The 2011 Over the Limit was the second annual Over the Limit

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...

(PPV)

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...

produced by

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's

Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

and

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

brand divisions. The event took place on May 22, 2011, at the

KeyArena Climate Pledge Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is located north of Downtown Seattle in the entertainment complex known as Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, for which it was or ...

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. The name "Over the Limit" was a reference to its main event match being contested as an "I Quit" match. It was the final Over the Limit held during the first brand extension, which ended in August. Nine matches took place during the event, eight of which were broadcast

live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...

on pay-per-view. In the main event,

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied w ...

retained Raw's

WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...

by defeating

The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...

in an "I Quit" match. Elsewhere on the card,

Wade Barrett Stuart Alexander Bennett (born 10 August 1980) is an English-American professional wrestling commentator, actor, and former professional wrestler who holds both British and American citizenship. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is a colo ...

retained SmackDown's Intercontinental Championship against

Ezekiel Jackson Rycklon Stephens (born April 22, 1978) is a Guyanese-American retired professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He is best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Ezekiel Jackson, where he was the final ECW Champion under the WWE brand of t ...

Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...

and Kane retained the

WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...

against

The New Nexus The Nexus (later renamed The New Nexus in January 2011) was a villainous professional wrestling stable in WWE that competed on the '' Raw'' brand from June 7, 2010 to August 22, 2011, originally consisting of eight rookies of '' NXT'' season on ...

(

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...

and

Mason Ryan Barri Griffiths (born 13 January 1982) is a Welsh actor and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Mason Ryan. Griffiths studied construction management at Cardiff University, before working as ...

Brie Bella Brianna Monique Danielson (née Garcia-Colace; born November 21, 1983), known professionally as Brie Bella, is an American professional wrestler and TV personality. She is currently signed to WWE working as an ambassador. She and her twin Ni ...

retained the

WWE Divas Championship The WWE Divas Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship in WWE. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced as part of the WWE brand extension via a storyline by then SmackDown General Manager Vickie Gue ...

against

Kelly Kelly Barbara Blank Coba (born Barbara Jean Blank; January 15, 1987), known professionally as Barbie Blank and by her ring name Kelly Kelly, is an American professional wrestler and model. Blank has a background in gymnastics and cheerleading, an ...

, and

Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. H ...

retained SmackDown's World Heavyweight Championship against

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. Over the Limit received 140,000 buys worldwide, significantly down from the 2010 edition's 197,000 buys.

Production

Background

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

discontinued their previously annual May

(PPV)

Judgment Day The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

and replaced it with a new PPV titled Over the Limit. The name "Over the Limit" was a reference to its main event match being contested as an "I Quit" match. In April 2011, the promotion ceased going by its full name of World Wrestling Entertainment, with "WWE" becoming an

orphaned initialism An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

. Over the Limit then returned in May as the second event in the Over the Limit annual chronology and again featured an "I Quit" match as the main event. It took place on May 22, 2011, at the

and featured wrestlers from the

and

brands A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

Storylines

The

professional wrestling matches Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

at Over the Limit featured professional wrestlers performing as

characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

in scripted events pre-determined by the hosting

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

, WWE. Storylines between the characters were produced on WWE's weekly television shows ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown'' with the Raw and SmackDown brands—storyline divisions in which WWE assigned its employees to different programs. The main

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...

from the

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

heading into Over the Limit was between

and

over the

. John Cena won the WWE Championship from The Miz in a triple threat

steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

that also featured John Morrison at Extreme Rules. The Miz invoked his rematch clause the following night. He initially won the match by hitting Cena with the WWE Championship belt, but the referee immediately reversed his decision after seeing the belt in the ring. Thus, The Miz was disqualified and Cena retained the championship via disqualification. On the May 9 episode of ''Raw'', The Miz defeated

Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profes ...

and

Alberto Del Rio José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) 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 c ...

to earn another shot at the WWE Championship. Later that night, Cena announced that their match would be an "I Quit" match. The main feud on the

brand was between

and

over the World Heavyweight Championship. At Extreme Rules, Christian defeated

in a

Ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

to win his first World Heavyweight Championship. On the following episode of ''SmackDown'', aired on May 6, Randy Orton defeated Christian to win the World Heavyweight Championship. The following week, it was announced that Christian would invoke his rematch clause against Randy Orton at Over the Limit. An ongoing feud involved ''Raw'' commentators Michael Cole and

Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "The King" Lawler, is an American color commentator and professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, although he has not performed as a full-time commentator since Apr ...

