WWE TLC 2016 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights

Fresh stars and new champions emerged from the mess of bent ladders and broken tables that WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2016 left behind.

Alexa Bliss snatched the SmackDown Women's Championship from Becky Lynch on Sunday's pay-per-view to cement her rapid rise. Fellow main-roster rookie Baron Corbin knocked one out of the park in a chairs match against Kalisto.

And Bray Wyatt captured his first championship in WWE after suffering through frustrating booking since his arrival in 2013.

Dallas fans witnessed those coming-out parties, as well as a thriller of a TLC match. Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles' battle for the WWE World Championship featured stunts so madcap that even a crash test dummy would have to wince watching them.

Which bouts most engaged us? Which stories most moved the audience? The following is a look at all of TLC's action, breaking down the highs and lows of the SmackDown-exclusive PPV.

10-Man Tag Team Match (Pre-Show)

American Alpha, The Hype Bros and Apollo Crews vs. Curt Hawkins, The Vaudevillains and The Ascension

Apollo Crews and Curt Hawkins began the bout for their respective teams.

The babyfaces took the advantage early, thanks largely to The Hype Bros. Mojo Rawley took out both Viktor and Aiden English. American Alpha worked seamlessly together to further fluster its opponents. 

A brawl broke out as the referee struggled to maintain order.

Hawkins soon led the way as his team beat up on Chad Gable. After a long stretch of taking punishment, Gable helped his allies bowl over the heels. American Alpha used Grand Amplitude to secure the win.

Result

American Alpha, The Hype Bros and Crews win via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Mojo Rawley is as electric as Thomas Edison's basement."—Mauro Ranallo.
• "Miss me?"—Hawkins to former tag team partner Ryder.
• Viktor throws Gable in the air and superkicks him on the way down.
• Crews suplexes Hawkins off the ring apron on to several foes.

Grade

D+

Analysis

Some strong tag team psychology and high-energy action near the end couldn't save this from feeling largely insignificant.

The thrown-in bout was a microcosm of the SmackDown tag team division. A cluster of squads continue to run in place with little story or direction. 

American Alpha got the most momentum from this, but that duo needs to be a lot more than pre-show filler.

Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. The Wyatt Family (Tag Team Championship)

Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton dominated in the early going, regardless if it was Heath Slater or Rhyno in the ring with them. The Wyatt Family pounded Slater into the mat with a methodical attack.

Rhyno fared better later on, charging around the ring. Orton slowed the beast, though, with an RKO. That put away the champs after a short match. 

Luke Harper celebrated with his stablemates. 

Result

The Wyatt Family wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Harper pushes Orton aside to take a Gore from Rhyno.

Grade

C+

Analysis

WWE had the right idea. The execution left plenty to be desired, however.

The Wyatt Family's dominance was compelling, but the match didn't fully harness that dynamic. There was little drama here, with few moments to savor.

Had Slater put up more of a fight or been in trouble longer, Wyatt and Orton's victory would have been more impressive. 

Still, WWE has fully invested in Wyatt and his clan. That's a promising development. The Wyatt Family reigning over the SmackDown tag team division has the potential to be a hell of a story.

Nikki Bella vs. Carmella (No Disqualification Match)

A slugfest left Nikki Bella hurting early.

Carmella flung The Fearless One into the ring steps and against the ropes. She then attacked Bella's weakened left leg.

A Kendo stick made Carmella even more dangerous. She wailed on Bella with the weapon, focusing on the leg.

Bella battled back. After spraying The Princess of Staten Island with a fire extinguisher, she hit Rack Attack 2.0 for the win.

Carmella revealed that she didn't attack Bella at Survivor Series, blaming the ambush on Natalya.

Result

Bella wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "This is not going to be a technical match. These ladies are here to fight!"—David Otunga.
• Carmella uses John Cena's "You can't see me!" gesture.
• Bella leaps off the security barricade to deliver a nasty roundhouse kick.

Grade

C

Analysis

What a missed opportunity. These rivals had built up so much bad blood over the past few months. It needed to culminate with something bigger.

The bout had solid intensity. It offered a handful of eye-catching moments. 

But this was over too soon. And these enemies didn't lay into each other nearly enough. This was a diet version of the No Disqualification match.

The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler (Ladder Match for Intercontinental Championship)

Dolph Ziggler tagged The Miz with hard strikes moments after the opening bell rang. Outside the ring, the rivals battled alongside ladders.

The champion smashed Ziggler with a ladder. The Showoff responded by grinding The Miz's head against the steel. The battle left both men reeling.

The Miz took control, driving the ladder into his foe's flesh. He prevented Ziggler from ascending to the title and followed up by punishing the babyface. The Miz zeroed in on Ziggler's legs.

But the champ had his own leg issues soon after. He fell to the ring from a great height, tweaking his knee.

The Miz used two low blows to knock Ziggler away and pull the IC title off the hook.

Result

The Miz wins after retrieving the IC championship.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "The Miz has the athletic ability of Justin Bieber."—Otunga.
• Ziggler DDTs The Miz onto a ladder.
• The Miz clamps on a figure-four leglock with Ziggler caught in the ladder.
• The Miz hangs on to the hook above the ring after Ziggler kicked the ladder out from under him.
• The Miz powerbombs Ziggler onto a ladder.
• "Someone give Dolph Ziggler a participation award."—The Miz.

