Backsotry: Edge has been on a reign of terror holding the title for close to 5 months with no end in sight. Edge’s Army (Edge, Abyss, Lita, Cade and Murdoch) where close to unstoppable destroying everyone in site. HBK won a title tournament allowing him to challenge Edge one on one for the WWE Title. HBK has recently been getting the advantage week after week despite the odds. Last week Abyss took on HBK in a one on one match up. As Shawn Michaels looked to almost defeat Shawn Michaels, Edge interfered taking him out with a huge Spear. He held the title over Shawn Michaels. Will this be the same site in this huge match up?
WWE Championship
Edge © w/Lita vs. Shawn Michaels
The bell rings and the two competitors stand across the ring, trying to stare one another out. They edge their way to the centre of the ring and lock up for a test of strength. Edge gives a slight smirk, knowing that he can use his size and weight advantage to help overpower Shawn Michaels. Edge’s size allows him to gain the momentum in this battle, and he begins to overpower HBK. However, HBK battles back and uses the crowd’s chants to get back to an even footing with Edge. They both release, seeing that neither man is going to gain any advantage in this exchange. They back away and regain their composure. Both men know the importance of this match and they suck in the crowd’s cheers. They edge back towards the centre of the ring and slowly connect for the test of mercy. They lock up and Edge immediately pulls HBK towards him and wrenches his hands to cause HBK excruciating pain. HBK, however, lifts their locked up hands over his head and then takes Edge to the mat and jumps all over him, slapping his head and face in mockery of Edge. This agitates the Rated R Superstar, who gets right back to his feet and then takes a shot at Michaels, but the former 4-time World Champion ducks underneath and then turns and plants some chops to the chest of Edge. Edge comes back with a rake to the eyes and takes Michaels down with a snapmare, before synching in a chin lock, and the pace quickened momentarily there. HBK fights his way out of the chin lock fairly quickly by rolling his legs up and around Edge’s neck, bringing him down to the mat for a pin fall. The referee makes the count:
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Edge rolls out of the pin fall.
Both men reach their feet at the same time but HBK reacts quicker, nailing his own snapmare on Edge. HBK then yanks Edge’s arm back around his head and wrenches is hard. Edge cries out in pain and Lita, on the outside, urges him on, not wanting him to lose faith early on. HBK releases Edge’s arm after a short while and then pulls him to his feet. HBK attempts to land a punch, but Edge catches it and hits one of his own. Edge nails a second blow, then a third, but misses with the fourth punch as HBK catches his arm and Michaels then hits a quick dropkick to the knee of Edge. Edge falls to his knees and Michaels knocks him down to the mat with another dropkick – this time to the face. HBK drops down over Edge for the cover:
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Edge gets a shoulder off the mat just after the count of two. Shawn Michaels pulls Edge to his vertical base and attempts an Irish whip, but the champion reverses and HBK is sent towards the ropes. Edge kneels down, looking for a back body drop, but HBK stops in time and hits a kick to the face. HBK then backs into the ropes and comes off with a flying forearm, but Edge dives out of the way. The WWE Champion sees an opening now and begins to stomp away on the back of HBK’s neck with the challenger on his stomach. With HBK hurt, Edge drags him towards the turnbuckle and leans him against it. Edge then proceeds to stomp away again on Michaels, and we see Lita hold HBK’s arms behind the post to prevent him from defending himself.
The ref sees this and tells Edge to move away. Lita acts innocent but the ref climbs out of the ring and tells her to back away. Meanwhile, Edge uses this distraction to choke Shawn with the tag rope. He ceases choking HBK before the ref returns to the ring, and then makes the cover:
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HBK kicks out at about 2 ½. Edge gets to his feet and lifts Michaels up. Edge then lands a body slam and runs into the ropes, nailing a running knee drop to the face of his challenger. Edge takes this time to mock the fans, who are fully in favour of Shawn Michaels tonight. Lita also taunts some fans at ringside, and back in the ring, Edge pulls his number one contender back to his feet. Edge sends Michaels into the ropes and then drops him with a back body drop. With HBK down in the middle of the ring, Edge grabs his head and locks in a side headlock. HBK looks in a lot of trouble very early on in this contest. He shows that he is still with it though, as when the referee lifts his arm into the air and lets go, it stays right in place. HBK then fights his way out, getting first to his knees, and then to an almost vertical position, where he digs several elbows into the midsection of the champion to force a release. HBK starts feeling some momentum by running Edge off the ropes and nailing a short arm clothesline, and when Edge rises back up, Michaels runs at him and goes for a flying shoulder, but the champion ducks and then lifts HBK over his head and over the ropes with a back drop. HBK is able to lands on the outside apron, and as Edge turns Michaels ducks his oncoming blow and digs a shoulder into Edge’s abdomen. HBK then rolls himself back into the ring by rolling over Edge and he tries to roll him up for the pin fall, but Lita grabs Edge’s arms to stop him from dropping to the mat, swinging the momentum – and the pin fall – in the champion’s favour:
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HBK is trying to kick out but Lita’s interference is making this near impossible.
