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Backstage, John Cena was discussing country music with Jimmy Wang Yang. Randy Orton walked up to Cena and said that just like Wrestlemania, he was going to go home disappointed. Cena said that no matter what happens, Orton is going him a "broken man".
The events leading to Batista vs. Shawn Michaels, with Chris Jericho as the referee, were reviewed.
Batista vs. Shawn Michaels. Special Referee: Chris Jericho.
Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are calling this one. Jericho came out in full referee gear, including earpiece. Batista then entered, and there was a slight Batista chant after his music ended, but also some boos. Michaels also got a mixed reaction. Jim Ross noted that Ric Flair was watching from his home in North Carolina tonight. Jericho gave the wrestlers their instructions, and Batista smiled at Michaels while rubbing his jaw, making reference to being superkicked on Smackdown.
Michaels grabbed a waistlock at the belly, but Batista elbowed him away. Batista slugged Michaels and Michaels went for a superkick, but Batista dodged it and grabbed Michaels for a Batista Bomb, but Michaels rolled to the floor to avoid it. Michaels kicked at Batista's legs, but Batista shoved Michaels in a corner. Jericho tried to separate them, and Michaels was able to land some punches. Batista whipped Michaels in a corner and hit a clothesline, then choked him with his boot. Batista whipped Michaels into another corner, then ran into a HBK boot. Michaels hit a chop block to the leg. Michaels went for a Thesz Press, Batista caught it, but Michaels took him to the mat and applied a short arm scissors.
Batista rolled in the arm scissors and went to lift him, but Michaels added more pressure to the hold. Batista tried to roll Michaels into a cover, but Michaels pulled his shoulder up. Batista finally got his feet under him and stood up, dead lifting Michaels. They were near the ropes and fell forward, both men tumbling over the ropes and to the floor. On the outside, Michaels rammed Batista's now weakened arm into the ringpost. Back in the ring, Michaels stomped Batista's arm and hit some kneedrops, then applied a hammerlock. Michaels shot a half-nelson to get Batista in a pinning position for two. Michaels yanked at the arm and wrapped it in the ropes. Batista came back with punches (using his good, right hand), but Michaels hit a drop toe hold and went back after the left arm.
Batista got to his feet and shoved Michaels in a corner, but Michaels grabbed a jujigatame armbreaker and fell backwards over the top rope, stretching Batista's arm. Michaels released the hold, then went to the top rope and hit the left shoulder. Michaels went for another armbar, but Batista picked up Michaels with his good arm and hit a Samoan Drop. Seems like Michaels has more support than Batista right now. Michaels hit some chops, then Batista whipped Michaels into a corner. Michaels flipped up and down in the corner, then Batista nailed Michaels with a clothesline. Batista scooped up Michaels and put him in a corner, then hit some shoulderblocks. Batista hit a one armed powerslam for a two count. Batista went for a Batista Bomb, but Michaels floated out of it and into a Crippler Crossface on Batista. There were chants for Batista and chants for HBK. Batista got near the ropes, so Michaels turned Batista into a pinning position. Batista kicked out and Michaels rolled him back into the middle of the ring off the kickout and back into the Crossface. Batista made the ropes, and Jericho called for the break, to boos.
Jericho ended up pulling Michaels off of Batista, telling him he needed to listen to him. Michaels went back at Batista's arm, but Batista hit a side slam for two. Batista went for a clothesline, but Michaels ducked it and hit a flying forearm. Michaels kipped up, but Batista hit a weak spear for a two count. Batista set up Michaels for a superplex, but Jericho pulled Batista off the ropes when he didn't obey the count. Batista went back for it again, but Michaels shoved him to the mat. Michaels hit a top rope elbow, then began to stomp in the corner. Michaels went for the superkick, but Batista instead picked up Michaels and hit a spinebuster. Batista called for the Batista Bomb.
Batista lifted Michaels, but Michaels flipped out of it. Michaels knee buckled under him as he came down. Michaels fell to the mat, clutching his knee by the ropes. Jericho checked on him, and Batista went to pick him up, but Jericho made him back off. A second time, Batista went in, but Jericho made him back off again. Michaels struggled to his feet, and as Batista advanced on him, Michaels popped off a superkick and got the three count at the fifteen minute mark.
Winner: Shawn Michaels.
Michaels kept limping, and two referees came out to help Shawn to the back. The announcers talked about Shawn's history of knee issues.
A commercial for the Wrestlemania DVD was shown. I'm surprised they didn't mention that the complete Hall Of Fame would be included.
Randy Orton continued his locker room visits, this time approaching Triple H. Orton wouldn't look Triple H in the eye as he said that Triple H would not win the title tonight. Triple H said "Pride comes before the fall" as Orton walked off.
WWE Women's champ Mickie James & Maria & Ashley Massaro & Michelle McCool & Cherry & Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix & Melina & Jillian & Layla El & Victoria & Natalya Neidhart
The heel team came out with Beth Phoenix leading the way, and her music playing. The announcers (Lawler & Ross) discussed Phoenix losing the Women's Title to Mickie James. The babyface team came out to Mickie's music. Phoenix and McCool started out. McCool hit a dropkick and went for a belly to belly suplex, but Phoenix hit a knee to the gut but missed a charge. McCool hit some shots, but Phoenix powerslammed her. Melina tagged in and threw McCool face first into the mat, then applied a bridging chinlock. Melina hit a sunset flip, but McCool rolled through it and hit a dropkick. Mickie James tagged in and traded shots with Melina. James hit a flying headscissors and a clothesline. Natalya tagged in, but Mickie got the better of the exchange at first, only for Natalya to deck her and knock Cherry off the apron as well. Victoria came in and missed her standing moonsault on Mickie in the ring. Meanwhile, Cherry walked around the ring and pulled Natalya off the apron, leading to a brief brawl on the outside. Things settled down, and we had Ashley giving Jillian a slow motion rana. Phoenix kicked Ashley from the apron, then tagged in and worked her over with a cobra clutch. Phoenix used a double chicken wing, but Ashley rolled out of it, kicking Layla, who was running in, as she did so. Mickie was hit by Phoenix, and Mickie ran in and gave her a DDT. We then went into a sequence of every woman running in and giving her finisher to someone else, who would then roll to the floor. The crowd actually got into this segment. It ended with Phoenix getting back in and giving Ashley a fisherwoman's suplex for the pin at the six minute mark.
