WWE TLC 2011 Results: Live Match-by-Match Recap and Analysis

Welcome to the Bleacher Report's coverage of one of the WWE's most dangerous events on the calendar: Tables, Ladders and Chairs. My name is Chris Humphrey, Featured Columnist for B/R, and I will be with you from the opening bell until the very end of the show tonight.

The event will be broadcasting live from the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Md., the first pay-per-view at the venue since the 2010 edition of the Extreme Rules event

Stay here throughout the event, as I will keep everyone up to date with live updates in addition to providing up-to-the-moment analysis of the 2011 edition of WWE TLC.

Zack Ryder vs. Dolph Ziggler, United States Championship Match

In the first match of the night from Baltimore, the social media phenom, Zack Ryder, finally gets his title shot against United States champion Dolph Ziggler.

Just like his appearance at the Survivor Series in November, the crowd at the First Mariner Arena is chanting for Ryder as the two superstars exchange momentum in the early going. The fans are 100 percent behind Long Island Iced Z.

After battling on the outside of the ring, Ziggler really starts to take control of the match as the two return to the ring after a flurry of elbow drops that kept Ryder off balance. The champion is dominating after the two traded early success in the match.

After Vicki Guerrero placed Ziggler’s foot on the rope to break the pin attempt by Ryder, the referee sent the annoying manager of the United States champion to the back to the delight of the fans in Baltimore.

With Guerrero sent backstage, Ryder quickly takes control of the match with some high-impact moves to Ziggler that includes a great looking hurricarana to the US champion from the top rope.

Ryder hits the Rough Rider on Ziggler to become the new United States Champion.

Long Island Iced Z goes and celebrates with his father in attendance and gives a celebratory “Woo, Woo, Woo” as Ryder wins his first major singles title in the WWE after a great match with Dolph Ziggler to kick off the 2011 edition of TLC.

Air Boom Versus Epico and Primo, WWE Tag Team Title Match

As the WWE gives another match that wasn’t previewed before the event, the WWE Tag Team Champions Air Boom will defend their titles against the team of Primo and Epico in the second match of the night.

Epico and Primo have been very successful over Air Boom in recent weeks, as the challengers have scored wins over both members of Air Boom in singles and tag team action on Superstars and Smackdown.

In the early going of the match, Air Boom and Epico and Primo are using a great deal of tandem moves, most notably catching Evan Bourne after a springboard move from the outside, catching Bourne and dumping him to the outside of the ring to the floor.

The challengers for the WWE Tag Team Titles did a great job at isolating Bourne with quick tags and lots of punishment, as Kofi Kingston was forced to just sit in the corner and watch his partner get destroyed in the early going of the match.

After a tag by Bourne to his tag team partner, Kofi Kingston closes the gap between the two teams, eventually hitting the Trouble in Paradise on Epico for the win and retain their WWE Tag Team Titles in a hard-fought match.

Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett, Tables Match

After a quick backstage segment between Hornswoggle and Teddy Long dressed as Santa Claus, we will now go to the Tables Match between the Viper, Randy Orton, and the leader of the Barrett Barrage, Wade Barrett.

Orton is the first one to go to the outside to get a table, but is met with a kick by Barrett to the table that knocks the Viper off balance in the early moments of the match.

The two superstars fight up to the entrance ramp as Barrett attempts to throw Orton through a table, but is thwarted as the two fight back to the ringside area, using literally everything in sight, including the ring post, ring steps and the ring itself.

Barrett had Orton on the table on the outside of the ring and was prepared to jump from the second rope to finish this match, but the Viper slithered away from a potential loss to the leader of the Barrett Barrage.

After multiple exchanges from the two superstars that nearly sent the other through a table, Barrett sits up a table in one of the corners, placing Orton on the table, but caught Barrett in mid-air with an RKO as the Viper gets the win after a great finish to a great win at TLC.

Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly, Diva's Title Match

After yet another backstage segment with Teddy Long as Santa Claus and the Bella Twins, the Smackdown general manager makes a match between Sheamus and Jack Swagger after the two superstars trade barbs for later tonight.

In another match that wasn’t on the card for TLC tonight, Divas Champion Beth Phoenix is out for a title defense against Kelly Kelly after the two got into it last Monday night during the Slammy Award presentation for Diva of the Year.

Kelly Kelly is in control of the match from the beginning of the match until Beth Phoenix catches her in the corner dropping her across the ropes as the Divas Champion takes control of the match.

After a series of three straight pins by Beth Phoenix to Kelly Kelly, the Glamazon has frustration all over her face as she attempts to hit a leg drop from the top rope, but comes up empty as she hits the mat.

Phoenix catches a mistake by Kelly Kelly and gives her a version of the electric chair drop for the win, as the Divas Champion almost utterly outmuscles her challenger tonight.  

Triple H vs. Kevin Nash, Sledgehammer Ladder Match

The sledgehammer ladder match is next, as Triple H takes on Kevin Nash to settle these two former friends’ rivalry in the first match of this kind in WWE history.

Over the course of these two great superstars’ time in the WWE and other promotions, The Game is the only one to compete in a ladder match, with his last match being against Shawn Michaels in 2002, while Nash has never approached the object during his legendary career.

In the beginning moments of the match, Nash and Triple H trade some big haymakers to begin the match, as the two competitors have yet to bring out the ladders to try to retrieve the sledgehammer hanging over the ring.

As the action returns to the ring after Nash gets his head smacked off the ring post, Triple H uses the ladder as a weapon as the Game targets the knee of Nash to try to keep Big Sexy off his feet. Triple H continues the assault on his opponent’s leg as he wraps Nash’s leg through the ladder for a Figure Four Leg Lock as the “Woo” chants go up in Baltimore.

