Dark Match: Chris Sabin def. Charlie Haas
“Ladies and gentleman welcome to Monday Night Raw!â€
Batista’s music plays and he walks down to the ring in street clothes with a microphone and the crowd cheers when they see the Animal.
Batista- The Animal inside me... is unleashed!
The crowd pops for the reawakened Animal.
Batista- I have been caged for too long. I have relied on my family to restrain the Animal within. But secretly, I have wanted to go back to my former bloodthirsty, unstoppable self. I was just waiting to be pushed over the edge. Thanks you Booker T. Thanks for pushing me over the edge and into insanity. You’ll be thanking yourself soon enough because the Animal has your scent and is the predator, while you Booker, you are the prey. You are the hunted. And at No Way Out, you will be the fallen. That’s right, I am challenging you, one on one, at No Way Out in a match where all my bottled up anger gets unleashed... on you!
The crowd cheers but then turn to booing as a familiar tune rings across the speakers.
‘Can you dig it’ plays to heat as Booker walks to the ring.
Booker- First of all, let me tell you that when you are in the presence of royalty, you bow down and show some respect! So bow, you commoner!
Batista shakes his head to cheers from the crowd.
Booker- Secondly, I don’t care whether you are turning into an Animal or not, you will always be a peasant. And in the kingdom there is no place for petty peasants like you! So I advise you to leave the kingdom; leave Raw and never come back! Your King commands you!
More heat from the crowd.
Once again Batista shakes his head to more cheers.
Booker- Thirdly, I don’t know if your uneducated brain has understood my sophisticated banter, so I will put this in words even scum like you can understand. I accept!
Mixed reaction, with the crowd cheering for the match while booing Booker’s comments.
Batista finally nods as the crowd cheers the loudest so far after the official announcement of this match. Batista then swings a right hand and knocks Booker to the ground. Batista tackles the King on the ground and unloads on him with punches from both hands. Booker struggles to escape and has to choke out Tista before making a narrow escape and retreating up the ramp. In the ring, Batista rips off his shirt to cheers, showing the Animal has truly been unleashed.
Elimination Chamber Qualifier
JBL v Mike Knox v Kane v Jack Swagger v Elijah Burke v CM Punk v Rey Mysterio v Kofi Kingston
(Over the Top Rope Battle Royale)
The bell rings and the match starts, and everybody immediately rushes into a large brawl except for JBL, who rolls under the bottom rope and sits down on a seat at ringside, still legally in the match. In the ring the action has somewhat separated, with each man brawling with one other, causing little two man fights scattered across the ring. It does not take long for alliances to be made, with Knox, Kane, Swagger and Burke standing opposite Punk, Rey and Kofi. The heel team goes to advance on the faces but Kane and Mike Knox both stay back and whisper something to each other, before grabbing Jack Swagger from their own side and throwing him over the top rope, emphasizing that the match is every man for themselves. The alliance of Kane and Knox then go to take out Elijah but he stays on the apron. The temporary faction then implodes, with Kane and Knox beginning to brawl in the centre of the ring. The faces have been watching this intently but then insert themselves into the chaos, and a 6 man brawl erupts in the centre of the ring.
Rey Mysterio decides to take advantage of the huddle of people in the ring and he goes to the top rope. He then jumps majestically through the air with a crossbody, but he meets the demonic Mike Knox, who catches him in mid air. With a completely indifferent look on his face he then walks over to the ropes and dumps Rey over the top rope and down to the floor, all without expressing a single emotion. However, Elijah Burke then sneaks up behind Knox and craftily lifts his legs, propelling him over the ropes and eliminating him from the match. The superstars then turn back to alliances, with Kane and Burke fighting with Punk and Kofi respectively. After throwing Kofi through the middle rope and to the outside where he painfully crashes into the floor, the two heels double team Punk, picking him apart and wearing him down. Elijah grabs Punk and goes for the Elijah Experience but Kane pushes Burke away and grabs Punk by the throat, flaunting his power and dominance. Kane is about to hit the Chokeslam on CM, but then Elijah Burke jealously strikes Kane with a forearm to the back. Kane drops Punk and turns around, evil burning in his eyes. Kane suddenly grabs Burke by the throat and then holds him up, but instead of predictably going for the Chokeslam, the Big Red Machine instead pushes Elijah Burke over the top rope and out of the match.
