Over the Limit (2012)

Last updated
Over the Limit
OvertheLimit2012.jpg
Promotional poster featuring Randy Orton
Promotion WWE
DateMay 20, 2012 (2012-05-20)
City Raleigh, North Carolina
Venue PNC Arena
Attendance8,000 [1]
Buy rate 167,000 [2]
Pay-per-view chronology
← Previous
Extreme Rules 		Next →
No Way Out
Over the Limit chronology
← Previous
2011 		Next →
Final

The 2012 Over the Limit was the third annual and final Over the Limit professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on May 20, 2012, at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. The name "Over the Limit" originally referred to the main event matches of the previous two events being contested as an "I Quit" match; for 2012, the title referred to the main event match being a No Disqualification match. In 2013, Over the Limit was going to be held in October but was replaced by Battleground.

Contents

Ten professional wrestling matches took place at the event, nine of which were broadcast live on pay-per-view. In the main event, John Laurinaitis defeated John Cena in a No Disqualification match. Also featured were CM Punk defeating Daniel Bryan to retain the WWE Championship, and Sheamus defeating Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton, and Chris Jericho to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

The event garnered 167,000 buys, up from 140,000 the previous year's event received.

Production

Background

The event was held at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. PNC Arena Raleigh.JPG
The event was held at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Over the Limit was an annual May pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE since 2010. The original 2010 event replaced WWE's previous May PPV, Judgment Day, and was titled as a reference to its main event match being contested as an "I Quit" match. [3] The 2012 event was the third event in the Over the Limit annual chronology. It took place on May 20, 2012, at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. Instead of an "I Quit" match, a No Disqualification match was contested as the main event for the 2012 event. This would also be the only Over the Limit to not occur during a brand extension, which had ended in August 2011. [4]

Storylines

The event included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Raw and SmackDown . [5] [6]

The main event feud was between John Cena and the General Manager of Raw and SmackDown, John Laurinaitis. On the night after losing to The Rock in the main event of WrestleMania XXVIII in early April, [7] Cena's promo was interrupted by a returning Brock Lesnar, who immediately attacked him with an F-5. [8] It was revealed the next week on Raw that Laurinaitis hired Lesnar to replace Cena as "the face of the WWE" by taking him out at Extreme Rules. [9] A battered Cena barely managed to defeat Lesnar, and in a post-match promo, emphasized his injuries and announced he would be "taking a vacation". [10] The next night on Raw, Lesnar attacked WWE COO Triple H (while he was arguing with Laurinaitis about the validity of Lesnar's contract), breaking his arm. With Lesnar's WWE job now in jeopardy, and after advice from his Executive Administrator Eve Torres, Laurinaitis decided on Cena's next opponent, for Over the Limit. Later that night, while Cena was in the ring, Laurinaitis appeared on the entrance stage to introduce Lord Tensai. Laurinaitis and Tensai then attacked Cena, and Laurinaitis revealed himself as Cena's opponent. [11] The WWE Board of Directors stipulated the only way to win was via pinfall or submission, and anybody interfering in Laurinaitis' behalf would be immediately fired and, if Laurinaitis lost the match, he would be fired. [12]

Another feud heading into Over the Limit was between WWE Champion CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. Following the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, Eve Torres announced Punk's next challenger would be decided by a series of Beat the Clock matches on the April 30 episode of Raw. In the final match of the evening, Bryan defeated Jerry Lawler in the fastest time to become the #1 contender. [11]

Another storyline led to World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus defending his title in a fatal four-way match against Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton, and Chris Jericho. Sheamus faced a returning Del Rio in a non-title match on the April 6 episode of SmackDown, where Del Rio defeated Sheamus via disqualification to earn a future title shot. [13] On the May 7 episode of Raw, Sheamus and Orton faced Jericho and Del Rio in a tag team match. Jericho pinned Sheamus to win the match after Sheamus accidentally Brogue Kicked Orton. After the match, Orton gave Sheamus an RKO. Del Rio, Jericho, and Orton then all went into John Laurinaitis' office and demanded title opportunities against Sheamus, leading to a brawl between the three and Sheamus, which was broken up by officials. Laurinaitis then informed Sheamus that he would defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Del Rio, Jericho, and Orton in a fatal-four way match at Over the Limit. [14]

