Five years ago today at the Over the Limit PPV, Dave Bautista lost an I Quit match to John Cena that put an end to Batista's WWE run at that point.

Batista later revealed that he broke his back on the finish of the match, which was Cena giving Batista an AA through the roof of a car. Batista then gave his famous "I Quit" speech sitting in a wheelchair the next night on Raw.

"The back injury set me behind a lot, about a year," he said in 2014 when he returned to WWE. "And I finally had to go in for back surgery, which I didn't want to have to do. But I had to."

In addition to Batista's injury on the PPV, Ted DiBiase suffered a concussion against R-Truth, C.M. Punk bled heavily against Rey Mysterio, and Randy Orton blew out his arm preparing for the RKO in a match against Edge.

WWE OVER THE LIMIT PPV REPORT
MAY 23, 2010
LIVE FROM DETROIT MICH.
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR

Keller's Full PPV Report can be read HERE for VIP members. Not a VIP member? Find out how to subscribe by going VIP here - PWTorch.com/GoVIP.

-After some video packages hyping key matches on the PPV, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Matt Striker introduced the show.

1 -- DREW MCINTYRE vs. KOFI KINGSTON

WINNER: Kingston in 6:00 to capture the IC Title.

STAR RATING: *3/4 -- Good for a match that short. They fit a lot in and kept things exciting and realistic. Kofi is great at celebrating wins. He makes you believe he cares deeply about the win. So will McMahon step in and strip Kofi again because he punched McIntyre in the corner for over five seconds, as Striker contended happened.

-Afterward McIntyre said he is stopping the PPV until Smackdown G.M. Teddy Long steps out and reverses the decision and declares him IC Champion again. Lawler said that was outrageous. Instead, Matt Hardy's music played. He entered the ring, ducked a McIntyre clothesline, and then gave him a Twist of Fate.

-They went backstage to C.M. Punk admiring his hair in a mirror in a scene right out of Cinderella. Serena and Luke Gallows praised him as being the fairest of them all. Punk said they're going to give birth to Straight Edge Mysterio tonight. He laughed and Gallows hugged him. Lawler: "That was creepy."

2 -- TED DIBIASE (w/Virgil) vs. R-TRUTH

WINNER: R-Truth in 7:00.

STAR RATING: *1/4 -- Solid match. Surprise finish of the month. What are they doing putting Truth over DiBiase for?

-Long was on the phone with someone. He said he can't wait to see Cena vs. Batista and he can't imagine either wrestler saying "I Quit." McIntyre barged in and demanded Long return the IC Title to him and fire Hardy. Long said he wouldn't do that. McIntyre destroyed Long's office. When he got to a portrait of Martin Luther King, Long insisted he stop. McIntyre said he wouldn't touch that picture because MLK was a great leader, unlike Long. "I'm more like him than you were will ever be," McIntyre told Long.

3 -- REY MYSTERIO vs. C.M. PUNK -- Hair vs. S.E.S Match

WINNER: Mysterio in 14:00.

STAR RATING: ***1/4 -- Good match. Punk may want to rethink the coloring of his trunks because it looks like, uh, sat in mud. So do his boots, so I assume it's part of the design's color scheme.

-Afterward, as Punk absorbed the ramifications of the loss as he continued to bleed, the hooded mystery man attacked Rey. Serena and Gallows walked out and were about to handcuff Rey to the bottom rope, but Kane's music played and he walked out to be sure the stip was enforced. He easily fended off everyone and he gave Punk a chokeslam. He then fought Gallows to the back. Rey handcuffed Punk to the middle rope as he sat on the ring apron. Punk tried to kick the cuffs off of his wrist, but that wasn't working. Rey pulled out the clippers, stomped on Punk's head, and then cut his hair. Punk's forehead and nose was drenched in blood now. Cole said, "This is hysterical." Rey roughly shaved big bald streaks into his head of hair. Lawler asked if he should leave him a mullet.