It is down to only four men now, and Kane and Punk stand in the ring. Punk unleashes an array of kicks and tries to garner some offense in on Kane but the monster from hell grabs Punk and throws him into the corner, before planting him with a side slam on the rebound. Kane looks to follow this up with his diving clothesline and he heads to the top rope. He is about to leap off the top turnbuckle, but then Kofi Kingston gets up on the apron next to him and shows incredible flexibility to strike Kane with a kick to the head, which makes him slump down and fall to the floor below, barely conscious. Kofi gets in the ring and he and Punk trade kicks, before getting to land some technical moves, almost all of which are expertly countered. Kofi gets the better of Punk though after he lands the Boop Boop leg drop and he goes for the Trouble in Paradise but Punk ducks and hurriedly throws Kofi over the top rope, eliminating his friend. Punk celebrates and rests on the ropes, thinking he has won, but JBL slides into the ring behind him. Punk turns around and sees the Wrestling God charging at him for the Clothesline from hell, but Punk’s incredibly quick natural instinct allows him to duck and JBL’s own momentum leads him over the top and crashing to the floor below. Punk celebrates his hard fought victory as he hardly believes it.
WINNER- CM Punk by ELIMINATION in 10:45
Backstage, Matt Striker is with the team of Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore who wave at the camera and soak in the cheers from the crowd as an interview begins.
Striker- So I hear you two... inbreeds... are the new contenders to the tag team championships?
The crowd boos Striker after this remark.
Yang- Inbreeds? I’ll shove my boot down your throat if y’all be callin’ us ‘dem sorta’ things.
Moore- But y’all is right in one way, me and old Jimmy here have been named the number one contenders to the World Tag Team Championships.
Striker- Really, I didn’t know they let your kind on TV?
Yang- You’re askin’ for a dang old fashioned ass whoopin’ aren’t ya?
Moore- Calm down now, Jimmy, we gotta stay calm and prepare for when we eventually get our chance for the titles. ‘Cause when we do, we are not lettin’ the opportunity go by. I Shannon, and Jimmy here by my side, we will be Raw’s next Tag Team Champions.
The crowd pops for the contenders and their cheery nature.
In the ring stands Chris Jericho, who smirks and stands proudly taking in boos. He holds up a microphone and waits for the crowd to stop booing, before starting to talk.
Jericho- I don’t even know where to start. But, you’re all eager to hear your Ayatollah speak so I guess I’ll start with all of you. All of you make me sick!
The fans boo the arrogant Ayatollah.
Jericho- You people don’t know decency; you don’t know what is right. You people think I am a bad person? You all have no idea. I am your saviour; I am the wise man who comes bearing gifts. I give you all the gift of honesty. Yes, I won’t be afraid to tell you that your little superheroes, you know, the John Cena’s, the Shawn Michaels’s, you know them? They’re all phony, not one of them care about you. And I will be honest and tell you that, you hypocrites should consider yourselves lucky that I am telling you this.
Jericho gets some more heat after these comments.
Jericho- The second gift I bring you is the truth. And as you all should know, the truth is that I am the 2008 superstar of the year and I should be headlining Wrestlemania. And I will. Because at No Way Out in the Number One Contendership Elimination Chamber I will prevail and go on to win the World Heavyweight Championship at the 25th anniversary of Wrestlemania.
The crowd boo, not wanting this to happen.
Jericho- The third gift I bring to you is salvation. I come as your savior, and I am saving you all from yourselves. All you parasites, all you sycophants, your minds are all brainwashed and I am here to save you-
Suddenly ‘Just Close Your Eyes’ hits as Christian Cage walks down to the ring to a massive chord of cheers.
Christian- I’m sorry I just had to come out here to put a plug in your fountain of bullshit. Chris Jericho, just stop spouting out lies from your tap of crap!
