He cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on a vulnerable Randy Orton to capture the WWE Championship. He successfully (and controversially) bent the rules in a Tables Match with The Viper to leave WWE TLC with the coveted title. But The Miz will be hard-pressed to hold on to the grandest prize in sports-entertainment when he goes one-on-one with a vengeful Orton once again at the Royal Rumble.
Orton earned the right to challenge the most “most-see” WWE Champion in history by defeating both King Sheamus and former Nexus mastermind Wade Barrett in an explosive Steel Cage Match on the first Raw of 2011. As the New Year unfolds, Orton has only one resolution on his mind: To silence “The Cleveland Screamer” and earn his seventh WWE Championship in the process.
On the very same night Orton became No. 1 contender to the WWE Title, The Miz kicked off 2011 with a brutal bout against his former titleholding tag team partner John Morrison, fueling his boasts with a significant victory over The Monday Night Delight. The Miz was on top of the world following the first match of 2011, but he also remains at the top of the menu for WWE’s Apex Predator. At the Royal Rumble, live from Boston, Orton’s fangs will be sharper than ever.
Will The Era of Awesome extend well through this New Year and into 2012, as The Miz has so often proclaimed? Or will The Viper attain the retribution he has craved since The Awesome One’s devious Money in the Bank-assisted victory? To find out, tune in to the Royal Rumble, Jan. 31, live on pay-per-view.
