WWE TLC 2014: Results That Built Momentum for Royal Rumble

As 2014 comes to a close, the TLC pay-per-view was the last big chance for WWE to create some tidal waves in preparation for next year's Road to WrestleMania.

The Royal Rumble is still several weeks away, but that will sneak up very quickly, and this event presented an opportunity to get the ball rolling well in advance.

Although not everything ended up being noteworthy, there were a couple results that should get people excited about January's event.

Dolph Ziggler and Rusev Continue Their Hot Streaks

Two of the stars with the most momentum heading into the Royal Rumble at the moment are The Showoff and The Bulgarian Brute.

Rusev's undefeated streak speaks for itself, and now that he has put Jack Swagger aside, the WWE Universe has even more of a reason to believe that he will be a big presence in the 30-man match.

Look for Rusev to be one of the most dominant wrestlers in the match, eliminating people left and right and asserting his will, just as he did against Swagger.

Credit: WWE.com

While Ziggler does not have the same record in 2014 that Rusev does, he is now back to being the other midcard champion opposite him.

Having the Intercontinental Championship means that Ziggler is probably not going to win the Royal Rumble, but he should at least go into the match looking like one of the potential winners.

Whether he wins it, makes it to the final four or just ends up being one of the most entertaining people involved, the praise Ziggler received from his peers after TLC will certainly give him a boost in January.

Credit: WWE.com

Roman Reigns Returns

The Juggernaut of The Shield is back in action, and after two Superman punches and a spear, he put the rest of the roster on notice.

Reigns is a man of few words, but he has put it out there that he's going to outdo his impressive performance from last year.

It isn't hard to imagine this becoming a reality, judging by the way WWE has treated him over the past few months.

Despite recently being out with an injury, Reigns has maintained a presence as being someone to pay attention to in 2015.

Now that he's made his return and will play a key role in the outcome of one of the most important matches of the night, Reigns should easily be everybody's lock when making their Royal Rumble predictions.

Credit: WWE.com

John Cena and Brock Lesnar: The Final Chapter

Perhaps the most obvious storyline to call attention to is the WWE World Heavyweight Championship situation.

By defeating Seth Rollins, John Cena retained his spot as the rightful No. 1 contender to Brock Lesnar's title and will get his opportunity at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Although it can be argued that Cena never really needs much extra added momentum because he's perpetually a top star, it certainly doesn't hurt for him to have won his Tables match at TLC.

Cena looks stronger after having defeated not only Rollins but also his two lackeys in J and J Security.

Credit: WWE.com

Nothing is set in stone until January 25 passes us by, but after the events of TLC, we have a better inclination of what names to look out for come Royal Rumble season.

Several stars are looking strong and are the true talent to keep paying attention to over the next few weeks as WWE builds toward the event.

Will Ziggler, Rusev or Roman Reigns end up challenging Lesnar or Cena at WrestleMania XXXI?

What other results from TLC are getting you pumped up for the Royal Rumble?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Anthony Mango is the owner-operator of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment as well as the host of its podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.