Five big matches were made by the luck of the draw for the last RAW before Bad Blood, with the biggest being Matthew Orton against his former mentor, Batista, in a Last Man Standing match. Can Matt bring home the bacon against the Animal or will Batista steamroll over the man he has the most hatred for? And how will this all affect the pay-per-view on Sunday?

And by the way, anyone else excited for Unforgiven this Sunday? Heh … I think you know why I am. Here we go!


Matt was watching his brother take some pretty bad shots from a hardcore legend. Tommy Dreamer had pretty much had his way with the older Orton, already causing Randy to bleed from both the forehead and the side of the neck. Matt grimaced each time he heard steel against flesh; each instance just made him want to go out there and help Randy. However, he remembered the conversation they had the previous week and decided not to take the easy way out.

In the ring, Randy was hardly able to stand. He hadn't been able to mount any sort of defense due to Tommy's quick thinking and experience with the various weapons in the ring. Dizzy and with blurred vision, Orton grabbed around for something to defend himself with and cut his hand on something sharp. Upon further inspection, Randy realized that it was a baseball bat covered in barbed wire. Wasting no time, Orton looked up to see Dreamer incoming with another steel chair in hand. First, Randy rammed the blunt end of the bat straight in Dreamer's stomach, knocking the wind out of him temporarily. With the bat in his hands and Tommy doubled over in front of him, Randy did only what he could think of: Orton slammed the barbed wire directly into Dreamer's back.

The crowd was in awe at how quickly this match turned into a pure brawl. Orton repeated his previous action over and over again, the screams of Tommy Dreamer filling the arena. Wanting to end this predicament, Randy set up a chair in the middle of the ring, then waited for Dreamer to get to his feet. The Randy fans in the audience began chanting 'RKO! RKO! RKO!'. Orton smirked as Tommy fell into position. With one swift leap over the chair, Randy brought Dreamer's face down into the seat of the chair with an RKO.

"1, 2, 3!"

Orton quickly rolled out of the ring, holding the side of his neck. The cut from one of Dreamer's attacks stung like hell, and he immediately headed over to the trainer. His brother was already waiting for him there.

"You okay?"

"Does it look like I am?", Randy said bitterly as he sat down to get looked at. "Have you thought about what you're gonna do?"

Matt didn't expect this question, and didn't really have an answer for his brother. Staring at the wall while Randy was getting bandaged, the younger Orton only managed to say one sentence.

"I guess I'll just try to survive."

Randy looked at Matt like he was a coward. "What are you saying? You've got to go out there and give it all you've got! Otherwise, there's no reason for you to even participate!"

"Don't you think I'm a little scared right now? I'm going up against the man who nearly …"

"I've heard that enough. Now stop it. You weren't scared when the match was announced earlier! You looked like you were about to tear the room up! Toughen up and get yourself ready for this! This might be the biggest match of your career, even bigger than your match at WrestleMania!"

Matt slowed down and reflected back on his history with the Animal. "I never thought I would be going up against Batista … at least in this manner. Maybe in a tournament or something. But like this … I never saw it coming. How was I supposed to foresee Batista turning on us?"

"Listen, I didn't see it coming either. Seeing Batista snap like that was completely out of nowhere. We couldn't have predicted it. No one could have predicted it. We've just got to pick up the pieces and get back what we were doing before: dominating RAW and not letting anyone get the better of us."

Randy's little pep talk invigorated his little brother. After the trainer finished bandaging up Orton, the two brothers stepped outside to have a little pump up session. But before they could start acting like a football team in the huddle before the big game, Shawn, Eric, John, and Camilla started to come down the hall.

"Hey, morons!", Camilla called out. "Quit goofing around and come down to the ring."

"For what? Why are you all going?", Randy replied.

"The Lumberjack match, Orton. I'm up next", replied HBK. "And you all are some of the lumberjacks."

"Some? Who are the others?"

"Take a wild guess."

Randy and Matt looked at each other uneasily. That meant that Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer … and Batista would all be at ringside. This could get ugly quick.


Breathing easily after Randy's win earlier, Lilian stood up and climbed into the ring to announce the next match.

"The following contest is a Lumberjack match scheduled for one fall!"

"Are you ready?"

