WWE BRAGGING RIGHTS PPV REPORT
October 25, 2009
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Report by James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

The WWE PPV started with a video package promoting the Smackdown brand. Ya know, because they're still out-manned despite the complete overhaul on Smackdown two nights ago. The video then focused on Raw's seven-man group opposing Smackdown. The fight for supremacy begins tonight. Begins? Video package focused on the wrestlers putting aside their egos "for the greater good" tonight.

Announcers: Raw's Michael Cole opened the show. He said there is an actual trophy for the winner of Smackdown vs. Raw tonight. They provided visual proof of the trophy. Cole said Jim Ross is ill tonight. Todd Grisham was in the middle of the three-man booth with Jerry Lawler. Apparently the three SD vs. Raw matches tonight will determine the winning brand. Why wasn't this part of the pre-PPV build? WWE needs to work on establishing the key points to their PPV concepts before the concept PPVs actually take place. Just a tip there.

In-ring: U.S. champion The Miz came out for the opening match. Of note, the ropes are half-red and half-blue to establish the Blue and Red theme. Roll video of the recent talking exchanges between Miz and John Morrison, specifically The Dirt Sheet nine days ago. WWE focused on Marty Jannetty being a flame-out compared to Shawn Michaels. They're doing an excellent job of building up Jannetty with this video. He hasn't had this much TV build-up in 15 years. After the video, IC champion John Morrison came to the ring. Backstage, they showed Team Blue watching on the monitors. After that, Team Raw was shown backstage. DX was too good to be wearing Team Red t-shirts. When was the last time DX was in the same locker room as Chris Masters?

1 -- U.S. champion THE MIZ vs. IC champion JOHN MORRISON

Basic start to the match with Miz taking a trip to the outside early on to take a breather. Cole talked about The Miz attacking Morrison from behind when the team broke up when Miz was drafted to Raw. Lawler interjected it sounded like one of his ex-wives. Apparently the jokes are flowing again after losing the Mayoral race. Morrison knocked Miz to the floor after a few close calls, then the director cut to a shot of the Raw locker room and Smackdown locker room watching the action. The match resumed in the ring with Miz taking it to the trademark abs with kick strikes followed by mat holds. Morrison then came back with a close nearfall via small package. Both men came to their feet and started trading bombs. Miz tried a kick strike, but Morrison ducked and leg-swept him to the mat. Morrison followed with a flying leg kick for a nearfall as Lawler encouraged Miz not to let Raw down. Suddenly, Morrison caught Miz off the ropes with the Flying Chuck. He had the pin, but Miz's foot made it to the bottom rope to prevent a sure three count. Morrison then wanted the Starship Pain, but Miz wisely rolled to the floor, only to take a corkscrew splash on the floor.

At 10:00, the match moved back into the ring where Miz knocked Morrison off the top rope and landed a double axehandle smash to the back of the neck. Miz then lined up Morrison for the Skullcrushing Finale, but Morrison blocked and hit a Russian legsweep. Morrison wanted to follow with the Starship Pain, but Miz hopped up and crotched Morrison. He followed right up with the pin and the surprise win. In the Raw locker room, Hunter was shocked. He did a high-five to Big Show, but pulled away when Show tried to high-five him. Leave it to Hunter to try to steal the show. Back in the Smackdown locker room, Jericho was beside himself.

WINNER: Miz at 10:53. A big win for Miz with WWE giving him a solid opportunity to use the singles victory over Morrison to continue building up his mid-card title reign. Match was good, but not quite great. Another five minutes could have entered four-star territory. This was a good, solid three-star match. (***)

Video package: They recapped the Team Smackdown overhaul. Announcers then broke down the seven-on-seven line-up.

Backstage: Cody Rhodes was being attended to by the trainer and bragging about Raw's opening win. R-Truth then interjected. Cody said Team Smackdown was so embarrassed on Raw that Teddy Long replaced the entire team on Friday. He told Truth that the truth is he's part of a B-Level team on a B-Level show. Truth told Cody that he's on Raw only because of his daddy. He said Cody will make a name for himself by being the one to get pinned tonight. Big Show then walked in and asked Truth if he really wants to stand here taking verbal shots like Chris Jericho. Show told Truth to head back to Jericho and Kane to send them a message that Raw will let their actions speak tonight. Show told Truth to get lost.

