WWE TLC 2015 Results: Biggest Stars of the Night

WWE's roster is incredibly thin right now, so the TLC pay-per-view is not only the final event of 2015, but it's also the last time for someone to step up before the build to the Royal Rumble.

Now that the results are in for what transpired, it's time to look back on Tables, Ladders and Chairs to determine if anybody was able to grab that brass ring.

Roman Reigns was chosen as the man to pick up the WWE World Heavyweight Championship slack after Seth Rollins went down with his injury, but just as soon as that happened, the ball was passed over to Sheamus.

Going into 2016, which one of them was given the spotlight and entrusted with the burden of carrying the company on his shoulders?

Likewise, the WWE midcard still needs its champions. Kevin Owens has had a stellar 2015, but Dean Ambrose is popular enough to steal the focus away from him. Jack Swagger has had a slight resurgence, but was that enough to demote Alberto Del Rio?

Based on factors such as wins and losses, storyline importance, performance quality, how integral each wrestler was going into the next edition of Monday Night Raw and his overall position on the WWE hierarchy beforehand, let's break down the events that transpired at TLC and review the night's biggest stars.

Honorable Mention: Kalisto

Credit: WWE.com

The Lucha Dragons did not win the Tag Team Championship in their match, but Kalisto was the standout wrestler among the competitors involved.

With one move, he stole the show, becoming responsible for one of the few instances where WWE's version of a demolition derby actually lived up to its name.

That move, for those who haven't seen it, was a Salida del Sol off a ladder onto another ladder—easily the best thing to happen that entire match.

Considering the rest of the event that preceded and followed this match, it's hard to argue that this wasn't the highlight of the entire pay-per-view.

Kalisto loses points for not winning his match, which prevents him from being officially on the list, but he was still able to be a bigger talking point than many others who were indeed victorious.

3. The Wyatt Family

Credit: WWE.com

The Wyatt Family utterly destroyed The Dudley Boyz, Rhyno and Tommy Dreamer at this event to a level where both teams didn't even seem remotely on par with each other.

Despite Bubba Ray and D-Von being the masters of tables, it was Bray Wyatt and his cult that this match revolved around putting over.

That in itself isn't so shocking since they are the younger folk, but it's the nature in which they won this that speaks to their positioning on this list.

Only Erick Rowan—the resident jobber of the team who has taken nearly every single loss from day one—was eliminated from the opposing team.

On top of this, somehow, even when Braun Strowman's leg was put through a table, The Wyatt Family had plot armor on that allowed WWE to ignore the rules and not count that as an elimination!

When you can completely destroy ECW originals in a hardcore match, put The Dudley Boyz through tables, not get eliminated despite doing exactly what the rules say are necessary to be eliminated and all of your teammates survive except for the sacrificial lamb (or sheep), then you're pretty much gold.

2. Dean Ambrose

Credit: WWE.com

If one of the biggest factors for being on this list is winning your match, that is amplified significantly more when a title is on the line.

Dean Ambrose didn't just defeat Kevin Owens at TLC, he also was able to win the Intercontinental Championship in the process.

In fact, Ambrose arguably won the match twice, as the first pinfall was broken up by a slightly botched attempt to grab the ropes where Owens clearly was just a tiny bit too far away. Since this is an event where Braun Strowman can go through a table and not get eliminated, the referee naturally didn't care about ignoring this.

After catching that break, Owens succumbed to a pin by Ambrose a minute or so anyway, meaning a new champion was crowned in spite of that hiccup.

It's interesting to think of the possible negative consequences that could come about as a result of this, though. Does the positive of winning the Intercontinental Championship at this show actually do more harm than good for Ambrose?

Keep in mind that the next event will have the Royal Rumble match. Did Ambrose just shoot himself in the foot by winning this, ruling out the possibility to win that and go on to the main event of WrestleMania?

History may look upon this as more of a loss than a win, but until then, The Lunatic Fringe should enjoy the boost.

1. (tie) Roman Reigns and The League of Nations

Credit: WWE.com

The night's biggest star was something of a shared role, as the qualifying factors evened much of it out.

On the one hand, you have Roman Reigns, who was easily the strongest booked man in the main event, but he came up short. Not winning that match pretty much rules him out as the true top guy on the card, even if he was able to stand tall at the end by beating down Sheamus and Triple H.

Alternatively, you have Sheamus and his stablemates. While King Barrett didn't do all that much, he was helpful in aiding The Celtic Warrior retain his title. Rusev and Alberto Del Rio also won their matches, meaning all four of them left with something positive to their names.

The question is whether or not the WWE World Heavyweight Championship combined with the United States Championship and a win over Ryback means more than beating up the boss.

If you lean toward the former, then The League of Nations share this No. 1 ranking, but if the more important thing is looking strong, then Reigns is your guy.

Either way, both scenarios are above the other people listed here, as this will be the storyline going forward that gets the most attention on WWE television.

What do you think about the performers for this show? Does anybody else stand out to you as being worthy of appearing on this list? How would you rank Reigns in comparison to Sheamus?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

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