Randy Orton def. WWE Champion CM Punk via DQ
PHOTOS | VIDEO
The WWE Universe spoke, and it was Randy Orton who slithered forth to challenge WWE Champion CM Punk in a RAWactive Match. As the Montreal crowd showered The Apex Predator with cheers, Punk wasted no time in taking it to his longtime foil, dropping Orton to the mat with consecutive shoulders before The Viper began to rally. Punk responded quickly, driving Orton into the corner and bringing him to his knees with a series of knees and kicks to the gut before dragging him out to the center and hitting a backbreaker, slowing The Apex Predator's momentum for a moment.
Punk relied on his ground game to keep Orton at bay, wrangling The Viper with a sequence of headlocks and technical strikes until Orton got his second win, mounting an offensive flurry that sent Punk rolling outside the ring. The champion contemplated his options for a moment before heading up the ramp, seemingly content to take a loss via count-out.
Orton was not, however, as The Apex Predator streaked up the ramp and hauled Punk unceremoniously back into the ring. Business quickly picked up, as Orton rolled Punk to the announce table and bashed his head against the commentary desk before the two returned to the ring and Punk gained the upper hand, trapping Orton in a contorting abdominal stretch and later pounding The Viper with an elbow from the top rope.
Looking to put the match away, Punk left Orton prone on the mat and ascended the turnbuckle to perform his elbow drop, but Orton had life in him yet, thwarting The Second City Saint's effort and sending him airborne with a superplex for a near-fall.
The Viper took control of the match next, slamming Punk with a series of bone-rattling clotheslines and setting him up for the hanging DDT. The champion rallied, though, springboarding off the ropes and flooring Orton with a flying clothesline. Signaling for the Go to Sleep, Punk prepared to put Orton to bed. But The Apex Predator recovered quickly, elbowing his way off Punk's shoulders and executing the hanging DDT on The Second City Saint before signaling for the RKO ...
Until, that is, a certain Showoff decided to get involved.
Dolph Ziggler sprinted from the backstage area, ganging up on Orton with Punk and seemingly leaving The Viper in ruins ...
Until, that is, a certain "King" decided to get involved.
Jerry "The King" Lawler was the next to enter the fray, rising up from the commentary table and joining in on the beatdown when Raw General Manager AJ Lee appeared, announcing that Orton and Lawler would team against Punk and Ziggler.
Randy Orton & Jerry Lawler def. WWE Champion CM Punk & Dolph Ziggler
PHOTOS | VIDEO
The impromptu tag team match pitting Randy Orton & Jerry Lawler against CM Punk & Dolph Ziggler was meant to restore order to a deteriorating situation after Punk and Orton's match descended into chaos.
But the madness only amplified, as Orton and Ziggler traded furious blows to open the contest, with Orton gaining the upper hand over The Showoff by bouncing him off the ropes for a suplex. Lawler quickly tagged in, opening his second match in three weeks by unleashing not one, but two flying fists on a prone Ziggler. The Showoff recovered enough to mount some offense of his own, laying a series of dropkicks on "The King" and tying him up in a sleeper hold before disrespectfully smearing his boot all over the WWE Hall of Famer's face.
Against all odds, though, Lawler reached deep down and found a second wind, recovering from a humiliating beatdown enough to plant Ziggler with a thunderous backdrop that opened the window for him to tag in Randy Orton. The Viper came at The Showoff hard, hauling him over the ropes for the hanging DDT, but Ziggler tossed Orton outside the ring to cut The Apex Predator's attack short.
Rather than tag in, however, Punk remained on the apron until Paul Heyman himself came sauntering down the ramp. Oblivious to the match unfolding behind him, Punk hopped down from the apron and conferred with Heyman for a few moments. Punk, none the wiser (and not concerned in the slightest) when Orton foiled Ziggler with an RKO to win the contest and send The Showoff packing ... did not make the most ignominious of exits, however: He simply retrieved his title and, still in conversation with the mad scientist, walked away.
Later, Matt Striker approached the twosome and demanded clairification on the nature of their relationship. Punk simply echoed his first "pipe bomb" and replied, with no small amount of venom in his voice: "I'm a Paul Heyman guy."