WWE Survivor Series: They plugged the next PPV: Survivor Series. DX was shown preparing for War. Hunter said it's just a movie set. They pulled back to reveal it was all just a work with Shawn Michaels's fears unfounded he was going to be blown up by a prop grenade. A stagehand took the blow instead. Haha. Everyone have a good laugh.

In-ring: Smackdown's Trio of heel Divas came to the ring for the next match. Well, Smackdown has to win this one, otherwise there sure isn't any intrigue for the seven-on-seven match. Raw's trio of babyfaces then came to the ring to start things off.

2 -- RAW DIVAS (Divas champion MELINA & KELLY KELLY & GAIL KIM) vs. SMACKDOWN DIVAS (Women's champion MICHELLE MCCOOL & BETH PHOENIX & NATALYA)

Kelly was isolated early in the match as the weakest link. Once she tagged out to Melina, the action broke down. We eventually reached the inevitable win for Team Smackdown with Beth Phoenix scoring the pin on Melina with her double underhook facebuster. Afterward, the heel Smackdown trio celebrated the win.

WINNERS: Team Smackdown at 6:13. So, now we're 1-1. Match outcome was pretty predictable once they mentioned the Best out of Three stip for the trophy and Miz won the opener. (*)

Backstage: Triple H gathered up Team Raw for a pep talk. Jack Swagger was having none of that. Hunter cut him down to size about having athletic ability, but no respect. Hunter then made fun of Henry, Big Show, Cody Rhodes, and Kofi Kingston (for being a Jamaican fraud.) Kofi tried to explain he was paying respect to the heritage. Shawn Michaels then tried to help out that people might not like DX, but they all need to respect everyone on the team despite their differences. Michaels told Swagger he could replace him with the first person he sees if he won't shape up. Hornswoggle then barged in and did his act. Michaels then took back his statement. Hunter put his hand in for a team rally. Michaels put his hand in, then Kofi, then Swagger, then Cody and Show reluctantly. One...two...three...Team Raw! Shawn did the DX routine, then Hunter stole the spotlight to finish the segment by staring into the camera.

In-ring: Batista came out first, then Rey Mysterio in his Halloween costume. Batista applauded Rey as he came to the ring. C.M. Punk then came to the ring and said it's clobberin' time! Punk smirked toward Batista and Rey as he came to the ring, then all three men waited out Undertaker's trademark entrance. Tony Chimel handled the formal ring intros. Good close-up of Batista sporting a scruffy beard. Batista and Rey Mysterio with babyface pops. Punk soaked up the heel reaction. Taker stared a hole in Punk during his formal ring intro to a strong reaction.

3 -- World Hvt. champion THE UNDERTAKER vs. C.M. PUNK vs. REY MYSTERIO vs. BATISTA -- World Hvt. Title match

Bell sounded and Punk went right after Taker. Taker then chucked Punk clear over the top rope to the floor and Rey smashed him with a seated splash. Taker not showing signs of injury with a flying clothesline on Batista, but Rey suddenly clotheslined Taker to the floor. Taker took exception and ran back into the ring to kick Rey right in the face. Taker and Batista then came face-to-face and Taker went to work on his WrestleMania 23 show-stealing opponent. Taker walked the ropes old-school on Batista, then took Rey to the opposite corner to go old-school. Punk crotched Taker from behind, though, and chucked Rey to the outside. Punk and Taker battled up top and Punk went the battle with a superplex. Rey then hit a springboard splash on Taker, but Punk was having none of that, so he chucked him to the floor. A few moments later, Rey tried to surprise Taker with a top rope splash, but Taker caught him in mid-air. Batista blocked Last Ride with a spear on Taker. Rey and Batista then circled around Taker teasing who would take advantage. Neither did at the moment, but Rey hit the 619 on Taker eventually and Batista hit a spear, but Punk broke up a pin attempt. Punk then smashed Rey with the G2S, but Batista broke up a pin. Hot opening five minutes.

