TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2011

TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2011)

Promotion	WWE
Date	December 18, 2011
Venue	1st Mariner Arena
City	Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance	9,000
Last Event	Survivor Series
Next Event	Royal Rumble

TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was the third annual TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on December 18, 2011 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

Event summary[]

Dolph Ziggler vs Zack Ryder[]

Do we have a new United States Champion?

Woo Woo Woo! You know it!

At WWE TLC: Tables Ladders and Chairs, the self-proclaimed Internet Champion, Zack Ryder, finally won his first official WWE singles championship when he defeated Dolph Ziggler for the title previously held by 14 WWE Hall of Famers including Harley Race, Terry Funk, Sgt. Slaughter and Mr. Perfect.

On the Dec. 5 edition of Raw SuperShow, Cena selflessly agreed to John Laurinaitis’ stipulation that The Cenation Commander-in-Chief forego a WWE Championship Match himself in order for Long Island Iced-Z to get one last opportunity to earn a United States Title bout. All Ryder needed to do was defeat Mr. Laurinaitis’ handpicked opponent, World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry, in a match with no disqualifications and no count-outs! During the match, Cena charged the ring, took advantage of the stipulation and assured that Ryder won the contest. In doing so, Ryder finally won the opportunity to challenge Dolph for the United States Championship.

The night before WWE TLC at a WWE live event on Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum, Ryder was robbed of the United States Championship when Vickie dove in the ring to break up the three-count following a Rough Ryder on Ziggler. The Woo Woo Woo Kid won the match by disqualification but Ziggler remained champion. Members of The Ryder Revolution nearly rioted but took consolation that The Long Island Iced-Z would have another opportunity on pay-per-view.

The New York Islanders may not win another NHL Stanley Cup anytime soon but perhaps the Nassau Coliseum can hang an orange and purple Zack Ryder United States Championship banner above center ice that includes #WWWYKIUSCHAMP as a tribute to the millions of WWE fans that made Zack Ryder a star via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Air Boom vs Primo & Epico[]

Though they were lacking in momentum heading into WWE TLC, Air Boom overcame the onslaught of Primo and Epico to retain their WWE Tag Team Championships.

The sly challengers tried their best to outwit Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne early in the contest, but the champions held on to their titles after Kingston leveled Primo with Trouble in Paradise.

The Puerto Rican pair, always accompanied by the beautiful Rosa Mendes, burst on the scene several weeks ago and immediately proved they deserved an opportunity at the top team prize in sports-entertainment.

Primo and Epico showed they could keep up with the fast-paced, high-flying style of the champions since their debut. The cousins seemed to have Air Boom’s number, defeating them twice in title-free matches in the past week at Tribute to the Troops and on “WWE Superstars.” However, the WWE Tag Team Champions showed that the third time would not be a charm for the challengers.

Now that the top contenders have been vanquished, the door is wide open for another team to step up and try to end Kingston and Bourne’s reign. There’s no doubt that Air Boom will be ready and willing to answer the challenge.

Beth Phoenix vs Kelly Kelly[]

At a packed and electric 1st Mariner Arena, Divas Champion Beth Phoenix retained her title against a game Kelly Kelly in a rousing match at WWE: Tables, Ladders and Chairs.

Fresh off her award for Divalicious Moment of the Year at the 2011 Slammy Awards, challenger Kelly Kelly entered the contest with both momentum and the support of the WWE Universe on her side, as the Baltimore crowd cheered loudly for the beautiful Diva.

Evidently not forgetting the smack she received from the former Divas Champion at the Slammys, “pin-up strong” Beth Phoenix mockingly asked for another one from Kelly Kelly. She received it and more as Phoenix found herself on the wrong end of a beat down to start the match.

However, the Divas Champion turned the tides and began imposing her will. The Glamazon battered her opponent with an array of strikes, submission attempts and slams, nearly getting the pinfall multiple times.

Kelly Kelly battled back courageously against the physically intimidating Phoenix, using everything in her arsenal. Plucky in the face of danger, she showed everyone again that she is tough and wily, in addition to being stunningly gorgeous.

In the end though, The Glamazon gained control of the match with sheer power, utilizing a rare inverted electric chair to seal the victory over her Divalicious opponent.

Kelly Kelly may not have won the title, but she made even more fans with her gutsy performance. Phoenix, meanwhile, continued her dominance over the Divas Division and again demonstrated what it means to be pin-up strong.

Sheamus vs Jack Swagger[]

Jack Swagger got in Santa Claus’ face at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, and he had to answer to the world’s angriest elf as a result (no, we don’t mean a chair-toting Hornswoggle).

In a bonus match at WWE TLC, Swagger faced off against Sheamus just one month after The Great White’s aggression against The All-American American got him disqualified from the traditional Survivor Series 5-on-5 Tag Team Match. There were no referees to stop the fight this time, as The Celtic Warrior defeated his opponent and finished the job he started at Survivor Series.

The match came about in the locker room, after Swagger and SmackDown GM Teddy Long (who was dressed as St. Nick, handing out wishes to Superstars and Divas) got into an argument over Long’s refusal to levy punishment against World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry for attacking Swagger with a chair on SmackDown. A compromise was reached: if the former World Champion would sit on Santa’s lap, Long would relent. Enter Sheamus, who poked fun at Swagger’s predicament and was placed into a match with Swagger after The All American-American got in The Great White’s face.

The Celtic Warrior made good on the opportunity and defeated Swagger in a hard-hitting contest that saw the two Superstars trade vicious blows both in and out of the ring. Swagger seemed to briefly gain the upper hand after a strong offensive run outside the ring, after which he bombarded Sheamus with several attacks to the knees. Swagger administered the ankle lock to seemingly put the contest away, but The Great White hit The All-American American with a Brogue Kick to pick up the win while Vickie Guerrero screamed on the outside.

The moral of the story? Do not insult Santa Claus, because he just might sic Sheamus on you.

Results[]

Singles match for the WWE United States Championship: Zack Ryder defeated Dolph Ziggler (c) (with Vickie Guerrero)
Tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship: Air Boom (Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston) (c) defeated Primo and Epico (with Rosa Mendes)
Singles match for the WWE Divas Championship: Beth Phoenix (c) defeated Kelly Kelly
Singles match: Sheamus defeated Jack Swagger (with Vickie Guerrero)