WWE TLC 2012 Results: What We Learned from Dolph Ziggler's Win

Dolph Ziggler’s stunning win over John Cena at TLC 2012 shows that the WWE is ready to move him into main-event status.

After several cash-in misfires and televised loses to Cena and other big name stars, Ziggler showed he is more than ready for the limelight.

And the WWE is ready to let him shine.

Ever since winning the Money in the Bank briefcase at the MITB pay-per-view in July, Ziggler has been pushed and then pulled more times than pizza dough.

According to the Internet Wrestling Database, Ziggler lost his next two pay-per-view matches to Chris Jericho and Randy Orton, respectively. 

Ziggler finally got a high-profile win by being the sole survivor on his team at Survivor Series. But in-between, he lost matches to Sheamus, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Ryback and Alex Riley.

Since July, he lost 21-of-40 televised matches. (Profightdb.com)

Things should change after TLC.

His victory over Cena in the MITB Ladder match gives Ziggler much-needed momentum heading into the Royal Rumble. By defeating the 10-time WWE champion in this physical match, he’s now shown he can handle the pressure of larger matches, while still delivering a compelling story.

The WWE Universe may be ready for the Ziggler push, as during their match at TLC, the crowd was noticeably behind Ziggler. The crowd even began to chant, “You can’t wrestle!” at Cena.

Ziggler has always been one of the bestsellers in the ring. Despite losing over half of his matches before TLC, he’s made every one of his opponents look that much better.

A champion in the WWE needs more than just good looks or a fancy move set.  A champion needs to win the big ones and sell to a guy who’s nowhere in the same league.

Ziggler has been paying his dues, and he’s now stepped up to the next level.

His pay-per-view win over Cena is in the books, despite AJ Lee’s help. As any good heel knows, a win is a win.

The next time his briefcase is in danger of being lost, it’ll be because he’s winning the championship gold.