At 5:00, Taker slapped on Hell's Gate on Batista out of nowhere. Punk broke it up as Batista teased a tap-out. Punk then mounted Taker and blasted him with right hands. Punk followed with a running knee in the corner, but he paused too long allowing Taker to nail the Last Ride out of the corner. Taker made a cover, but Batista broke it up. Taker and Batista then traded right hand bombs, but Batista walked into a chokeslam off the ropes. Taker with a cover, but Punk broke up a pin attempt. Taker teased a chokeslam, but Punk blocked, only to be chucked to the floor. Taker signaled the end for Batista, but Batista escaped the Tombstone and set up Taker for the Batistabomb. He connected. Batista then made a cover, but Rey broke up the pin. Rey then covered Taker, but Batista broke it up. "Are you kidding me?" Batista shouted at Rey. "You're supposed to be my friend!" Batista then pie-faced Rey and Rey fell to the outside. Taker delivered a chokeslam to Batista when Batista turned around. Mic picked up a lot of unintentional chatter between Taker and Batista. "Are you hurt?" Taker asked. "Naw," Batista said. Cover and a kickout. Batista and Taker then knocked each other down and Punk slipped into the ring looking for a cover, but both men kicked out. Batista then chucked Punk to the outside. Batista scooped up Rey and chucked him to the floor to clear out the riff-raff. Batista then slowly turned around and ate the Tombstone from Taker. No one was left in the ring to break up a pin and Taker scored the pin to retain.

WINNER: Taker at 9:59 to retain the World Title. We know what the beard was for with Batista. It was a heel beard to foreshadow a heel turn. Match was pretty good for ten minutes without an extended period of time for isolations or other multiple-man tricks. Nice, competitive match. Taker looked good for being banged up. Punk played a solid heel, but he's pretty much done with Taker from here it seems unless WWE continues to drag this out some more. (**1/2)

Post-match: Taker left the ring and celebrated with a limp. Josh Mathews then entered the ring and wanted a word with Batista and Rey. Mathews asked Rey how it feels to have been this close. Rey said they worked as hard as possible tonight. He said they had a confrontation. His voice trailed off and Rey went over to "Dave" to hug him and help him up. Rey said it just didn't work out tonight. "When did it all slip away?" Matthews asked. Rey gave his cliche answers, then Mathews asked Batista how he feels. Batista did a heel laugh and asked Rey how close they were. Audience agreed they were close. Batista said he doesn't think they were close. "I think I was close," he said. Batista said he's tired of coming this close. You know what else? I think I'm tired of my best friend stabbing me in the back. "Wha?" Rey said. "It ain't like that, man." Batista said he's not playing. "Rey, I'm not playing. I'm going to rip your head off." Batista dropped the mic and stared a hole through Rey before absolutely smashing him with a clothesline. Batista then measured Rey and kicked him in the head to knock him to the floor. "You think I'm playing?" Batista shouted. Batista then stomped the crap out of Rey on the floor. "You're supposed to be my friend!" Batista shouted. Rey begged for his life, but Batista grabbed Rey around the neck and chucked him into the guardrail. Some smattering of applause, but mainly boos as Batista walked off and stared down at the helpless Mysterio. He wasn't done, though, and measured Rey for The Punt on the floor. After his fit of rage, Batista walked off with his head down. WWE replayed the attack, then went back to Rey being helped by referees.

Tale of the Tape: Team Raw checks in at 2,064 pounds compared to Smackdown being at 1,691 pounds. Raw has 59 combined titles vs. 58 titles for Smackdown. ... Video package: They went to some pre-show comments from the fans gathered outside the arena before the PPV. Various markish comments, including one that was included that DX could win two-on-seven. I'm sure Triple H made sure that clip was included.

In-ring: DX came out by themselves representing Team Raw as the team captains. Cole said he doesn't think anyone else on Team Raw bleeds more red than DX. Funny, they're the only two who are wearing their own merchandise and not a Red or Blue t-shirt. Hunter then waved down Team Raw to come out and join them at the adult table. Chris Jericho's music hit, then Jericho walked out by himself as the co-captain of the team. Kane followed out as the other co-captain. The new Smackdown theme hit and the new five supporting cast members bounced out to the ring. Matt Hardy looked like Tyler Reks in the shadows. Ref Charles Robinson hoisted the Bragging Rights trophy for everyone to see. Grisham said Smackdown will send the trophy to Jim Ross as a get-well present. Cole said Ross is probably sitting at home in his Cowboy hat and Smackdown Blue nightgown. That's...um...I don't even know what Cole was thinking there. Lawler said Ross would probably fill up the trophy with BBQ sauce.