Behind the curtain, Shawn led everyone in a short prayer as the DX music played throughout the arena. They had decided to use the same entrance that Eric and Matt used the previous week to show that even though they were split up in singles matches tonight, they moved as one single family unit.

"BREAK IT DOWN!"

The Heartbreak Kid lead the family onto the stage, everyone letting Shawn get all the spotlight. As much as Matt wanted to be the main focus for the match, it wasn't his turn at bat yet. Shawn climbed into the ring, doing his usual in-ring cinematics. Matt and Randy stood their ground on the side of the ring closest to the announcer's table, looking at the curtain and waiting for …

GONG!

The Undertaker came out, motorcycle-less, surrounded by the four men that the brothers correctly predicted. Naturally, Batista came out with the World Heavyweight Championship belt on his shoulder. Something quickly clicked in Matt's mind. He nudged his brother in the side and asked him a question.

"Think if I beat Batista, I'll be considered for that belt?"

Randy snickered then slapped his brother on the back. "You know, I'm all for you kicking the crap out of Batista, but if you get a shot at that belt before I do, I may just have to kick your ass."

Matt chuckled, glad that Randy could inject some humor into this seemingly bad situation. Lilian quickly climbed out of the ring, kissed Randy on the cheek, and took a seat down near the announcer's table. Taker and Shawn started going at it once the bell rang, but all Matt could focus on was the former senior Evolution member on the opposite side of the ring. To his horror, he saw Batista's eyes wander over to Camilla. Turning to his fiancée, a panicked Orton tried to get her to leave.

"Camilla, you have to get out of here. Go through the crowd and get back to the locker room, now!"

"What?", she queried. "Why? I want to be down here and watch the beating first hand!"

"Batista is looking over here at you and I don't like it. Get back to the locker room!"

"Why should I have to when you're here? You'll protect me, right?"

Matt looked over again at the opposite side of the ring. Batista had the creepiest smirk on his face and pointed straight at Camilla. The younger Orton took this as a threat and his whole body started to shake. Randy saw this and tried to restrain his little brother.

"Wait, Matt! This can wait until later tonight!"

"NO!", Matt screamed out, struggling hard to get free, "He's going to go after Camilla! I have to get to him before he gets to her!"

Shawn had tossed Taker out of the ring in front of Eric, who promptly started to explode on the Deadman. Torn between attacking Taker and helping Randy restrain Matt, Cena got in front of his best friend.

"Dude, we won't let anyone get near her, you know that."

This didn't help when Batista started to walk around the side of the ring towards Camilla.

"Randy, let me go! Let me go, DAMMIT!"

When Randy still didn't comply, Matt lifted his leg backwards straight into his brother's crotch, causing Randy to lose his grip. The eighteen year old ran straight at Batista and speared him down to the ground. This was the trigger for all hell to break loose, sending RVD, Dreamer, and Hardy over towards Eric, John, and Randy. Shawn used this distraction to tune up the band without Taker hearing him. The Deadman walked right into some Sweet Chin Music, and Shawn picked up the win.

Meanwhile, Batista had regained control and whipped Matt into the steel stairs right in front of Camilla. Camilla looked at Lilian, who promptly gave her the chair she was sitting on. Dave had picked up Matt and looked ready to deliver a Batista Bomb to him on the floor. To try to save him, Camilla lifted the chair up and slammed it as hard as she could to Batista's exposed back. The impact's sound filled the arena, but Batista didn't flinch. He let Matt drop to the ground and turned around slowly, sneering at Camilla. Randy saw this happen and tried to help her, but Jeff Hardy didn't let that happen. Camilla started to step back, steel chair still in hand. She lifted it up to defend herself, but Batista yanked it away and threw it behind him, which hit an incoming HBK.

Camilla backed into the space between the announcer's table and spot where Lilian was sitting. Batista continued to slowly advance on Camilla, who started to shake uncontrollably. Matt was picking himself up at the time, and someone in the crowd kept slapping him on the back, trying to get his attention. Looking up, it was Michael, Adrian, and Travis.

"Dude!", exclaimed Travis. "Go save Camilla!"

At first, Matt was confused. However, upon seeing Batista with both hands throttling Camilla by the throat, Orton used all the strength he had in his body to stand on two feet. Picking up the chair near the fallen Heartbreak Kid, Matt ran over and smashed the chair over Batista's head. Dave let go, leaving Camilla on the floor and coughing. Lilian attended to her while Matt repeatedly smashed the chair over Batista's head. Evolution and DX were starting to get the upper hand now, with HBK back on his feet and the rest of the gang starting to dominate their respective fights.