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HBK just manages to kick out before the three, with the ref having no idea what Lita just did. Edge gets to his feet just before his opponent and he knocks him down with a quick, hard clothesline. Edge goes into the ropes and drops an elbow onto HBK’s midsection. The fans boo as he is taking full control of this contest and Edge then grabs Michaels’ legs and attempts the figure-four leg lock. HBK, however, shoves him away with his legs and then as Edge comes back, Michaels wraps is legs around Edge’s head and swings him down to the mat. The fans cheer as HBK nips up but immediately Edge is up and HBK turns into a dropkick. Edge then shouts for HBK to rise back to his feet, and with the challenger against the ropes, Edge runs at him and hits a cross body onto HBK, sending both men over the top rope and to the outside floor. The fans give a good pop at that last spot, and we see Lita checking on her man, who is not in a bad condition at this point as Shawn Michaels. Edge is to his feet first and the referee, unsuccessfully, tries to tell Edge to get HBK back inside the ring, but the WWE Champion doesn’t listen and he pulls HBK up and tosses him into the steel steps. The ref starts to shout at Edge that he needs to get back inside, and Edge rolls inside, but straight back out, seeing this as a chance to really wear down Michaels. Edge picks his opponent back to his base and then runs him into the crowd barricade, with HBK’s already damaged back taking the brunt of it. Some fans exchange words with Edge and he mocks then before rolling Shawn back inside the ring at last. Inside the squared circle, Edge is bouncing around, really enjoying what he is doing to his challenger and he waits for him to slowly rise to his feet. Once up, Edge then pulls Michaels into position and plants him down into the mat wit a suplex. Edge shows his arrogant smirk and pulls HBK back up. Edge then lands another suplex and this time he makes the cover, hoping that this will be enough:
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HBK kicks out at 2 ½. Edge looks a little frustrated that he didn’t put Michaels away there, but he doesn’t seem too surprised, as this match is still in its early stages. He then lifts Shawn Michaels back up and positions him against the turnbuckle. Edge then proceeds to lift HBK onto the top turnbuckle and Edge himself climbs to the second turnbuckle. He positions Michaels for the superplex, but the challenger beings to fight back, knowing that this is a make or break situation. HBK plants some hard shots into the ribs on Edge and the Rated R Superstar is forced to drop off the ropes and onto the apron, where he lands on his feet and climbs right back up, looking to take advantage with a quick belly to back suplex off the top turnbuckle, but the Heart Break Kid has this well scouted too, and knocks Edge back down, with the champion landing on his back, in the perfect position for HBK to nail some high risk move. HBK sees the opening here and gets in position on the top turnbuckle. He looks to the crowd, who are urging him to take a chance and he smirks and then dives off the top rope. HBK looks for the top-rope elbow drop, but Edge just manages to roll out of the way and HBK crashes down to the canvas! The crowd boos as they wanted Michaels to land that elbow drop and take control of Edge and both men are down on the mat.
The referee starts up the ten count on both men:
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Edge, the much better of the two right now in terms of how much they have left in the tank, is back to his feet. HBK is moving slightly, but it is clear that Edge has control of this match once again.
