WWE TLC 2012 results

1. Naomi won the “Santa’s Helper” No. 1 Contender’s Diva Battle Royal

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Christmas came early this year for up-and-coming Diva Naomi, who took advantage of Divas Champion Eve striking Kaitlyn to seize vic

tory in the “Santa’s Helper” No. 1 Contender’s Diva Battle Royal on the WWE TLC Pre-Show. The beautiful Funkadactyl, typically seen busting a move alongside Brodus Clay, amazingly won the first match of her WWE career, not including her matches as an NXT season three Rookie, as she outlasted a stacked field, including former Divas Champions Alicia Fox, Layla and Natalya, as well as former No. 1 contender Kaitlyn, Tamina Snuka, Rosa Mendes, Aksana and her fellow Funkadactyl, Cameron. The enormous win grants Naomi a golden opportunity: a same-night title match against Eve to take place during the WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view. The Battle Royal immediately started off with a bang, as the Divas, decked in festive attire, battled like they weren’t feeling the holiday spirit. The Funkadactyls used impressive and acrobatic teamwork on Aksana, while the daughter of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Tamina, showed she was a dangerous force to be reckoned with, whittling the field down. And then there were three. As Kaitlyn struggled to push Tamina over the top rope, Naomi helped eliminate the powerhouse Diva, making it a showdown between the two finalists of NXT Season 3, Naomi and Kaitlyn. Eve moved from her seat on commentary to stand ringside, as Naomi leapt over a charging Kaitlyn, showcasing incredible athleticism. It looked like The Hybrid Diva would use her notable strength advantage to secure another title match against her rival, Eve. This, however, was when the Divas Champion made her presence felt. Striking Kaitlyn while she was against the ropes, Eve gave Naomi the opening she needed to kick Kaitlyn over the top and pick up the massive win. Eve’s malicious involvement sets her former challenger back, but it also gains her a new No. 1 contender in Naomi, one she has never faced before. With so many unknown variables surrounding the stunning Naomi and what she brings to the ring, she very well could be the competitor to end Eve’s dominant three-month reign. The last Diva Battle Royal proved to be a coming-out party for Kaitlyn, who won the match and went on to establish herself as a top challenger for the butterfly-emblazoned title. Will Naomi follow the same path? Is this Funkadactyl the next competitor to reach the summit of the Divas division? Divas Champion Eve defends her illustrious title against the winner of the “Santa’s Helper” No. 1 Contender’s Diva Battle Royal, Naomi, at the WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view.

2. Team Rhodes Scholars def. Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – In the opening match of WWE’s TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Sunday night – the first-ever WWE pay-per-event to emanate from Brooklyn’s brand-new Ba

rclays Center – Team Rhodes Scholars vanquished Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara, as soundly as the English defeated their opponents in the Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896. Or something like that. The fact is, Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes, though arrogant, pompous and condescending, have shown a great deal of resilience. The pair earned the right to face Mysterio & Sin Cara in a Tables Match after winning a Fatal 4-Way tag team bout this past Monday on Raw. And they certainly made the most of the opportunity, besting their masked rivals to earn a title match against WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No. After insulting the entirety of tonight’s host city, Sandow & Rhodes managed to squeeze their egos into the ring. During the bout, Team Rhodes Scholars dominated early, each man holding one end of a table and attempting to break it over their opponents. When that didn’t work, the two set up tables outside the ring in preparation for a punishing Mysterio & Sin Cara. Instead, the luchadores ignited a flurry of offense against their rivals, but Sin Cara appeared hindered after his leg was smashed by the steel steps earlier in the match. The battered limb would prove crucial later on when Sin Cara climbed to the top rope. When it looked as if he would leap atop Sandow, Rhodes rushed over before he could and toppled the masked Superstar. The fall sent Sin Cara backward, crashing into one of the tables set up outside the ring and allowed Team Rhodes Scholars to notch the win. And now, in the wake of their victory, the next challenge awaiting Sandow & Rhodes will be Team Hell No. Can the so-called Intellectual Savior of the Masses and his mustachioed compadre continue to ace their in-ring exams? Or will Kane & Daniel Bryan put an end to brain trust?