Besides the Ric Flair chants from the crowd, the fans don’t seem to be into this match as much as other matches tonight, as those in Baltimore seem to be sitting on their hands so far in the match.

Nash regains control of the match after sending Triple H out of the ring after slamming into a ladder propped up in the corner and smashing the Game’s face off the same ladder, making a sickening thud that was positioned on the bottom rope.

Triple H was the first person to make an attempt at the sledgehammer, but was thwarted by Nash quickly before the Game could grab the sledgehammer hanging above the ring.

Nash goes outside the ring to grab a table from under the ring, but again, Triple H counters sending him into a ladder in the corner and eventually to the outside of the ring.

After the Game sends Nash off the top of the ladder through the same table he brought in the ring, Triple H grabs the sledgehammer and goes to town on Big Sexy, attacking his knees and the rest of his body while on the ground.

As Nash tries to get some mercy from Triple H with his Kliq/Too Sweet hand gesture, the Game hits Nash in the head with the sledgehammer for the pinfall and gets revenge on his former friend tonight.

Sheamus vs. Jack Swagger

In a match made earlier in the night by Smackdown General Manager Teddy Long, Sheamus versus Jack Swagger is the next match tonight at TLC.

The two Smackdown superstars take it to each other in the early going of the match, as Jack Swagger capitalizes on a mistake by Sheamus to break the momentum by sending the Great White into the ring post, spine first on the outside.

As the two go to the outside again, Sheamus send Swagger into the same ring post just for good measure as the former two-time WWE Champion takes control of the match again.

Just as Sheamus looked to be getting some momentum, Swagger dodges the Brogue kick and targets the leg of Sheamus to upset his role during the match.

As Swagger again tried to hit the chop block to Sheamus, the Great White dodges the move this time around and connects with the Brogue Kick on his second attempt to get the win over the cocky Swagger.

It’s a bad night for Vicki Guerrero tonight, as Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger have lost both of their matches.

Big Show vs. Mark Henry, World Heavyweight Championship Match

The World Heavyweight Title chairs match between Big Show and Mark Henry is next at TLC.

After the Big Show started the match by throwing all the chairs at ringside into the ring, Mark Henry pretends to take his ball, in this case his World title, and not participate in this match.

Show gave chase to the World Heavyweight Champion, only for Henry to smack his hand off the ring steps limiting the arsenal of the challenger.

Henry uses the advantage that he gained by attacking the injured hand of the Big Show and looks to win his second straight pay-per-view event against his rival.

Out of nowhere, Big Show hits a huge punch to a steel chair that ricochets into the face of Mark Henry and wins the match, along with his first World Title in nine years.

In a fit of rage after losing his title, Mark Henry gives the Big Show a DDT to a pile of chairs in the center of the ring, knocking out the new champion before he got to celebrate tonight.

The music of Daniel Bryan hits in the arena, and the Money in the Bank holder runs down and successfully cashes in his briefcase on the downed Big Show to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.

The fans in Baltimore are the loudest at any point tonight they celebrate as they see Bryan walk out of the First Mariner Arena tonight as the top dog on Smackdown.

Booker T vs. Cody Rhodes, Intercontinental Championship Match

Booker T and Cody Rhodes is next for the Intercontinental championship after the champion attacked his challenger twice tonight at TLC.

The former five-time WCW champion had the momentum in the early part of the match, as he kept Rhodes off balance in the early goings of the match.

The Intercontinental champion gained the upperhand after catching Booker T’s mistake and going to work on the challenger on the outside before bringing him back into the ring.

After a couple back and forth moments between the two, Booker T is back in control of the match after some a high impact spinebuster on the champion and even hitting his trademark Spinarooni to the delight of those in Baltimore.

Rhodes withstood the attack by the challenger and retained his Intercontinental title after hitting two springboard kicks to the head of the already woozy Booker T pushing back the challenge of the legend tonight.

CM Punk vs. the Miz vs. Alberto Del Rio, Triple Threat TLC Match

The main event is now, as the Triple Threat TLC match for the WWE Championship is set to start between CM Punk, Alberto Del Rio and the Miz.

As the WWE Champion made his entrance to the ring, CM Punk walked underneath a ladder; I guess the current champ doesn’t have a fear of superstition that comes with ladders.

In the early moments of the match, the partnership of Miz and Del Rio is in full effect in this match, as CM Punk is almost fighting a handicap match in this title defense instead of a triple threat match.

Del Rio quickly dissolves the partnership between him and Miz as he hits the former WWE Champion with a steel chair as the two superstars went to the outside to grab more weapons along the entrance way.

The action in the match picks up as the Miz hits a backdrop on Punk on a steel chair, and Del Rio gives Miz the same treatment, but with a backdrop to a ladder propped up on the side of the ring apron.

After the WWE Champion incapacitates Miz and Del Rio on the outside, Punk attempts to climb the ladder to retrieve his WWE title, but is caught by Ricardo Rodriguez, who handcuffs Punk to the ladder momentarily.

As the cameras show the crowd at ringside, there seems to be no one sitting down inside the First Mariner Arena, as this triple threat match is just becoming more and more physical as this title match continues on tonight.

After a big kick by Del Rio as Punk was standing on the second rope preparing to suplex Miz through a table on the outside, Punk fell backwards off the ropes through the table to the outside of the ring.

The unlikely duo of Punk and Miz worked in tandem sent Del Rio off the top of the ladder to straddle the top rope, along with sending Ricardo Rodriguez completely out of the ring through another table at ringside.

The Miz made a slick move by handcuffing Punk to the ring post, but that only kept the champion there for so long, as Punk was able to unscrew the turnbuckle and continue to fight for his title.

After a GTS to eliminate the Miz from the match, CM Punk climbed the ladder and retrieved his WWE Championship to win this hard-fought, physical TLC match tonight.