How I Would Have Booked Miz v Cena For Over The Limit

First off I don't think that Monday's Raw was too bad (I won't reveal anything) but I came up with an idea that I think would have worked well, though it is almost certainly not the type of content that WWE would screen even if Paul Heyman would probably love it.

Raw Prior to OTL - Very End

(Cena has a promo in the middle of the ring blathering on about Hustle, Loyalty, Respect etc... Miz and Riley sneek up from behind him and knock him to the ground before handcuffing him to the ring ropes.)

Miz: Alex, get me a steel chair (Hands to him)

Cena: (Looking worried)

Miz: Don't worry John, I am not going to hit you with this, I want to talk to you. (Unfolds chair still standing) Now what is clear to me, and to the WWE Universe, is that you are Mr John Cena, Mr Hustle, Loyalty and Respect, Mr Never Quit...

Cena: (Looking confused)

Miz: And I have come to realise that I can't beat you in any normal way. It wouldn't matter if I smashed your head in with this chair, dropped those steel steps on your chest, or even threw you off a ladder. You wouldn't quit. It wouldn't matter what I did to you, the WWE Championship means more to you than anything I could do to you.

You have been in I Quit matches before and if hasn't mattered what they have done to you, you haven't quit. You have been there, seen it, done it, survived it.

In fact, you are the Hulk Hogan of the modern era. Kids look up to you, you "do the right thing", you stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves ... and you would never let your fans down.

And that's the thing John, that's the thing. (Sits down, face close to Cena's) You see I have been thinking long and hard, day in and day out about how I could beat you. Where your weakness is. You have experience, you are physically strong... but are you mentally stronger? ... Can I get into your head? What is your weakness John Cena?

Then it dawned on me. It was so obvious, so clear. Everyone's weakness is what they covet most, what is the most precious to them. And what, may you ask is more precious to you than even the WWE Championship? Your fans. Those children who come to watch you, who idolise you John, who love you. You are everything to them.

Let's take a trip back down memory lane to one very famous I Quit match in the past. It was the 1998 Royal Rumble and The Rock took on Mick "Mankind" Foley. Now, Mick lost that match but, famously he never quit! (leaps up) Yes, that's right, he never quit. Just like you aren't going to quit, John! But what is the unabiding memory from that match? Is it Mick refusing to give up? Is it The Rock hitting him with 11 chair shots? (kneels next to Cena - face to face) No, its the image of his wife and children screaming in horror as Good Old Saint Mick had his brains scrambled and laid out all over Madison Square Garden!

Mick showed what he was prepared to sacrifice that night for the WWE Championship. Not just his health, not just his future, but the memories and innocence of his own children. Do you think that that memory has ever left them?! Do you think that they have ever recovered from that?!

His job as a father was to protect them from things like that, to stop their world being destroyed in front of their very eyes. But he didn't. He destroyed his own children on that night. He showed he was willing to sacrifice them for what he wanted. (stands back up)

Now the question, John Cena. Is what you are prepared to sacrifice to retain the WWE Championship. Would you sacrifice your body?... Yes I believe you would. Would you risk your health? ... Yep. Would you shorten your career if necessary? ... Of course (laughs) ... after all, what point is a career if you are not at the top?

(Quickly leaps back to sitting position - Riley on the outside closes in too) But, John Cena, but, what else would you sacrifice? Look around at the crowd. LOOK AROUND JOHN! (Grabs Cena's head and moves from side to side) Look at the crowds. Look at your fans. So innocent, so trusting. They believe in you John Cena. They believe in you and they trust you. Right will prevail over wrong, good over evil and John Cena will always win, always win it for them.

No matter how much trouble you are in they always believe that John Cena will get the job done, he will win through and save the day. They are safe in their beds because John Cena defeats the bad guy. They are safe on the streets because John Cena defeats bad guy.

