Results:Regaining the throne
SEATTLE – Just as he did at Now Way Out in 2008, Triple H outlasted five other Superstars to emerge victorious from the Elimination Chamber. The win earned him Edge’s WWE Championship and made The Game a 13-time World Champion.
To get the win, The Game pinned Undertaker after a hard-hitting Pedigree in the brutal encounter that found both Superstars the final contestants battling for Edge's title.
But, regaining gold was no easy task. The Cerebral Assassin had to do battle with SmackDown’s elite Superstars who all wanted gold, including Undertaker, Big Show, Vladimir Kozlov and Jeff Hardy. Surprisingly, The Rated-R Superstar was eliminated early in the match by Hardy.
Edge and Hardy were the first combatants to do battle. In less than five minutes, Hardy pinned the Rated-R Superstar and immediately made it known – the WWE Championship was there for the taking.
The undefeated Kozlov was the next to enter the fray, followed by Big Show, Triple H and finally Undertaker.
In a war of SmackDown’s big men, Kozlov was the first to go down at the hands of The Phenom. Next, The Game took out Big Show after Hardy left The World’s Largest Athlete stunned from a Swanton Bomb. Then, The Deadman downed Hardy with a Tombstone.
With the four Superstars eliminated, The Cerebral Assassin and The Phenom squared off for gold. After a brutal back-and-forth struggle, it was The Game who reigned supreme.
As the Road to WrestleMania continues, The King of Kings awaits who will look to try to knock him from his throne.
Results:Shameless in Seattle
SEATTLE — Despite letting the WWE Championship slip from his clutches to The Game hours earlier, the Rated-R Superstar found his way back in at No Way Out. The Ultimate Opportunist forcibly, yet masterfully, manipulated entry into Raw’s Elimination Chamber Match to capture the World Heavyweight Title.
Originally, Edge was not even a thought in the focused mind of Raw’s gold bearer, John Cena. When The Champ touched down in Seattle, he had already formulated the best plan of defense for each of his five qualified challengers – Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio, Kane, Mike Knox and Chris Jericho – not to mention arguably the most perilous foe in this instance, the Chamber itself.
No one – especially Cena – could have foreseen the treachery unfurled by the Rated-R Superstar at No Way Out. The defeated former WWE Champion made prey of Kingston, who likely beamed earlier in the locker room area for his first-ever World Title opportunity. The Ultimate Opportunist found just that, assaulting the Jamaican Superstar and substituting himself in his second Elimination Chamber bout of the night.
The Master of the 619 initiated combat with Jericho, a participant in the original match of this kind in 2002. Soon after, Mysterio pinned another Chamber veteran in Kane, while Jericho dispersed of No. 4 entrant, the Desert Destroyer. Following Edge, The Champ was last to join, but was quickly dispatched after a Code Breaker, 619 and spear from the Rated-R intruder, who locked Cena up for a pin.
An inspiringly valiant effort by Mysterio became abruptly eclipsed as the high-flyer was propelled into the pod encasement, head on. Reeling from this blow plus the entirety of the grueling six-man scuffle, the dazed Master of the 619 turned right into a body-contorting spear from the Master Manipulator. And with that, Edge’s grin grew wide as his waist grew heavy with Raw’s gold.
It was the first time both the WWE and World Heavyweight Titles were defended within the chain link entrapment known as the Elimination Chamber in a single evening. In a spin of irony, Edge not only competed in the pair, but also wore both of the squared circle’s most coveted titles.
The Rated-R Superstar’s fourth World Heavyweight Championship reign is the result of yet another scheme and tainted triumph that has come to typify his success. In fact, familiar images of Cena, the Elimination Chamber and a perfectly planted spear mirrored Edge’s initial WWE Championship snare at New Year’s Revolution 2006.
Tracing the evening’s progression, from opening match to final moments, the first man pinned was ultimately the last man standing – a testament to the unpredictability of WWE. The most intriguing fact behind the mayhem, however, is that the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania is a mere six weeks away and the two top titles in WWE now belong to the Friday night brand. With newly crowned World Heavyweight Champion Edge and WWE Champion Triple H sharing the SmackDown stage, just how erratic will the Road to WrestleMania get?
(Result) Results:Like father like son
SEATTLE – Shane McMahon hoped to use his No Holds Barred Match against Randy Orton as an opportunity to exact vengeance upon the venomous Superstar, who had recently injured his father with a vicious punt. Unfortunately for Shane O’Mac, it was the Legend Killer who dealt out the most serious damage, winning the contest and cementing his legacy at the expense of the McMahons’.
Showcasing his mean streak, the viper Randy Orton wasn’t content to simply pin his opponent. The Legend Killer took full advantage of the contest’s No Holds Barred stipulations to batter Shane McMahon with sickening ferocity, even enlisting the help of his “Legacy,” Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase, who assaulted McMahon as Orton lay prone, suffering from a wound that would later require several stitches. Despite Shane O’Mac’s best efforts, including an attempted elbow through the announce table, the Legend Killer stole the win with an RKO to the charging McMahon.