With Dave on his knees and woozy, Matt took aim at Batista's head once again. However, Randy had managed to break free from Hardy's attack and suddenly brought Batista's face down onto the steel steps in an RKO.

"It's about freakin' time!", screamed out Matt, punching his brother in the shoulder. Taker had been knocked out again, this time by Cena's FU over the top rope and onto the floor. Hardy had been RKOed by Randy and Shawn and Eric took care of the ECW Originals with some more Sweet Chin Music. Using this opportunity to flee, Matt picked up a limp Camilla and held her in his arms. Shawn, Randy, Eric, and John quickly followed Matt up the ramp and back into the locker room.

"Camilla! Camilla, say something!", Matt screamed out at his fiancée, who wasn't moving. "No … no … no, no, no, no, no!" The younger Orton started to become hysterical, but felt a tightening around his back. Camilla had wrapped her arms around him.

"Matt …", she said sobbing, "… I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I'm so sorry."

"Don't … it's not your fault. I wasn't there for you when I should have been."

The two kept trying to put the blame on themselves. The remaining men in the room contemplated what had just transpired.

"Guys …", Cena sputtered out, "… this is getting really out of hand."

"He's trying to tear all of us apart … figuratively and literally", Eric commented.

"No kidding", responded an emotionally overwhelmed Randy. "First Matt … now Camilla … Shawn, I don't like your future."

HBK took a deep breath and scratched the back of his head. "I can only put it in God's hands."

Camilla had sit up of her own accord now, but she had the same pattern of marks and bruises around her neck as Matt had received and still had, to a lesser extent.

"I'm fine …", Camilla said weakly. "It hurts, but I'm fine."

Matt smiled slightly and gave her a kiss on the forehead before embracing her. "Good … you're a tough girl … you can take this …"

Camilla smiled. "I may be tough, but I'm human. Just like you."

Orton gave Camilla another tight hug before getting up and putting his ring gear on. Cena had left the room for his Submission match against Jeff Hardy. Randy had poked his head into the bathroom and saw Matt put on his elbow pads. Every muscle in Matt's arms were flexed with anger as he punched a hole in the nearby wall.

"He attacks me … then he attacks my family … Batista, you're a dead man."


Cena had easily defeated an already beaten up Jeff Hardy. John's STFU kept the match under three minutes. Eric's ordeal with Rob Van Dam took a little longer. With three tables set up in and around the ring, there were several near finishes. However, Barringer scored the win with another round of Sweet Chin Music when Van Dam was on the apron. RVD fell directly through one of the tables at ringside, winning Eric the match.

Ringside, Lilian almost hesitated to get back into the ring. Even though it was her job, she didn't want to see this match happen, especially after what happened earlier that evening. The fans in the arena could see the worry in her face as she slowly got back into the squared circle.

"The … the following contest is a … Last Man Standing match! The only way to win this match is to keep your opponent on the ground for a ten count. Introducing first …"

'Line in the Sand' filled the arena and Matthew Orton walked out onto the stage to a full wave of applause and cheers. Everyone in the arena, from the referee to the announcers to the people in the nosebleed section, wanted Orton to become the hero of the evening. After all, Orton previously had won a Last Man Standing match at No Way Out.

"… from San Antonio, Texas, weighing in at 239 pounds, he is one half of the World Tag Team Champions, Matthew Orton!"

Matt posed, but without a smile on his face. The pyrotechnics served only to illuminate the total seriousness in his demeanor. He climbed into the ring and posed again on the turnbuckle. When he stepped back down to the canvas, Lilian put the microphone down for a bit.

"Be careful", she whispered to Matt. Orton nodded and looked towards the curtain. Batista's theme filled the arena, along with some of the most intense boos Matt had ever heard … even worse than some for Triple H. Lilian didn't even bother introducing Batista and hurried out of the ring before anything got started. Luckily for her, the action went in the complete and opposite direction.

As Batista walked down to the ring, still woozy from Randy's earlier RKO on the steel steps, Matt stood ready at the ropes nearest to the ramp. Upon Batista getting near, Matt slingshotted himself over the top rope and onto the Animal.