4 -- TEAM RAW (TRIPLE H & SHAWN MICHAELS & BIG SHOW & MARK HENRY & KOFI KINGSTON & JACK SWAGGER & CODY RHODES) vs. TEAM SMACKDOWN (CHRIS JERICHO & KANE & TYSON KIDD & D.H. SMITH & FINLAY & R-TRUTH & MATT HARDY)

Match started with Truth and Cody battling. Grisham said Truth wants a street fight since he grew up on the streets. Big Show then tagged in and Truth tagged out to Kane for an early big man vs. big man match-up. At 3:30, a few wrestlers debate compelling topics on the outside, prompting a seven-on-seven stand-off that the ref broke up before it could escalate. One ref for 14 wrestlers? Matt Hardy tagged in for Smackdown, then Shawn Michaels tagged in for Raw to loud cheers. Cole talked about HBK being part of the first Raw broadcast as Michaels worked over Hardy. Hardy then hit the side effect on Michaels and Hardy tagged in Finlay. Finlay worked over HBK for a bit as the crowd waited for a better match-up. Suddenly, HBK nailed Finlay with Sweet Chin Music, but Hart Dynasty entered the ring and dropped Michaels with the Hart Attack. Apparently Smith made a tag. He worked over Michaels, then brought in Jericho to loud boos. Jericho slowly stalked Michaels before slapping on a rear chinlock. Raw's Cole & Lawler debated Smackdown's Grisham on tag teams with Cole continuing to heap scripted praise on DX. He then took a shot at the Hart Foundation.

Michaels fought back at 10:30 on Smith, but Smith executed one of the best-looking spinning belly-to-back side suplexes ever and scored a nearfall. Kidd tagged in and wanted a springboard elbow, but HBK moved and tagged in Triple H. Hunter ate up Smackdown until Kane dropped Hunter with a chokeslam out of nowhere. Audience came down from their high as Jericho tagged in and teased a Lionsault, but Hunter moved out of the way. Hunter then tagged in Kofi, who went nuts on Jericho with high-flying offense. Kofi wanted the Boom-Boom leg drop, but Jericho grabbed Kofi's legs for the Walls of Jericho. Kofi rolled through into a small package, though, and Jericho did a trademark close kickout. Suddenly, then action broke down with Mark Henry trying to get involved. Hardy and Truth then knocked down Henry on the floor. Back in the ring, Swagger with a gutwrench powerbomb on Finlay. Kane with a big boot on Swagger. Big Show then nailed a spear on Kane. Big Show told Kofi to get up top for the finish, but Big Show turned on Team Raw and chokeslammed Kofi. Hunter was like, "What?!" Show then punched him (Show got about 1.5 percent of Hunter) and Hunter took a dive on the apron. Show walked out of the ring to boos, then Jericho rolled over and covered Kofi for the pin and the win. Grisham went nuts for Smackdown winning the trophy. Grisham told Lawler to add some descriptors. Pause. "This sucks!" Lawler said. Finlay kicked Hunter out of the ring to allow Team Smackdown to celebrate with Jericho kissing the trophy.

WINNERS: Team Smackdown at 15:33. Okay multiple-man gimmick match. Had a few moments, but the finish was a major letdown for people who bought the PPV hoping to see something definitive. Instead, it was a TNA-style "tune into the free TV show!" to find out the storyline of why Big Show did what he did. Underwhelming, unsatisfying match. I'm trying to think of who stood out in the match, but no one really did. Perhaps Hart Dynasty with the Hart Attack on HBK, but that's about it. Cody Rhodes was an after-thought, Swagger had one move, Kofi took the pin, Truth was scared, and Henry just fell on the floor. (*3/4)

Backstage: John Cena was in deep thought thinking about the 60-minute match coming up. ... A video package rolled on the Cena vs. Orton feud.

Ringside: Michael Cole said he's been part of Cena vs. Orton for so long. Cole screwed up and said if John Cena wins the match, he'll be going to Smackdown. Lawler stared at Cole like he was nuts. Grisham then corrected Cole that Cena stays on Raw if he wins.

Backstage: Kofi Kingston was holding his head in pain. Cody Rhodes then came up to him and told him he was the weak link for taking the loss. Kofi said it was Big Show screwing it up. Cody then shoved him into a trunk. Well, that's adding insult to injury for Kofi.