Though Orton’s contentious relationship with Mr. McMahon and his daughter, Stephanie, dates further back, his rivalry with Shane has more recent origins. Following a momentous week for the Legend Killer, in which he both concussed the Chairman with a punt to the skull and won the Royal Rumble Match, Orton revealed he suffers from Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED), and threatened to sue WWE if he is fired or barred from participating in the main event of WrestleMania. As a response, Shane O’Mac emerged and proceeded to mercilessly pummel Orton and his “Legacy.” The following week saw the Charman’s only son accept the Legend Killer’s challenge to a No Holds Barred Match before again clearing the ring of the multi-generational Superstars, this time with a kendo stick.
In spite of his current position of Executive Vice President, Shane McMahon also boasts an impressive in-ring history, having participated in numerous matches, many of them with extreme stipulations. But Shane O’Mac’s extensive history as a risk-taker wasn’t enough to put down his brutal opponent. After clobbering Orton with a steel chair, McMahon prepared to mete out some poetic justice, lining the Legend Killer up for a punt to the skull. But at the last second, the viper struck, connecting with a lightning-fast RKO that incapacitated Shane McMahon, who fell in and out of consciousness as he was taken to a local medical facility.
Randy Orton walked into No Way Out with the entire WWE Universe against him, but the venomous Superstar once again showed how far you can get by way of sheer ruthlessness, brutally injuring yet another member of the McMahon family. Having put two members of WWE’s most prominent and powerful family out of commission, the Legacy of Orton and his fellow multi-generational Superstars seems all but secured.
Results:Saving face
SEATTLE - In front of the thunderous capacity crowd at No Way Out, ECW Champion Jack Swagger triumphed over Finlay to retain his ECW Championship. Although the Belfast Brawler hoped that Irish eyes would be smiling upon him in his quest for gold at the end of the rainbow, it was the new face of ECW that would have the last laugh.
The ultimate match between the technically-sound champion and “The Man who Loves to Fight” proved to be an extremely hard-fought battle from the beginning. Finlay showed incredible intestinal fortitude, fighting back with fierce guts and nearly unstoppable heart as the self-proclaimed “Wrestling Prodigy” punished his arm. But after hurling Finlay into Hornswoggle – sending Finlay’s son to the floor – Swagger hit his challenger with a gutwrench powerbomb for the victory.
This No Way Out powder keg has been building toward explosion for the past several weeks on ECW on Sci Fi. After successfully defending the ECW Championship at Royal Rumble against Matt Hardy, “The All-American American’s” title was stolen by Hornswoggle. As Finlay was making his son return the title, Swagger kicked Hornswoggle, prompting Finlay to knock the ECW Champion out with his own gold. Then, when Swagger tried to get some retribution the following week, Hornswoggle helped his father give the ultra-competitive ECW Champion his first loss in singles competition. The situation hit the boiling point when Finlay helped the reemerging Christian give Swagger his second loss the following week with one smash of the shillelagh.
Jack Swagger continues his jubilant success at the top of the Land of the Extreme. But Finlay is never one to take defeat lightly. And with return of Christian – who has already challenged the winner of the ECW Championship Match this past week – will Swagger be smiling for long?
Results:Sweet Chin Music to our ears
SEATTLE – After months of fighting a moral battle within himself as JBL’s employee, Shawn Michaels finally broke free from the grasp of the self-made millionaire. Playing the time-tested tune of Sweet Chin Music, HBK defeated his former boss to win their All or Nothing Match.
Preserving ownership of his namesake and earning himself a “buyout” from JBL, The Showstopper is now no longer under contract to the Longhorn Loudmouth.
The economy has been hard on all of us in the WWE Universe, and HBK was no exception, which placed him in an unfortunate predicament regarding the well-being of himself and his family.
As always, the business connoisseur that JBL is, he stepped in to lend an unlikely helping hand to The Showstopper, fully aware that acquiring the services of a living legend such as Michaels would be quite beneficial in attempting to become World Champion once again.
Given his financial turmoil, HBK had no choice but to accept the offer from JBL with his family in mind, but he never knew that it would be so hard and that his sense of morality would be put to its limits.
Finally, just weeks ago on Raw, Layfield offered HBK the release from his contract, as well as a full payment of what is left owed on the contract, but in return, his name and likeness would be on the line for the self-proclaimed “wrestling god” to win in an All or Nothing Match.
Seemingly with no other choice, Michaels accepted the challenge and the chance to be free from the tyrannical reign of JBL as his employer, but when that fateful night came at No Way Out, it was anything but easy.
After listening to salacious comments made about his wife Rebecca, and JBL demanding The Showstopper to have her at ringside to watch his downfall, Mr. WrestleMania might have had just enough fuel and inspiration to overcome all odds once again.
HBK and JBL fought tooth and nail, with Michaels giving everything he had within him to ensure that he beat his boss. The Showstopper’s livelihood was on the line, as well as a monetary sum that could help ensure his family’s welfare.
When all the dust settled, HBK stood tall once again with Rebecca close by his side, keeping his name from exploitation and defeating the Longhorn Loudmouth with a pin in the center of the ring after connecting with Sweet Chin Music.
The only question left is, after this defeat and losing, perhaps for the first time ever, in a financial situation, will the self-made millionaire seek retribution by exacting revenge on HBK? Only time will tell, and you can find out what happens next, Monday on Raw at 9 p.m. ET.