Except Dave caught him in mid-air. With a snarl on his face, Batista rammed Orton's back into the ring apron. It had felt like his back snapped in two; Matt screamed out loudly and immediately crumpled to the floor. The ref had started a count, but Dave lifted Matt back to his feet. Instead of tossing him back into the ring, Batista literally tossed Matt up the ramp, rolling his body the rest of the way up to the stage.

Backstage, everyone was biting their nails as Matt received an increasingly bad beating at the hands of Batista. Suddenly, Matt had an opening and swiftly kicked Batista in the crotch, bringing the Animal down to his knees and earning Orton a small reprieve. Getting up to avoid the count, Matt surveyed his surroundings: they were on top of the stage, dangerously close to the edges, leading to a long drop down to the concrete floor. There were no weapons in immediate sight; Orton would just have to wrestle this man here on the hard metal stage.

Orton strongly kicked Batista in the chest, the sound of his boot against Batista's skin resonating throughout the arena. Matt almost ran over the edge, thinking there were ropes to bounce off of. Out of his element, Matt did the first thing that came to mind: stalking the Animal for an RKO. As Batista got up, Orton sprung into action, but Dave blocked the RKO, pushing Matt away. Matt came dangerously close to falling off the edge, but manage to shift his balance back towards the center of the stage.

Batista was now walking slowly towards Orton. The two started to exchange punches, each getting heavier and harder with each impact. Randy, John, Camilla, Eric, and Shawn were on the edge of their seats as the two opponents inched closer and closer to the edge of the stage. Matt looked behind him for a second to see nothing but concrete.

Bad decision.

Dave caught him with a kick to the stomach and put him in the position for the Batista Bomb. The whole arena, including everyone backstage, collectively held their breath. There was absolutely nothing to cushion the fall. Randy felt his heart sink to his stomach as Dave lifted up Matt in the air.

But Orton didn't let it happen. Sitting on Dave's shoulders, Matt started punching him in the head, trying to get Dave to fall backwards. However, Batista knew better; Matt could feel himself slowly falling forward. Acting quickly, Orton swung his legs over Batista's head, ending up in front of Dave's body. Matt wrapped his arm around Batista's head in a desperate attempt to have something to grab onto to cushion the fall.

"It's an RKO", Randy whispered to himself.

The edge of the stage scraped Matt's back on the way down and Batista's face was rammed straight down into it. Orton landed on his feet, but they buckled from the momentum and Matt hit his head hard against the side of the stage. A stunned referee remembered his job and started the count.

"1 … 2 … 3 … 4 …"

Matt's head was spinning. He had managed to avoid the full impact of the fall, but couldn't stand on his own two feet. Unfortunately, Matt couldn't figure out if his condition came from his throbbing head or … maybe one or both of his ankles were broken.

"… 5 … 6 … "

Orton couldn't hear much; only the sounds of the crowd counting loudly resonated in his head. All else he could do was feel around his surroundings. There were some handles he could grab onto high above him. Immediately, Matt started to pull himself up, but the heaviness of his head impaired his speed.

"… 7 … 8 …"

Looking above, he could see a blur, presumably Batista's head laying out cold on the stage. Matt's own head continued to throb; his vision was blurry and his sense of balance was next to erased. He could feel his right foot flat on the floor. There was no pain, but Matt couldn't be sure of that as a sign that his feet weren't cracked.

"… 9 …"

Using the last of his strength, Matt pulled himself up enough to put his left foot flat on the floor.

"…10!"

Matt thought heard Lilian's voice faintly. He heard footsteps nearby and someone hold his hand in the air. Orton felt the vibrations of more footsteps come from the stage above him. Someone carefully jumped down and stepped in front of his vision. Looking up, Matt saw someone that faintly looked like his brother. More people came down from the stage and Orton felt himself being lifted up and taken backstage. A sense of familiarity came over him as Matt was carried into another room. Some water was splashed on his face, and Matt could now clearly make out his brother's visage.

"I … I told you I would just try to survive …", Matt weakly said to Randy before calmly falling unconscious.


Matt wins the Last Man Standing match for the pride of both himself and Camilla, but at what price? What titles will change hands at Bad Blood?

Hope you enjoyed reading this one.

SuspiciousInitials