For WWE Champion Triple H, United States Champion Shelton Benjamin, Jeff Hardy, Montel Vontavious Porter and The Brian Kendrick, every second will count at Unforgiven. The five Superstars will make history by participating in the first-ever WWE Championship Scramble Match, where for 20 minutes, it’s anyone’s game.
On SmackDown, General Manager Vickie Guerrero, taking note of Raw GM Mike Adamle’s decree for the World Heavyweight Championship, announced a series of qualifying matches to determine the four Superstars who would join WWE Champion Triple H in the ring for the unprecedented title contest at Unforgiven. The Brian Kendrick was the first to win his chance after a grueling 10-Man Battle Royal in which he – with some assistance from his right-hand man, Ezekiel Jackson – dominated over both WWE veterans and newcomers.
Next, MVP stole a victory over Festus, earning him a spot in the Scramble. In the third qualifying match, United States Champion Shelton Benjamin beat Finlay, taking SmackDown’s Gold Standard one step closer to becoming a dual-title holder. For the last qualifier, WWE Champion Triple H was on-hand at ringside to witness Jeff Hardy defeat the man The Game towered over following their match at SummerSlam – The Great Khali.
The rules for the WWE Championship Scramble are simple: Two randomly selected ring warriors will start the match, with a new challenger stepping in every five minutes. If a man scores a pinfall or submission on any other in the match, he is declared the "interim" champion – though he will not be historically recognized as such. The title can change hands as many times as necessary throughout the bout, and the Superstar to earn the final pinfall or submission within the 20-minute time limit will be officially declared the WWE Champion.
For The King of Kings, this means he may lose his gold to any opponent without warning. Once the clock starts, there is no stopping the carnage which is sure to ensue – all for the richest prize in the game.
Will Triple H be able to take control in the Championship Scramble and protect his spot at the top of WWE? Can MVP and Jeff Hardy put their personal rivalry aside long enough to focus on the WWE Championship? Or will United States Champion Shelton Benjamin live up to his moniker as the Gold Standard and walk out of Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena with two titles draped over his shoulders?
Find out who will reign supreme as WWE Champion at Unforgiven, live Sunday, Sept. 7, only on pay-per-view.