The crowd goes crazy for Christian Cage after he interrupts Jericho’s condescending speech.
Christian- Chris Jericho, you’re no saviour, you’re the disease. I am the cure Chris, and I have planned on how to get rid of you for many weeks now. I had been watching you and waiting for the perfect time to save Raw from you. My peeps don’t wanna sit here and listen to you run your mouth. They wanna sit here and watch me kick your ass!
The crowd pops for Captain Charisma.
Jericho- You see Christian, I knew you were watching me these past weeks. I knew you were planning on confronting me sometime. I also knew that you were coming out here tonight. Your ‘peeps’ aren’t as reliable as it seems, to be honest. And in all honesty, I have been watching you to Christian. Ever since word spread out you were looking to save Raw from me, I thought I would do the same. Save the people of Raw from you. You see, the people sitting in the crowds don’t know about you. They don’t know the man behind the catchphrases, the man behind the Peepshow. You are in fact a liar Christian. You pretend to care about your fans, but really you just throw them a bone in the form of a tagline and leave them begging. You don’t care about these people; every single person in the arena is an afterthought to you. You know I’m right.
The crowd boos Jericho as Christian shakes his head in disapproval.
Christian- You’re right, these people are afterthoughts.
The crowd throw out a mixed reaction in confusion.
Christian- They fall just behind the thought of me kicking your sorry ass all over the arena and breaking your nose with the Unprettier!
The Peeps cheer, realizing their beloved Christian is still standing up for them and opposing Jericho.
Cage swings at Jericho and knocks him down to a big pop, though the Ayatollah of Rock ‘N’ Rollah quickly slides out of the ring and retreats up the ramp, holding his jaw in pain as Christian points at him and nods his head.
Rosa Mendez v Candice Michelle
The match begins with a lock up and Candice slips Rosa into a headlock but is almost immediately pushed away. Rosa then illegally grabs Candice’s hair and yanks her to the ground with a malicious look in her eyes. Rosa then unleashes a fury of stomps on Candice, showing no remorse in her offense. Rosa kicks Candice across the ring until she is slouched in the corner, and then Rosa hits a running knee to Candice’s face, impacting the back of the former Go Daddy girl’s skull into the bottom turnbuckle. Rosa continues to punish Candice as Women’s Championship Number One Contender, Beth Phoenix walks out with a rather content look on her face. Rosa picks Candice up with a sinister look on her face. She goes to slap her but Candice ducks and in a burst of energy kicks Rosa with a one legged dropkick that sends her flailing into the ropes. However the execution of the move wears Candice out and Rosa quickly rebounds with seemingly even more aggression, hitting a dropkick of her own followed by a complete shot. She then picks Candice up and slaps her across the face, this time successfully, before hitting her with a Backflip Reverse DDT for the 1, 2, 3 as Beth claps with approval.
WINNER- Rosa Mendez by PINFALL in 3:21
Backstage, Randy Orton barges into the General Manager’s office with an inquiry, and Shane and Steph quickly turn their attention to the Legend Killer.
Orton- Listen to me you two idiots!
The crowd boos at Orton’s presence.
Orton- I have for you an idea that will give Raw the highest ratings it has had since the 1990’s. Of course, this idea involves your highest draw, your most important entity, the Legend Killer, Randy Orton.
More boos are thrown out, the crowd not being pleased with Orton’s arrogance.
Orton- I propose to you a match for tonight’s main event. A six man tag match, with the best, or at least in my case, superstars on Raw. How about you pit the three members of Legacy against those two lovers CM Punk and Shawn Michaels, teaming with the World Heavyweight Champion John Cena?
Shane- Well that does sound pretty enticing, but hasn’t CM Punk already had a match tonight?
Orton- Please Steph, maybe you should let the men do the talking here, because you have no idea what you are talking about. At No Mercy in 2007, when I became a two time WWE Champion, I had to compete twice in the same night. And one of those matches was a Last Man Standing match!
Steph- I’m sorry, but-
Shane- Who the hell do you think you are Orton? You don’t call the shots around here, I do!