Event

Other on-screen personnel
Role:Name:
English Commentators Michael Cole
Jerry Lawler
Booker T
Spanish Commentators Carlos Cabrera
Marcelo Rodriguez
Backstage interviewer Josh Mathews
Ring announcers Lilian Garcia
Justin Roberts
Referees Mike Chioda
Charles Robinson
John Cone
Jack Doan
Scott Armstrong
Chad Patton

Pre-show

During the pre-show, Zack Ryder faced Kane. At the end of the match, as Ryder attempted the Rough Ryder on Kane, Kane performed a Chokeslam on Ryder to win the match. [15]

Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with a 20 man Battle Royal for a United States Championship or Intercontinental Championship match. The match came down to The Miz, Tyson Kidd, David Otunga, and Christian. After Miz and Otunga worked together to eliminate Kidd, Christian eliminated Otunga. Christian eliminated Miz to win the match. [15]

Next, Kofi Kingston and R Truth defended the Tag Team Championship against Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger. The match ended when Kingston executed Trouble in Paradise on Ziggler to retain the titles. [15]

After that, Layla defended the Divas Championship against Beth Phoenix. Layla executed a Neckbreaker on Phoenix to retain the title. [15]

In the fourth match, Sheamus defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, and Alberto Del Rio (accompanied by Ricardo Rodriguez) in a fatal four-way match. The match came to an end when Sheamus executed White Noise on Jericho to retain the title. [15]

Later, The Miz faced Brodus Clay (accompanied by his background dancers, Cameron and Naomi) in an impromptu match. Miz cut a promo in the ring where he was livid about losing on the pre-show and vented out his frustrations to WWE management before Clay came out. Clay executed a Running Splash on Miz to win the match. [15]

In the sixth match, Cody Rhodes defended the Intercontinental Championship against Christian. Christian executed a Killswitch on Rhodes to win the title for a fourth time. [15]

Next, CM Punk defended the WWE Championship against Daniel Bryan. In the end, Bryan applied the Yes Lock on Punk, but Punk managed to pin Bryan to retain the title despite submitting as the pinfall was counted. [15]

In the penultimate match, Ryback faced Camacho (accompanied by Hunico). Ryback dominated Camacho throughout the match. In the end, Ryback delivered a Shell Shocked to Camacho to win the match. [15]

Main event

In the main event, John Cena faced Raw and SmackDown General Manager John Laurinaitis in a No Disqualification match with Laurinaitis' job on the line. Laurinaitis won as Big Show, who he had previously been fired for mocking his voice, interfered and turned heel by knocking Cena out with a WMD, allowing Laurinaitis to pin him and keep his job. [15]

Aftermath

The 2012 Over the Limit was the final Over the Limit held. As Extreme Rules took the May 2013 PPV slot, Over the Limit was going to be held in October, but it was instead replaced by Battleground. [16]

Results

No.ResultsStipulationsTimes [15]
1P Kane defeated Zack Ryder by pinfall Singles match 7:00
2 Christian won by last eliminating The Miz 20-man Battle Royal
The winner got a choice of a United States or Intercontinental Championship match.		12:24
3 Kofi Kingston and R-Truth (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger (with Vickie Guerrero) by pinfall Tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship [17] 13:44
4 Layla (c) defeated Beth Phoenix by pinfall Singles match for the WWE Divas Championship [18] 7:50
5 Sheamus (c) defeated Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez), Chris Jericho, and Randy Orton by pinfall Fatal four-way match for the World Heavyweight Championship [19] 16:15
6 Brodus Clay (with Cameron and Naomi) defeated The Miz by pinfall Singles match 5:48
7 Christian defeated Cody Rhodes (c) by pinfall Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship 8:35
8 CM Punk (c) defeated Daniel Bryan by pinfall Singles match for the WWE Championship [20] 24:14
9 Ryback defeated Camacho (with Hunico) by pinfall Singles match 0:11
10 John Laurinaitis defeated John Cena by pinfall No Disqualification match [21]
Had Cena won, Laurinaitis would have been fired, and anyone who interfered would have been fired.		17:02
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
P – the match was broadcast on the pre-show