In-ring: Justin Roberts introduced the Iron Man match. He said there will be a 30-second break in-between falls. WWE champion Randy Orton came to the ring as Cole corrected his mistake from earlier. Orton slowly entered the ring and held up his title belt for everyone to get a good look at him and it. After a pause, John Cena's music hit to a standard big reaction. Announcers went quiet as Cena hit the ring a little more subdued than usual to conserve energy, which the announcers pointed out. Cole asked if Cena will be part of Raw or Smackdown when WWE is back on PPV at Survivor Series. They never talked about Cena going to Smackdown during the PPV build-up to this. Anyways ... Cena had the usual mixed reaction during the formal ring intros. Orton had all boos. And the bell sounded at 9:45 p.m. EST. A solid hour of PPV time here.

5 -- WWE champion RANDY ORTON vs. JOHN CENA -- 60-minute Iron Man match -- WWE Title match -- Anything goes

Cole asked Lawler to offer some insight into going 60 minutes. Lawler said he's never been in an Iron Man match, but he's been in some hour-long matches where conserving energy is key. Cena and Orton started with an early lock-up, then Cena hit the turnbuckles hard on a whip to the corner. Orton whipped Cena to the opposite corner and Cena came out looking for a bulldog, but Orton blocked and went back to work on Cena. Out of nowhere, Cena slapped on the STF and Orton quickly tapped out. Crowd popped for Cena's quick win. Orton popped up and glared at Cena, who took a deep breath and understood the strategy of Orton trying to conserve and not take too much damage in the STF.

***Cena 1, Orton 0 at 3:55***

Orton gained the advantage after the first fall as the announcers discussed the Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart classic Iron Man match from WrestleMania 12. Meanwhile, Orton slapped on a reverse chinlock as Cena faded. Cena fought back to his feet and hit the running blockbuster before going up top. Cena wanted the top rope guillotine and connected. He then set up the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Orton suddenly snapped to his feet and nailed the RKO as Cena bounced off the ropes. Orton with the pin for the second fall at 9:00. And now a 30-second wait.

*** Cena 1, Orton 1 at 9:00***

After the pause, Orton rammed Cena off the apron into the guardrail on the floor. Orton followed to the floor and stared at the announce table. He turned his head and started clearing the table before grabbing a TV monitor. Orton blasted Cena over the top of the head with the point of the gimmicked monitor, then made a cover, but Cena kicked out. Apparently it's Falls Count Anywhere too. Orton rolled Cena into the ring, then took a wireless mic and bopped Cena over the head with it. Orton made a cover, but Cena kicked out. Refs and medics then wanted to check on Cena, who sold injury. Cena suddenly stormed Orton in the corner with an explosion of energy before chucking Orton clear over the top rope to the floor. And we have blood with Cena bleeding from the head. Really does mean something since we haven't seen blood on WWE TV in a while.

At the top of the third hour, Orton put a boot to Cena as Cena was face-first on the ring steps. Orton made a cover on the floor, but Cena kicked out. Back in the ring, Orton methodically began an attack on Cena with right hands to the source of blood. Orton then went down to the mat and pounded the mat with his fists before teasing the RKO. Cena ducked, though, and started his comeback routine. Cena then did the You Can't See Me and connected with the Shuffle drop this time. Cena then wanted the FU and he connected. No wait, Orton apparently countered in mid-air with a reverse RKO. Both men were down and both men had an arm over each other. Ref counted a three count for each man at 17:00.

***Cena 2, Orton 2 at 17:00***

Medics hit the ring during the 30-second pause and checked on Cena. The 30-second interval expired and Orton missed with a running shoulder tackle when Cena moved. Medics apparently glued Cena's head shut to close the wound and stop the bleeding. Cena then took Orton to the corner and wanted an FU from the second rope. He connected in a nice spot, but couldn't make a cover. Cena then made a cover and scored the pin for another fall at 19:40.

***Cena 3, Orton 2 at 19:40***

During the 30-second pause, Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes stormed the ring to beat up on Cena. Apparently DiBiase is on Orton's side tonight...thus far. DiBiase gave Cena the Dream Street finisher. They put Orton on top of Cena and Orton scored a pin at 20:55.

