Kings of Kings reigns supreme again
By Bryan Robinson
October 7, 2007

CHICAGO – Randy Orton thought he would have the time to bask in his victory celebration. He was on top of the world – he had eliminated John Cena and had been awarded the prize he cherished more than anything in the world, the WWE Championship. But a longtime nemesis – a certain King of Kings – shocked the world and knocked the Legend Killer off his throne.

Orton’s eyes were glazed with shock as he returned to the locker room. He had felt the extreme ecstasy of calling himself the WWE Champion, and then the agony of losing the championship in less than 20 minutes. When Orton was awarded the WWE Championship by Mr. McMahon at the beginning of No Mercy, he basked in his glory. It was the crowning moment in his career, surpassing his becoming the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history in 2004. It was the culmination of a five-month campaign where he left the broken bodies of legends such as Shawn Michaels and the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes in his wake and tortured Cena mentally and physically. Now, finally, the third-generation Superstar had what he wanted in his hands, the WWE Championship.

But when Triple H crashed his victory party, his heart sank. He knew he was going to defend the title tonight, but believed he would be able to handpick his opponent. Judging by the way he immediately denied The Game’s request for a title opportunity, Orton clearly would not have picked The Game. But Triple H goaded the Chairman into granting him the match, and Orton was left almost speechless.

Orton has no love for his mentor in Evolution – and it showed in battle. Triple H kicked Orton out of Evolution and defeated him for the World Heavyweight Championship after the third-generation Superstar had only held the title for only a month. Orton has never forgotten that. In some ways, he has never been the same and has blamed Triple H for all his hardships and setbacks since September 2004.

Tonight, the Legend Killer beat The Game viciously, perhaps having flashbacks to Unforgiven 2004, when Triple H ended his title reign. He was determined not to experience déjà vu. But The King of Kings showed why he is considered one of the greatest big game players ever. Given their history, the Cerebral Assassin may have been inside Orton’s head before the bell even rang. After withstanding the physical onslaught from Orton, The Game battled back. One miscue by Orton into the ring post and a rollup later, The King of Kings was back on his throne, for the 11th time.

As our fans in the Allstate Arena roared, Triple H held the WWE Championship high and saluted them. His comeback from months of injury was complete and he was in his glory.

Meanwhile, Orton sulked and could only stare in disbelief. Once again, Triple H ended his title reign prematurely. Once again, he had taken away his most prized possession and turned his dream into a nightmare.