XWL Breakdown: 2/13/15 - 2/20/15

Normal Match





Fresh off a commercial break, we’re thrust right back into the thick of the action…

RVD has Del Sol down on the mat midway through this match. He backs up then goes for the rolling thunder! Bam! Right on top of Del Sol’s knees he lands. He gets up holding his back and Del Sol greets him with a spinning kick that knocks him down to the mat! Del Sol races over to the ropes, and it looks like he’s going for a rolling thunder of his own, but after the initial roll through he leaps into the air and does a frog splash, landing with a thud on top of RVD!

One!



Two!



RVD kicks out! Del Dol sits up, convinced he had the match one while RVD crawls over into the corner. That’s about as much space as RVD can afford because as soon as Del Sol gets to his feet he charges toward the corner and gets superkicked in the face! RVD managed to catch the luchador off guard with that devastating kick to the face and Del Sol may be wearing a mask but it could only do so much to absorb the blow of that bone-shattering strike.

With Del Sol laying prone on the mat, RVD realizes this is his best time to strike with the killing blow. He leaps onto the top rope when all of a sudden Del Sol kips up to his feet, and uses the ropes to maintain his balance while he nails RVD with a kick of his own! After losing his balance, RVD drops into a seated position while Del Sol climbs up to the top with him. Del Sol screams out “Rising Sun!” then he sends both himself and RVD crashing down to the mat with a super victory roll! Del Sol manages to hang onto RVD’s leg to immediately transition into a pin:


One!



Two!



Three!












As Del Sol’s theme hits, the crowd cheers while the luchador slowly rises to his feet after that hard-fought match. Just like RVD did for him last week, Del Sol helps his opponent up to his feet and in a show of mutual respect the two men exchange a handshake.

Breakdown returns from commercials and as we fade onto the screen we see none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin in his lockeroom getting ready for his match. We cut to the commentary team

Jim Ross
Steve I’d like to thank you for taking this time to join us for this interview. We’ll start it out with your match earlier. Despite your loss to Karl Anderson you put on one tough fight. Where do you go from here?

Austin stares into the camera and clears his throat for a second before speaking

{Steve Austin}
As I’ve said each and every week Jim, it’s rather simple, I come here to do two things. Drink some beer and have a good time with these people and whoop some ass. Sure I lost but that ain’t about to get ol’ Stone Cold down. I will say this much Karl Anderson is one tough son of a gun. That was one of the closest matches I’ve had in a long while and he slipped by me by just a hair. You bet your ass this ain’t the last you’ve seen of Stone Cold Steve Austin though.

Michael Cole
If I may interject gentleman, Steve, you say this isn’t the last we’ve seen of you but what exactly have you done lately to make a statement like that? Just last week you issued a challenge to anyone in the back to fight you at Uprising but what are you hoping that’ll accomplish? Don’t you feel like your best days are behind you?

Austin shakes his head and points at the monitor as he speaks again

{Steve Austin}
That’s just like you Michael. Don’t you ever get tired of asking me that question? Look at cha’ you’re sitting there wearing that stupid suit of yours, with that dumb look plastered on your face, and you’re the one asking me what I’m looking to accomplish? What else besides get to the top in this company. It’s what we’re all here for. More than I can say for you. Did you remember to put on your big boy pants ya jackass. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Stone Cold Steve Austin is here to show everyone why I am THE toughest S.O.B in this company and I don’t need people like you stopping me Michael. Now I suggest you watch your tone with me son or else you’ll end up on the wrong end of a Stone Cold Stunner. This interviews over!

Austin smacks the camera and it hit’s the floor with a thud. We see the boots of Austin as he walks off screen before it fades to black

Main Event
Tag Team Match































There’s a burst of cheers as Shelley’s theme hits the speakers. Rollins rolls out of the ring and begins throwing a fit as this loss means that he’ll have no choice but to put the Intercontinental Championship on the line against Shelley at Uprising. Meanwhile, Nash won himself a title match as well, and after working so well as a team tonight, Shelley and Nash may be rewarded for their efforts by walking out of Uprising as champions.

Sandow rolls out of the ring and Seth looks at him in disgust before snatching his Intercontinental Championship away from The Ref and marching up the ramp. Shelley smiles as he watches the scene unfold, then he turns to Nash who’s trash talking Sandow and then the two men find themselves face to face.

Nash holds out a hand and Shelley accepts, their teamwork paying off in a big way for them. The crowd breaks out into a chant of “Detroit’s Finest” expressing their love for both of these men. Breakdown fades to a commercial break while the two men continue to celebrate.

