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Team Hell No and Randy Orton looked to be in shambles at the start of SmackDown
Daniel Bryan opened SmackDown, reflecting on the greatness of Team Hell No before calling his partner, Kane, to the ring to discuss their recent differences.

Things quickly turned awkward when it seemed like Bryan was attempting to “break up” with The Devil’s Favorite Demon. When Bryan made the mistake of stating that Kane might actually be the “weak link” of Team Hell No, the submission specialist nearly suffered a chokeslam. But Randy Orton interrupted, promising to RKO The Big Red Monster if he attacked his partner before their WWE Tag Team Title Match this Sunday. Orton’s threat only served to further fuel the fires between the three volatile Superstars.

As they continued to argue, The Shield appeared on the TitanTron, stating that their SmackDown main event showdown would end the same way it always does – with a “Hounds of Justice” victory over their bickering opposition.

Team Hell No & Randy Orton def. The Shield
In SmackDown’s intense main event clash, The Shield would finally be cracked. While the nefarious actions of “The Hounds of Justice” had previously caused them to lose by disqualification in six-man tag team action, SmackDown would see The Shield fall by submission or pinfall for the first time ever!

In the midst of complete disorder – with bodies flying in every direction both inside and outside the ring – Kane hurled Seth Rollins off the top rope and into the waiting RKO of The Viper! While the WWE Universe was still catching its breath, Daniel Bryan snapped in the “No!” Lock and made his black-clad adversary tap out!

Working together to achieve such a monumental win ignited an ecstatic celebration between the three Superstars and should finally put to rest Bryan’s idea that he is the “weak link.” But, will they be able to use that momentum to capture the United States and WWE Tag Team Titles this Sunday? Tune into WWE Payback, only on pay-per-view, to find out!

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‘Hell’ froze over on ‘Miz TV’; Explosive main event match announced
LONG ISLAND, NY – Kane’s frustration with Daniel Bryan left The Big Red Monster’s partner in an unlikely alliance with Randy Orton against the dominating “Hounds of Justice,” while the Ryback Rampage continued and Curtis Axel overcame another former World Champion.

Welcoming The Viper and Team Hell No onto “Miz TV,” The Awesome One wasted no time getting to the bottom of the “issues” surrounding the trio’s six-man tag team loss on Raw against The Shield.

With Miz egging things on as usual, the situation quickly became heated due to Bryan’s inability to contain his obsession of being a“weak link.” Finally hearing enough, Kane stormed out of the ring in what Miz – perhaps prematurely – speculated was the “break-up of Team Hell No.”

Senior Advisor to the SmackDown General Manager, Theodore Long, then broke the tension, placing Bryan and Orton together in a showdown against WWE Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns in the SmackDown main event.

Randy Orton & Daniel Bryan def. The Shield’s Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins
With Kane unwilling to team with Daniel Bryan on SmackDown, WWE’s submission specialist was paired with Randy Orton to take on the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns of The Shield. Even before the struggle began, though, it was clear the two former World Champions were not in sync.

In the height of the action, Bryan on absolute fire – single-handedly taking the fight to The Shield for the third time in eight days, as he was clearly still desperate to prove to himself that he is not a “weak link.” However this time, his fast-paced fury would cost him big time, as he accidently kicking The Viper in the face.

Moments later, the main event contest would come to an abrupt end when United States Champion Dean Ambrose decided to interfere and bring about the disqualification. And though Bryan expelled “The Hounds of Justice,” a recovered Apex Predator took the “goat face” Superstar out with an RKO of retribution.

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Randy Orton def. United States Champion Dean Ambrose by Disqualification
In an electrifying SmackDown main event, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns brought the furious action to a screeching halt, attacking Randy Orton to bring about a disqualification in The Viper’s favor.

But an even more electrifying moment trumped their efforts just seconds later. While both members of Team Hell No rushed to the ring to help even the odds for WWE’s Apex Predator, it was Daniel Bryan who – furious and desperate to prove to himself that he is not the “weak link” of Team Hell No – sent all three Shield members packing!

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Kofi Kingston def. United States Champion Dean Ambrose; Orton, Sheamus, and The Shield interfere
In his first United States Championship defense against former titleholder Kofi Kingston, Dean Ambrose chose to come to the ring without his fellow Shield members, WWE Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.

Still, when The Wildcat gained the advantage and attempted to drop in on his black-clad opponent from the top rope, Rollins and Reigns did attack after all, prompting the disqualification and a three-on-one post-match onslaught.

That disadvantage would not last long, though, as Randy Orton and Sheamus quickly joined the fray, causing Senior Advisor to the SmackDown General Manager, Theodore Long, to transform the one-on-one contest into a Six-Man Tag Team Match.