Battle Royal

EliminationWrestlerEliminated byTimes
1 Heath Slater The Great Khali1:27
2 Michael McGillicutty 1:40
3 JTG The Usos2:02
4 Yoshi Tatsu Drew McIntyre2:18
5 Ezekiel Jackson Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks2:30
6 Jey Uso Darren Young3:07
7 Drew McIntyre Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks3:40
8 Curt Hawkins The Great Khali3:56
9 Tyler Reks 3:57
10 Jinder Mahal 4:08
11 The Great Khali Darren Young, The Miz, and Titus O'Neil5:21
12 Titus O'Neil Jimmy Uso6:03
13 Jimmy Uso Darren Young6:40
14 William Regal Christian7:17
15 Darren Young Alex Riley7:48
16 Alex Riley The Miz8:30
17 Tyson Kidd David Otunga9:32
18 David Otunga Christian11:29
19 The Miz 12:24
Winner: Christian

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Show</span> American professional wrestler and actor (born 1972)

Paul Donald Wight II is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and was a commentator for its web television show, AEW Dark: Elevation, under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1995 to 1999 as The Giant and his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation from 1999 to 2021 under the ring name (The) Big Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheamus</span> Irish professional wrestler and actor

Stephen Farrelly is an Irish professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sheamus. He is also the leader of The Brawling Brutes stable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberto Del Rio</span> Mexican-American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist

José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a commentator. He also makes appearances for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) as a wrestler. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Alberto Del Rio, and Impact Wrestling under the ring name Alberto El Patrón.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wade Barrett</span> English professional wrestler

Stuart Alexander Bennett is an English-American professional wrestling commentator, actor, and retired professional wrestler who holds both British and American citizenship. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs under the ring name Wade Barrett as a colour commentator on the Raw brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania XXVIII</span> 2012 WWE pay-per-view event

WrestleMania XXVIII was the 28th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 1, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is the highest grossing PPV event in professional wrestling history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania 29</span> 2013 WWE pay-per-view event

WrestleMania 29 was the 29th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 7, 2013 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Nine professional wrestling matches were contested at the event, with one match contested on the Pre-Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Money in the Bank (2011)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2011 Money in the Bank was the second annual Money in the Bank professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. It took place on July 17, 2011, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois. This was the last Money in the Bank held under the first brand extension, which ended in August, but was reinstated in July 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hell in a Cell (2011)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2011 Hell in a Cell was the third annual Hell in a Cell professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on October 2, 2011, at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. Seven matches took place at the event. The event received 182,000 pay-per-view buys, down from 210,000 buys the previous year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (2012)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2012 Royal Rumble was the 25th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on January 29, 2012, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. As has been customary since 1993, the Royal Rumble match winner received a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania. For the 2012 event, the winner received their choice to challenge for either the WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXVIII. It was the first Royal Rumble held since the end of the first brand extension in August 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam (2012)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2012 SummerSlam was the 25th annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on August 19, 2012, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California for the fourth consecutive year. It was the first SummerSlam held since the end of the first brand extension, which happened shortly after the 2011 event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Money in the Bank (2012)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2012 Money in the Bank was the third annual Money in the Bank professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. The event took place on July 15, 2012, at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona. It was the first Money in the Bank event held following the discontinuation of the first brand extension in August 2011. The event had 188,000 buys, slightly down on the 2011 Money in the Bank figure of 195,000 buys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Way Out (2012)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2012 No Way Out was the 12th and final No Way Out professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on June 17, 2012, at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was the first No Way Out held since 2009 and replaced Capitol Punishment for the June 2012 PPV slot, thus being the only No Way Out event held in June as all previous ones were held in February. Following this event, however, No Way Out was again discontinued and replaced by Payback in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extreme Rules (2012)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2012 Extreme Rules was the fourth annual Extreme Rules professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 29, 2012, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois. It included Brock Lesnar's first WWE in-ring match since WrestleMania XX in 2004. The concept of Extreme Rules is that the event features various hardcore-based matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elimination Chamber (2013)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2013 Elimination Chamber was the fourth Elimination Chamber professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on February 17, 2013, at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE Raw 1000</span> 2012 professional wrestling television special

Raw 1000 was a television special that was broadcast live on July 23, 2012, airing on USA Network as the 1000th episode of WWE's flagship show Raw. It was held at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extreme Rules (2013)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2013 Extreme Rules was the fifth annual Extreme Rules professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on May 19, 2013, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The concept of Extreme Rules is that the event features various hardcore-based matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Team Hell No</span> Professional wrestling tag team