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HBK is now back to his feet, and before he can fully make it to a vertical base, Edge moves towards him and digs his knee into the abdomen. HBK holds his stomach area in pain and the WWE Champion then hits a stiff kick to the head. HBK falls back and is down on the mat again. At this point, Edge decides to go high risk, climbing to the outside apron and to the top turnbuckle. The fans boo as he smiles and is signalling that the WWE Title will still be his after the night is over. HBK is up on his feet, and as he turns, Edge dives off the top, looking for the axe handle, but Shawn Michaels sees him coming and hits a shot to the midsection of Edge when the two competitors collide, and Edge flips over and goes down to the mat. HBK is relieved and pulls Edge to his feet, knowing that he must act quick and turn things around. Michaels sends Edge to the turnbuckle but it is reversed and HBK’s back again gets hurt. Edge runs at him but the challenger shows his expertise and hits a thumb to the eye, which goes undetected by the referee. Michaels pulls himself to the second turnbuckle and hits a dropkick to the back of Edge. The crowd begin to cheer HBK on as he rolls Edge onto his stomach and into the cover, but surely not enough damage has been done:
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Edge kicks out just after the count of 2! Shawn Michaels is to his feet just before his adversary and he hits an arm drag and keeps a hold of Edge’s arm, synching in an arm lock on the mat. Lita tries to urge Edge out of the hold, but HBK has it locked in nicely and the ref is there to see if Edge wants to give it up, but the announcers point out that it is very unlikely Edge will give his WWE Title up in an arm lock. Edge’s face shows the pain he is suffering, but he has no intention of giving this one up and he battles out of the hold, rolling Edge up nicely into a modified cradle pin. The ref is right there to count the fall:
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HBK kicks out right after the count of 2. Both men get to their feet and back away, and we are just over ten minutes into this contest. The fans can feel the tension in the air as both men have waged war for the past month in a build up to this huge WWE Championship match. They edge their way back towards the centre of the ring and HBK wants another test of strength. They lock up again and struggle for the momentum, but Edge takes the easy way out with a stiff knee to the gut of Shawn Michaels. The Heart Break Kid crouches down slightly to hold his midsection in pain and Edge sends him into the ropes and then takes HBK down to the mat with a belly-to-back suplex! Edge sees this as his best chance so far to retain his championship and he rolls into the cover and hooks the leg:
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HBK just kicks out right before the referee’s arm came down for the three! Edge looks annoyed that he didn’t put HBK down for the three there and he kicks the bottom rope in anger. Lita is on the outside trying to calm her man down and he goes back to work on Michaels, looking a lot more focused here. Edge helps HBK to his feet by the hair and the he nails a boot to the midsection and locks HBK’s head under his arm and goes down for a DDT, but Shawn Michaels doesn’t drop down and Edge goes into the mat, with this strategy not working there. Michaels hits an elbow drop and then rises to his feet. He looks fired up and he raises his fists to the crowd, showing that he is still full of energy. Edge is back on his feet at this point and Michaels knocks him right back down with a solid punch. Edge gets right back up and HBK takes him back down again with a hard blow. Edge gets up a third time but when HBK goes for another punch, Edge ducks underneath and runs into the ropes. He comes back at HBK but Michaels has him scouted and as Edge jumps into the air for a flying forearm, HBK catches him perfectly to meet him and counter into a shoulder breaker. Edge rolls all the way to the outside and is holding his shoulder in agony. Lita checks on him and HBK also rolls to the outside, despite the referee’s objections. HBK grabs Edge by the hair in payback for moments ago and pulls him to his feet and tosses him hard into the steel steps, and HBK is livid after Edge’s antics as of late. The ref comes to the outside and has a word with Michaels, and the announcers state that Michaels must be careful not to get disqualified. HBK grabs a hurt Edge and throws him viciously back into the ring. HBK himself climbs up the steps, onto the apron and then to the top rope. He waits for Edge to rise to his feet, which takes the champion a considerable amount longer than moments before, and HBK then dives off, nailing the cross body, which takes him into a pin attempt:
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Edge kicks out with a small amount of time left before the 3. HBK gets back on his feet and runs into the ropes. Edge has rolled onto his stomach and is about to get up when Michaels lands a running low dropkick. HBK then grabs Edge’s injured shoulder and wraps his legs around Edge’s upper arm, before locking in the triangle hold. Edge cries out in pain and HBK looks determined to cause him pain. Lita is on the outside looking in, but in reality she can do nothing to help Edge. Michaels has the hold locked in tightly. HBK eventually releases Edge from the hold, as it is apparent he has caused a lot of pain to Edge’s shoulder, but the champion will not give up the title at this stage by submitting. HBK pulls Edge to his feet by grabbing his shoulder to show that he isn’t letting up on Edge, and HBK then hits a suplex. He pulls Edge back to his feet, and lands his body slam and the crowd know what is coming next. The crowd are cheering HBK on and he has a huge opportunity right now to become the new WWE Champion. Michaels pulls Edge towards the turnbuckle and sets him in position for a high-risk move. Michaels climbs to the outside and then up to the top rope. Edge is still down and HBK stands up and dives off, hitting Edge with the top-rope elbow drop! The crowd give a huge cheer and HBK gets back on his feet and he can see the title in his sight now. Shawn Michaels moves over to the corner and starts to tune up the band to a huge reaction from the fans. They clap and chant along as HBK stamps his feet on the ground. Edge is slow to get to his feet and as he turns around, Shawn Michaels starts to run at him. HBK lifts his leg for the sweet chin music…but Edge ducks underneath and then grabs the back of HBK’s neck and drops him with the Edge O’ Matic! The fans boo heavily as Edge has Michaels’ legs bridged for the pin fall:
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HBK just kicks out before the referee’s arm goes down for the count of three! The fans cheer as HBK kicks out and the title is still very much in the balance. Both men are feeling the pain this match has brought on them and they are very slow reaching their feet. Edge is slightly quicker to his feet and he lands the first blow on Shawn Michaels. However, the Heart Break Kid shows his courage and plants one of his own on Edge. They go back and forth, nailing shot after shot, each one causing an increasing amount of damage of one another. Edge, however, misses a punch after the battle and HBK grabs his arm and begins to unload punch after punch on the WWE Champion. He lands three consecutive blows and then Edge ducks a shot and nails a kick to the midsection. Edge hits a DDT and makes the slow cover on Michaels:
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HBK gets a shoulder off the mat! The fans give another cheer for HBK and Edge looks very frustrated, as he thought he had the match won with that DDT. The champion is first to his feet and he has the advantage on HBK and uses this to send the challenger’s shoulder hard into the ring post. HBK stays against the turnbuckle and Lita comes over on the outside. Edge distracts the ref and Lita slaps Shawn Michaels, and then claws away on his face, but HBK shoves her away. HBK backs his way towards the middle of the ring but he walks into Edge, who takes him down with a German suplex into the bridged pin attempt:
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HBK kicks out! Edge looks baffled once more that he did not keep Michaels down for the pin and Lita has to calm him down again. Edge regains his composure and pulls Michaels to his feet. He nails a boot to the midsection and shouts, “It’s overâ€. He locks Michaels’ head under his arm and attempts his Edgecution DDT for the second time this contest. Unlike before, Edge is able to land the Edgecution DDT and he makes the cover, possibly seeing the championship in his sight now:
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HBK kicks out yet again! The fans roar with approval and start a “HBK, HBK†chant. However, Michaels is still down and is barely moving. Edge gets back on his feet and moves towards the corner. He crouches in position for the spear and if he lands this, surely the match will be over and Edge will have successfully retained his WWE Title belt. HBK begins moving on the mat and Edge is eagerly awaiting him to get to his vertical base. HBK starts to get up, and once he reaches his feet, he turns around. Edge runs at him and dives at HBK for the spear…but Shawn Michaels moves out of the way! Edge crashes into the turnbuckle pad and HBK turns around. Edge also turns and HBK plants him with the sweet chin music out of nowhere! HBK drops down for the cover and we must have a new champion now surely:
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Lita grabs foot and places it on the bottom rope! The ref sees Edge’s foot and stops the count. The fans give huge hissing sounds and they are livid that HBK didn’t win the WWE Title there. HBK looks at Lita and tells the ref she must have placed Edge’s foot over the rope but the ref doesn’t listen.
HBK still has control at this point, and he pulls Edge up and sends him towards the turnbuckle. HBK runs at him and hits a diving body splash. He then digs some boots into the gut of Edge before lifting his opponent onto the top rope. HBK climbs to the second turnbuckle and positions Edge for the superplex. He pulls him down to the mat and lands this high impact move, but is looks as if HBK is equally hurt from this and his back is in pain, as is Edge’s shoulder. The referee begins the ten count, and Joey Styles points out that if he reaches ten on both competitors, then Edge will retain his title, and he feels it would be a shame for a match like this:
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HBK rolls onto his stomach and puts an arm over Edge for the pin:
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Edge gets a shoulder up just in time! The fans boo as HBK almost got the three count there but Michaels looks in the better shape and he goes back towards the turnbuckle and tunes up the band for the second time this contest. Just as Edge was about to get to his feet, Lita jumps onto the apron and grabs HBK’s hair behind him. Michaels’ attention is now on Lita and he brings her over the top rope and into the ring. The fans cheer as Lita pleads with him but HBK looks like he might hit her. However, he sees sense and lets her escape to the outside. Meanwhile, Edge has recovered to some extent and HBK turns around and the champion runs at him for the spear…but HBK avoids contact again and Edge spear’s the referee! Edge then turns into HBK’s sweet chin music for the second time and Michaels falls over him for the pin. There is no referee to make the count and HBK can’t believe it. Michaels count the three himself to show that he should be the champion right now and the fans chant along with him. Edge is down and out, and Lita climbs back into the ring, this time with Edge’s WWE Championship gold. She runs at HBK but he avoids contact and sends her all the way to the outside using her own momentum, but the title stays inside the ring.