The Shield def. Sheamus, Randy Orton & Kofi Kingston
When Sheamus hoisted Dean Ambrose up for White Noise in the final moments of absolute SmackDown Six-Man madness, Roman Reigns delivered an earth-shattering spear to The Celtic Warrior from out of nowhere.
Witness photos of the Six-Man mayhem

Reigns ultimately paid for his interference with an RKO outside the ring, courtesy of The Viper. In spite of this, however, Kofi Kingston became yet another victim of The Shield’s masterful use of the number’s game. Amidst the chaos, a distraction from Seth Rollins allowed Ambrose to slam The Wildcat’s head into the canvas and pick up another huge win for the undefeated “Hounds of Justice.”

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“Miz TV” hijacked by “Extreme” measures
WICHITA, Kan. — With Extreme Rules just two days away, a massive six-man SmackDown main event battle put teamwork on full display as the WWE Universe prepares for a collision course at Sunday’s pay-per-view.

The Awesome One kicked off the last SmackDown before Extreme Rules with another unpredictable episode of “Miz TV,” welcoming special guests Randy Orton and Big Show — as they prepared to square off in an Extreme Rules Match at Sunday’s pay-per-view.

The volatile situation soon turned downright explosive, however, when Jack Swagger and his “founding father” Zeb Colter, Alberto Del Rio, Mark Henry and eventually a strap-carrying Sheamus all crashed the party to deliver a respective message to their imminent Extreme Rules opponents. The Celtic Warrior would ultimately break the tension, diving into the ring and scattering Swagger, Big Show, Colter and Henry.

Soon after, Senior Advisor to the SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long used the incident to schedule a huge pre–Extreme Rules Six-Man Tag Team Match, pitting Sheamus, Orton & Del Rio against Big Show, Swagger & Henry!

Sheamus, Orton & Del Rio def. Henry, Big Show & Swagger
As the clock continued to click down closer and closer to Extreme Rules, a main event for the ages raged on SmackDown in the form of a Six-Man Tag Team Match between imminent pay-per-view adversaries. With Sheamus, Randy Orton & Alberto Del Rio in one corner and Mark Henry, Big Show & Jack Swagger in the other, tensions and emotions ran high as the two powerhouse teams looked to gain momentum heading into Sunday.

Despite early dominance by Big Show’s team, the action soon broke down into chaos as the six competitors started an all-out brawl. But a ringside Brogue Kick to The World’s Largest Athlete and an in-ring RKO to Swagger ensured a hard-fought victory for Sheamus, Orton & Del Rio, putting their teamwork on full display and sending the WWE Universe home happy as Extreme Rules approaches.

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Randy Orton promised ‘venomous bite’ for Big Show at Extreme Rules
Randy Orton talked about Big Show’s sneak-attack KO Punch Monday on Raw, telling Renee Young that he vouched for Big Show at WrestleMania — and that has now cost him twice. As a result, The World’s Largest Athlete will have to deal with The Viper’s bite — and according to Orton, there will be no antidote for that when they square off at Extreme Rules!

Big Show def. Tensai; Orton Hits RKO on Big Show
Despite another spirited entrance by Tons of Funk, the music stopped short for Tensai when Big Show leveled the dancing Superstar with a thundering KO Punch just moments into their bout. Just like that, the match was over and The World’s Largest Athlete turned his attentions to Tensai’s tag team partner, Brodus Clay.

But when Big Show looked to put The Funkasaurus down, Randy Orton came out of nowhere to strike — leveling The World’s Largest Athlete with an RKO!

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Randy Orton def. Damian Sandow; Big Show caused post-match commotion
After The Viper ultimately overcame the dangerous Intellectual Savior of the Masses with the RKO, Big Show emerged after the bell to again blame Randy Orton for their loss in the Six-Man Tag Team Match at WrestleMania.

The giant’s distraction allowed the recovered Sandow to attack The Viper from behind and hit Terminus on WWE’s Apex Predator. Finding the post-match assault extremely humorous, The World’s Largest Athlete challenged Orton to a match at Extreme Rules. Will the nine-time World Champion accept?

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Successful at costing Sheamus his earlier match against Big Show, Mark Henry stomped back to the ring to face the serpentine Randy Orton one-on-one. But before their battle could be decided, The Celtic Warrior would return for payback, hitting a Brogue Kick on The World’s Strongest Man.

While the sound of the bell meant WWE’s Apex Predator would not get the win, he decided to settle for a follow-up RKO on Henry.