The camera finally cut away from the front of Punk's face, perhaps to hide the blood. Punk tucked his head into his chest in shame. He was left with Blackjack Lanza's haircut from the early 1980s. Rey held Punk's hair in the air. "How will C.M. Punk ever show his face again?" asked Cole. Maybe Cole should ask Steve Austin that question. Some fans chanted that Rey should shave his chest. Rey grabbed wads of cut hair. Perhaps he'll donate it to the charity group that's collecting hair to soak up oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Sernea came out and covered his head with a white towel. Rey ran back out and showed Punk his head with a mirror. Punk could have just looked at the big screen, too. Punk seethed and yelled.

-At ringside the announcers plugged the Fatal Four-Way PPV.

-Chris Jericho walked up to Big Show. He said he was there to thank him because if it weren't for his arrogance and selfishness, he and Miz would have never gotten together. He said now that they're trimmed the fat, they're unstoppable. Miz walked up behind Show. Show said if he doesn't stop staring at his back, he's going to turn and KO Miz, then turn and KO Jericho. He asked, "Isn't that right, Miz?" A worried Miz quietly backed up. Show chuckled.

4 -- THE HART DYNASTY (David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd) vs. THE MIZ & CHRIS JERICHO -- Unified Tag Team Title Match

WINNERS: Hart Dynasty in 10:00 to retain the Unified Tag Team Titles.

STAR RATING: ** -- Solid tag match.

5 -- RANDY ORTON vs. EDGE

I hate to say it, but who didn't see this coming? Orton slapping and pound of the mat led to a potentially seriously injury. Orton called softly over to Edge that he was hurt, then told the ref, who moved over and made sure Edge knew. Orton held his right arm just below the elbow. The pain clearly began to sink in. He kicked Edge in the chest, knocking him to the floor. The crowd went silent, realizing something bad happened. He clenched his fist and talked with the ref. Striker said it could be nerve damage. Cole said he was in serious pain. Lawler said he thought it was the shoulder. He could do nothing with that arm. He went over to Edge and Edge turned the tables and stomped on him. The ref began to count them both out. Edge went for the spear, but Orton sidestepped him.

The ref then called for the bell. The people in the crowd booing are either jerks or didn't get what happened, but I assume others in the crowd up on things explained to them what happened. A trainer ran over to check on Orton who continued to hold his arm right below his elbow in the forearm region. The pain was so intense he could barely stand up straight as he walked toward the back. There may have been some embarrassment mixed in with that frustration as that's not the way you want to get injured if you're going to get an injury - doing it to yourself, essentially. There wasn't a Sid Eudy/Joe Theismann moment in the replay, by the way, but in slo-mo you certainly understand why a tendon or bone wouldn't withstand that kind of impact. They showed referees and trainers holding Edge back. Lawler said he may have snapped a bone in his forearm.

WINNER: Double Countout in 12:00. Decent start to a match that obviously ended prematurely, so no start rating. I think we've seen the end of Orton hitting and punching the mat with such force.

6 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. THE BIG SHOW -- World Hvt. Title Match

When Show blocked a Swagger takedown attempt, and then tossed him over amateur style, Swagger looked shocked and bailed out to ringside. As Swagger looked into the ring, Show did some push-ups. At least Show didn't pop a shoulder out of joint. That was impressive. After some loud chops, Show overpowered Swagger and walked on top of him face up and then face down. When Show went for a chokeslam. Swagger bailed out to ringside. At 4:00 Swagger caught Show with a spear to his legs. He followed with a shoulder tackle. Swagger did his swing splash in the corner twice, but when he went for the pin, Show powered him over the middle rope and to the floor. Show came back with another chokeslam attempt. When Swagger tried to kick his way out of it, Show just shoved Swagger to the floor. Swagger returned and hit Show in the head with the title belt. The ref called for the bell. The crowd didn't like that, and it didn't help that the previous match had an unsatisfying finish (although not by design). Swagger hit Show in the back twice with a chair. Swagger was surprised Show seemed to just absorb them. Show blocked a third chairshot and then chokeslammed Swagger. As Swagger tried to get up, Show hit him in the back with the chair. Show slammed Swagger onto the chair lying flat in the ring. Then came the KO punch. Swagger was helped to the back by trainers.

WINNER: Show via DQ in 5:00.

STAR RATING: *1/4 -- They were creative in playing to Show's strengths and limitations.

