Can you guess which Superstar “empathizes” with The Shield and wants them to win this Sunday’s Six-Man Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match Sunday? Or which Superstar thinks WWE TLC will be the stage where Dolph Ziggler finally shows off his full potential?  

Allow us to take the guesswork out of these questions. Thanks to our roving backstage reporters, WWE.com has gleaned exclusive WWE TLC 2012 predictions straight from the mouths of top Superstars and Divas.

Wade Barrett, Zack Ryder, Layla and others weighed in on three of Sunday’s biggest bouts: The World Heavyweight Championship Chairs Match between Big Show and Sheamus, the John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler Ladder Match for The Showoff’s Money in the Bank guaranteed contract, and the ever-intriguing six-man Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match between Ryback & Team Hell No vs. The Shield; Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins .

Some of the picks may shock you, but until Sunday, they are only forecasts. To see how these Superstars’ prognostications hold up, make sure to watch the table-shattering, chair-denting and ladder-breaking action of WWE TLC live on pay-per-view this Sunday, Dec. 16. ( HOW TO WATCH)

Can you guess which Superstar “empathizes” with The Shield and wants them to win this Sunday’s Six-Man Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match? Or which Superstar thinks WWE TLC will be the stage where Dolph Ziggler finally shows off his full potential?  

Allow us to take the guesswork out of these questions. Thanks to our roving backstage reporters, WWE.com has gleaned exclusive WWE TLC 2012 predictions straight from the mouths of top Superstars and Divas.

Wade Barrett, Zack Ryder, Layla and others weighed in on three of Sunday’s biggest bouts: the World Heavyweight Championship Chairs Match between Big Show and Sheamus; the John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler Ladder Match for The Showoff’s Money in the Bank contract; and the ever-intriguing Six-Man Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match between Ryback & Team Hell No and The Shield — Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins.

Some of the picks may shock you, but until Sunday, they are only forecasts. To see how these Superstars’ prognostications hold up, make sure to watch the table-shattering, chair-denting and ladder-breaking action of WWE TLC live on pay-per-view this Sunday, Dec. 16. ( HOW TO WATCH)

John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler (Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract)

Perhaps to the surprise of the WWE Universe, and almost certainly to the chagrin of the Cenation, the Superstars who gave predictions were universally of the opinion that Dolph Ziggler will win Sunday’s battle between this year’s two Money in the Bank Ladder Match winners. Working against John Cena in the eyes of our analysts are the match format and Ziggler’s tireless work ethic — a compliment that even his greatest critics will grant him (reluctantly).

Road Dogg: I think this match favors Dolph. He kind of reminds me of my former partner, Billy Gunn, in that he is just a pure athlete. I’m not saying John Cena’s old, but he’s no spring chicken, and when it comes to climbing a ladder, my vote’s got to go with the pure athlete, and that’s Dolph Ziggler. It might just be time for The Showoff.

Zack Ryder: That’s a tough one. Ziggler’s worked his a** off to get this opportunity to wrestle a main event guy in Cena, and I don’t think there’s any way anybody’s going to stop Ziggler from holding on to that briefcase.

Tyson Kidd: Dolph has won over so many fans these last few years, and it sounds a little cliché, but in this one, it seems like it’s a different side of Cena we haven’t seen in a while, where he’s fighting more with his heart than his mind. That could cost him. I think this is Dolph’s chance to show he is where he really belongs, and I think Dolph comes away with the win this time.

Layla: This will be a tough, tough fight, but my money’s on Dolph. It’s his time, and he deserves it, too. He’s worked so, so hard. Love him or hate him, he really is a showoff, but he has a lot to show off about. I think that’s going to be a shocker, the jaw-dropper of the night, big time.

Titus O’Neil: Ziggler’s definitely a guy that goes out and steals the show every night. John Cena goes out every night and puts everything he has on the line for the WWE Universe. But I think the tides may be changing and Dolph Ziggler may pull it out.

Sheamus vs. World Heavyweight Champion Big Show (Chairs Match)

Sentiments were mixed as to which Superstar will be leaving Brooklyn, N.Y., with the World Heavyweight Championship, reigning titleholder Big Show or former champion Sheamus. In their third-consecutive meeting on pay-per-view, the added stipulation of legal steel chairs, it seems, is enough to sway a few Superstars.

Road Dogg: I definitely know Sheamus wants it, and Big Show knows he wants it, too. Thirty-one chair strikes, to be precise, say how bad he wants it. But I know if Big Show gets a metal folding chair in his hands and hits anybody — and I mean, anybody — with it, they’re done. Sheamus can want it all he wants. Any man goes down when the giant hits you with a chair.

Zack Ryder: Big Show’s found this vicious streak, a newfound confidence since becoming the champion. In the Chairs Match environment, I think he’ll be able to beat Sheamus to retain the championship.

Titus O’Neil: Sheamus is definitely a Celtic Warrior, a hard worker and an extremely physical opponent, but I’ve just got a feeling that Big Show, being the largest athlete on the planet and possessing the strongest punch on the planet, is going to win.

Not everyone was on board with Big Show being the presumptive victor. Though the inclusion of metal folding chairs helped garner votes for The World’s Largest Athlete, at least one Superstar believes Sheamus’ anger toward Big Show will drive him toward his second World Heavyweight Title.

Tyson Kidd: First off, Sheamus and Big Show, and this isn’t really surprising, but they’ve been stepping it up to a much higher level lately, and I don’t think we’ve seen this intensity out of either guy, maybe ever. Show’s going in having dominated much of these last two matches, but I think that is maybe what Sheamus needed to relight some of that fire he had when he first jumped on the scene. This event is also where he won his first World Title, too, so I think Sheamus will get it done at WWE TLC.

Ryback & Team Hell No vs. The Shield (Six-Man Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match)

Maybe no match on the WWE TLC lineup holds the same level of intrigue as the Six-Man Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match, which features the official in-ring debut of Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins. When it comes to making predictions, however, this bout appears too tough for some Superstars to call. Though some competitors declined to comment on the Six-Man TLC Match (whether for fear of repercussions or due to genuine uncertainty over who’s in the catbird seat, no one can be sure), WWE.com caught up with two Superstars — former Nexus cohorts, no less — who had no problem offering their opinions.

Wade Barrett: Team Hell No & Ryback is a formidable team, [and] they’ve all got their individual strengths. Obviously, experience is on the side of Kane, Daniel Bryan’s an incredible technician, and you have the power of Ryback. And then you’ve got The Shield, who are kind of an unknown entity.

I really empathize with the position The Shield are in because I was in a similar position when I was leading Nexus in 2010 in the main event of SummerSlam, when we were taking on the WWE veterans. Unfortunately, on that occasion, it didn’t end well for us. I hope for the sake of The Shield they do a little better. I’m certainly pulling for The Shield, but if I’m honest, I think Team Hell No & Ryback got ’em beat.

Michael McGillicutty: I’ve got to go with The Shield. Those guys are a cohesive unit, and that’s what it takes to get victories here in WWE. Take a look at Team Hell No. Talk about a bunch of weirdoes, man. They don’t care about anything but themselves and who’s going to get the pinfall in a contest. Then you’ve got Ryback, and I still ain’t believing his hype. The win’s going to go to The Shield, bottom line.