While Randy Orton’s and Batista’s ultimate goal is the World Heavyweight Title and WWE Title respectively, a more immediate goal lay in their paths namely, defeating each other. The two approached their match as a means of gaining momentum and sending a shot across the bow of World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger and WWE Champion John Cena.
After their match got underway, the two veterans proved why they’ve accumulated 12 World Championships between them. Seizing a rare opening, The Viper struck The Animal with an RKO. As it appeared Batista would succumb, Swagger interfered, attacking Orton and causing chaos inside the squared circle. Not one to be left out, Cena also climbed through the ropes and locked in the STF on The Animal, who, after a powerhouse struggle, was finally forced to relent and tap out.
Unified Tag Team Champions Big Show & The Miz def. WWE Champion John Cena & Batista by Count-out For the sake of teamwork, John Cena & Batista appeared to try putting animosities behind them. Unfortunately, bad feelings from the last few months came crashing to the fore. In their title match against Unified Tag Team Champions Big Show & The Miz, the WWE Champion and The Animal simply weren’t content to let bygones be bygones. Instead, Batista left up the ramp, where his partner chased him down and began pummeling him, prompting the tag team bout to end in a Count-out.
The ending did not satisfy self-proclaimed “A-Lister” David Otunga. As a result, the special guest host arranged a new Unified Tag Team Match: Show-Miz vs. Cena & Otunga, himself!
Unified Tag Team Champions Big Show & The Miz def. WWE Champion John Cena & David Otunga Special guest host David Otunga didn’t just burn a bridge tonight, he incinerated it. Having teamed himself with WWE Champion John Cena in a title match against Unified Tag Team Champions Big Show & The Miz, the NXT Rookie turned his back on The Champ. The brazen betrayal allowed Batista to enter the fray and attack Cena mercilessly.
Following a Batista Bomb, The Animal told Cena he was invoking his rematch clause for the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules in a Last Man Standing Match!
WWE Champion John Cena confronted Batista; Jack Swagger attacked The Champ
He tried to play it cool, but Batista just couldn’t bear the thought of losing to John Cena at WrestleMania. He pretended that dropping the WWE Title was nothin’ but a thang, but when The Champ popped up, The Animals’ fur stood on edge. Cena prodded him to invoke his rematch clause, but Batista begged off. Instead, he took a cheap shot before the new WWE titleholder tossed him from the ring.
As Cena watched his rival storm off, Jack Swagger, who won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania and a title opportunity, ambushed him and quickly called for a referee. Before one could become available, however, The Champ recovered, causing “The All-American American” to clutch his briefcase and beat a hasty retreat.
WWE Champion John Cena & Randy Orton def. Jack Swagger & Batista
Enemy of my enemy is my friend. Even that old adage got stretched to the breaking point when freshly-crowned WWE Champion John Cena chose Randy Orton as his partner to take on Batista & Jack Swagger. With no love loss between The Viper and The Animal, Cena perhaps felt he was in good company. That feeling paid off when The Champ and Orton, despite an uneasy partnership, managed to wear down their foes. Eventually, The Viper struck the new Mr. Money in the Bank with an RKO to seize the win.
John Cena def. Batista to win the WWE Championship
PHOENIX He was one competitor from victory at 2005’s Royal Rumble but Batista upended him. He was one second from basking in glory at 2008’s SummerSlam but Batista refused to quit. He prevailed over five others to capture the WWE Title at this year’s Elimination Chamber but Batista came and fought it away.
During some of the most pivotal moments of his career, John Cena has failed to overcome the force of just one man: Batista. Until now.
After an intense clash between two of WWE’s preeminent powerhouses on The Grandest Stage of Them All, Cena finally unleashed all manner of fury on The Animal, captured his seventh WWE Title and can once again proclaim, “The Champ … is … here!”
The victory, however, was far from assured. In the weeks leading up to the brawl, Batista successfully employed psychological warfare, worming his way inside Cena’s psyche, mocking his squeaky-clean image and trying to convince him that he could never defeat The Animal. However, just six days prior to WrestleMania, Cena crashed through a phalanx of security and attacked his tormentor on Monday Night Raw, vowing that Batista “would never keep [him] down, no matter what.”
True to his word, Cena entered the match with a full tank of gas and plenty in reserve. The two Superstars locked in various holds early in the match, intent on wearing down their opponent. As the match progressed, the two powerhouses began to trade cement-shattering blows. As a result, a hint of fatigue glimmered on each of their brows, but neither would relent. Instead, Cena kicked out after a rumbling Batista Bomb, and The Animal also escaped in the wake of an emphatic Attitude Adjustment. Finally, though, Cena would clamp down upon Batista with a savage STFU, leaving The Animal no choice but to tap out.
In the end, Cena displayed the steely resolve of a warrior, vanquishing any self-doubt he harbored leading up to the match and returning to form as “The Champ” on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
In what was billed as a “Final Face-Off,” WWE Champion Batista and John Cena had an opportunity to confront each other less than a week before clashing on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
The Animal, surrounded by bodyguards, kicked off the trash talking by describing how he’s intimidated and gotten inside the head of his opponent. Cena fired back, saying that Batista will never keep him down, no matter what. After the WWE Champion snarled his reply, Cena had heard enough: He decimated Batista’s bodyguard detail before trading blows with The Animal himself. WrestleMania may be six days away, but the fireworks tonight would not be contained.
Kofi Kingston has proven himself to be one of the most agile, athletic and fierce competitors in WWE. For Batista, however, he seemed like little more than an appetizer on the way to a colossal entrιe. The WWE Champion appeared to send a message to his WrestleMania opponent, John Cena, when he punished Cena’s one-time ally and stood tall in the ring displaying his WWE Title.