A loud reaction for Shane getting fired up.
Steph- You what? You forgot about me again? You pretended you were the only general manager again? I’m sick of your selfishness, I’m sick of your condescending attitude, I’m sick of you!
Stephanie gets a loud mixed reaction regarding these comments.
Orton- Excuse me, nobody cares about either of you and your petty fight, let’s get back to-
Steph- I’d shut your mouth right now before it gets filled with a resignation form. CM Punk is not competing tonight... and neither are you. Rest up Orton, because next week you are taking on the Straight Edge superstar one on one!
The crowd pops for next week’s new main event.
Steph- And tonight, how about your two little cronies Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase team up in a non title match to face John Cena and his opponent at No Way Out the Heart Break Kid Shawn Michaels!
The crowd pops again for tonight’s main event.
Steph- Now get the hell out of my office while I deal with the second most annoying person on this- on my show.
Stephanie gets another loud mixed reaction after finally snapping and telling her brother off.
Stephanie slams the door in front of Orton and turns around, but as she was talking to Randy, it appears that Shane has left the office. Steph shakes her head in disgust.
Booker T +Chris Jericho v Batista +Christian Cage
Booker begins in the ring with Batista and the two rivals grapple but Booker refuses to get technical, instead placing a knee in the gut of Batista. He then takes the Animal and pulls his face down into his knee, before making him crash to the ground with a spinning crescent kick to the head. Booker stomps on Batista and continues to use his feet in offense, almost as if he does not want to touch Batista. Booker nails him with a leg drop across the chest before tagging in Chris Jericho. Jericho immediately goes to punish the Animal with his signature submission but when he grabs Tista’s legs, he is kicked away, stopping his plans of locking in the Walls of Jericho. Batista gets to his knees but is once again pursued by Jericho. Y2J goes to grab the Animal but takes a series of punches to the midsection followed by a back body drop that plants him on the mat behind him. Tista then tags in the Instant Classic Christian Cage, putting the other pair of rivals in the ring together. Captain Charisma plays to the crowd and grabs the groggy Jericho, before humiliating him with a slap across the face followed by a snap DDT that plants him into the canvas!
Cage then hits a standing splash on Jericho for a two count before going to the second rope and landing another hard splash but alas only for another two. Christian then goes up top and pays tribute to the late Eddie Guerrero with his signature taunt before jumping off with a Frog Splash, connecting it on Raw’s Savior. 1.....2..... At the last minute Booker T rushes in to break up the count. Batista then runs in and Spinebusters Booker taking him out of the ring. The distressed referee then shepherds Tista out of the ring and while he is distracted Jericho low blows Cage and takes him down illegally. The ref is oblivious and begins to count as Cage is covered, though the Instant Classic kicks out at 2. Booker T is tagged back in and he goes for a Spinaroonie to taunt the opposing team. He is mid way through his signature taunt but then Christian recovers and whacks him with a low level dropkick that sends him off balance. Booker recuperates eventually but then sees the newly tagged Animal charging at him. He rams into Booker like the Animal he is and knocks him off his feet with a Spear, before following it up with a cover and the three.
WINNERS- Batista +Christian Cage by PINFALL in 8:56
Backstage, Todd Grisham is with CM Punk for an interview, and Punk’s mentor Shawn Michaels stands beside him. The audience cheers upon seeing their beloved duo.
Grisham- I am here with CM Punk, the final man finalized for the Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out. Now CM, what would it mean to you if you won that match which would guarantee you a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship at the 25th anniversary of Wrestlemania?
Punk- To be honest Todd, it would mean the world to me, I would want nothing more. At No Way Out in 2 weeks time, I will step into that unforgiving structure with 5 other men but I will be the last one to step out. I may have lost blood, I may have lost teeth and hell, I may have even lost my mind. But I will step out of that chamber as the winner!
Punk- Chris Jericho, Christian Cage, John Morrison, Kazarian and Randy Orton; they all have nothing compared to me. I have more passion running through my blood than the 5 of them put together. And trust me, at No Way Out, they will find that out. That hard way!
