“May we have your attention, please!” Personal animosity is about to evolve a WrestleMania rematch into an “Extreme” tag team showdown as Michael Cole – the Raw General Manager’s unofficial spokesman – teams with former friend Jack Swagger to battle Jerry “The King” Lawler & fellow WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross at Extreme Rules.
In a clash the WWE Universe might have never foreseen months ago, the “vintage” Raw announce team of Lawler & Ross reunite in an attempt to finally silence the audacious mouth of Cole, the self-described “Voice of WWE.”
WrestleMania should have been a monumental moment in the life of Jerry Lawler. Not only was it his first time in his illustrious career that The King would compete at The Show of Shows, but the regal Superstar would finally be given the chance to get some payback on his ultra-cocky fellow Monday Night Raw announcer.
For months, Cole ridiculed The King at every pass, stepping way over the line as he mercilessly mocked Lawler’s family. With his vicious trainer and former World Heavyweight Champion, Jack Swagger, at his side, Cole attacked the WWE Hall of Famer week after week.
On The Grandest Stage of Them All – with “WWE Tough Enough” host “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as special guest referee – not even The All-American American could stop Lawler from making his outspoken opponent tap to the ankle lock. However, the anonymous Raw GM revoked Lawler’s moment of retribution, reversing the decision to award the WrestleMania victory to Cole by disqualification.
Just 24 hours after returning to WWE to call part of WrestleMania, Ross rejoined the Raw commentary team, but found himself in Cole’s bold crosshairs as well. With Lawler trapped in Swagger’s clutches, the leader of the Cole Miners attacked J.R. and covered the iconic announcer with his own barbecue sauce. The Voice of WWE made yet another mistake the following week when Lawler's critical victory drove Cole to slap his All-American ally, driving a rift between the two men who will team up on pay-per-view.
The gloves – and headsets – have definitely come off for Extreme Rules on May 1. Will the years-old bond between Lawler & J.R. be enough to take down a hated colleague in Cole, despite his rocky pairing with a skilled former World Heavyweight Champion in Swagger?
VACATED WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
It will be every man for himself at Extreme Rules, when The Miz must defend his WWE Championship against not one, but two of Raw’s top Superstars. Not only must the “Most Must-See WWE Champion” again contend with his WrestleMania opponent, John Cena, he must do so in a Triple Threat Match that also includes R-Truth.
In the weeks building up to WrestleMania XXVII, The Miz claimed to “own” Cena in the ring. His actions spoke louder than his words as he seemed to get the best of The Cenation Commander-in-Chief on several occasions, though none more so than on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Even though Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson proved instrumental in affecting the outcome before 71,617 fans, the fact remains that it was Miz who exited the Georgia Dome victorious, and prevented Cena from capturing his 10th World Championship at The Show of Shows.
Knowing this, it’s understandable why a competitor like Cena so badly wanted to challenge The Miz for his title during the April 11 edition of Monday Night Raw. However, when Randy Orton, John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler (via Vickie Guerrero) and R-Truth argued for that same opportunity, the anonymous Raw General Manager decided that each Superstar would compete on Raw in a Five-Man Gauntlet Match, with the winner facing The Miz at Extreme Rules.
The Awesome One and his so-called “VP of Corporate Communications,” Alex Riley, saw a perfect opportunity to take full advantage of this situation, especially after Truth, having bested Ziggler and Morrison, went one-on-one against Cena. The diabolical duo intervened during their contest, resulting in a double disqualification that left The Miz content and convinced no one would oppose him at the May 1 pay-per-view.
Thankfully, the Raw GM saw otherwise. To The Miz’s utter surprise, he rendered a decision to name two No. 1 contenders in R-Truth and Cena. Now, instead of having no challengers for the WWE Title at the pay-per-view, The Miz must prove why he is WWE’s Most Must-See Champion against what may be insurmountable odds: The Cenation Commander-in-Chief he defeated at WrestleMania, and the rapping Superstar he beat for the United States Title nearly a year ago.
