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‘WWE TLC 2016’ Results — Two Title Changes And A James Ellsworth Heel Turn

By Dustin Murrell
Published on: 23:44 PST, Dec 1, 2016

The superstars of SmackDown Live competed in their last PPV of the year on Sunday night at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2016. In the main event, WWE World Champion AJ Styles put up his title against Dean Ambrose in a TLC Match. Randy Orton, who has remained a part of The Wyatt Family longer than most members of the WWE Universe would have guessed, teamed up with Bray Wyatt to face Rhyno and Heath Slater for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. Representing the blue brand’s women’s division was Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella, Carmella, and Alexa Bliss, while Baron Corbin faced Kalisto and The Miz faced Dolph Ziggler.

AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose at TLC 2016 [Image by WWE]

WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2016 Preview

Although the TLC Match has been a part of the WWE since 2000, the WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs event wasn’t established until 2009. That will make 2016 the eighth annual WWE TLC PPV. With Monday Night Raw having Hell in a Cell Matches for both their Women’s Championship and United States Championship at WWE HIAC 2016, many expected SmackDown Live to put their Women’s Championship and at least one other title in a TLC Match, although that doesn’t appear to be the case.

The only title bout officially booked as a TLC Match is AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Championship. While Styles has dropped three matches to James Ellsworth since becoming champion, he’s managed to hold on to the belt every time Dean Ambrose came after it. The Royal Rumble marks the beginning of the “Road to WrestleMania,” so whoever wins this match will likely be holding the title as the journey to Orlando begins in 2017. Becky Lynch will defend her title against Alexa Bliss. Becky Lynch is the first and only woman to hold this particular title, while Alexa Bliss is still looking for her first title reign in WWE.

After being the only two survivors for Team SmackDown in the final Elimination Match at Survivor Series 2016, Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt will challenge Rhyno and Heath Slater for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. Meanwhile, The Miz will defend the WWE Intercontinental Championship against former champion Dolph Ziggler.

As Carmella’s feud with Nikki Bella continues, they face off in a No Disqualification Match at TLC 2016. And finally, in a match that could give The Lone Wolf an opportunity to show the WWE Universe just how aggressive he can truly be, Baron Corbin faces Kalisto in a Chairs Match.

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WWE TLC 2016 Results

The following includes the results of all the matches from WWE Tables, Ladders and Chairs 2016 on December 4, with available video highlights. WWE TLC aired live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas. It is currently available to stream on-demand with a subscription to the WWE Network.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCnUJDzjA50

WWE TLC 2016 Kickoff Show on the WWE Network

The hour-long pre-show was hosted by Renee Young, with a panel featuring Daniel Bryan, Booker T, and ESPN’s Peter Rosenberg. Early into the show, they announced that a 10-Man Tag Team Match had been booked for the Kickoff Show, featuring American Alpha, The Hype Bros and Apollo Crews vs. The Ascension, The Vaudevillains and Curt Hawkins. They also announced that Alexa Bliss would be the guest in the Social Media Lounge with Tom Phillips.

TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs 2016 [Image by WWE]

After General Manager Daniel Bryan had to leave the panel to attend to other duties, Natalya joined for a while to talk about the women’s division on SmackDown Live and the upcoming Tables Match between Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss. In the Social Media Lounge, Bliss said that Trish Stratus and Rey Mysterio were big inspirations for her as a young fan, and made it clear that she was very confident about winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

American Alpha, The Hype Bros & Apollo Crews defeated The Vaudevillains, The Ascension & Curt Hawkins

In a match that did a good job of giving everyone involved a chance to contribute as they helped fill the 60-minute pre-show, Jason Jordan and Chad Gable stood out as the dominant team. Gable got the pin on Simon Gotch and the win for his team after hitting Grand Amplitude.