3. Antonio Cesaro def. R-Truth
Brooklyn, N.Y. — On the Dec. 7 episode of SmackDown, R-Truth responded to United States Champion Antonio Cesaro’s criticism of America, taking the reigning titleholder to task on behalf o

f the red, white and blue. Truth backed up those impassioned words at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs with a valiant effort Sunday night, bringing everything he had to his match against Cesaro with the U.S. Title on the line. But the shockingly strong Swiss Superman proved once again to be too much to handle, retaining his championship gold in impressive fashion. Coming into the match with two pinfall victories over Cesaro, R-Truth was clearly fired up from the get-go, entering the Barclays Center with a little extra bounce in his step. Truth built up some momentum early on, but a massive back body drop by his Swiss opponent turned the tide and Cesaro immediately went to work on the challenger. With “USA!” chants echoing throughout the arena, Truth tried to get back into the match. A succession of clotheslines, followed by a picture-perfect scissors kick may have been enough to put away most Superstars, but The Swiss Superman powered through, kicking out of Truth’s pin attempt. Then, living up to its name, Cesaro caught his opponent with the Neutralizer, and the devastating maneuver kept R-Truth down for the three-count. After the bell rang, Matt Striker asked the reigning U.S. Champion what he thought of the negative response by the Barclays Center crowd. In typically arrogant fashion, Cesaro answered, “Unlike America, I am the true international superpower. I am the greatest United States Champion in history. Therefore, by booing me, you are booing your own country.” Cesaro went on to say Americans have “no respect for your own country, your fellow citizens or for yourself.” Even if you don’t agree with him, what can’t be argued is the fact Cesaro is a force to be reckoned with in WWE, as evidence by his walking out of the Barclays Center still adorned in United States Championship gold.

4. Kofi Kingston def. Wade Barrett

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston weathered the strongest strikes Wade Barrett had to offer at WWE TLC, avoiding the Bull Hammer elbow

 before flooring the challenger with Trouble in Paradise to retain his title. Before the bout, Barrett said he was supremely confident, having defeated Kingston on several occasions heading into Sunday night. He showed that conviction in the early goings of the bout, wrestling Kingston down to the mat. The Intercontinental Champion used his lightning-quick speed and agility to evade Barrett’s strikes for a brief moment, taking him out with an awe-inspiring dive to the outside. The bare-knuckle brawler countered with his power, stopping Kingston in his tracks with a kick to the gut before wearing him down with a big pumphandle slam, followed by a big elbow drop from the second rope. Kingston used the ropes to bounce out of a suplex attempt by Barrett, unleashing a flurry of blows that culminated with a Boom Drop. “The Wildcat” tried to end things with the SOS, but the challenger mustered enough energy to kick out. Barrett regained his composure and cut off Kingston’s offense with a vicious Winds of Change side slam. The British Superstar then signaled to the WWE Universe in attendance that Kingston would soon be introduced to the Bull Hammer once again. The crowd gathered in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center watched on as Barrett clawed as Kingston’s face, bringing him back to his feet for the devastating elbow smash. As Barrett spun him around, though, Kingston slipped out of the Brit’s grip. The Intercontinental Champion then turned into a whirling dervish, connecting on the challenger’s chin with the Trouble in Paradise kick to hold on to his prestigious title. Kingston seemed to finally vanquish some demons at WWE TLC. He and Barrett have been on-and-off rivals going back to last year, when the British Superstar defeated Kingston to capture the very same Intercontinental Title they battled over at WWE TLC. Since his return from injury this fall, Barrett had set his sights on Kingston and the championship he once held. The Barrett Barrage looked to be back on course at Survivor Series 2012, when the bare-knuckle brawler eliminated Kingston from a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match, then pinned him the following night on Raw in a one-on-one bout to earn the title opportunity on Sunday night. Now that he’s overcome his biggest challenge to date, how high can the Intercontinental Champion fly?

5. The Shield def. Ryback & Team Hell No
Brooklyn, N.Y. — From WWE’s first visit to Brooklyn, N.Y., in more than three decades to the first pay-per-view held in New York City’s most populous borough (most people think