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Big Show & Mark Henry def. Randy Orton & Sheamus
Earlier in the night, after experiencing two separate assaults from Mark Henry, The Celtic Warrior struck back with a powerful attack of retribution on The World’s Strongest Man during his target’s interview with Renee Young.

This only added to the fireworks in the final moments of SmackDown’s explosive tag team main event. When Randy Orton looked ready to finish off a reeling Big Show with the RKO, Mark Henry slammed into The Viper from out of nowhere. This brought Sheamus into the action, nailing The World’s Strongest Man with such force that it knocked both Superstars out of the ring.

As Sheamus and Henry hit the floor, The World’s Largest Athlete seized the opportunity, hitting a still-reeling Orton with the chokeslam for the giant win.

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Sheamus & Randy Orton def. Big Show by Count-out
Taking into account attacks by Big Show on Randy Orton and Sheamus at both WrestleMania and on Raw, Booker T granted The Viper and The Celtic Warrior a 2-on-1 Handicap Match against the massive Superstar on SmackDown.

After unleashing a giant offensive in the heated contest, the irate Big Show found himself suddenly RKO’d by Orton and knocked out of the ring by Sheamus’ Brogue Kick. Rather than return to the ring, The World’s Largest Athlete elected to walk away, allowing his opponents to claim the victory by count-out.

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Sheamus, Randy Orton & Big Show def. Antonio Cesaro & Team Rhodes Scholars
Though Sheamus, Randy Orton and Big Show already established that they’d put aside their differences to face The Shield at WrestleMania, there was massive speculation that they wouldn’t even be able to maintain their alliance in the SmackDown main event.

But doubt quickly vanished in the final moments of their Six-Man Tag Team Match against United States Champion Antonio Cesaro and Team Rhodes Scholars. After changing into a double team on Sheamus, the giant hit the KO Punch on Cesaro, before hurling Sandow into The Viper’s RKO. That cleared the road for The Celtic Warrior to hit the Brogue Kick on Rhodes for a victory built on pure teamwork.

Then, when The Shield emerged for another post-match assault, the unified trio met them in the crowd, executing an explosive counter attack that sent their black-clad WrestleMania adversaries packing.

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“Miz TV” welcomed Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show
CINCINNATI — With WrestleMania just 16 days away, the crucial final spot in the Six-Man Tag Team Match against The Shield at The Show of Shows remained vacant, as The Viper and The Celtic Warrior were thrown into a main event partnership with The World’s Largest Athlete and forced to work together or crash and burn.

The Miz wasted little time asking his special guests, Randy Orton and Sheamus, who would replace Ryback in their upcoming Six-Man Tag Team Match at The Showcase of the Immortals. The Viper made it clear that he wanted Big Show — acknowledging that he would rather have the devil he knew over the devil he didn’t. While WWE’s Apex Predator appeared as the uncharacteristic voice of reason, The Celtic Warrior was not so certain.

The Awesome One then invited the giant himself to join the discussion. While acknowledging that he couldn’t stand Orton or Sheamus, Big Show argued that together they could conquer the likes of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. Still, his long-standing Irish adversary remained resistant and things quickly grew even more intense between Sheamus and the gigantic Superstar who ended his most recent World Title run.

But the commotion was silenced by the emergence of SmackDown General Manager Booker T, who decided the three competitors would be unlikely partners in a SmackDown main event to see if they could, in fact, get along.

Sheamus & Randy Orton & Big Show def. 3MB; Standoff with The Shield
From the moment SmackDown General Manager Booker T put Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show in a match together against 3MB, the buzz ran wild as to whether they would be able to trust each other or a lack of trust would make them vulnerable to a Shield attack.

In the final moments of their main event showdown, a resilient Orton tagged in Big Show, triggering a gigantic attack on Jinder Mahal. But when The World’s Largest Athlete suddenly caught a boot to the face from Drew McIntyre, Sheamus tagged himself in. Seconds later, Big Show rebounded to hit a KO Punch on McIntyre. This cleared the way for The Celtic Warrior to execute the Brogue Kick on the legal Mahal for the pin.

Immediately after the bell, however, Big Show took issue with Sheamus tagging himself into the match after the giant “did the work.” This led to a complete breakdown in order and things looked ready to explode between the three reluctant “partners.”

Perhaps sensing blood in the water, The Shield emerged from the crowd. But despite the obvious conflict in the ring, the moment that Orton, Sheamus and Big Show saw Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, they instantly presented a united front, causing their treacherous adversaries to rethink their actions and retreat.

In a WWE Active exclusive moment, Big Show stormed out of the ring — after screaming that he is trying to do the right thing — leaving the WWE Universe wondering whether he is destined to join The Viper and The Celtic Warrior on The Grandest Stage of Them All.