Live Event Digitals

Christian with punches but Jinder with a knee. Christian with a back heel kick and a sunset flip for a near fall. Christian with punches and running forearm. Christian slingshots to the floor and connects with an uppercut. Christian with a flying back elbow from the turnbuckles and then he sets for the Killswitch but Mahal counters with a suplex attempt.

Christian lands on his feet and Mahal with a knee. Christian escapes the camel clutch and hits the Killswitch and then hits a frog splash for the three count.
Winner: Christian

Rhodes, who has held the title since his Extreme Rules victory over former WWE Superstar Big Show, was cocky right up to the moment the bell rang on his unexpected title defense. When his entrance music played, Rhodes made a final statement before taking on Christian, saying he is a better man than his opponent.

Christian was unfazed, however, and his sights were set squarely on Rhodes and his Intercontinental Title.

The younger Rhodes got off to a fast start against Christian, whose stamina was called into question after his long layoff and a hard-fought Battle Royal victory earlier in the night. Rhodes was relentless, slamming his opponent into the steel stairs at ringside and then hammering away at the former champion.

But the wily veteran was able to mount a comeback and buy himself some recovery time by taking advantage of any opening Cody gave him. When Rhodes focused more on taunting his downed opponent than finishing him off, Christian was able to hit the Killswitch from out of nowhere and cover Rhodes for a shocking victory.

The match capped off an incredible night for Captain Charisma, whose ring return culminated in Intercontinental Championship gold for the fourth time in his career.

The winner of the melee, which was announced by Executive Administrator Eve in an effort to end a running dispute between Rhodes and Santino about the prestige of their respective championships, would be granted a Title Match later in the night to challenge for his choice of either the Intercontinental or the U.S. Championship.

If the announcement of the Battle Royal itself and the promise of an unexpected title match weren’t exciting enough, the sound of Christian’s entrance music sent shockwaves through the WWE Universe members in attendance.

Christian had not appeared in WWE since the March 16 episode of SmackDown, where he delivered a special edition of “The Peep Show.” Before that, Christian was taken out by WWE Champion CM Punk on Raw SuperShow just days before Captain Charisma was to take part in the six-man tag match as a member of Team Johnny at WrestleMania XXVIII. That match against Punk ended in a no contest and Christian re-aggravated a prior neck injury thanks to an overlong Anaconda Vise by the champion.

Christian’s arrival sent the WWE Universe into a frenzy, and also left Rhodes and Santino clearly shaken as the two champions exchanged a worried glance at ringside when Captain Charisma made his entrance. When the bell rang, the ring was literally overflowing with Superstars as Drew McIntyre, Ezekiel Jackson, William Regal, The Usos and others all battled for a title opportunity.

As always with over-the-top rope matches, alliances were formed and broken in record time. Titus O’Neil and Darren Young were able to tag team The Great Khali, dumping the giant over the ropes and bringing a sigh of relief to the lips of Rhodes.

Competing in his first official match since Nov. 11, 2011, Christian demonstrated the absence of any “ring rust” as he tangled with and ultimately eliminated William Regal.

When The Miz eliminated Alex Riley, it was left to The Awesome One, Tyson Kidd, Otunga and Christian to duke it out. Kidd was impressive but was dumped over the top by Otunga as he and Miz battled on the apron.

Christian was then immediately double teamed by Miz and Otunga. Yet, despite months of inactivity, Captain Charisma fought his way out of trouble to eliminate Otunga. Miz and Christian were left to determine who would get a title chance later in the night, but it was the returning Christian who found an opening when The Awesome One spilled out onto the apron. A driving shoulder knocked Miz to ringside and catapulted Captain Charisma to victory.

As he departed the ring, Christian gestured to Santino, perhaps eyeing the Milan Miracle’s U.S. Championship for later in the night.

Live Event Digitals

We opened live with the Battle Royal. No opening, just live with the match. Santino Marella and Cody Rhodes are sitting ringside waiting to see which of them will be defending their title kater.

