Randy Orton VS. Triple H VS. John Cena
(WWE CHampionship)
In many ways, the Triple Threat Match between Triple H, John Cena and WWE Champion Randy Orton at WrestleMania XXIV has been brewing for years. When you have three elite Superstars who all want the same thing, there’s bound to be an explosion.
These Superstars are not strangers to one another. Their careers have intertwined as they have all pursued the WWE Championship. But their dynamics with one another are very different.
Triple H and Orton were once friends. When they were teammates in Evolution, one of the greatest factions of all-time, Orton was the student, the diamond in the rough whose potential The Game noticed almost immediately. Back in those days, Orton was the student and Triple H was the teacher.
But their relationship was destroyed because they both wanted the same thing – World Championship gold. Both wanted to be the best, but there could only be room for one at the top. Triple H has been a constant thorn in Orton’s side whenever he has won a world title. When the Legend Killer became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history in 2004, he was immediately targeted by The Game – and lost the gold to his former mentor. Years later, in 2007, when Orton was named WWE Champion at No Mercy after John Cena’s injury, The Cerebral Assassin challenged – and defeated him – again.
Orton regained the gold that same night, but some say he has never stopped looking over his shoulder. Triple H has rained on his parade during all of his career-defining moments, the third-generation Superstar believes. But at WrestleMania, the Legend Killer wants Triple H front and center for yet another career-defining moment.
The self-proclaimed “one-man dynasty” is not the same student that shadowed Triple H in Evolution. Orton has evolved into a sadistic champion who has mastered mind games and will do anything to keep his title. He has cemented his hold on the WWE Championship in recent months by turning back the challenges of Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho and even The Game. Orton learned his lessons well from The Cerebral Assassin, and he believes he has surpassed his former teacher. He considers Triple H a nuisance and wants to humble The King of Kings once and for all – and can’t think of a better stage than at WrestleMania XXIV in Orlando, Fla.
The Champion-sized Thorn
Orton would also love to vanquish John Cena. These two have never been friends and have waged a personal war over the WWE Championship. The Legend Killer tried to end Cena’s career, and was responsible for putting him on the shelf with a torn pectoral tendon, forcing him to relinquish the WWE Title. He has attempted every underhanded, cowardly trick to keep “The Champ” away from the gold. However, Cena has continued battling back.
If Orton can put both Cena and The Game away in one night at WrestleMania, it will be difficult to argue with his claim that he is a “one-man dynasty.” But Cena is not about to let that happen. He wants Orton to pay for taking away everything he held dear. For Cena, the only way he will find redemption is if he leaves WrestleMania XXIV with the gold he never lost in the ring.
A King's Return to the Throne?
Triple H also has that same vision of redemption. WrestleMania XXIV represents his return to his favorite stage – The Grandest of Them All. Last year, he missed WrestleMania due to a career-threatening injury. He has overcome all sorts of obstacles, gauntlets and five opponents in the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out to make it back to The Grandest Stage of Them All.
The Game has headlined WrestleMania several times before, but this year is different. He wants – needs – to show that he is still truly The King of Kings. His 11th title reign was way too short. Triple H wants to win his 12th World Championship and kill the growing legend of Randy Orton. But The Game is also haunted by Cena, a man he has never defeated. He still remembers tapping out to Cena’s STFU at WrestleMania 22. Surviving both Orton and Cena at WrestleMania XXIV would show that Triple H is truly back and at the top of his Game.
Who will leave the Citrus Bowl with sports-entertainment’s Holy Grail? Who will exorcise their personal demons and find redemption at WrestleMania XXIV? There is only room for one king atop the WWE mountain.
Edge VS. Undertaker
(World Heavyweight Championship)
A telltale hour for the World Heavyweight Championship at No Way Out foretold the SmackDown main event at WrestleMania XXIV: The Rated-R Superstar vs. The Phenom, title vs. streak.
Within sixty minutes of witnessing The Phenom’s triumph in a grisly Elimination Chamber Match, the Ultimate Opportunist capitalized on an injured Rey Mysterio to retain the gold with an ample WrestleMania-based knot in his Rated-R gut.
The Deadman has pursued the World Heavyweight Title since May 8, 2007 – an evening on which infamy was defined by Edge’s opportunistic championship seizure. That night, the Ultimate Opportunist moniker was born as Edge cashed in Money in the Bank (which he craftily seized from Mr. Kennedy) at the most inopportune moment for Undertaker.
Minutes after The Phenom’s Steel Cage encounter with Batista and a savage assault by Mark Henry, the Rated-R Superstar stole the gold from the war-torn Deadman. The Ultimate Opportunist continued to be a bane to Undertaker for months on SmackDown, keeping the grim Superstar from reclaiming the championship. Now, more than one year later, life proves to be ironically cyclical for Edge, as his date with the devil has been inked for WrestleMania.
Speaking of cycles, The Phenom is certainly reaching the peak of another for himself. This time last year, SmackDown’s resident demon pursued a quest toward a championship encounter with Batista at WrestleMania 23. In an epic clash of two indelible titans, The Phenom maintained his venerable win streak on The Grandest Stage of Them All, and more importantly, captured his fifth World Title.
This impressive 15-0 undefeated streak at WrestleMania casts an ominous, intimidating shadow over the Ultimate Opportunist’s reign. However, Edge himself bears his own notable record at WrestleMania (5-1), at which he has never been pinned or forced to submit. But, this imminent collision isn’t about streaks; it’s about the highly coveted World Heavyweight Championship.