HBK sees the title belt and picks it up. He looks down at Edge and smirks. The crowd cheer as they want him to nail Edge with the title belt and he gets in position to take a shot at the champion. Edge is finally moving again and he grabs the ropes to help him to his feet. However, Abyss – a member of the Edge Army – runs down to the ring with James Mitchell following and runs at HBK…but Michaels cracks him with a shot from the title belt. As HBK turns, Edge has recovered slightly and he runs at HBK and nails the spear! This is surely over now. Edge is about to cover HBK but he sees the ref still down and calls for Mitchell to enter the ring. Mitchell climbs inside and Edge tells him to pick HBK up. Mitchell does so and Edge grabs the title belt. He shows a sadistic smirk and runs at Shawn Michaels, nailing him with a shot to the head with his WWE Championship belt! Mitchell climbs out of the ring and takes the WWE Title with him to hide the evidence. Edge then drops to his knees, smiles, and hooks the leg of HBK. At this point, the ref is coming around and he makes the very slow pin count:
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Winner, and still WWE Champion, Edge
WWE Championship
Edge © w/Lita vs. Shawn Michaels
The bell rings and the two competitors stand across the ring, trying to stare one another out. They edge their way to the centre of the ring and lock up for a test of strength. Edge gives a slight smirk, knowing that he can use his size and weight advantage to help overpower Shawn Michaels. Edge’s size allows him to gain the momentum in this battle, and he begins to overpower HBK. However, HBK battles back and uses the crowd’s chants to get back to an even footing with Edge. They both release, seeing that neither man is going to gain any advantage in this exchange. They back away and regain their composure. Both men know the importance of this match and they suck in the crowd’s cheers. They edge back towards the centre of the ring and slowly connect for the test of mercy. They lock up and Edge immediately pulls HBK towards him and wrenches his hands to cause HBK excruciating pain. HBK, however, lifts their locked up hands over his head and then takes Edge to the mat and jumps all over him, slapping his head and face in mockery of Edge. This agitates the Rated R Superstar, who gets right back to his feet and then takes a shot at Michaels, but the former 4-time World Champion ducks underneath and then turns and plants some chops to the chest of Edge. Edge comes back with a rake to the eyes and takes Michaels down with a snapmare, before synching in a chin lock, and the pace quickened momentarily there. HBK fights his way out of the chin lock fairly quickly by rolling his legs up and around Edge’s neck, bringing him down to the mat for a pin fall. The referee makes the count:
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Edge rolls out of the pin fall.
Both men reach their feet at the same time but HBK reacts quicker, nailing his own snapmare on Edge. HBK then yanks Edge’s arm back around his head and wrenches is hard. Edge cries out in pain and Lita, on the outside, urges him on, not wanting him to lose faith early on. HBK releases Edge’s arm after a short while and then pulls him to his feet. HBK attempts to land a punch, but Edge catches it and hits one of his own. Edge nails a second blow, then a third, but misses with the fourth punch as HBK catches his arm and Michaels then hits a quick dropkick to the knee of Edge. Edge falls to his knees and Michaels knocks him down to the mat with another dropkick – this time to the face. HBK drops down over Edge for the cover:
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Edge gets a shoulder off the mat just after the count of two. Shawn Michaels pulls Edge to his vertical base and attempts an Irish whip, but the champion reverses and HBK is sent towards the ropes. Edge kneels down, looking for a back body drop, but HBK stops in time and hits a kick to the face. HBK then backs into the ropes and comes off with a flying forearm, but Edge dives out of the way. The WWE Champion sees an opening now and begins to stomp away on the back of HBK’s neck with the challenger on his stomach. With HBK hurt, Edge drags him towards the turnbuckle and leans him against it. Edge then proceeds to stomp away again on Michaels, and we see Lita hold HBK’s arms behind the post to prevent him from defending himself.
The ref sees this and tells Edge to move away. Lita acts innocent but the ref climbs out of the ring and tells her to back away. Meanwhile, Edge uses this distraction to choke Shawn with the tag rope. He ceases choking HBK before the ref returns to the ring, and then makes the cover:
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HBK kicks out at about 2 ½. Edge gets to his feet and lifts Michaels up. Edge then lands a body slam and runs into the ropes, nailing a running knee drop to the face of his challenger. Edge takes this time to mock the fans, who are fully in favour of Shawn Michaels tonight. Lita also taunts some fans at ringside, and back in the ring, Edge pulls his number one contender back to his feet. Edge sends Michaels into the ropes and then drops him with a back body drop. With HBK down in the middle of the ring, Edge grabs his head and locks in a side headlock. HBK looks in a lot of trouble very early on in this contest. He shows that he is still with it though, as when the referee lifts his arm into the air and lets go, it stays right in place. HBK then fights his way out, getting first to his knees, and then to an almost vertical position, where he digs several elbows into the midsection of the champion to force a release. HBK starts feeling some momentum by running Edge off the ropes and nailing a short arm clothesline, and when Edge rises back up, Michaels runs at him and goes for a flying shoulder, but the champion ducks and then lifts HBK over his head and over the ropes with a back drop. HBK is able to lands on the outside apron, and as Edge turns Michaels ducks his oncoming blow and digs a shoulder into Edge’s abdomen. HBK then rolls himself back into the ring by rolling over Edge and he tries to roll him up for the pin fall, but Lita grabs Edge’s arms to stop him from dropping to the mat, swinging the momentum – and the pin fall – in the champion’s favour:
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HBK is trying to kick out but Lita’s interference is making this near impossible.