Grade

B+

Analysis

The Miz and Ziggler poured themselves into this match. High stakes, brutal spots and a good story revolving around The Miz weakening his foe's leg were the cornerstones of the contest.

The slow pace will make this an acquired taste. Their previous contests were more electric overall.

It's still unclear what WWE has in mind with The Miz's obsession with Daniel Bryan. Despite the general manager's retirement, it feels as if the company is headed toward a Bryan-Miz matchup down the road. 

Whether that's the climax of this narrative or not, WWE has to follow up on all this animosity between the IC champ and his boss.

Baron Corbin vs. Kalisto (Chairs Match)

Kalisto used a frenetic pace and the chairs stipulation to force Baron Corbin to retreat. The Lone Wolf responded, though, with a vicious attack.

Corbin tied a shirt around Kalisto's chest and flung him around. He smashed The King of Flight against the security barricade and overpowered him in the ring.

The babyface mounted several comebacks. Corbin laid out Kalisto, but the high-flyer kept coming.

Kalisto piled a heap of chairs in the center of the ring. The Lone Wolf used that to his advantage, sending Kalisto crashing into the steel with End of Days.

Result

Corbin wins via pinfall.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Kalisto leaps off a chair to soar out of the ring onto Corbin.
• "The cat plays with the mouse as long as he wants to."—John "Bradshaw" Layfield.
• Kalisto smashes Corbin with a senton that sends him crashing into a row of chairs.
• Corbin hits Deep Six onto the floor.
• Kalisto leaps off the security barricade to land a hurricanrana.
• Corbin smashes Kalisto out of midair with a chair.

Grade

A-

Analysis

This outdid expectations by miles.

Corbin and Kalisto put on one of the better chairs matches in TLC history. It had more energy and fire than everything else that preceded it on the card.

In a showcase for both men, Corbin looked like an insatiable monster, and Kalisto came off as a crafty superathlete. Each wrestler emerged from this with added momentum and an improved resume.

The foes made it clear to WWE that they need to be significant parts of the company's SmackDown plans moving forward.

Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (Tables Match for Women's Championship)

Becky Lynch blasted Alexa Bliss from the get-go.

Lynch sought to bring a table into the fight right away. Champion and challenger brawled in and out of the ring. They battled on the ring apron, with Lynch teetering near a table.

Bliss took over. She pounded on The Lass Kicker, slowing the match down.

The heel managed to avoid getting thrown through a table on a number of occasions. She then powerbombed Lynch through a table to end the bout.

Result

Bliss wins after slamming Lynch through a table.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• Bliss bites Lynch's hand.
• Bliss DDTs Lynch onto the edge of a table.
• Lynch cranks Bliss' arm back with a Dis-Arm-Her through the legs of a table.
• "I'm upset with myself. I let myself down."—Lynch.

Grade

B+

Analysis

WWE has given Bliss every opportunity to grow into a star since joining SmackDown. She has come through at each stage, including a strong effort at TLC.

In a match filled with suspense, Bliss looked sly, tough and vicious. 

The lack of energy from the crowd hurt the bout. And the tables gimmick seemed to get in the wrestlers' ways at times.

Still, crowning Bliss is an intriguing move. Lynch can now tell a climb-back-up-the-mountain story while WWE gets to see if Bliss can handle the top spot in the division.

AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose (TLC Match for WWE World Championship)

Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles traded shots until the former sent the latter crashing into a ladder. They took the fight well outside the ring, brawling on the entrance ramp.

The Lunatic Fringe walloped the world champion all over the arena. Styles withstood Ambrose's frenetic offense before dishing out his own punishing attack.

Each man used tables, ladders and chairs as weapons.

Ambrose dished out more of the carnage, though. He left The Phenomenal One motionless on the mat after some creative use of furniture. But Styles recovered just in time to save his title.

The warriors left each other drained, wobbly and gasping for air.

James Ellsworth eventually emerged in a neck brace. A distracted Styles pounced on his chinless adversary. 

Ellsworth inexplicably pushed Ambrose off a ladder as The Lunatic Fringe was a fingertip away from claiming the world title.

Result

Styles wins by retrieving the world title.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• "Horrible pain and suffering equals glory."—Otunga.
• Ambrose suplexes Styles onto the cement floor.
• Ambrose slides a garbage bin over Styles' head.
• Styles dropkicks Ambrose after the challenger leaps from the security barricade.
• Styles sideslams Ambrose onto a chair.
• Ambrose flips Styles onto four chairs.
• Ambrose leaps from a ladder to crush Styles through a table with a diving elbow.
• Styles knocks Ambrose off a ladder with a Phenomenal Forearm.
• Styles hits a 450 splash through a table.
• "What a titanic confrontation!"—Ranallo.

Grade

A+

Analysis

WWE's 2016 MVP did it again. Styles killed it in another main event. And Ambrose had one of his best efforts to date.

The match was a series of car crashes piled atop one another. The enemies made full use of the TLC stipulation. Bells and whistles, high-risk insanity and intensity pulsing through the screen powered the bout.

Ellsworth's apparent heel turn is the contest's one odd element.

WWE can get more out of the Ellsworth story after this latest cliffhanger, but this rivalry was more than ready to head in the right direction. The comedy side of Styles vs. Ambrose isn't going away just yet, challenging SmackDown's writers to keep a narrative fresh after its natural expiration date.