WWE TLC 2016 Matches: Full Card Breakdown, Bold Predictions and More
WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs has always been an event defined by sending off the year on a high note with high-octane contests, including many chairs shots, multiple spills through tables and several jumps off ladders. It is the one night where each Superstar is prepared to take a beating for victory.
TLC 2016 is all about SmackDown as the brand's exclusive pay-per-view. Every championship is on the line, and almost every match is being contested without disqualifications or count-outs. Moreover, almost all the matches are defined by rivalries that have been going on as far back as the WWE draft.
Here is the entire WWE TLC 2016 card as it stands on Saturday morning:
- Baron Corbin vs. Kalisto (chairs match)
- Nikki Bella vs. Carmella (No Disqualification match)
- Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton (SmackDown Tag Team Championship)
- Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (tables match, SmackDown Women's Championship)
- The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler (ladder match, Intercontinental Championship)
- AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose (TLC match, WWE World Championship)
With the three biggest rivalries on SmackDown—Styles vs. Ambrose, Miz vs. Ziggler and Lynch vs. Bliss—all likely reaching their conclusions, this show looks to be the perfect closer to the first chapter for SmackDown Live and a night that is assured to be great.
The following is a complete breakdown of the WWE TLC 2016 card, looking at the stories, stakes and likely results for each match, along with bold predictions that could affect WWE going into 2017.
Baron Corbin vs. Kalisto (Chairs Match)
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Story
Baron Corbin has imposed his will in WWE since debuting, targeting and assaulting anyone in his way. When he was drafted to SmackDown, he quickly attacked and injured Kalisto, taking out the luchador for months.
When Kalisto returned, he attacked and cost Corbin a main event spot at Survivor Series, with Corbin costing Kalisto the Cruiserweight Championship in return. They now are both set on punishing one another for all that they have lost.
Impact and Potential
This was a feud that was supposed to fill out the midcard of SmackDown when the brand first separated from Raw, but Kalisto's injury derailed it. So much time has passed that this feud is not nearly as exciting. This is most likely because the story has been rushed a bit since Kalisto's return.
The two are good in-ring performers who continue to improve, but they may be hampered by one of the worst match types regularly used in WWE: the chairs match. If they can use the chairs to show off their brutality and athleticism, though, this could quietly be a good match.
Predicted Results
Corbin has been rolling toward a major push, so it would only hurt him to lose to Kalisto, particularly in such a physical contest. He could lose, but the only reason would be if WWE has major plans for Kalisto or wishes to prolong the rivalry. Neither seems likely.
Baron Corbin def. Kalisto.
Bold Prediction: Corbin will win the Intercontinental Championship by early 2017.
Nikki Bella vs. Carmella (No Disqualification Match)
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Story
When Nikki Bella returned to WWE at SummerSlam 2016, she stole the spotlight away from many of the younger women, especially the woman she pinned that night, Carmella. This set off Carmella, who began a targeted assault on Bella to make sure that she did not have any more chances to outshine her.
It would have been difficult for Bella not to take Carmella's attack personally, as The Princess of Staten Island has seemed unafraid to potentially even end Bella's career. The two have cost each other months that they could have spent fighting for the SmackDown Women's Championship, so now they will fight one last time with no rules in their way to decide who is the better woman.
Impact and Potential
Bella and Carmella's feud has been the highlight of the women's division on SmackDown so far, generating all the heat needed to sell a memorable feud. Their brawls have been particularly fun to watch, which makes their No Disqualification match all the more appropriate.
Since Carmella's heel turn, she has improved every week and put on some solid matches with Bella along the way. Meanwhile, Bella has found her stride with a power style that has made her the second-most consistent female performer for SmackDown. Together, they should help prove the women have always deserved more specialty matches.
Predicted Results
Carmella has often gotten the better of Bella in this rivalry, but she is still fairly inexperienced. Bella, on the other hand, seems like a prime contender to next battle the champion, Becky Lynch. Since this should be their last match, the woman immediately on the rise will take the victory.
Nikki Bella def. Carmella.
Bold Prediction: SmackDown's women will be represented at WrestleMania by Becky Lynch vs. Nikki Bella for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. The Wyatt Family (SmackDown Tag Team Championship)
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Story
Heath Slater's story of redemption began when he was not drafted by either Raw or SmackDown. He proved his worth by winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championships and a contract with his new friend, Rhyno. This feel-good story is about to run into a buzz saw, though, in one of the most powerful alliances WWE has ever seen in Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton.
This odd pairing of top stars has been a wrecking crew for SmackDown, including helping the brand defeat Raw at Survivor Series in the men's elimination match. Even while it is hard to tell what keeps Orton backing Wyatt, no one wants to run into this new edition of The Wyatt Family.
Impact and Potential
Every other match on this card has months of buildup, while this is purely a battle for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships, sold by the individual stories of both teams. The dominance of Wyatt and Orton makes for a compelling pairing, and Slater has been on fire since his free-agent story began.