-After a commercial for Axe, that magic shampoo line that makes women swoon over you, they showed Cole, Lawler, and Striker at ringside. Cole joked that Punk won't be using Axe anytime soon. Actually, Axe has a line of body soap, too, so he can still use it.

-Josh Matthews interviewed Batista backstage. He asked if he can get Cena to say "I Quit." Batista said after they went off the air on Raw, Cena was screaming "I quit! I quit!" like a little girl. He said he'll do it again tonight and make sure the whole world hears it.

7 -- EVE vs. MARYSE -- Divas Title Match

Maryse controlled early. Eve came back at ringside and then got in some sustained offense. Maryse made a comeback and began laughing maniacally. Eve, though, surprised Maryse by countering her DDT and then ramming her face into the mat with Maryse's head wedged between her knees.

WINNER: Eve in 5:00 to retain the title.

STAR RATING: *

8 -- JOHN CENA vs. BATISTA -- I Quit Match for the WWE Title

They brawled at ringside a minute into the match. Cena swung a chair at Batista, but Batista moved. Cena sold his hands hurt from the reverberations. Batista took over in the ring as fans chanted "Cena, Cena." A minute later a very loud (and deeper) chant of "Cena sucks! Cena sucks!" broke out. Cole said, "As you can hear, there's no one who evokes the emotion out of the WWE Universe like John Cena does, good or bad." At 3:00 the ref asked Cena if he wanted to quit, but Cena said no. Batista kicked Cena to the floor. Striker said Batista will need to mentally destroy Cena rather than just cause physical pain. Cena powered out of a Batista submission and quickly maneuvered into an STF at 7:00. Batista hit a spinebuster and Batista Bomb. The ref asked Cena. Cena winced, but said no. Striker said Cena thought about it. Batista yanked Cena to the floor and then dragged him onto the Spanish announce table. Batista gave Cena a running powerslam through the English announce table. That looked dangerous in that those tables are built to give and Cena tucked his head at the last second. Cena was bleeding from the forehead. So much for the no blood policy in WWE. Whether on purpose via blading (or hard-way) or accident, this was a bloody PPV. This cut on Cena appeared to be above his right eye brow in the soft tissue area, not higher where they usually blade.

Batista threw Cena into the crowd and they brawled into the stands. Should WWE really be having a wrestler who is bleeding dragged through the crowd. Where is Cena's fresh blood dripping as Batista dragged him to the upper deck area? It's been done for years, but WWE is trying to establish they're different now. In the upper deck, Batista demanded Cena quit. The ref asked. Cena said no. At 12:00 Batista lifted Cena for a Batista Bomb in the upper deck stair landing. Cena then knocked Batista off the edge and several security members were in place and caught him. The ref asked if Batista gave up. Batista said no. That was a memorable sequence. Cena knocked Batista down the stairs. Batista made a comeback by hitting Cena in the back with a chair repeatedly on the stage. The ref asked Cena. He said no.

Batista then got into a red sports car that was parked on the stage as part of the "Over the Limit" symbolism of speeding over the speed limit. Someone left the keys in the car, so Batista turned on the car and backed into Cena and the lights on the entrance set. Sparks flew. The announcers gasped and wondered if Cena was hit or not. The camera didn't catch it from a good angle. Batista was slow to get out of the car. This is where things just go too far and break the suspension of disbelief. No one believes in a pro wrestling war that someone would really run someone over with a car. Cena ended up popping out from behind the car and he attacked Batista. He then gave Batista an Attitude Adjustment onto the hood of the car. It looked like it hurt even less than usual since Batista didn't fall very far. The ref asked Batista. Batista said no. Cena took the mic, smiled, and said, "I was really hoping you would say that." Cena lifted Batista for an Attitude Adjustment while standing on the roof of the car. Batista said, "I quit!" Cena paused, but then flipped Batista off the car and Batista fell through the floor of the stage.

WINNER: Cena in 16:00.

STAR RATING: **3/4

-As Cena celebrated on the stage and Cole did the sign-off, Sheamus gave Cena a blindside boot to the head. He stood over him ripped off his shirt, and threw it onto Cena. The show then ended at 10:44 p.m., much earlier than usual for a WWE PPV.

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