***Cena 3, Orton 3 at 20:55***

After the fall, Kofi Kingston stormed the ring with chair in hand to chase away DiBiase and Rhodes. Crowd was hot for Kofi. Good incorporation of Kofi to give him a main event spotlight. After the next 30-second interval, both men came to their feet and started brawling. The brawl spilled to the floor and Cena rammed Orton into the guardrail. Kids were screaming as Cena continued to beat on Orton. Ref told one of the thousands of fans wearing Steelers jerseys in the arena to back off. Orton then reversed a whip into the rail and smashed Cena into the structure. He made a cover, but Cena kicked out. Announcers talked about the equipment being dangerous as they approached the stage area. High Voltage given a name-drop. Orton then smashed Cena's head into the pyro machine and some pyro went off. Orton freaked out, then caught his breath. He threw Cena through the HD lighting grid and Cena ended up in the backstage area. Orton then dragged Cena back to the arena-side of the Titantron and made a cover for the pin.

***Orton 4, Cena 3 at 25:35***

Orton looked around contemplating his next move during the 30-second interval. He went over the pyro machine and started playing with the buttons like a crazy kid with a new set of toys. Orton figured out how the pyro works, then smashed Cena across the back with a chair. Orton then dragged Cena to the stage area where the pyro shoots off. Orton ran over to the pyro machine and shoved the man in charge away. Ref admonished Orton, who had his finger on the trigger as Cena went motionless. Orton punched the button, but it wouldn't work. Suddenly, the pyro went off and Cena had enough time to roll out of the way. Cena still alive. Orton then checked on Cena and was so pissed that Cena was still alive. Orton went into a rage beating and pounding on Cena before taking him down to ringside. Announcers called Orton a psycho pyromaniac. They hit the 30-minute mark with Cena out cold on the floor as Orton contemplated his next move.

Orton began a methodical attack on Cena, including ring steps to the face and a chair to the back as Cena leaned against the ringpost. Orton made a cover on the floor, but Cena kicked out. "What more can Orton do, he already tried to blow the man up?" Lawler asked rhetorically. Back in the ring, Orton slowly lifted Cena to his feet and Cena suddenly executed a small package after playing opossum. Cena scored the pinfall at 33:00, then Orton went nuts until the ref pulled him away for the 30 seconds. "F---" Orton shouted twice on the floor.

***Orton 4, Cena 4 at 33:00***

The 30 seconds expired, but Orton waited before re-entering the ring. He then dragged Cena across the ring apron and stared a hole into Cena's soul. He wanted the horizontal DDT from across the ring apron to the floor and he executed it with Cena going face-first into the floor padding. Orton then rolled Cena over and made the cover for the pin at 35:20.

***Orton 5, Cena 4 at 35:20***

Crowd was quiet as WWE replayed the DDT into the floor. Orton was shown slapping the mat on the way down to create the sound of Cena's face hitting the floor. After the 30 second rest period, Orton rolled Cena back into the ring as the crowd came to life with a dueling chant of "Let's go Cena" vs. "Let's go Orton." Orton began his Orton Stomp trying to take apart Cena's entire body. Cena slowly made his way to his feet, but Orton knocked him right back down with a straight right hand to the face. Orton with a cover, but Cena kicked out. They zoomed in on an evil look on Orton's face as Grisham said he could be the face of Raw for many months or years to come. He said it appears Cena is headed for Smackdown. Well, that means Cena is winning.

Orton continued to slowly stalk and attack Cena, who finally ducked a clothesline and staggered Orton to the floor. Cena then staggered around in the ring as the cut on top of his head started to bleed again. Orton collected himself on the floor and checked the scoreboard with 20 minutes left in the match. Announcers speculated whether he'll play prevent defense with a fall advantage. Lawler said it might be too long to stall. Cena then jelly-legged walked up the ramp to Orton, who met him with kicks and stomps. Back in the ring, Orton wanted the horizontal DDT, but Cena countered with an FU tease. Orton escaped, though, with elbow strikes and ran right out of the ring to the floor. Orton tried to take off through the stands up into the arena seats, but Cena met him and blasted him with right hands. Orton started rolling down the arena steps with a one-fall advantage trying to run away from Cena, who chased him down in-between the floor seats and 100-level seats. And we hit the 45-minute mark with Cena measuring Orton for right hand blows on the floor.