Breakdown returns from commercial, cutting straight to ringside just as a theme blasts around the arena



And it's the theme of the number one contender for the World Championship, Shawn Michaels! The fans jump to their feet as the former world champion, hops out from behind the curtain



The Heartbreak Kid heads down the ramp, touching hands with Fans as he get towards the bottom. After reaching the bottom of the ramp, he leaps up onto the apron, and enters the ring. Michaels takes a moment to pose for the fans before grabbing a microphone from a crew member at ringside. Chants of "HBK" surround the arena, after giving the fans a moment to quieten down...Shawn begins to speak.



[Shawn Michaels]
You all know why I'm out here, and I'm not going to make you all wait. Just weeks ago, CM Punk cashed in his money in the bank contract to beat me for the World Heavyweight Championship. I've said that I don't blame CM Punk, and I don't...I'd have done the exact same thing in his position. I've seen many superstars just wait around for their chance and never took it. CM Punk saw his chance, and he took it and he reached the top of the mountain but at Uprising, I'm taking back my spot and taking back the World Championship.Last week I said I'd invite CM Punk down to this ring...and I'm a man of my word. So Punkster.....Come on down.

The fans await to see the response to Shawn Michaels invitation, the crowd await with eager anticipation of the World Heavyweight Champion.

"CM PUNK!
CM PUNK!
CM PUNK!"



The crowd jump to their feet as Cult of Personality blasts through the arena, not many people can match popularity with HBK but CM Punk certainly can and the noise from the fans only gets louder as the World Heavyweight Champion walks out onto the stage.



Punk makes his way down the ramp, shaking hands and kissing babies along the way. He stops before the ring and stares at Shawn Michaels with a little smirk on his face, he makes his way up the stairs before climbing up the turnbuckle. He stares at HBK, who is staring directly at the World Heavyweight Championship which was in his possession for only moments before CM Punk snatched it away. Knowing where HBK's eyes are fixed, Punk throws his arms up in the air...



[[CM Punk]]
BEST IN THE WOOOOOOOOOORLD!!

Always one to try and hit them where it hurts CM Punk prudly displays his World Heavyweight Championship above his head for the onlooking Shawn Michaels. The cocky smile returns to the face of Punk as he jumps down into the ring and walks by Shawn to retrieve a microphone. Chants of "CM PUNK, CM PUNK" start to break out in the crowd, Punk seems to bask in this and starts relaxing in the corner as the crowd continue to cheer his name. As the cheers and chants die down, Punk raises the microphone to his mouth.



[[CM Punk]]
What are we doing, Shawn? Is this really the road you want to go down? I get it, Stephanie McMahon probably found you in the back a couple of weeks ago, sat you down and explained to you that despite all of your fears about having to get back in the ring with yours truly, that they have a PPV to promote and sell. Uprising! "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels vs. "The Best in the World" CM Punk!. So for the past couple of weeks they have told you to put on a brave face, they have told you to come out to this ring and tell the people that Shawn Michaels is going to return to the mountain top but Shawn I hate to be the guy to break it to you but nobody is buying into it.

A few boos can be heard coming from the fans, some of them not appreciating some of the words CM Punk has to say. But Punk being Punk doesn't really care.



[[CM Punk]]
The harsh reality of your situation Shawn is it has taken you a long time to get back to the top and each and every time you manage it, it doesn't quite live up to expectations. The hype overshadows what you can actually achieve, people remember what you were capable of when you held the Intercontinental and United States Championships and they're just waiting for you to dominate the World Heavyweight Championship, they think this time will be the time that you are truly unstoppable but every time you fail to reach the standards that others have set. Each time you struggle to make it just past a month, so even if I hadn't have chose that very moment to cash in my Money in the Bank briefcase, odds are next week at Uprising we would be looking at a brand new World Heavyweight Champion whoever that may be.



[[CM Punk]]
Last week you stood backstage and you told the World how you were going to call me out,  you proved that you are a man of your word and I commend you for that but as I stand across from you right now, I can see what you don't want these people to see, I know your most guarded kept secret because all of this, all of the promises, all of the intentions it's all smoke and mirrors. A few weeks ago I took your moment from you, I took the storybook tale of HBK's long road back to the top and I replaced it with my own and I managed to do something that nobody in the history of this business has managed to do and that's dent your confidence. In a heartbeat it was lights out, you were on your back staring up at me while I was declared the NEW World Heavyweight Champion!and you know in the back of your mind, you can try to fight it, you can try and put on this bravado for these people but you know that I'm in your head,you know that you don't have what it takes to beat me and at Uprising I'm going to make one of the greatest look like a rookie...[/b]



[Shawn Michaels]
Look, I'm not going to lie...Just a matter of weeks ago I'd have agreed with everything you said. I doubted myself more than I ever have before. BUT that was then, now I know I can beat you. I know I can reclaim that World Championship, and whether you agree or not...I could go onto putting my name in history as one of the greatest World Champions. You're right, Last time I had that Championship..It didn't exactly go to plan and I lost it just a month later. But I'm now in a much better place, physically...and mentally. Many superstars have tried to end my career...none of them have succeeded. It didn't matter if it was The Wyatt Family, or even Triple H when everything was on the line....I couldn't be stopped. Nothing could keep me down...and at Uprising, It's going to be the exact same story.