Order of elimination: Heath Slater, Michael McGuillicuty, JTG, Yoshi Tatsu (who took a suplex over the top to the floor and looked to have broken his ankle in the process), Ezekiel Jackson, Jey Uso, Drew McIntyre, Curt Hawkins, Tyder Reks, Jinder Mahal, Great Khali (tossed out by Miz, Titus O’Neal and Darren Young), Titus O’Neal, William Regal (LOTS of boos when he was tossed).

There was a nice exchange between The Miz and Alex Riley leading to Riley being tossed to the floor when he was caught climbing the ropes and then kicked off. Tyson Kidd unloaded with a lot of dropkicks and kicked David Otunga as he charged. Miz tossed Kidd but Kidd skinned the cat and tried to pull Miz over. Otunga kicked Kidd and sent him to the floor. The 90 seconds they put the spotlight on Kidd was great. No reason not to showcase him more.

The last three were Christian, Miz and David Otunga. Christian tried to fight them off but was overwhelmed. Otunga locked on a full nelson, leaving Christian open for Miz to nail him with running elbows.

They worked over Christian in the corner. Miz missed his running clothesline in the corner. Otunga went for a slam over the shoulder but Christian landed on his feet and tossed Otunga out.

Miz and Christian went back and forth. They each avoided the other’s finish. Miz tossed him over the top but Christian landed on his feet. They did a pretty inspired finish where Miz almost kicked him off to the floor. Christian, stil outside on the apron, tossed Miz over the top to the apron, so they were both on the outside. He finally nailed Miz and sent him to the floor.
Winner: Christian

Christian pointed to Santino, so that’s the match later.

Backstage, WWE Intercontinental champ Cody Rhodes was telling Eve that it was smart of Christian to pick Santino Marella because Rhodes would have embarrassed him coming back from his injuries. Christian overhears him and Rhodes kisses his ass. Christian says that’s full of crap, so he’s changed his mind and wants to face Cody tonight.

Intercontinental Championship
Cody Rhodes vs. Christian
Rhodes came out with a mic asking the fans if they were happy he has to defend his championship. The crowd popped. He said that the Rhodes family goes back years in the Carolinas. Cody said that his father never let him come to shows here and Dusty used to tell him that one day he will understand. Cody said that now he does because the fans here are short-sighted and stupid. He told them to watch what he does to Christian.

They locked up and Rhodes gained control early with a series of right hands. He peppered Christian with punches in the corner. Christian leapfrogged Rhodes and nailed him with a forearm. Christian sent Rhodes to the floor and nailed a dropkick through the ropes for a two count.

Rhodes came back to whip Christian into the ring steps. Rhodes rolled him back in for a two count. Rhodes drilled him with a knee to the gut and a Russian Legsweep for a two count. Rhodes locked in a shoulderbar. Christian made it to the ropes. He and Rhodes battled in the corner.

Rhodes nailed a superplex and it took them a long time to recover. They went back and forth. Christian clotheslined Rhodes over the top to the floor, with both tumbling over. Rhodes nailed a leaping kick off the ringsteps on the floor. He tossed Christian in for a two count.

Rhodes worked over Christian but was caught with a missile dropkick for a two count. Christian went for the Killswitch but turned it into a drop toehold. He came off the top with bodypress but there was no water in the pool. Something missing from this one so far.

Rhodes covered him for a two count. Christian came back and tried for a tornado DDT but was shoved off. Rhodes nailed a moonsault off the top for a two count. Rhodes began screaming that he was better than Christian and everyone. He dared him to stand up to him. This fired up Christian who sent him into the corner and caught him with the Killswitch for the quick win.
Winner: Christian

#2. Christian
Captain Charisma was cut down in the height of his main-event run last year by a pair of ill-timed injuries, and his glorious return was cut short when WWE Champion CM Punk Anaconda Vise’d him back to the injured list just before WrestleMania. A.W. could be Christian’s ace in the hole and help usher him back into the championship running. Besides, if A.W. is really as good as he says he is, “one more match” shouldn’t be that tall of an order.

#1. Edge & Christian
Lifelong best friends, Edge and Christian went from school hallways in Toronto to quite literally climbing the ladder of success in WWE. The pairing undeniably “reeked of awesomeness” – their tongue-in-cheek “five-second poses” and proclamations that “sodas rule” were just earnest enough to earn simultaneous adoration and eye-rolls from the WWE Universe.