Winners: Beth Phoenix & Melina & Jillian & Layla El & Victoria & Natalya Neidhart.
We were reminded that Judgment Day, the next WWE PPV, is only 21 days away.
The events leading to Edge vs. Undertaker were shown.
World champion The Undertaker vs. Edge.
Edge came out alone. It was interesting to have Mick Foley give his take on what it feels like to face the Undertaker as the champion made his entrance. They did the "big fight" intros again. I should note, very vocal crowd tonight, which is always a plus. They were chanting for Undertaker at the bell. Undertaker mouthed to Edge "I'm going to hurt you".
Edge tried to duck away from Undertaker at the bell, and when they did lock up, Undertaker shoved Edge through the ropes and to the floor. They locked up again, and Edge grabbed a headlock. Undertaker shoved it off and hit a shoulderblock. Edge got to his feet, but Taker backed him in the corner and hit some punches. Undertaker headbutted Edge and stomped him down. Taker rammed Edge in a corner, then ran into a boot to the face. Edge hit a clothesline and landed some punches, but Taker shoved him in a corner and hit a barrage of punches. Taker hit a short arm shoulderblock, then a second, then rammed him shoulder first in the corner. Undertaker worked over the arm in the corner, then rammed him into the buckles and went for Old School, but Edge raked his eyes. Edge clotheslined Undertaker over the top rope, but Taker landed on his feet. Edge hit a baseball slide dropkick, then went to jump off the apron at Undertaker, but Taker caught him and rammed him back first into the ringpost.
Undertaker whipped Edge into the security wall, then dropped him chest first across it. Undertaker dropped Edge face first across the apron, then placed him on the apron and hit a kick to the face. Undertaker hit the ring apron legdrop, and seemed to hurt his own back doing the move. Undertaker slammed Edge in the ring, then hit a legdrop for a two count. Undertaker lifted Edge for a slam, but Edge floated over and yanked Undertaker headfirst into the mat for a two count. Edge kicked and pounded Undertaker near the ropes. Edge hit a spear to Undertaker's back for a two count. Edge applied a bodyscissors, and Undertaker struggled in the hold, until he was able to turn around in the move and pepper Edge with punches to the face. Edge ducked a clothesline and kicked Undertaker in the back. Edge then hit a baseball slide kick to the back, and Undertaker fell from the ring to the floor.
Edge threw Undertaker back in the ring and hit an elbow to the back, then applied a camel clutch. Undertaker stood up in the hold, but Edge switched to a bodyscissors again. Undertaker made the ropes for a break. Edge punched Taker and went for a chinlock. Undertaker punched out of it, and was Edge got on his back to maintain the hold, Taker dropped back. Edge ducked an Undertaker clothesline, and the two men collided on the rebound. They both got up, and then went down again as both of them hit kicks to the face. They got up and traded punches, with Undertaker getting the better of it. Taker hit an avalanche, but missed a second as Edge moved. Edge bounced off the ropes, but Taker scooped him up and dropped Edge with Snake Eyes, then hit a boot to the face for a two count.
Undertaker went for Old School, but Edge broke free and kicked Taker in the face. Edge put Undertaker on the top rope and set up for a rana, but Taker blocked it and teased a powerbomb, but Edge blocked it. Taker shoved Edge to the mat, and went for a top rope elbow, but Edge moved out of the way and Taker crashed to the mat. Edge scored a two count. Edge went for the title belt at ringside, but as he got on the apron, he dropped it. This distracted Edge, and Taker grabbed Undertaker by the throat and pulled him into the ring. Undertaker went for a chokeslam, Edge reversed, Undertaker reversed again for the chokeslam, but Edge blocked it and hit a Russian legsweep. Edge went to the top rope, but Undertaker grabbed him by the throat and chokeslammed him to the mat. Undertaker went for a tombstone piledriver, but Edge grabbed the turnbuckle pad to block the move. Undertaker yanked Edge away from the corner, and the pad came off as Undertaker lost his grip on the move. Edge rammed Undertaker back first into the exposed steel corner. The referee went to fix the turnbuckle pad, and while he was distracted, Curt Hawkins ran out and hit Undertaker with the title belt. Hawkins ran off. Edge covered Undertaker for a two count. Edge went for a spear, but Undertaker blocked it and hit Edge with DDT for two. Undertaker sat up, and called for a chokeslam. Zack Ryder came out and got on the apron, so Taker threw Edge into Ryder, knocking him off the apron. Undertaker went for a Last Ride powerbomb, but Edge rolled through it and into a sunset flip rollup for two. Undertaker grabbed Edge's arm and put him in the gogoplata. Edge struggled for a bit in the hold, then finally tapped out at the eighteen minute mark.
Winner: The Undertaker.
Undertaker refused to release his hold, and soon Edge was bleeding from the mouth. Undertaker finally let go of it and left. Vickie Guerrero was wheeled to ringside by Teddy Long, then Vickie scurried into the ring to check on Edge. The brought out paramedics, and Edge was taken out on a stretcher while Vickie screamed and cried including saying she was sorry to Edge. They played it up big time.
Coverage continued on next page.
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