Back on the floor outside of the ring, Cena continued to chase down Orton before blasting him into the ring steps. Cena made a cover, but Orton kicked out. Cena then whipped Cena hard through the barricade near the timekeeper's table and Orton crashed hard through the gimmicked barrier. Cena then calmly picked up the ring steps and blasted Orton in the face with the steps. Cena triumphantly lifted the steps in the ring, then looked over some potential options for his next move. After his review, Cena scooped up Orton's dead weight and slowly carried him up the ring steps to position him for an FU through the announce table. Orton did the Abyss Shake as if he took a bump through the tacks, then Cena dropped down and covered Orton to score a pinfall at 51:00 to even it up.

***Orton 5, Cena 5 at 51:00***

Cena waited for the 30-second interval, then he tried pinning Orton again, but Orton kicked out. Cena then went under the ring and grabbed a table. He set up the table in the ring while Orton slowly started to stir on the floor. After setting up the table in the ring, Cena carried Orton back into the ring. They approached the five-minute mark and Cole reminded us there will be overtime if this is tied. Cena placed Orton on the table and Orton sold near-death. Cena then went up top and thought about this move. He tried a top rope leg drop, but Orton rolled off the table and Cena ate wood. And they hit 55:00 with both men down and out on the mat.

Orton landed the first right hand from his knees. Cena responded in kind. Orton with a right. Cena with a right. Orton with a right. Cena with a right. Orton with a right hand. Cena with a haymaker. Orton with an uppercut. Cena with a punch. Orton with a punch. Now both men on their feet. Cena with a shot to the gut. Orton with a right to the face. Cena likewise. Orton with a haymaker. Cena staggered, then another to the gut. Orton to the top of the head. Again. Cena with two, then three, and four. Cena ducked a clothesline and hit a shoulder tackle. He then tried a second, but airballed and the ref ate the shoulder tackle. Orton then dropped Cena in mid-ring with the RKO, but the ref was out cold. Another ref stormed the ring and Cena kicked out before three. Nice sequence.

At 58:00, Orton was PO'ed and shoved down the replacement referee. Two refs down. Orton slowly walked around the ring as Cole talked overtime. Lawler said he wants to see OT. Orton's eyes bulged out of his head as he thought things over. Orton was on the verge of a nervous break down, but then stopped when he had an idea. He then backed up and teased The Punt, but Cena moved and dropped Orton with the STF in center ring. Orton had nowhere to go. Crowd ready to explode like a fourth down play on the goalline. Cena twisted Orton's neck with the STF as Orton tried to hang on for 20 more seconds. Orton wouldn't tap, though. Fans counted it down. Nine, eight, seven... and Orton tapped out at 59:54 with the crowd exploding. The time then expired and Cena won back the WWE Title.

Post-match: Cena grabbed his title belt and held it up high in the air. Cole called it one of the greatest matches he's ever seen. Announcers recapped the high points of the match, then they cut back to show Cena on the stage sweating and holding the title belt. Orton was selling mass pain to his shoulder back in the ring. Announcers then showed Orton's visible three count with the score 5-5 around 58:00. Back live, Orton was shown collecting himself. Cole said it's the end of the war between Orton and Cena. Orton grimaced to close the PPV.

WINNER: Cena 6, Orton 5 with a submission at 59:54; Cena wins the WWE Title at 60:00. Quite the war. Nothing else on this show was replay-worthy, but this was replay-worthy. WWE pulled out all the tricks, gimmicks, and other assorted items to tell a 60-minute story. Orton was the star of the match with his crazy facial expressions and psychotic behavior staying true to his character. Story at the end we'll probably see play out on Raw was Orton unable to hold on for those last six seconds or Orton complaining that he had Cena pinned at 58:00. Hard to rate this on a traditional scale, but I believe this was one of the best stories WWE has told on PPV this year. HBK vs. Taker is another level and in its own category, but this was a different type of four-to-five-star level match. (****1/2)

Announcers said we've seen the end of Cena vs. Orton, so we'll see where they go from here. Remember, Hunter has a pinfall over Cena from Raw in his back pocket. Perhaps they'll go Hunter vs. Show first after Show turned on Team Raw, but Cena vs. Hunter in a feud seems inevitable.

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