World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender Match
While Chris Jericho’s World Heavyweight Championship is a prize that many WWE Superstars have their eyes on, there are two that have gone farther than anyone else in proving they are worthy of holding that coveted gold: Batista and JBL. At No Mercy, the WWE Universe will find out which of these athletes deserves a title opportunity, as The Animal squares off against the Longhorn Loudmouth to determine the No. 1 contender.
With Chris Jericho holding the most revered title on Raw, both Batista and JBL have made compelling cases for why they should have a title match against the World Heavyweight Champion. However, convening with Raw General Manager Mike Adamle, Jericho stated that neither of these dominant competitors was worthy of challenging him yet, and the decision was made to have the two mix it up, allowing the cream to rise to the top, with the winner going on to face Jericho at the very next pay-per-view.
Both of these former World Titleholders have struggled to seize championship gold since coming to Monday Night Raw, but in spite of their in-ring dominance, neither has been able to close the deal. Most recently, the two were included in a World Heavyweight Championship Scramble at Unforgiven, where late-entrant Chris Jericho snuck a win out from under Batista’s nose at the last possible moment, denying The Animal the gold for which he had fought so hard. Even before that, both Batista and JBL were gunning for then World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, but to no avail, with the Straightedge Superstar managing to foil each of their attempts.
To see which of these renowned and fearsome Superstars earn the right to compete for the World Heavyweight Championship, be sure to tune into No Mercy, live on Oct. 5, only on pay-per-view
ECW Champion Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry
Mark Henry dominated the Land of the Extreme from the moment he claimed ECW’s top prize. He stomped on top of the mountain as a dangerous champion, nearly impossible to defeat. To add fuel to the fire, The World’s Strongest Man enlisted WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas to stand beside him, a factor that tipped the scales even further in his favor during his first two defenses against Hardy. Hardy refused to give up, a quality that allowed him to rise up against the odds and claim the title in the ECW Championship Scramble at Unforgiven.
But, even with his heroic achievement, the fact remains that Matt Hardy has never pinned Mark Henry’s shoulders to the mat – neither in the Scramble Match nor in subsequent tag team competition since. If Hardy hopes to realize his dream of becoming the greatest ECW Champion of all time, he will first need to alleviate any doubt that he is at all weaker than his predecessor.
Can the ECW Champion score a definitive victory and finally solidify his reign? Or will the scourge of The World’s Strongest Man return to ECW?
Don’t miss No Mercy live Sunday, Oct. 5, only on pay-per-view.
World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match
The brutality Jericho and Michaels have put one another through in recent months has been like nothing seen in a WWE ring in recent memory. For months, these two legendary ring warriors have done everything in their power to decimate each other at every given opportunity, most recently in their Unsanctioned Match at Unforgiven, where HBK left Jericho incapacitated in the ring.
Unforgiven had a bittersweet ending for Jericho, though. It was the first-ever Undisputed Champion who replaced an injured CM Punk in the World Heavyweight Championship Scramble. Jericho took advantage of the opportunity, and in the final seconds of the bout, scored a pinfall victory that saw him crowned as the new World Heavyweight Champion.
Since participating in two grueling matches at Unforgiven, Adamle hasn’t taken it easy on the new World Heavyweight Champion, pitting him in two tough matches in back-to-back weeks; one against Batista and one defending his newly won title against CM Punk in a steel cage.
Things aren’t going to get any easier come No Mercy, as Jericho’s World Heavyweight gold will be defended against HBK once again in the match Michaels made famous at WrestleMania X – the Ladder Match.
Will Michaels use his experience in Ladder Matches to lead him to another win over Jericho and become the new World Heavyweight Champion? Or will Jericho be able to top HBK, retaining his title and perhaps force The Showstopper to hang up his boots once and for all, as Jericho has wanted to do for months?
Find out as No Mercy airs live Sunday, Oct. 5, only on pay-per view.