But they have never seen what it can take, what you have to risk to "get the job done". What if I had you handcuffed to the ring and took this steel chair (stands up - folds chair and holds menacingly) and smashed your skull in? You know what it would do to you, but John, what would it do to them? How would they feel seeing their hero destroyed?

The thing you don't realise John is that I don't care about the fans. I want the WWE Championship as much as you do, but I would also sacrifice each and every fan in this audience to get it - would you?

Would you have young children running out of the arena screaming? Unable to sleep for months? Left forever with the memory of what happened to their hero?

At Over the Limit, John Cena, I will do whatever it takes. I will beat you, I will hurt you, I will destroy you, I will mutilate you to ensure that I am once again WWE Champion.

You will have to decide what you are prepared to risk to defend your title. You will have this microphone pressed against your lips and you will be able to feel the pain coursing through your body, see the blood hitting the floor, and see the horror, fear and tears on the faces of each and every fan you have. Will they be able to forget that? Will you be able to forget that?...

(Riley uncuffs Cena who sits there stunned. Miz and Riley leave the ring and want up the ramp. Cena is left in the ring with his head in his hands, shocked, confused and in deep thought as Raw closes with the fans chanting "Let's go Cena").

Over the Limit - WWE Title Match

(The action has been back and forth throughout the match with both competitors using a range of moves and weapons. Both and tried and failed to get their opponent to say "I Quit".)

Miz has the upper hand on a battered, bloody and beaten Cena. Cena is on the outside by the guard rail next to a group of young fans (plants by the WWE). The fans are upset at what has happened to Cena as he pulls himself up with the rail.

Miz comes in and catches Cena with a shot to the ribs. Cena falls back with his head on the guard rail facing the audience. At this point Miz pulls out his hand cuffs and puts them on Cena so he cannot fight back. Then he grabs Cena in a headlock and makes him look at the audience.

With microphone in hand he shouts "Look Cena! Look Cena! Look what you have done to them! Look what you have put them through! They can't take it anymore! As one of the youngsters from the group is carried out screaming by an adult and the others are visibly upset. "How much more will you put them through?"

Miz then hands the mic to one of the kids in the crowd and picks up the steel steps as if to smash them against Cena's exposed head. The child with the mic screams on behalf of his hero as Cena flips over to see Miz poised. Cena looks at his fans and just before Miz lands that blow shouts "I QUIT!".

Miz holds for a second before smirking, laughing and celebrating with Riley. Cena is left beaten and with the same look of thought on his face as he had at the end of the previous Raw episode.

Miz walks off with the title but there is not even a movement from Cena as OTL closes.

So guys, what do you think? I think it would be a fantastic bit of booking (if I do say so myself) as it would make Miz into the super strong heel while not weakening Cena. In fact it would probably strengthen his superman gimmick (self sacrifice for the fans and all).

It could then run one of two ways. Cena's character is strengthened as a face (which he needs); or he is weakened, goes on a losing run to a collection of mid carders before coming back with the new tweener / heel gimmick (similar to Truth) saying that the fans held him back when it mattered.

Thoughts?

would be a very interesting storyline but what inevitably will happen is cena will put on the stf and miz will say i quit

fernando wrote:would be a very interesting storyline but what inevitably will happen is cena will put on the stf and miz will say i quit

Yep, or an insame AA spot like the Batista match.

Brilliant idea Josh, would love to see it!

i would love to see that. but with the PG climate we all know that won't happen. I think he could win by cheating prehaps similar to the rock in 99

Thats brilliant. Shame it wont ever happen. Superman will win again.

It would be a very intresting and unique thing for WWE to do, the only reason I'd not want to see Cena lose is because it would prolong this feud, it would be a great way to turn Cena though, have him slowly begin to resent the fans who made him say I QUIT

Could there ever be a situation where they both say "I Quit" at the same time and the resulting draw means the WWE Championship goes vacant?

Would that ever be believable? Surely anyone in enough pain to want to quit couldn't realistically apply a move correctly enough to make his oponent give up

Excellent Josh but my moneys on the no pressure STF winning the day