CLEVELAND — After taking Randy Orton’s words to heart on Raw, World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase walked into Unforgiven with their new mindset and retained their titles against Cryme Tyme. The priceless pairing followed up their victory with the brutal post-match beating of Shad & JTG with the assistance of newcomer Manu, son of WWE Hall of Famer Afa of the Wild Samoans.
While celebrating their victory in the locker room with Manu, the champions were quickly brought back to reality by the Legend Killer. Orton congratulated them on just squeaking by with a win and noted that their victory wasn’t impressive, though he implied that their talents could be used for much better things.
Orton later taught the World Tag Team Champions and Manu what he thought the meaning of impressive is. After confronting World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, Orton watched as Rhodes, DiBiase and Manu all savagely beat the champion. The Legend Killer himself put an exclamation point on the attack with a lethal kick to the head of Punk that would result in Raw GM Mike Adamle pulling the champion from defending his gold in the World Heavyweight Championship Scramble.
On the most recent edition of Raw, the Legend Killer made his return to Monday nights with words for all the champions on Raw, including the World Tag Team Champions, and what he thought was an embarrassing state of a brand. Orton even had words with the young champion duo about their inability to get their gold back after Raw’s Robbin’ Hoods had stolen them a few weeks before.
The Legend Killer’s words seemed to light a fire in the belly of both the World Tag Team Champions and later that night, as Cryme Tyme prepared to take on the The Miz & John Morrison, Rhodes & DiBiase attacked them from behind and took back what was rightfully theirs. At Unforgiven, the tag champions secured their position as true owners of the gold.
With the criticizing tutelage of a multi-time World Champion in Orton and Manu by their sides, it seems as though the duo will be able to soar to great new heights and will have every right to consider themselves a “priceless” tag team combination – and maybe even change the Legend Killer’s opinion of Raw’s champions while they’re at it.