WWE TLC Pay-Per-View 2012 Match Results: Ziggler Defeats Cena, Shield Trumps Ryback

The 2012 Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view was one of WWE’s less flattering events of the year. The night’s two highlights were Dolph Ziggler retaining his "Money in the Bank" contract in a match against John Cena after interference from a psychotic AJ Lee, and the Shield team earning their first victory over Kane, Daniel Bryan and Ryback.

The Showoff overcoming the Cenation Leader in the closing match at TLC was the biggest moment, setting Ziggler up as a top superstar and turning AJ Lee heel when she sent Cena flying from the top of a ladder. The crowd at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. was firmly behind the "Money in the Bank" winner, who proved he could put on an exciting main event.

There is one large issue with this result: TLC 2012 is now the third consecutive pay-per-view to end with interference. "Hell in a Cell" saw Brad Maddox low-blow Ryback, then the Shield debuted at "Survivor Series" to put the Big Hungry through a table, and now the former RAW General Manager knocked Cena off the top of a ladder.

Even though Ryback also had his third loss in a row, it was Daniel Bryan who took the fall. It took getting used to because this Tables, Ladder and Chairs match wasn’t like the ones fans have seen in the past, but once things got going, this six-man bout was more brutal than anything else from last night’s show.

Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns of the Shield all looked strong in the match, along with Ryback. The trio got Ryback to the top of the ramp before two of them returned to the ring to finish off Bryan, leaving the feud open but legitimizing the new group with a victory in their first match.

The rest of the night played out like a match heavy episode of "RAW."

Big Show defeated Sheamus to retain the World Heavyweight Title in a Chairs match. The fight was the first time the two met with a weapon stipulation, but ended up being less violent than the previous two matches they had.

The World Championship match had an anticlimactic ending that saw the Giant hit the Celtic Warrior with a big chair to win. It was strange, because the weapon looked cartoony, and just because it was bigger doesn’t mean it would inflict more damage – it would have been the same material.

The night opened with a number one contenders Table match for the Tag Team Titles between Rhodes Scholars and Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara. Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow were victorious over the luchadors, but the fight was tame as far as Table matches are considered.

Antonio Cesario, Kofi Kingston and Eve Torres successfully defended their respective titles in singles matches against R-Truth, Wade Barrett and Naomi. The card from the TLC pay-per-view was packed with matches, so the midcard title matches weren’t given a fair share of time.

Last night was the first time 3MB was featured on the main card of a pay-per-view, and the three-man band faced the Miz, Alberto Del Rio and the Brooklyn Brawler. The retro-jobber picked up the victory in his hometown.

It was a strange match, with the Awesome One and the Mexican Aristocrat both being fresh babyfaces. There was some confusion in the crowd as to whether or not to cheer Del Rio.