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HBK just manages to kick out before the three, with the ref having no idea what Lita just did. Edge gets to his feet just before his opponent and he knocks him down with a quick, hard clothesline. Edge goes into the ropes and drops an elbow onto HBK’s midsection. The fans boo as he is taking full control of this contest and Edge then grabs Michaels’ legs and attempts the figure-four leg lock. HBK, however, shoves him away with his legs and then as Edge comes back, Michaels wraps is legs around Edge’s head and swings him down to the mat. The fans cheer as HBK nips up but immediately Edge is up and HBK turns into a dropkick. Edge then shouts for HBK to rise back to his feet, and with the challenger against the ropes, Edge runs at him and hits a cross body onto HBK, sending both men over the top rope and to the outside floor. The fans give a good pop at that last spot, and we see Lita checking on her man, who is not in a bad condition at this point as Shawn Michaels. Edge is to his feet first and the referee, unsuccessfully, tries to tell Edge to get HBK back inside the ring, but the WWE Champion doesn’t listen and he pulls HBK up and tosses him into the steel steps. The ref starts to shout at Edge that he needs to get back inside, and Edge rolls inside, but straight back out, seeing this as a chance to really wear down Michaels. Edge picks his opponent back to his base and then runs him into the crowd barricade, with HBK’s already damaged back taking the brunt of it. Some fans exchange words with Edge and he mocks then before rolling Shawn back inside the ring at last. Inside the squared circle, Edge is bouncing around, really enjoying what he is doing to his challenger and he waits for him to slowly rise to his feet. Once up, Edge then pulls Michaels into position and plants him down into the mat wit a suplex. Edge shows his arrogant smirk and pulls HBK back up. Edge then lands another suplex and this time he makes the cover, hoping that this will be enough:
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HBK kicks out at 2 ½. Edge looks a little frustrated that he didn’t put Michaels away there, but he doesn’t seem too surprised, as this match is still in its early stages. He then lifts Shawn Michaels back up and positions him against the turnbuckle. Edge then proceeds to lift HBK onto the top turnbuckle and Edge himself climbs to the second turnbuckle. He positions Michaels for the superplex, but the challenger beings to fight back, knowing that this is a make or break situation. HBK plants some hard shots into the ribs on Edge and the Rated R Superstar is forced to drop off the ropes and onto the apron, where he lands on his feet and climbs right back up, looking to take advantage with a quick belly to back suplex off the top turnbuckle, but the Heart Break Kid has this well scouted too, and knocks Edge back down, with the champion landing on his back, in the perfect position for HBK to nail some high risk move. HBK sees the opening here and gets in position on the top turnbuckle. He looks to the crowd, who are urging him to take a chance and he smirks and then dives off the top rope. HBK looks for the top-rope elbow drop, but Edge just manages to roll out of the way and HBK crashes down to the canvas! The crowd boos as they wanted Michaels to land that elbow drop and take control of Edge and both men are down on the mat.
The referee starts up the ten count on both men:
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Edge, the much better of the two right now in terms of how much they have left in the tank, is back to his feet. HBK is moving slightly, but it is clear that Edge has control of this match once again.
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HBK is now back to his feet, and before he can fully make it to a vertical base, Edge moves towards him and digs his knee into the abdomen. HBK holds his stomach area in pain and the WWE Champion then hits a stiff kick to the head. HBK falls back and is down on the mat again. At this point, Edge decides to go high risk, climbing to the outside apron and to the top turnbuckle. The fans boo as he smiles and is signalling that the WWE Title will still be his after the night is over. HBK is up on his feet, and as he turns, Edge dives off the top, looking for the axe handle, but Shawn Michaels sees him coming and hits a shot to the midsection of Edge when the two competitors collide, and Edge flips over and goes down to the mat. HBK is relieved and pulls Edge to his feet, knowing that he must act quick and turn things around. Michaels sends Edge to the turnbuckle but it is reversed and HBK’s back again gets hurt. Edge runs at him but the challenger shows his expertise and hits a thumb to the eye, which goes undetected by the referee. Michaels pulls himself to the second turnbuckle and hits a dropkick to the back of Edge. The crowd begin to cheer HBK on as he rolls Edge onto his stomach and into the cover, but surely not enough damage has been done:
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Edge kicks out just after the count of 2! Shawn Michaels is to his feet just before his adversary and he hits an arm drag and keeps a hold of Edge’s arm, synching in an arm lock on the mat. Lita tries to urge Edge out of the hold, but HBK has it locked in nicely and the ref is there to see if Edge wants to give it up, but the announcers point out that it is very unlikely Edge will give his WWE Title up in an arm lock. Edge’s face shows the pain he is suffering, but he has no intention of giving this one up and he battles out of the hold, rolling Edge up nicely into a modified cradle pin. The ref is right there to count the fall:
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HBK kicks out right after the count of 2. Both men get to their feet and back away, and we are just over ten minutes into this contest. The fans can feel the tension in the air as both men have waged war for the past month in a build up to this huge WWE Championship match. They edge their way back towards the centre of the ring and HBK wants another test of strength. They lock up again and struggle for the momentum, but Edge takes the easy way out with a stiff knee to the gut of Shawn Michaels. The Heart Break Kid crouches down slightly to hold his midsection in pain and Edge sends him into the ropes and then takes HBK down to the mat with a belly-to-back suplex! Edge sees this as his best chance so far to retain his championship and he rolls into the cover and hooks the leg:
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HBK just kicks out right before the referee’s arm came down for the three! Edge looks annoyed that he didn’t put HBK down for the three there and he kicks the bottom rope in anger. Lita is on the outside trying to calm her man down and he goes back to work on Michaels, looking a lot more focused here. Edge helps HBK to his feet by the hair and the he nails a boot to the midsection and locks HBK’s head under his arm and goes down for a DDT, but Shawn Michaels doesn’t drop down and Edge goes into the mat, with this strategy not working there. Michaels hits an elbow drop and then rises to his feet. He looks fired up and he raises his fists to the crowd, showing that he is still full of energy. Edge is back on his feet at this point and Michaels knocks him right back down with a solid punch. Edge gets right back up and HBK takes him back down again with a hard blow. Edge gets up a third time but when HBK goes for another punch, Edge ducks underneath and runs into the ropes. He comes back at HBK but Michaels has him scouted and as Edge jumps into the air for a flying forearm, HBK catches him perfectly to meet him and counter into a shoulder breaker. Edge rolls all the way to the outside and is holding his shoulder in agony. Lita checks on him and HBK also rolls to the outside, despite the referee’s objections. HBK grabs Edge by the hair in payback for moments ago and pulls him to his feet and tosses him hard into the steel steps, and HBK is livid after Edge’s antics as of late. The ref comes to the outside and has a word with Michaels, and the announcers state that Michaels must be careful not to get disqualified. HBK grabs a hurt Edge and throws him viciously back into the ring. HBK himself climbs up the steps, onto the apron and then to the top rope. He waits for Edge to rise to his feet, which takes the champion a considerable amount longer than moments before, and HBK then dives off, nailing the cross body, which takes him into a pin attempt:
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Edge kicks out with a small amount of time left before the 3. HBK gets back on his feet and runs into the ropes. Edge has rolled onto his stomach and is about to get up when Michaels lands a running low dropkick. HBK then grabs Edge’s injured shoulder and wraps his legs around Edge’s upper arm, before locking in the triangle hold. Edge cries out in pain and HBK looks determined to cause him pain. Lita is on the outside looking in, but in reality she can do nothing to help Edge. Michaels has the hold locked in tightly. HBK eventually releases Edge from the hold, as it is apparent he has caused a lot of pain to Edge’s shoulder, but the champion will not give up the title at this stage by submitting. HBK pulls Edge to his feet by grabbing his shoulder to show that he isn’t letting up on Edge, and HBK then hits a suplex. He pulls Edge back to his feet, and lands his body slam and the crowd know what is coming next. The crowd are cheering HBK on and he has a huge opportunity right now to become the new WWE Champion. Michaels pulls Edge towards the turnbuckle and sets him in position for a high-risk move. Michaels climbs to the outside and then up to the top rope. Edge is still down and HBK stands up and dives off, hitting Edge with the top-rope elbow drop! The crowd give a huge cheer and HBK gets back on his feet and he can see the title in his sight now. Shawn Michaels moves over to the corner and starts to tune up the band to a huge reaction from the fans. They clap and chant along as HBK stamps his feet on the ground. Edge is slow to get to his feet and as he turns around, Shawn Michaels starts to run at him. HBK lifts his leg for the sweet chin music…but Edge ducks underneath and then grabs the back of HBK’s neck and drops him with the Edge O’ Matic! The fans boo heavily as Edge has Michaels’ legs bridged for the pin fall:
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HBK just kicks out before the referee’s arm goes down for the count of three! The fans cheer as HBK kicks out and the title is still very much in the balance. Both men are feeling the pain this match has brought on them and they are very slow reaching their feet. Edge is slightly quicker to his feet and he lands the first blow on Shawn Michaels. However, the Heart Break Kid shows his courage and plants one of his own on Edge. They go back and forth, nailing shot after shot, each one causing an increasing amount of damage of one another. Edge, however, misses a punch after the battle and HBK grabs his arm and begins to unload punch after punch on the WWE Champion. He lands three consecutive blows and then Edge ducks a shot and nails a kick to the midsection. Edge hits a DDT and makes the slow cover on Michaels:
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HBK gets a shoulder off the mat! The fans give another cheer for HBK and Edge looks very frustrated, as he thought he had the match won with that DDT. The champion is first to his feet and he has the advantage on HBK and uses this to send the challenger’s shoulder hard into the ring post. HBK stays against the turnbuckle and Lita comes over on the outside. Edge distracts the ref and Lita slaps Shawn Michaels, and then claws away on his face, but HBK shoves her away. HBK backs his way towards the middle of the ring but he walks into Edge, who takes him down with a German suplex into the bridged pin attempt:
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HBK kicks out! Edge looks baffled once more that he did not keep Michaels down for the pin and Lita has to calm him down again. Edge regains his composure and pulls Michaels to his feet. He nails a boot to the midsection and shouts, “It’s overâ€. He locks Michaels’ head under his arm and attempts his Edgecution DDT for the second time this contest. Unlike before, Edge is able to land the Edgecution DDT and he makes the cover, possibly seeing the championship in his sight now:
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HBK kicks out yet again! The fans roar with approval and start a “HBK, HBK†chant. However, Michaels is still down and is barely moving. Edge gets back on his feet and moves towards the corner. He crouches in position for the spear and if he lands this, surely the match will be over and Edge will have successfully retained his WWE Title belt. HBK begins moving on the mat and Edge is eagerly awaiting him to get to his vertical base. HBK starts to get up, and once he reaches his feet, he turns around. Edge runs at him and dives at HBK for the spear…but Shawn Michaels moves out of the way! Edge crashes into the turnbuckle pad and HBK turns around. Edge also turns and HBK plants him with the sweet chin music out of nowhere! HBK drops down for the cover and we must have a new champion now surely:
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Lita grabs foot and places it on the bottom rope! The ref sees Edge’s foot and stops the count. The fans give huge hissing sounds and they are livid that HBK didn’t win the WWE Title there. HBK looks at Lita and tells the ref she must have placed Edge’s foot over the rope but the ref doesn’t listen.
HBK still has control at this point, and he pulls Edge up and sends him towards the turnbuckle. HBK runs at him and hits a diving body splash. He then digs some boots into the gut of Edge before lifting his opponent onto the top rope. HBK climbs to the second turnbuckle and positions Edge for the superplex. He pulls him down to the mat and lands this high impact move, but is looks as if HBK is equally hurt from this and his back is in pain, as is Edge’s shoulder. The referee begins the ten count, and Joey Styles points out that if he reaches ten on both competitors, then Edge will retain his title, and he feels it would be a shame for a match like this:
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HBK rolls onto his stomach and puts an arm over Edge for the pin:
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Edge gets a shoulder up just in time! The fans boo as HBK almost got the three count there but Michaels looks in the better shape and he goes back towards the turnbuckle and tunes up the band for the second time this contest. Just as Edge was about to get to his feet, Lita jumps onto the apron and grabs HBK’s hair behind him. Michaels’ attention is now on Lita and he brings her over the top rope and into the ring. The fans cheer as Lita pleads with him but HBK looks like he might hit her. However, he sees sense and lets her escape to the outside. Meanwhile, Edge has recovered to some extent and HBK turns around and the champion runs at him for the spear…but HBK avoids contact again and Edge spear’s the referee! Edge then turns into HBK’s sweet chin music for the second time and Michaels falls over him for the pin. There is no referee to make the count and HBK can’t believe it. Michaels count the three himself to show that he should be the champion right now and the fans chant along with him. Edge is down and out, and Lita climbs back into the ring, this time with Edge’s WWE Championship gold. She runs at HBK but he avoids contact and sends her all the way to the outside using her own momentum, but the title stays inside the ring.
HBK sees the title belt and picks it up. He looks down at Edge and smirks. The crowd cheer as they want him to nail Edge with the title belt and he gets in position to take a shot at the champion. Edge is finally moving again and he grabs the ropes to help him to his feet. However, Abyss – a member of the Edge Army – runs down to the ring with James Mitchell following and runs at HBK…but Michaels cracks him with a shot from the title belt. As HBK turns, Edge has recovered slightly and he runs at HBK and nails the spear! This is surely over now. Edge is about to cover HBK but he sees the ref still down and calls for Mitchell to enter the ring. Mitchell climbs inside and Edge tells him to pick HBK up. Mitchell does so and Edge grabs the title belt. He shows a sadistic smirk and runs at Shawn Michaels, nailing him with a shot to the head with his WWE Championship belt! Mitchell climbs out of the ring and takes the WWE Title with him to hide the evidence. Edge then drops to his knees, smiles, and hooks the leg of HBK. At this point, the ref is coming around and he makes the very slow pin count:
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Winner, and still WWE Champion, Edge