[Shawn Michaels]
Now don't get me wrong...I respect you, and everything you've done in this business. I know that you're not to be taken lightly...But you need to know that you're getting into a fight where it would take everything you have. The fight inside me that took me to that World Championship...is back and stronger than ever before. You're going to have to come prepared, You're going to have to give it your all, and work harder than you have ever worked before. You might think the Shawn Michaels of old is gone...but he's back and better than ever.

CM Punk rolls his eyes, he wipes his hand over his face whilst shaking his head. He takes a look up at Shawn Michaels and can't help but let out a slight smirk and chuckle



[[CM Punk]]
That's it? This is supposed to be the thrilling speech that is going to put the seed of doubt in the back of my mind? This is what is supposed to remind me that I am about to step foot in the ring, for my Championship against The Showstopper and that's all you have? Same lame old clichés about how you're in a better place both mentally and physically, how you're back now and you're better than ever? What's next, Shawn? Are you going to tell me found your smile? Come on Shawn, I could've got that schtick from the guy who sells the tickets. Where is The SHowstopper? The Main Event? The Heartbreak Kid? Because even though these people are going to hate me for it that's not who I'm looking at right now, I'm staring you dead in the eyes right now and all I see is a scared, frightened old man who realises that this may very well be his last chance and taking home the gold.

Many of the fans boo in disapproval of what Punk has to say but there are those members in the audience who cheer for Punk telling it how he sees it, that not giving a damn mentality that we've all come to know from The Best in the World.



[[CM Punk]]
Let me break it to you, Shawn. You stand there and you tell me that I'm going to have to do this and that to beat you, you tell me that I have to bring my best? Shawn... I am THE BEST! I'm the Best in the World! And while you might have been the guy in the time long forgotten, you have to quickly realise that you are standing in the house that CM Punk built! This isn't your yard Shawn, there's been a new dog in charge for a long time and he has bigger teeth than you... Don't you dare speak to me like I don't know what I am getting myself in for, don't insult my intelligence by thinking that I don't know just who exactly you are. I know who you are, I know what you can do but don't think for a second that you can look past me at MY World Heavyweight Championship because this is as close as you are going to come to it.



[[CM Punk]]
But since you were so kind to share some wisdom with me as to what I should do come Uprising, allow me to shed some light on what you should do with your next couple of days. Go back, do your history, watch everything that I have accomplished here in this company, watch the standards that I set and the heights that I reached and every bit of tape you watch, every bit of footage you go over you will see a scene just like this, with yours truly standing in this ring with a microphone in his hand, telling the world exactly what's going to happen and then I come out to this ring, time after time, after time! And I make true on those promises, I back up everything that I have to say, there is not another person in this industry that has the track record that I have when it comes to putting his money where his mouth is.

CM Punk becomes louder with his speech, you can tell that he fully believes everything that he is saying



[[CM Punk]]
And as I stand before you right now, I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say because come Uprising, I will leave you on the canvas staring up at the stars while CM Punk is still declared World Heavyweight Champion! You can act the man, you can play this off like this is your return to form and your return to the mountain top but let's face it, you've never been able to hang with the big boys in this company. That's why you hung around in the midcard scene for so long. Hell, if I decided to stay in the midcard scene that Intercontinental Championship reign that everyone likes to bring up so much would've been broken years ago and I would still be holding that Championship to this day! You haven't got Hunter watching your back, DX won't save you and the only "Kilq" will be from your jaw as a put my knee through it...



[Shawn Michaels]
There is no denying that you can back up what you say but now it's a whole different ball game. You have a target on your back, everybody in this company wants a shot at you and that championship. You've worked your way through this company over the past few years, You've been one of the most consistent performers there is..but now the pressure is more than ever..You've been here before but now the competition is better than ever. You talk a big game but now it's time to live up to it on the big stage...in the main event. Let's not forget how you won that Championship in the first place....I was beaten, I'd just been through hell with AJ Styles and you took advantage of that.