Team Hell No was an American professional wrestling tag team in WWE consisting of Kane and Daniel Bryan. The team's name is a reference to the two wrestlers' personas: Kane is portrayed as a violent pyromaniac and described as "The Devil's Favorite Demon" while Bryan's character at the time of their original formation was that of a spiteful pessimist whose catchphrase was to loudly exclaim "No!". Originally portrayed as bitter enemies, the two were forced to work as a team during an angle in which they were made to attend anger management classes by then Raw General Manager AJ Lee and—though billed as a dysfunctional team—they were subsequently able to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shield (professional wrestling)</span> Professional wrestling stable

The Shield was a professional wrestling stable in WWE that consisted of Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins. Their original characters were mercenaries for CM Punk; however, they quickly became mainstay main-event names. The group debuted on November 18, 2012 at the Survivor Series pay-per-view. The Shield was a dominant force in six-man tag team matches with an undefeated televised streak lasting from December 2012 to May 2013, during which they scored a victory at WrestleMania 29. In May 2013 at Extreme Rules, all three members of The Shield won a championship, with Ambrose winning the United States Championship while Rollins and Reigns captured the WWE Tag Team Championship. Rollins and Reigns were WWE Tag Team Champions until October 2013, and Ambrose was United States Champion until May 2014, which was a record reign for the WWE version of the championship. As a Shield member, Reigns gained prominence by setting and equaling elimination records at the 2013 Survivor Series and the 2014 Royal Rumble events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (2014)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2014 Royal Rumble was the 27th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on January 26, 2014, at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the first WWE pay-per-view event to be held in this arena since it opened in August 2010. It was the first Royal Rumble to be held in the city of Pittsburgh. As has been customary since 1993, the Royal Rumble match winner received a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania. For the 2014 event, the winner received a match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXX; this was the first time since 2002 in which there was only one eligible championship for the Royal Rumble winner to challenge for.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Payback (2013)</span> WWE pay-per-view event

The 2013 Payback was the inaugural Payback professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. The event took place on June 16, 2013, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois. It replaced WWE's previously well-known event, No Way Out. The concept of the event was the wrestlers seeking payback against their opponents.

References

  1. ↑ Martin, Adam (May 24, 2012). "Recent WWE attendance figures (5/19 to 5/21)". WrestleView. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  2. ↑ "WWE Reports 2012 Second Quarter Results" (PDF). WWE (Press release). August 2, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 19, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Pay-Per-View Calendar". World Wrestling Entertainment . Retrieved October 26, 2009.
  4. ↑ Nemer, Paul (August 30, 2011). "Raw Results – 8/29/11". WrestleView. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  5. ↑ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE . Archived from the original on November 22, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  7. ↑ Canton, John (March 22, 2022). "WWE WrestleMania 28 Review". TJR Wrestling. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  8. ↑ Caldwell, James (April 2, 2012). "Caldwell's WWE Raw results 4/2: Ongoing "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw – WM28 fall-out, how will Cena respond to Rock loss?, two big title matches". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  9. ↑ Caldwell, James (April 9, 2012). "Caldwell's WWE Raw Results 4/9: Ongoing "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw – Lesnar officially returns & Cena responds, Stooges". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  10. ↑ Caldwell, James (April 29, 2012). "Caldwell's WWE Extreme Rules PPV Report 4/29: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV – Brock-Cena, Punk-Jericho in Chicago". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  11. 1 2 Caldwell, James (April 30, 2012). "Caldwell's WWE Raw Results 4/30: Ongoing "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw Starring Brock Lesnar – PPV fall-out, Triple H returns". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  12. ↑ Caldwell, James (May 14, 2012). "Caldwell's WWE Raw results 5/14: Ongoing "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw - Cena & Triple H return, final PPV hype". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  13. ↑ Parks, Greg (April 6, 2012). "Parks' WWE SmackDown Report 4/6: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  14. ↑ Caldwell, James (May 7, 2012). "Caldwell's WWE Raw Results 5/7: Ongoing "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw - broken bones follow-up, Over the Limit hype". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Canton, John (May 22, 2022). "WWE Over The Limit 2012 Review". TJR Wrestling. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  16. ↑ Salgado, Sebastian (July 30, 2013). "WWE officially announces the Battleground PPV". Super Luchas . Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  17. ↑ "WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler". WWE . Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  18. ↑ "WWE Divas Champion Layla vs. Beth Phoenix". WWE . Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Fatal-4-Way World Heavyweight Championship Match". WWE . Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  20. ↑ "WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan". WWE . Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  21. ↑ "John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis". WWE . Retrieved April 30, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.