This match could be a sleeper because of how good The Wyatt Family has been of late. It could be a great pairing with Slater and Rhyno, even as the latter is showing his age.
Predicted Results
The wild ride of Slater and Rhyno has lasted longer than expected. They will have held the titles 84 days on Sunday, and that is a solid run for a team that was made on the fly. They'll be running into two men on the rise whose stories likely trump Slater's underdog narrative. Wyatt and Orton are just too big to lose here.
Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton def. Heath Slater and Rhyno to become the new SmackDown tag team champions.
Bold Prediction: Orton will turn on Wyatt at WrestleMania when they drop the championships to American Alpha.
Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (Tables Match, SmackDown Women's Championship)
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Story
Arrogance comes from quick success, and few women have had more success as early in their careers as Alexa Bliss. After winning a No. 1 contender's match to face SmackDown women's champion Becky Lynch, Bliss immediately began acting as though she had already won the title.
Bliss has called Lynch unworthy of being champion, but The Lass Kicker has answered back by defending her championship successfully—if in controversial fashion. This feud is now reaching a breaking point as Bliss continues to get under Lynch's skin and cause the champion to unleash a hidden fury.
Impact and Potential
Lynch and Bliss have been a bit overshadowed in storytelling by Nikki Bella and Carmella, but they have still been great together, particularly as the best female mic workers on SmackDown. Watching Bliss so quickly acclimate to the main roster and pair so well with Lynch has helped the division immensely.
These two have battled many times in good matches, though a tables match can sometimes hurt the quality of a performance. With both women new to the stipulation, it will be interesting to see how they navigate a match where the goal is no longer pinfall or submission. It wouldn't be wise to bet against either woman.
Predicted Results
Lynch has been the ace for SmackDown's women's division, and WWE Creative should ride her for a while. Even as Bliss continues to impress, she is still young and needs time before taking the reins. It would be fairly shocking for Lynch not to retain.
Becky Lynch def. Alexa Bliss to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship.
Bold Prediction: Lynch will remain champion well past WrestleMania.
The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler (Ladder Match, Intercontinental Championship)
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Story
As intercontinental champion, The Miz has demanded respect from everyone on SmackDown, but no one has given it to him, particularly not Dolph Ziggler. A fellow Cleveland native, Ziggler has immense history with Miz, but their rivalry has never been more heated.
Miz has attempted to end Ziggler's career, repeatedly using uneven odds, thanks to Maryse and The Spirit Squad, to take and keep the championship away from Ziggler. They have now gotten to the point where they will both do anything in a ladder match in order to be the one who keeps the championship away from the other.
Impact and Potential
There have been some great feuds in WWE this year, but Miz vs. Ziggler may be the best. Both veterans have taken huge steps forward, putting on their best performances in recent memory on the microphone and in the ring. Even though this matchup has been heavily overused in past years, each match this year between these two has been enthralling.
Many of Ziggler's greatest matches in his career have been in ladder matches, including on previous TLC cards against Luke Harper and John Cena. Since neither Miz nor Ziggler has put on a subpar performance when they have been paired together, this is the front-runner for match of the night and could be a late Match of the Year contender.
Predicted Results
Predicting who will win in this rivalry has been tough, as WWE has bounced around the championship throughout. However, it seems like the end is here, and in order for both stars to move on, Miz must retain, even if it is by nefarious means.
The Miz def. Dolph Ziggler to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Bold Prediction: The Miz will compete in one of the top matches at WrestleMania as a member of the Raw roster.
AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose (TLC Match, WWE World Championship)
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Story
Confidence is a powerful thing, and it has been the driving force for AJ Styles, who turned around a slow start in WWE to defeat John Cena twice and then take the WWE World Championship from Dean Ambrose. That win, though, came with controversy, as Styles needed a low blow to steal the title from Ambrose.
Since then, Ambrose has made it his mission to ruin Styles' life, costing him repeated matches to enhancement talent James Ellsworth, thanks to copious interference. Now they will face off with no jokes or tricks left. Ambrose must prove that, when the odds are even, he can stop one of the most impressive runs in WWE.
Impact and Potential
Styles has been the best performer in WWE, and his feud with Ambrose has been one of the reasons why. While Ambrose has been up and down this year, he has been consistently excellent when working with Styles. The two have combined humor and drama in a way that has made their heated rivalry well worth all the times it has main-evented SmackDown.
While Styles has not directly wrestled in a TLC match, he has had several great ladder matches in other companies. Given how well he has brought out the best from Ambrose and the brutality and chaos that has defined this feud, this is likely to be a fantastic match that will end this rivalry on a high note.
Predicted Results
This feud has been the heart of SmackDown for a while now, but even with how much Styles has brought out of Ambrose, it is time for it to end. Styles will retain so that he can move on to a new challenger for the Royal Rumble, while Ambrose will likely find his next rival in the Royal Rumble match.
AJ Styles def. Dean Ambrose to retain the WWE World Championship.
Bold Prediction: Ambrose will not get a singles match at WrestleMania despite remaining SmackDown's top babyface.