[Shawn Michaels]
At Uprising, I'm not going into the match beaten and worn out. I'm going in there fresh, I'm going in there one hundred percent. So this isn't like weeks ago, this isn't like any time before. There's more on the line than that World Championship. I said just a couple of weeks ago...The Main Event of Final Stand could be decided at Uprising. For me, It could be my last chance and I'm not going to let you get in my way of achieving that goal. You can doubt me all you want, you can think I'm past my best...but at Uprising, You're going to be proven wrong. Proving people wrong is something I've done my whole career. When I got told I was too small...I proved people wrong and in doing so, I paved the way for guys like you, I gave guys of our size a chance.


[Shawn Michaels]
And now, It's not about how big you are...It's about the talent you have, it's about how you connect with these people. Nobody can deny that you have all the talent in the world and it's clear these fans want to see you. But if it wasn't for me...You wouldn't be stood here with that World Championship. Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking credit for everything you've accomplished in this business..That's down to your hard work and putting your body on the line each and every night for the love of Professional Wrestling but we're both small guys in a big mans business and I broke away from that mold. I stood my ground and went toe to toe with the biggest guys in this business...Which now, gives people like you a chance to do the exact same.

There is no cocky smirk, there is no shrugging off what Michaels had to say because something clearly annoyed the Champion



[[CM Punk]]
Don't feed me that crap Shawn. You want to stand there and tell me that you're the guy that gave people like me a chance in this business? And people say I have an ego... Last time I checked before you there were guys like Bret "The Hitman" Hart, there were guys like Bob Backlund are you going to tell me that he "fit the mold". Don't stand there and tell me you made it better for people like me because when I was coming up in this business, when I made it to the place where everyone dreamed to be I had obstacle after obstacle put in my way by the people that you rubbed shoulders with! That's all it is at the end of the day, Shawn. It didn't matter how small you were or how talented you turned out to be, the thing that got you to where you are today was your politics backstage.



[[CM Punk]]
I will give credit where credit is due, you will probably go down as the greatest performer that this industry has ever seen but you were just a small guy in a big man's World. Not only was I the small guy but I was the outcast who was hated the second that he walked into this company and I didn't have a Kliq to help me out when the goings got tough, I had one man and one man alone going to bat for me and despite every time that I showed them, whether I was the most cheered or the most hated man on the roster they didn't give a damn what they had before them because I didn't play their games backstage. When you look the way I look or talk the way I talk nobody will give a damn about you. Even despite a night where I was on the team of one of the greatest factions of all time but they were chanting for "DX", they were chanting for CM PUNK!

As soon as he says that the crowd break out into the chant
"CM PUNK!
CM PUNK!
CM PUNK!



[[CM Punk]]
You didn't have the challenges or the obstacles that I had to overcome, you had the boss in your pocket while he wanted me fired despite constantly feeding him gold! You say the pressure is on?! Good! These are the situations that I thrive in, years ago I was just a cocky punk who knew he was better than the crap he was given and I came out here week after week and I ran Dwayne down to the ground and told the World how I was going to become World Heavyweight Champion months in advance. I backed myself into a corner, I dug myself a very deep hole with my words and while all eyes were on me I delivered! Time after time I deliver when the pressure is on!

Punk starts getting fired up



[[CM Punk]]
Yes, you're Shawn Michaels, you're a big match performer but you need to remember one thing. I'm CM PUNK! I am the greatest thing that has ever graced this company, I am set the standards to new heights, heights that you have never been able to reach. You say that it's going to be different this time because you're fresh? Regardless of if I have been through a 60 minute ironman prior to this match, it will still be more one sided than an amputee's dance routine. There is not a thing you can do, so prey to your God above because when all is said and done, CM Punk will be walking in World Heavyweight Champion and will be walking out World Heavyweight Champion and it's not because I promised or it's my mission, simply because Shawn I am better than you!

CM Punk holds the microphone up in Shawn Michaels face and drops it down by his feet. The two men who will go to war at Uprising for the World Heavyweight Championship stand nose to nose, neither of them moving an inch. While they stare each other out the crowd breaks into chants and they are split evenly

"HBK"
"CM PUNK"
"HBK"
"CM PUNK"
"HBK"
"CM PUNK"



Punk smirks and slowly backs away from HBK but rises the World Heavyweight Championship as he does so. Michaels draws his eye away from Punk and focuses on the gold, Punk quickly lowers the Championship and can be heard saying "That's as close as you're going to get" before smirking and climbing out of the ring. Michaels walks fowards to the ropes as Punk starts walking up the ramp, eyes fixed on the Champ. Punk turns to face him as he reaches the top of the ramp and taps his finger on his wrist signalling the time and it is almost time for these two men to go at it over the most prized possession in the business: The World Heavyweight Championship!


-END SHOW-