WWE TLC 2011 Results: Zack Ryder Wins and the 15 Most Memorable Moments of PPV

The WWE closed out 2011 with a bang.

Though WWE TLC was deemed by many as a "throwaway" pay-per-view that hardly anyone would want to watch, it actually wound up being incredibly entertaining and newsworthy.

Maybe it wasn't on the level of Money in the Bank or SummerSlam, but we can't realistically expect every WWE pay-per-view to be great from start to finish.

All in all, WWE TLC was worth watching and a solid way to start the transition into the new year.

If you missed the pay-per-view, though, don't worry, because I've got you covered.

Here are the 15 most memorable moments from tonight's TLC pay-per-view.

15. The Finish of the WWE Tag Team Championship Match

Air Boom (Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne) vs. Epico and Primo for the WWE Tag Team Championship was a surprise addition (unless you read about it on news sites) to the TLC card, and it was basically your standard tag team match.

But I really enjoyed the finish.

The end of the bout saw Kingston hitting his beautiful run-up cross body on Primo, Bourne jumping onto Epico on the outside and then Kingston hitting Primo with Trouble in Paradise for the win.

Nothing really out of the ordinary here, but a nice little finish nonetheless.

More from these two teams would be nice, and given the lack of very many options in the tag team division, I'd say there's a good possibility we'll see that happen.

14. Ricardo Rodriguez Handcuffs CM Punk

That headline would probably sound pretty dirty if we weren't talking about professional wrestling.

But handcuffing your opponent (or having someone do it for you) is one of the oldest tricks in the book, and we saw Alberto Del Rio use that trick at WWE TLC.

With CM Punk climbing up the ladder and heading straight for the WWE Championship, Ricardo Rodriguez interfered and handcuffed Punk's left arm to the ladder.

Considering Rodriguez was involved, the handcuffing in and of itself was hilarious, but it was made even better by the fact that Punk had to wrestle the rest of the match with handcuffs hanging from his wrist.

13. Triple H and Kevin Nash's Botched Pedigree

At the end of the Sledgehammer Ladder match, Triple H went to give Kevin Nash a Pedigree when Nash basically just fell to the mat.

I thought for a second that it might have been Nash attempting to convey his exhaustion, but it then became pretty clear that something just didn't go right.

Yep, it was a botch.

I guess that's OK, though. After all, no one was expecting a five-star classic from these two to begin with.

12. Cody Rhodes Attacks Booker T...Twice

Man, I love what we've been seeing from Cody Rhodes lately.

A lot of skeptics weren't sure how he would change his character once he took his mask off, but he's adapted extremely well and is essentially the same guy, just minus the mask.

I love, though, how Rhodes has gotten even more aggressive during his feud with Booker T, and that was never more apparent than at WWE TLC.

Rhodes attacked Booker T not once but twice during the PPV (once backstage and once as he made his way to the ring) and he's definitely getting over as one of the most hated heels in all of the WWE.

11. Rhodes Beats Booker T Clean

Great booking by the creative team here.

I thought for sure that, in true WWE fashion, Cody Rhodes would get the victory over Booker T with some sort of cheap or dirty finish, but surprise, surprise...he actually won with two Beautiful Disasters.

The fact that it took two pre-match attacks and two big kicks to put Booker T down kept him looking strong, while also keeping heat on Rhodes and making him look impressive for taking out a future WWE Hall of Famer.

I have no real complaints about this match, and I hope that we get more from these two down the road.

10. No John Cena

Unless you're a huge John Cena fan, you know that this was a highlight of WWE TLC for you.

No Cena? In any way, shape or form whatsoever? When he's not injured?

I thought I'd die waiting for that day to happen.

9. Randy Orton RKOs Wade Barrett Through a Table

The third match on the card was Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett in a Tables match, which will likely be the last pay-per-view bout for these two as we head to next month's Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Going into the PPV, I wasn't sure who would get the win here and was actually leaning slightly toward Barrett, but we got our answer when Barrett jumped off the middle turnbuckle and Orton RKO'd him through a table in the middle of the ring.

We've seen this type of RKO spot before with Evan Bourne and his shooting Star Press or Orton RKOing Christian into the steel steps at SummerSlam...but I still loved it.

It's worth noting, though, that Orton and Barrett almost botched the spot, as only Barrett's legs really crashed through the table.

Oh, well. It looked cool regardless. 

8. Triple H Knocks Kevin Nash off a Ladder and Through a Table

I was never too thrilled about seeing a 42-year-old Triple H take on a 52-year-old Kevin Nash in a ridiculous gimmick bout such as a "Sledgehammer Ladder" match, but it actually wasn't the total disaster I thought it would be.

