SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Triple H went into the WWE Championship Three Stages of Hell Match with a distinct advantage over Randy Orton, having competed in – and won – the only two contests of that type before tonight’s Bash. Ultimately, however, courtesy of a win by disqualification and some help from his Legacy, it was Randy Orton who emerged victorious from this hellish competition, the WWE Title still secure around his waist.
Attempting to use Triple H’s recent injury against him, Orton focused his attacks on The Game’s left leg. But knowing that he was only required to win two out of three falls to defeat his nemesis, The King of Kings disqualified himself during the first Stage of Hell, a standard wrestling match, by repeatedly clobbering Orton with a steel chair. The Game may have given up the first match, but in doing so he dealt out some serious damage to The Viper.
The next contest, a Falls Count Anywhere Match, began with Orton laid out, clearly still suffering from the assault. And after further brutalizing his opponent with more chair shots and a Pedigree outside the ring, The Cerebral Assassin wasted no time in pinning The Viper to even up the score at 1-1.
The tiebreaker would be the Third Stage of Hell, making use of one of WWE’s most brutal stipulations, a Stretcher Match. The two sworn enemies attacked one another like rabid animals, attempting to do enough damage that their battered opponent might be placed on a stretcher and wheeled up the ramp. As Orton lay motionless in the stretcher and Triple H pushed his nemesis toward victory, the competitors were joined by Orton’s Legacy, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase. The Legend Killer’s minions proceeded to overcome The Game with a numbers advantage, allowing their mentor time to get away from the gurney.
Before long, however, momentum shifted in The Cerebral Assassin’s favor once again, as he retrieved his signature sledgehammer. But as Triple H systematically dispatched Rhodes & DiBiase, the coiled Viper struck, assaulting The Game with a steel grate and wheeling him across the finish line to retain his WWE Title. The battered and exhausted WWE Champion was afforded little time for celebration, though, as a furious Triple H lashed out, leveling Orton with his sledgehammer in an attempt to show who the true King of Kings is.
Though Orton lost the WWE Championship to Batista weeks before at Extreme Rules, he was able to regain the title soon afterward. Showing that there are no depths to which he will not sink, The Viper and his Legacy attacked the new champion, dealing out such damage that The Animal was forced to vacate the title after having serious surgery on his arm. Capitalizing on the opportunity he had created for himself, Orton outmaneuvered Triple H, John Cena and Big Show in a Fatal Four Way to once again become WWE Champion.
But The Game wasn’t yet ready to be counted out, as he eliminated nine other Superstars in a 10-Man Battle Royal for the No. 1 contendership, and a chance at the man who had for months attempted to take away everything Triple H holds dear. The Cerebral Assassin’s fury wouldn’t wait for The Bash, however, as the two mortal enemies collided the very next week in a Last Man Standing Match that left The Game with an injured left leg. But the brutally hard-fought match failed to determine a clear winner, as both competitors were unable to respond to the count of 10, allowing Orton to hold onto his championship gold.
At The Bash, Triple H had hoped to put an end to his nemesis, personally escorting Randy Orton to hell and winning the WWE Championship in the process. However, by way of his snake-like actions and the assistance of his Legacy, The Viper was able to defeat The Cerebral Assassin in two of their Three Stages of Hell, retaining the WWE Title and beating his enemy at his own game.