The New Wyatt Family defeated Rhyno & Heath Slater

The opening match of the official WWE TLC show was the next step in the evolution of The Wyatt Family, as Bray Wyatt won his first WWE title. To the delight of the WWE Universe in Dallas, Orton hit a patented RKO to pick up the pinfall for his team. After the match, The Eater of Worlds and The Viper had Luke Harper carry their titles, a sign of unity among the three of them.

Nikki Bella defeated Carmella

Carmella came up short in her match against the star of Total Bellas and Total Divas, but she did manage to get the last word. As Nikki Bella was walking back to the locker room after her victory, Carmella got on the mic to let her know that it was Natalya, not Carmella, who attacked Bella at Survivor Series. Later, when Dasha Fuentes interviewed Natalya backstage, she simply called Carmella a liar.

The Miz defeated Dolph Ziggler

After a grueling Ladder Match with the WWE Intercontinental Championship literally hanging in the balance, it was a pair of low-blow kicks from The Miz that eventually did Dolph Ziggler in, allowing the champ to grab the title while the challenger fell to the ground. After the match, The Miz dedicated his victory to General Manager Daniel Bryan, who had said earlier that he hoped Ziggler would win.

Baron Corbin defeated Kalisto

Although the match lasted much longer than the commentary team acted like it would, Baron Corbin got the victory in this Chairs Match, which is really a glorified No Disqualification Match with a plethora of chairs at ringside.

Alexa Bliss defeated Becky Lynch

In what would be the first time that anyone dropped the SmackDown Women’s Championship, Alexa Bliss managed to get Becky Lynch through a table to win the title. Lynch loses the belt without getting pinned or being forced to tap.

AJ Styles defeated Dean Ambrose

Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles proved that they are capable of putting on a big main event, as they both had multiple high spots during this match that were as impressive as they were innovative. And in a move that very few members of the WWE Universe saw coming, James Ellsworth turned on Dean Ambrose, costing him the match and cheering Styles on to victory. On Talking Smack, he would go into detail about why he made such a surprising decision.

Talking Smack on the WWE Network

General Manager Daniel Bryan returned to Talking Smack after missing it on Tuesday, joining his regular co-host Renee Young. Their first guest was Alexa Bliss, who was genuinely tearful while talking about winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the same night that her parents attended their first WWE live event. When asked about her opponent Becky Lynch, Alexa turned on her heel persona and talked down the former champ.

Baron Corbin was the next guest on Talking Smack, which is a fairly regular occurrence. Given how green Corbin is on the mic, it could be something they are using to help him hone his craft. James Ellsworth follwed Corbin and revealed the reason that he helped Styles win the match. Since he has a contract for a World Championship Match, and has defeated The Phenomenal One three times already, he is convinced that he will be able to defeat Styles (and wouldn’t have been able to defeat Ambrose). Ellsworth said that he saw Shane McMahon backstage and they booked the title match between Styles and Ellsworth for SmackDown Live on Tuesday.

As Daniel Bryan was speculating out loud whether or not it was his “fault” for giving Ellsworth false hope, The Miz took the opportunity to interrupt the show and say that a lot of things were Bryan’s “fault.” The General Manager and the Intercontinental Champion continued to argue until Talking Smack went off the air.

The results above have been corroborated by WWE’s official WWE TLC 2016 recap.

Where To Watch WWE

WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs 2016 aired Sunday, December 4 on the WWE Network. The TLC 2016, along with the TLC Kick-Off Show and Talking Smack, is currently available to stream on-demand for viewers who weren’t able watch the show live.

Nikki Bella vs. Carmella: No DQ Match at TLC 2016. [Image by WWE]

The fallout from TLC 2016 will begin less than 48 hours later. WWE SmackDown Live airs Tuesday nights on the USA Network at 8/7c, with the SmackDown Pre-Show airing on the WWE Network at 7:30/6:30c. Replays of WWE SmackDown aren’t made available on the WWE Network until several weeks after the original air date. However, a replay of SmackDown Live is available to stream on-demand the following day on Hulu.

[Featured Image by WWE]

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