Can even the most ideal opportunity keep the gold around the Rated-R Superstar’s waist at WrestleMania XXIV? Or will the Ultimate Opportunist find the angle he needs and make history by burying The Deadman once and for all as The Granddaddy of Them All emanates from the Florida Citrus Bowl?
Money In The Bank Ladder Match
The Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania has become one of WWE's most coveted opportunities because of its golden track record – almost all previous winners have ultimately won a World Championship.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, a collection of Superstars battle for possession of a briefcase that’s held high above the ring and contains a contract for a World Championship Match. The winner of Money in the Bank can cash in the contract at any time over the next year – and previous victors have used that opportunity to win gold. Edge and Rob Van Dam have used the Money in the Bank Ladder Match victories to etch their names in World Heavyweight and WWE Championship history. (Watch: Money in the Bank Ladder Match Highlights)
But you have to be in it to win it, and Superstars on Raw, SmackDown and ECW have battled for the opportunity to compete in the Money in the Bank Match at WrestleMania. Video Preview
Shaman Cinches Final Spot
Just 16 days before WrestleMania, the Shaman of Sexy secured the final spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match with a hard-fought victory over his own fellow WWE Tag Team Championship partner, The Miz. (WATCH)
John Morrison is no stranger to encounters involving ladders, himself, and most certainly not unfamiliar with championship opportunities. A former ECW Champion and Intercontinental titleholder as well, the athletic Superstar will bring his acrobatics and cut-throat mentality to the high-stakes war at WrestleMania.
Can the Tuesday Night Delight spread his aura to the biggest Sunday night in sports-entertainment? Can the WWE Tag Team Champion take the next step in adding more gold to his chiseled waist?
Second Straight for Straightedge
In front of a sold-out hometown crowd in Chicago’s Allstate Arena, former ECW Champion CM Punk made a big climb on ECW on Sci Fi by defeating the 500-pound Big Daddy V. With a mammoth victory over a foe twice his size, the Straightedge Superstar secured entry into his second straight Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania XXIV. (WATCH)
Stating earlier in the night that he had absolutely nothing else left to lose, CM Punk needed to find a way to get past a quarter-ton roadblock known as the Extreme Mastodon. Unsure of how to even get Big Daddy V off his feet, let alone pin him, the Straightedge Superstar also contended with rival – and fellow Money in the Bank competitor – Shelton Benjamin preaching on commentary at ringside. Extremely close to hoisting his gargantuan foe for the GTS, Punk found a way to win by count-out then dropped Matt Striker with his signature hold, personally punching his ticket to The Granddaddy of Them All.
Since losing the ECW Title to Chavo Guerrero in January, Punk has relentlessly sought to reclaim the Land of the Extreme’s top gold. At the Biggest Spectacle of Them All, the tattooed Superstar will have a chance to quench his craving for competition, but more importantly, the opportunity to earn a future World Title Match. If he can climb the fateful ladder and clinch the contract bearing briefcase, CM Punk will get his chance – but would the Straightedge Superstar elect to stay within ECW or might his sights be at a different prize?
(Even) Mo' Money?
After defeating Jamie Noble to qualify for Money in the Bank at a SmackDown live event, United States Champion MVP will make his second WrestleMania appearance since signing one of the most lucrative contracts in sports-entertainment history in 2006. No stranger to money, the Franchise Playa will need to bring his highly touted 'A' game if he wants to bank on a future World Title opportunity. Will MVP outshine an assemblage of WWE's top performers and reach the final rung to World Championship success?
WrestleMania Is Jericho Again!
Chris Jericho is riding an incredible wave of momentum going into WrestleMania. He defeated Jeff Hardy in a hard fought battle on Monday Night Raw to qualify for his opportunity for Money in the Bank, and then defeated the daredevil again to claim the Intercontinental Championship for the eighth time. Y2J, the first Undisputed Champion in WWE history, could renew his mission to regain the WWE Championship with a victory at WrestleMania XXIV. Jericho created the Money in the Bank Ladder Match and would love to make his first appearance at WrestleMania in three years a memorable one.
Mr. Money in the Bank Again?
And what about last year's winner, Mr. Kennedy? The Green Bay, Wis., loudmouth not only wants to make history by becoming the first to win back-to-back Money in the Bank Ladder Matches, but he also wants a chance at redemption. Kennedy lost his Money in the Bank opportunity last year when an opportunistic Edge took advantage of his injury (and sizable ego) and eventually defeated Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Kennedy believes he is entitled to a World Title opportunity. He is desperate to prove that he is what he says he is – the future of sports-entertainment. By winning the Money in the Bank Ladder Match again at WrestleMania XXIV, Kennedy can skyrocket himself back into the title hunt – and put all world champions on notice. He also wants to eradicate the dubious distinction of being the only Money in the Bank winner to not win a World Championship. But he must face other equally-hungry Superstars.
Setting the Gold Standard
Hunger has never been a problem for one of the purest athletes in WWE, Shelton Benjamin. Like his fellow competitors, Benjamin is hoping that his dreams of championship gold will come one step closer after WrestleMania XXIV. ECW's "Gold Standard" has the experience necessary, having been a part of two previous Money in the Bank matches. But for Shelton to climb the ladder and achieve his dreams, he will have to go through seven other Superstars looking to do the same thing.
One Cool Customer
No stranger to championship competition, Carlito is a past holder of the United States and Intercontinental Championships. He has climbed the title ladder on several occasions in the past, but can the cool Caribbean Superstar rise to the top of the 15-foot-high ladder in the center of sports-entertainment’s grandest stage to claim the Money in the Bank briefcase and its championship contract?