Not great, sure. But not one of the worst matches ever, either.

The highlight of it, at least in my book, was seeing Triple H and Nash come to blows at the top of the ladder inside the ring, only for Triple H to grab the sledgehammer, nail Nash with it and send him crashing through a table that was set up in the ring.

Ladder matches aren't ladder matches without memorable spots, and fans won't forget the sight of Nash plummeting through a table anytime soon.

I wonder how bad his hips are going to be hurting tomorrow.

7. Nash Gets Stretchered out of the Arena

Just about two months ago, Triple H was put on a stretcher and taken out of the arena by an ambulance after a vicious sledgehammer assault by Kevin Nash.

But tonight, the tables were turned.

After getting the victory in his Sledgehammer Ladder match, it was Triple H who got to look on as Nash was stretchered out of the arena by medical personnel.

Obviously, it was only fitting that this feud would come full circle, as what happened to Triple H also happened to his friend-turned-enemy, Big Daddy Cool.

6. The Big Show Wins the World Heavyweight Championship

It was at tonight's TLC pay-per-view when The Big Show could call himself World Champion for the first time since 2002.

Show beat Henry via the Weapon of Mass Destruction to end Henry's reign of terror and his own nine-year World title drought.

It was certainly a surprising outcome, as I think about 90 percent of wrestling fans expected Henry to retain the World Heavyweight Championship some way or another.

Of course, this wasn't the last surprising result of the night, and as we'd find out shortly thereafter, it definitely wouldn't be the start of the longest title reign of Big Show's career.

5. CM Punk Hits the GTS on the Miz and Grabs the WWE Championship

The Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship was good throughout, and it was capped off with even better ending.

It looked like The Miz might spoil the party and win the title, but CM Punk pulled The Miz off the ladder and hit him with a massive GTS that actually sent him out of the ring.

Just like that, Punk was the last man standing, he grabbed his WWE Championship and celebrated his huge victory.

I could watch Punk hit the GTS all day every day. What a great move.

4. Zack Ryder Wins the United States Championship

It's about damn time.

The feud between Zack Ryder and Dolph Ziggler has been going on since September, and three-plus months later, we can finally call Ryder the United States Champion.

This was a smart move by the WWE here because not only did put the belt on a very deserving Ryder, but it will also allow Ziggler to permanently move into the main-event scene.

Ryder has earned his spot as the US Champion thanks to a ton of hard work, and he and Ziggler are now exactly where they should be.

I'd expect to see big things from both men in 2012.  

3. CM Punk and the Miz Send Ricardo Rodriguez out the Ring and Through a Table

This spot was awesome.

During the WWE Championship match, Alberto Del Rio's personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez actually climbed up the ladder and tried to grab the title (I got a big laugh out of this one) before The Miz and CM Punk tipped the ladder over, sending Rodriguez crashing through a table outside of the ring.

Wow, that was scary.

We got multiple replays from different angles of the spot, and I have to commend Rodriguez for having the grapefruits to do what he did.

His insane ladder spot brought me back to the days of the original TLC matches, when spots like this were the norm.  

2. Daniel Bryan Cashes in on Big Show to Become the World Heavyweight Champion

Did I really just type that headline? I gotta say, I never thought I'd actually do that.

But after The Big Show defeated Mark Henry to win his first World Championship in roughly nine years, Daniel Bryan successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Show to win his first World title in the WWE.

Like me, many wrestling fans weren't sure if this day would ever come, but alas, it did in shocking fashion. And it has set the stage for a very interesting World title scene on Smackdown.

Bryan went back on his vow of waiting until WrestleMania 28 to cash in, and now, he's holding the World Heavyweight Championship that just belonged to two behemoths.

What's in store for Bryan as we move forward? I have no idea, so for now, I'll just celebrate the fact that the best wrestler in the world is officially a World champion. 

1. Daniel Bryan's Celebration

The only thing more memorable than Daniel Bryan's cash-in itself was his celebration afterward.

The best moments in wrestling often come when genuine emotion is involved, and like CM Punk at Survivor Series, you could clearly see how much this title win meant to Bryan.

Even after winning Smackdown's Money in the Bank match, Bryan always had his doubters (including me at times). Yet, here we are nearing 2012, and Bryan is our World Heavyweight Champion.

What a great way to close out 2011 and enter the new year.

And what an unforgettable night for arguably the best wrestler on this planet.