Randy Orton escaped from his Three Stages of Hell match against Triple H at The Bash with his WWE championship reign still intact.
WWE champion overcomes Triple H at The Bash on Sunday night
Randy Orton escaped from his Three Stages of Hell match against Triple H at The Bash with his WWE championship reign still intact.
Heading into the contest, it seemed The Game had the upper hand having come through two such encounters in the past.
But Triple H - knowing he was only required to win two out of three falls - earned himself disqualification in the first stage by launching a brutal steel chair attack on his nemesis.
The damage to his opponent did take its toll in the second Stage of Hell, though, as The Cerebral Assassin continued his assault with the steel chair and delivered a Pedigree outside the ring just for good measure.
Climax
Victory for Triple H in the Falls Count Anywhere section therefore meant the Stretcher match would be decisive.
With no sign of any let-up from The King of Kings, it seemed Triple H would be destined to reclaim his throne by being the first competitor to push his opponent up the ramp on the stretcher.
But, as he wheeled Orton towards victory, out came Legacy members Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in defence of the champion.
The pair did enough to save their chief and, despite then finding themselves on the wrong end of a sledgehammer attack from Triple H, the distraction proved enough for Orton to regain consciousness and launch his comeback.
A steel grate assault in the end proved Triple H's undoing and he was wheeled across the finish line as Orton retained his title.
The Viper's celebrations were cut short, though, as Triple H levelled the champion with his sledgehammer, after the bell, in an attempt to prove who the true King of Kings is.