The crowd pops even louder.
Punk- And after I win, I will go on to Wrestlemania to face the World Heavyweight Champion. And my greatest hope is that the champ would be none other than the man standing right next to me. I would be honoured to fight my mentor in a battle of respect at the Granddaddy of them all, Wrestlemania!
The crowd goes absolutely wild for this potential match up.
Grisham- And in another match of yours, General Manager Stephanie McMahon has placed you in a match with Randy Orton next week. Now you two have been butting heads in recent weeks, what do you have to say to him?
Punk- Orton, I have watched you manipulate and torment the Raw roster for the past couple of weeks, and it’s all because of strength in numbers. I’m not going to fall victim to your two little cronies Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, and that is why I want them nowhere near our match next week. And I plan to make that happen, by making that match inside a 15 foot steel cage!
The crowd pops for a potential cage match.
Punk- So Orton, next week we’ll face each other in that chamber of twisted metal, almost a preparation to No Way Out. And it’s also gonna be preparation for you, as you’re gonna get used to falling victim to the Straight Edge Superstar!
The crowd cheers for the Straight Edge Superstar.
Punk smiles and the camera suddenly shifts to the left where we see the World Heavyweight Champion John Cena standing there watching HBK and Punk. The crowd cheers when they see that the champ is here.
HBK- Well it looks Mr. Cena is here to praise you, CM. Or maybe he came up here to wish me well for our match at No Way Out. What is it John?
Cena- Well Shawn, I was just thinking about what you said last week. About how all I really cared about was the title and I didn’t respect you at all. Well, however untrue that is, I am taking some of that into play. No more Mr. Friendly Handshake, Shawn. I am turning over an new leaf and pushing my respect to the side. From now on you will see a new John Cena, and you brought it upon yourself. The audience in attendance will see a John Cena that is more ruthless than ever!
The crowd cheers as they may see a new John Cena.
HBK- Well maybe, John, maybe they won’t get a chance.
The crowd is puzzled by this comment, and the audience discusses what it may mean amongst themselves.
Cena- What do you mean?
The camera then fades out and focuses on the ring.
Intercontinental Championship
John Morrison © v Kazarian
The bell rings and Kazarian is overwhelmed with hate for his opponent, rushing in with fists and a fury of forearms, taking the Intercontinental Champion down to his knees. Kaz then dropkicks him to the ground, and he is overcome with revenge, as he takes to menacingly stomping on JoMo’s fallen body, so much that the referee orders him to step back. Kazarian picks up Morrison and shoots him a mean glare, before snapping his head back with a spinning hook kick. Kazarian then tries to continue his momentum by springing off the ropes and going for a Moonsault, but JoMo gets his knees up and Kaz deflects off him, holding his ribs in pain. Morrison then gets up with a pissed frown and rubs his neck in pain. Kaz also brings himself back to his feet and holds his damaged ribs. The two champions stare down each other before Kaz unloads some punches which are subsequently blocked by Morrison, who responds with some punches of his own, this time to Kaz’s damaged ribs. Morrison then whacks Kaz with a high knee again to the ribs, before hitting a modified lifting gutbuster, hitting the ribs instead of the abdomen. He then digs deep into his former moveset, taunting Kaz with a break-dance, before transitioning it into a leg drop, targeting the injured ribs again.
Morrison then grabs Kaz and puts him in a chinlock, grabbing his upper body and wrenching it back while placing a knee in the core of the back, making sure to stretch the ribs and injure them even further. However, with the support of the crowd who cheer him on, Kazarian gets to his knees and drives Morrison away with a few elbows, before following it up with a Hangman’s neckbreaker, following up the damage on Morrison’s previously targeted neck. Kaz then picks Morrison up and delivers a German suplex, before going up top amidst cheers from the crowd. Kaz waits for Morrison to get up and prepares for what presumably is a Missile Dropkick, but once the Intercontinental champion gets to his feet and realises the danger, he quickly rushes to the corner and takes him off balance with a few punches. Morrison claws himself up to the top so that he is facing Kaz, but the Hardcore Champion fights back with some punches to gain an advantage. Kazarian then risks his body and flips himself over Morrison, going for a Sunset Flip Powerbomb, only for Morrison to gold on to the top turnbuckle and leave Kaz hit the mat in pain. Kaz is sprawled out across the canvas below him and Morrison uses this to his advantage, hitting his signature Starship Pain to the awe of the crowd, who quickly begin to boo as the referee counts to 3.