 it’s Manhattan), WWE TLC 2012 will forever be remembered by the WWE Universe as a night of new beginnings. Unfortunately for Team Hell No & Ryback, their inaugural trip to the new Barclays Center ended in frustration while their mysterious opponents, The Shield, achieved an important milestone. The troublemaking threesome of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns seized victory in their WWE debut bout by besting their rivals Sunday evening in the first-ever Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match in WWE history to be decided solely by pinfall or submission. Reigns clinched the win for his side by putting Daniel Bryan through a table with a powerbomb as Ryback and Kane lied helpless. Though their participation was ordered by decree of WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon less than two weeks ago, the combatants in the Six-Man TLC Match certainly needed little motivation to get amped up for the contest. The Shield introduced themselves to the WWE Universe by targeting Ryback during his WWE Title opportunity against CM Punk at Survivor Series 2012. Explaining the tactics as a symbol of their efforts to shield WWE from what they perceived as “injustice,” Ambrose, Rollins & Reigns then expanded their efforts by attacking Team Hell No and other Superstars without warning. The reigning WWE Tag Team Champions aligned with Ryback in hopes of taking The Shield upstarts down a notch at WWE TLC. Despite no disqualifications or count-outs in effect as well as an abundant supply of tables, ladders and chairs at their disposal, Team Hell No and the fledgling brute still had their hands full with the NXT invaders. Both the titleholders and Ryback got the jump on their opponents as the three insurgents approached ringside through the capacity crowd at the Barclays Center. Their initial tactic of divide and conquer appeared to work in the early goings, as the six-sided battle briefly turned into three one-on-one brawls that favored the ring veterans. Things then took a turn for the extreme as Kane, the only competitor in the match with prior experience in a TLC Match, introduced the first ladder into play. Reigns countered that by bringing the first chair into the melee and using it to neutralize the imposing presence of The Devil’s Favorite Demon.

6. Big Show def. Sheamus

BROOKLYN, N.Y. —As part of WWE unleashing one of its most vicious pay-per-views, WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, into the brand-new Barclays Center, World Heavyweight Champion Big Show reign

ed supreme over Sheamus in an absolutely brutal Chairs Match — enlisting the help of a surprise, super-sized weapon. From the opening bell, the destructive conflict between the two forces of nature mirrored the highly-volatile rivalry that had built between them ever since they first clashed for the World Heavyweight Title at WWE Hell in a Cell. Sheamus went after The World’s Largest Athlete early, incredibly getting Big Show off his feet before introducing the first chair into the bout. With the help of an athletic high backkick that caught his opponent off guard outside the ring, however, Big Show would be the first to drop his opponent to the floor with the dangerous steel implement. Once the battle finally reentered the squared circle, Big Show took charge with a huge clothesline and headbutt combination. But even that devastation couldn’t stop Sheamus from regrouping and unleashing a massive chair assault — before using his unbelievable strength to slam Big Show to the canvas. He then leaped off the top rope, chair in hand, taking down the World Heavyweight Champion yet again.

7. Eve def. Noami

BOOKLYN, N.Y. — In a match that proved much more difficult than she anticipated, Divas Champion Eve defeated the winner of the “Santa’s Helper” No. 1 Contender’s Diva Battle Royal, Naomi, to extend he

r impressive title reign to nearly 100 days. Naomi, one-half of The Funkadactyls who accompany Brodus Clay to the ring, won the Battle Royal and subsequent golden opportunity against Eve during the live WWE TLC Pre-Show, when the champion herself interfered in the match and distracted Kaitlyn, giving Naomi the massive win. If Eve assumed Naomi would be an easier opponent than Kaitlyn for her title defense, however, she calculated poorly. Although Naomi had never competed in WWE outside season three of WWE NXT, The Funkadactyl showed she can bust more than a move, as she took the fight to Eve, while Brodus and her fellow Funkadactyl Cameron watched the action on a backstage screen. Overconfident to a fault, Eve taunted her opponent to start the match, but Naomi immediately showed her athleticism and competitive spirit, as she leaped over and slid under the champion, even hitting Eve with a flying butt butt maneuver. Naomi gave Eve a challenge and looked good doing it, as she showed some of her moves in the ring. Eve took control of the match with her incredible Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills and her natural mean streak, though. When Naomi went off the top rope, the Divas Champion was able to dodge the high-impact move and hit The Funkadactyl with a neckbreaker to seal the win and successful title defense. Ever the bad sport, Eve posed over her defeated foe for a mocking photo op. Even though Divas Champion Eve is in the midst of a dominant run with the butterfly-emblazoned title, the emergence of an exciting new contender in Naomi, combined with the ongoing drama between Eve and formidable challengers like Kaitlyn, makes the new-look Divas division a volatile situation worth keeping an eye on as WWE rolls into 2013.