With their patented Con-Chair-To, Edge and Christian won seven World Tag Team Championships, the first in a Ladder Match against The Hardys at WrestleMania 2000. They defeated both The Hardys and Dudley Boyz in the first-ever TLC Match at SummerSlam, and were victorious in a rematch at WrestleMania X-Seven – hailed by many as the greatest tag team match in WWE history. The longstanding animosity between the three duos consistently resulted in Edge and Christian supremacy, and solidified the team as not just fun and games, but a bona fide force to be reckoned with.

Edge and Christian were the arrogant jerks you loved to hate, especially as they revolutionized tag team wrestling for generations to come

Friday May 18, 2012 – 6:00pm
Orlando Armory – 2809 S. Ferncreek Ave., Orlando, FL

Come see WWE Superstar Christian as he appears at the FCW event at the Orlando Armory!
Check here for more information

Gallery Links
- DVD Captures – Medium Raw: Night Of The Wolf – Deleted Scene
- DVD Captures – Medium Raw: Night Of The Wolf – Extended Scene (#1)
- DVD Captures – Medium Raw: Night Of The Wolf – Extended Scene (#2)

Gallery Link
- WWE.com Exclusives – Wrestlemania Axxess 2012

MIAMI – WWE Superstars and Divas made a very special stop on The Road to WrestleMania Wednesday afternoon, visiting Holtz Children’s Hospital in Miami to brighten the day of the kids.

The WWE contingent, which included Rey Mysterio, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, The Great Khali, Christian, The Bella Twins, Maxine and AJ, spent a few hours with the children. “There’s a lot of our fans that can’t make it out to WrestleMania, so we bring it to them,” R-Truth said.

The Superstars may not have been prepared for intense interviews, but some of the kids came armed with microphones and their best questions. “They had a whole list made, they knew everybody and had questions for everybody,” Christian explained. “They were well-prepared.”

Mysterio, donning a dazzling white and red mask, was touched at the hospital’s treatment of Spanish speaking-familes. “I met families from Guatemala and Costa Rica. There are a lot of Hispanic speaking people here being taken care of. It’s good to see that the hospital opens their heart for anyone,” he said.

One child in particular touched Mysterio’s heart. “He was very quiet, but very alert. You could tell right away that he was very happy to see me, despite not much expression on his face,” he explained. “I remembered that I had a mask in my back pack. I signed and gave it to him with a toy Rumbler. As I was signing the mask, you could see that he was very happy, despite not being able to say much. It was really cool.”

Many of the girl patients at the hospital took to the Divas. One in particular made an impression on AJ. “I fell in love with Angela, who was the cutest little girl who had gorgeous eyelashes,” she said. Another patient named Tatiana, was enamored by The Bellas, asking where they got their clothes.

The kids at Holtz also got a huge surprise, as Edge, who will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on Saturday, joined his former colleagues during the visit. “I came straight from the airport and hopefully put some smiles on faces,” he said.

For Edge, who grew up idolizing WWE Superstars, visits like this are one of the ways he can give back to the WWE Universe. “WWE Superstars are like superheroes, comic book characters come to life,” he said. “If [Superstars] visited me, my head would have exploded.”

In addition to the visit putting smiles on the faces of the children, WWE has designated the hospital as the recipient of all proceeds from Thursday’s WrestleMania Premiere Party, as well as the WrestleMania Art Auction, taking place on eBay now.

Thursday’s visit was one of WWE’s many charitable efforts in the Miami area during WrestleMania Week. Superstars and Divas will be visiting hospitals and meeting with children through the Make A Wish Foundation, among other events.

The Holtz Children’s Hospital, located at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center is one of the largest in the southeastern United States and is among the top in the country, according toU.S News and World Report. For more information, follow the hospital on Twitter and Facebook.

Gallery Links
- WWE.com Exclusives – WWE Superstars Visit Holtz Children’s Hospital
- Miscellaneous – Facebook – WWE
- Miscellaneous – Facebook – Holtz Children’s Hospital