WINNER- John Morrison by PINFALL in 7:45
Kazarian stops Morrison from leaving before grabbing a microphone with a desperate look on his face.
Kaz- Wait stop... this isn’t over yet. I will get my retribution; I won’t let you walk away that easily.
Morrison- Please, I just beat you, you hopeless-
Kaz- Please, I’ll even put my Hardcore Championship on the line.
The crowd cheers as they may witness a title defense next week.
Morrison- Really? Well I guess it would be fun to beat you yet again. I’ve already proved to you that I’m better, I’ll enjoy rubbing your face in it as well.
The crowd boos Morrison’s cockiness and arrogance.
Morrison- Abs-solutely.
Morrison walks back up the ramp with a smile on his face while the crowd are discussing next week’s match amongst themselves.
Backstage, Rosa Mendez in walking but she is pursued by Beth Phoenix, who soon stops her to talk to her.
Beth- Hey Rosa, I was looking at your match tonight and I must say I’m rather impressed.
Rosa- Oh my god oh my god oh my god, really? Wow, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you-
Beth- Err... yeah. Anyway, you got me thinking. If you can pull out the same caliber performance you did tonight against my No Way Out opponent Melina next week, then I might just let you... umm... be... part of my personal entourage. Yeah, that’s it. If you can beat Melina next week like you beat Candice tonight then you can be part of my personal entourage.
Rosa- Oh... my... god, your personal entourage? I can’t believe it. I am so gonna beat Melina next week, I am definitely not passing up this opportunity for anything!
Beth- That’s great... get training then.
Beth runs off down the corridor as Rosa remains there looking very pleased. The camera then pans to the side showing Melina hiding behind a wall, having watched the whole discussion. She shakes her head in disbelief as the camera cuts back to the ring.
Shelton Benjamin v Sim Snuka
The bell rings and Shelton rushes straight into the offensive, wanting to prove his dominance to Charlie Haas and rub his superiority in his face. Shelton attacks with a flurry of punches and elbows, before going to finish things off early with the Paydirt, only to be pushed away into the ropes. The son of WWE hall of famer Jimmy Snuka then walks over to Shelton but Benjamin grabs him and pulls him throat first into the ropes, choking him. Shelton laughs at his opponent before picking him up and throwing him out of the ring, where he lands right next to Charlie Haas, who is looking rather nervous at seeing his future opponent look so strong. Shelton rolls out of the ring and talks trash to Charlie, calling him inferior and pathetic, but then Snuka hits Shelton with a chop block, and the Gold Standard is swept to the floor. Sim rolls Shelton into the ring but when he gets in himself, Benjamin is already up and boots he rains boots down on Snuka. Shelton picks him up and Irish whips him into the corner, but he does it with such force that Sim is sent staggering forward from the blow, clutching his back. Shelton grabs the groggy Snuka and takes him down with an Exploder Suplex followed by a pin.
WINNER- Shelton Benjamin by PINFALL in 2:59
Shelton remains in the ring as Charlie Haas’s music plays and his former partner walks down to the ring.
Haas- So Shelton, you just proved to the world how good you are. I know how good you are, from back when we were the World’s greatest tag team, but I also knew how selfish you were. However, it’s not about you proving yourself, it’s about me proving myself. And I want you to give me the chance to do that. Next week Shelton, I am challenging you to a one on one match, and I will show everyone that I am by no means washed up, and that I am still a fighter!
The crowd cheers for good old Charlie Haas as Shelton grabs a mic off some personnel.
Shelton- You know what Charlie, nothing would give me more pleasure than watching you writhe at my feet with broken bones and broken dreams. I accept!
The crowd cheers in anticipation over this newly announced match.
