Lionsault and a two count, thanks to Stacy Keibler. She reached into the ring and put Randy's foot on the bottom rope just seconds before Brian Hebner's hand slapped the mat for a third time. Chris Jericho looked up at the ref, then towards Orton's foot on the rope as it was pointed out to him. He stood up, grabbing Orton's head. He pulled Orton up by the neck, shoved him up straight, then chopped him hard against the chest.
Randy's body folded in on itself and his mouth opened in a silent scream. The chop backed him up and Jericho kept going. He chopped him until he was back in the corner, then grabbed his arm and whipped him across the ring. Halfway across, Jericho came up behind him and shoved him hard enough that they both fell to the mat.
Jericho jumped to his feet and climbed the turnbuckle. He came down with a missile dropkick when Randy was back to his feet that connected solidly with his right shoulder. Jericho came back to his feet and went straight for Orton's legs. Randy's body thrashed as he tried to stop himself from being flipped over. He braced his shoulders against the mat, rocking side to side. He tried to push his torso up, but half of his body was already lifted from the mat.
Jericho turned him to the left and Randy blocked the turn. He turned him to the right, and again, Randy blocked the turn. Jericho went for the right again, but quickly reversed it to flip him onto his stomach from the left. He bent down and pulled back, and Randy screamed. With his hands balled into fists, Randy pushed himself up, but Jericho sat back, and he was down flat again.
Randy crawled forward, trying to reach the nearest set of ropes. His hand was almost there when Jericho pulled him back towards the center of the ring. Randy's arms bent and his forearms covered his head as he tried to fight off the pain that burned the small of his back. He let his arms drop and tried to lift himself up again. If he could get enough height to twist around, he could grab Jericho's leg and make him lose his balance.
First his right hand, then his left hand slapped hard on the mat. Still screaming, Randy pushed his body up as far as he could go. He started to turn inwards, folding his body, but his back was in too much pain. He barely got more than a few centimeters turned before he fell back to the mat, his back aching.
Hebner was down in front of him, practically waiting for him to tap out. Randy shook his head and screamed, "No!" He pushed himself up and tried to wheelbarrow towards the ropes again, and once more Jericho pulled back to the center of the ring. Randy's arm rose and fell, but his hand never hit the mat. The arena was filled with people screaming for him to tap out, but he wouldn't do it. He couldn't.
Then suddenly, Stephanie McMahon was on the ring apron. She got one leg through the ropes before Hebner was at the side, pushing her back out. She grabbed his shirt and yelled at him, demanding that she be let inside that ring. "I'm Stephanie McMahon, dammit! I can do whatever I want!" She pulled on him and kept his eyes trained on her.
Stacy had the Intercontinental title in her hands and was sliding into the ring just as Jericho dropped Randy's legs and walked towards Stephanie. Stacy watched as Jericho pushed Hebner out of the way and grabbed Stephanie by the hair. She was on one knee when she felt a hand wrap around her leg. Stacy turned over as she was yanked out of the ring and glared at Trish Stratus. The title fell out of her hands and landed with a clunk on the floor.
Trish speared Stacy into the side of the ring and Stacy crumpled around her. Trish tried to stand back up, but Stacy wrapped her long arms around Trish's waist and held her there. Trish pulled backwards and Stacy moved with her. Trish swept a leg out from under her and both women went crashing to the floor. They rolled on the floor, with Stacy ending up on top. She grabbed Trish's hair and drove her head into the thin mats beneath them. Trish bucked, kicked up a leg and tossed Stacy over her head.
Stacy came to her feet close to the barricade. Trish looked at her, then the steel stairs, then back at Stacy. She ran, jumped up on the second step, then caught Stacy with a clothesline that sent both of them barrelling over the barricade. Trish jumped to her feet and turned to the ring. "Dammit!" She started climbing back over the barricade, but Stacy had enough left in her to grab her leg and keep her back.
In the ring, it was only the champion and the challenger. Hebner was on the outside, running to break up Trish and Stacy. Stephanie had him by the arm, holding him back. Randy was on his feet, but that didn't last too long as Jericho vaulted off of the ropes and came at him with flying forearms. Randy stumbled down to his knees, then got back up.
Jericho ran to the other end of the ring. He bounced off of the ropes and came running. He reached out to grab Randy's head. He had Orton in the air, on his way down, then suddenly, Randy flipped it. As he was lifted from the ground, Randy twisted in the air, brought his hands up to grab Jericho's head, then took him down to the mat with a hard RKO.
Randy jumped to his feet, then fell back to the mat quickly seconds after Stephanie shoved the referee back into the ring. Brian Hebner knelt down and counted. At two, Randy rolled Jericho up tighter, grabbing the back of his tights. At three, he released him and jumped to his feet. His arms stretched out and his back arched as he stood in glory at the announcement.
"Winner and NEW WWE Intercontinental Champion… Randy Orton!"
Stacy squealed with delight and vaulted the barricade. She snatched the fallen belt from the floor and slid into the ring. She handed the belt to Randy, then took his hand away from the referee. Stephanie came up to his side and lifted his other hand. The three of them turned towards Trish as she made her way back up the ramp, stomping and muttering curses.
"You won't keep it for long if I have anything to say about it!" Trish screamed. "This isn't over!"
"Champion!" Stacy shouted. She stuck her tongue out and smirked. "And that's all the gold you'll be getting tonight!"
"You just wait! Wrestlemania's not over!"
Trish glared as she continued to walk backwards, but in the ring, Stephanie McMahon, Stacy Keibler and Randy Orton celebrated their victory standing over the prone form of Chris Jericho. The night wasn't over yet, but so far, everything was so, so good.
