SEPTEMBER

Some people never give up. John Cena was never going to tap out at Breaking Point no matter how much Randy Orton glared, seethed, or threatened. Orton was like a trapped animal inside the Bell Centre in Montreal, and Cena was destined to regain the WWE championship.

A.J. Styles came close to giving up, but Sting talked him out of it. And, at the appropriately named No Surrender pay-per-view, Styles overcame four-to-one odds to emerge with his first TNA World title.

Linda McMahon, who could have rested on her corporate laurels, announced her gutsy bid for the U.S. Senate. Never fearing failure, the McMahons have spent their lifetimes seizing the next challenge ahead.

There was Eddie Edwards in Ring of Honor. After breaking his elbow in an Anything-Goes match against Kevin Steen, Edwards kept trudging along, defending the ROH tag team belts with Davey Richards the very next night.

Then there are individuals who should’ve given up long ago. Jeff Hardy, who cloaked his drug abuse in an enigmatic persona, might have been better off if he had checked into rehab. Rhaka Khan wasn’t going to make it in pro wrestling, but tried to hang on to fame and fortune by her press-on fingernails—and a judge saw through her game.

And poor Sam Houston, whose career highlight was three consecutive dropkicks against Ric Flair over 20 years ago, seemed like he had already given up on life.

CENA BEATS ORTON FOR WWE BELT IN
“I QUIT” MATCH

“Five letters, two words … ‘I quit,’” is how legendary announcer Gordon Solie often described submission-based wrestling, and the do-or-die encounter between John Cena and Randy Orton smacked of that kind of simplicity and finality.

In the weeks leading up to their September 13 showdown at Breaking Point, both Orton and Cena had sworn to never say, “I quit.” But obviously one of them would—and the other would leave Montreal’s Bell Centre as the WWE champion.

The match started in typical Montreal/Bizarro World fashion with Cena receiving louder boos than Orton. Ironically, both wrestlers avoided a submission-style match. Cena employed high-impact moves, such as a fisherman’s suplex, a flying shoulder tackle, and even an Attitude Adjustment. Orton resorted to brutal illegal methods, including the use of a television monitor, the steel steps, and a pair of handcuffs. Orton used the no-disqualification stipulation to his full advantage.

But even when Orton handcuffed Cena to the top rope and punished him mercilessly, Cena refused to utter those famous five letters into the mike—despite the fact that a frustrated Orton started beating him with that very mike. As Cena seemed to slip into unconsciousness, Orton—for strictly non-humanitarian reasons—sprayed water into his challenger’s face. Cena spat water back at Orton. The champion then tortured Cena with a Singapore cane, causing welts and lacerations to form on his body.

Then Cena started fighting dirty, too. He kicked Orton below the belt, and then handcuffed himself to Orton, ensuring “The Viper” could not slither away. Cena survived an RKO and snared Orton in the STF, prompting the arrogant third-generation star to yell a grand total of four words and 10 letters: “I quit! I quit!”

Cena was awarded his fifth WWE championship.