Shelton- Back when we were in a tag team, do you know why I was selfish? Do you know why I acted like I was better? News flash Charlie, I was better!
The crowd boos at Shelton’s cockiness.
Shelton- So please, stop kidding yourself. Train hard Haas, I want you at your best when I take you down next week!
Haas- I’m ready Shelton, I’ll be there and I’ll be better than ever!
The crowd cheers as Haas’s music plays.
Ted DiBiase +Cody Rhodes v Shawn Michaels +John Cena
Randy Orton leads Priceless to ringside and instructs them to inflict as much damage on their opponents as possible, especially HBK. Legacy then cockily strut down the ramp to meet their opponents as Randy has his usual sick smile across his face. The bell rings, and two generations clash, with the veteran Shawn Michaels beginning in the ring with second generation superstar Ted DiBiase. They lock up and Ted’s inexperience gets the better of him, as he goes to quickly lock up but is outsmarted by Shawn Michaels and takes a knee to the chest. HBK then throws some seasoned chops at DiBiase and backs him into a corner, but Orton whispers to him from ringside and Ted rakes the eyes of Shawn, catching him off guard. The referee scolds Ted to no reaction at all, and DiBiase boots HBK in the gut before tagging in the other half of Priceless. Cody walks into the ring cockily and then mercilessly slaps HBK across the face to extreme heat.
Rhodes taunts the veteran who does not take this insult lightly and fires back with right hands. Shawn then gives Cody a taste of his chops before landing a flying shoulder block followed by a kip up. He plays to the crowd and then feigns tagging in his No Way Out opponent, the World Heavyweight Champion, John Cena. Cena calls for the tag and Shawn again teases him by pulling his hand away, but finally lets him come into the match. Cena comes in with truckloads of energy, taking out Rhodes with clothesline after clothesline before knocking DiBiase off the apron with a hard right hand. Cena picks up Rhodes and lands the spin out powerbomb. He then goes for the 5 Knuckle Shuffle but as he comes off the ropes, an angry Ted DiBiase runs in the ring and punches Cena from behind. Cena doesn’t take too kindly to this as he turns around and promptly lifts Ted up for the FU. However, the brash young DiBiase escapes with a poke to the eye and then a freshly recovered Cody Rhodes takes Cena to the mat with a dropkick from behind. He then goes to the top rope and waits for Cena to get up, before coming down with an Asai Moonsault for a near fall on the champ.
Rhodes and DiBiase then pick apart Cena body part by body part, making frequent tags and keeping him isolated. HBK draws frustration on the apron, as many times Cena draws close to getting a tag but a member of Legacy pulls him away. Eventually the match gets a step more chaotic as while the referee is occupied, Randy Orton sneaks up behind HBK on the apron and pulls him to the floor. He hammers away at him with fists and elbows, but cue CM Punk who runs down the ramp to aid his mentor. Punk and Orton then brawl on the outside and in the ring this distracts Priceless enough to allow Cena to get up, only to realise that HBK is down and out on the floor. Cena shouts at the Showstopper and tells him to get up but then he is suddenly rolled up from behind by DiBiase, and Priceless score the shocking upset win. They then slip out of the ring and help Orton fight off Punk, but Punk knocks them away with a steel chair and the battle spills into the ring. Cena and HBK clear Priceless out of the ring with clotheslines and Punk, Shawn and John all circle Orton, who is essentially trapped. Cena grabs the steel chair from Punk, but before he can use it to hit Orton, HBK whacks him with a Sweet Chin Music planting the chair right into the champ’s jaw. Orton quickly rolls out of the ring and retreats as Legacy walk back up the ramp, as HBK and Punk stand together over Cena in the ring.
WINNERS- Ted DiBiase +Cody Rhodes by PINFALL in 9:11
I didn't like the use of the Punt, because it means you basically have to write Rey out to make it look like an effective move now. The overuse of the Punt is something that pisses me off, so don't make this an every week thing. It should only be when he's pissed off.
. I don't know if you can pull a good feud, but lets see. I won't count you out yet.