheamus followed. Sheamus performed adiving shoulder block with a chair on Big Show and dove off the top rope, but Big Show countered with aspear. Show attacked Sheamus with a chair and performed achokeslam on Sheamus for a near-fall. Show attempted another chokeslam through two chairs on Sheamus, but Sheamus countered withWhite Noise through the chairs for a near-fall. Sheamus attempted theBrogue Kick but missed and Big Show executed theKnockout Punch for a near-fall. Big Show hit Sheamus with a large chair to retain the title.[21]
Next was a six-man tag team match between the team of The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, and their surprise partnerThe Brooklyn Brawler against the 3MB. The Miz performed theSkull-Crushing Finale on Jinder Mahal and tagged in The Brooklyn Brawler. The Brooklyn Brawler forced Mahal to submit to theBoston crab for the win.[21]
In the last match of the night, Dolph Ziggler defended his World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract against John Cena in a ladder match. Ziggler applied asleeper hold atop a ladder on Cena, causing Cena and Ziggler to fall off the ladder through a table. Cena applied theSTF, causing Ziggler to pass out. Cena attempted anAttitude Adjustment on Ziggler, but Ziggler countered into aZig Zag. Cena performed ahurricanrana on Ziggler, sending Ziggler through a table. Cena executed an Attitude Adjustment on Ziggler, causing Ziggler to roll out of the ring.Vickie Guerrero then came out and tried to interfere, butAJ stopped her and performed theFive Knuckle Shuffle on Guerrero. Cena climbed the ladder, but suddenly AJ pushed it over, allowing Ziggler tosuperkick Cena. Ziggler climbed the ladder and retrieved the briefcase to win the match.[21]
The event received high reviews overall. The six-man tag team TLC match between The Shield against Team Hell No and Ryback received the highest rating of the event by Dave Meltzer, with 4.5 stars out of 5.[22]
The big stories out of this show were the face turn by Alberto Del Rio and the heel turn by AJ Lee. On the New Year's Eve episode ofRaw, the champions were allowed to pick their opponents to defend their titles against. Big Show challenged Del Rio's ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, and brutally assaulted him until Del Rio came to Rodriguez's rescue. This resulted in Del Rio challenging for Big Show's World Heavyweight Championship in a Last Man Standing match on the January 11 showing ofSmackDown, which Del Rio won. AJ said that she felt that Cena had betrayed her when he told her not to attend his matches, and she turned heel and became the in-story girlfriend of Ziggler.
Ryback ended up getting his title rematch against Punk on the firstRaw episode of 2013 in a TLC match, but again failed to capture it due to interference by The Shield.The Rock went on to defeat Punk and end his reign at 434 days at theRoyal Rumble.
Kaitlyn received two more opportunities at the Divas Championship, defeating Eve via DQ and countout each time. Kaitlyn finally defeated Eve to capture the Divas Championship on the 20th Anniversary episode ofRaw on January 14, 2013, in Kaitlyn's hometown of Houston. Eve quit WWE in an exclusive segment after losing the title.
| Elimination | Wrestler | Eliminated by | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rosa Mendes | Natalya | 00:27 | ||
| 2 | Cameron | Snuka | 01:22 | ||
| 3 | Alicia Fox | Aksana | 01:30 | ||
| 4 | Aksana | Layla | 02:02 | ||
| 5 | Layla | Snuka | 03:32 | ||
| 6 | Natalya | Kaitlyn and Naomi | 03:46 | ||
| 7 | Tamina Snuka | Naomi | 04:40 | ||
| 8 | Kaitlyn | Naomi | 05:47 | ||
| Winner: | Naomi | ||||