. At

WrestleMania XXVII WrestleMania XXVII (also written as WrestleMania 27) was the 27th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown ...

, Lawler made Cole submit to the ankle lock, but the anonymous Raw General Manager reversed the special guest referee,

Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...

's decision, making Cole the winner via disqualification. At Extreme Rules, Cole teamed up with

Jack Swagger Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Jake Hager, where he is a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society st ...

to face and defeat Lawler and

Jim Ross James William Ross (born January 3, 1952) is an American professional wrestling commentator currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator, analyst, and senior advisor. Ross is best known for a long and distinguished career as ...

in a tag team Country Whipping match after Cole pinned Jim Ross. On ''Raw'' on May 9, Lawler challenged Cole to another match with a stipulation that Lawler would give him his Hall of Fame Ring and, should Cole be honored, personally induct him into the

WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously ind ...

. After an altercation, Jack Swagger agreed to the match on behalf of Cole. A contract signing for the match took place on the May 16 where it was revealed after the contract was signed that the match is also going to be a "Kiss My Foot" match, where the loser must kiss the winner's feet. Another feud from the SmackDown brand involved former allies

Intercontinental Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

, and the rest of

The Corre The Corre was a multinational villainous stable that wrestled on World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE's SmackDown brand in 2011. The group was a spinoff of British wrestler Wade Barrett's previous stable, The Nexus. The stable was formed after Ame ...

, against

. At Extreme Rules, Barrett and Jackson faced the WWE Tag Team Champions

and Kane. Ezekiel had the early advantage in the match. However, Barrett tagged himself in the match just to get pinned by Big Show. The following week, Jackson decided to leave the Corre. Later that night, his former teammates

Heath Slater Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs mononymously as Heath, and is also active on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in W ...

Justin Gabriel Phillip Paul Lloyd (born 3 March 1981) is a South African-American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, under the ring name Justin Gabriel. He is currently wrestling under the ring name P. J. Black. A second-generation ...

, and Barrett attacked him in the locker room. On May 13, on ''SmackDown'', Barrett challenged Jackson to a match at Over the Limit for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Another feud from the Raw brand involved

R-Truth Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WW ...

and

Rey Mysterio Jr. Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profe ...

On May 9, Mysterio and R-Truth, along with

and Alberto Del Rio had a confrontation over the number one contendership to the WWE Championship. The

anonymous Raw General Manager The Anonymous Raw General Manager was a professional wrestling authority figure in WWE, who anonymously controlled the Raw brand from June 21, 2010 to July 18, 2011. The Anonymous General Manager controlled the show by sending emails to a laptop, ...

, however, announced that only Mysterio, Del Rio and The Miz were to compete for the number one contendership in a Triple Threat match. R-Truth still believes that he is better than the other three, especially Rey Mysterio. After the Triple Threat match, which was won by The Miz, Truth attacked Mysterio in the ring. The following week, R-Truth announced that he will face Mysterio at Over the Limit. On May 16, it was announced that the WWE Tag Team Champions The Big Show and Kane would defend their title against

and

from the New Nexus at Over the Limit. On ''SmackDown'', on May 20, it was announced that

would defend her

against

at Over the Limit. On the same night, Chavo Guerrero Jr. announced that he would be facing

Sin Cara In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

Event

Preliminary matches

The event opened with

facing

. R-Truth performed a Shut Up on Mysterio to win the match. Next,

defended the Intercontinental Championship against

. In the end, Jackson applied the Torture Rack on Barrett but

interfered, resulting in Jackson winning by disqualification. After that,

faced Chavo Guerrero Jr. Sin Cara performed a Tilt-A-Whirl Headscissors Takedown on Guerrero to win the match. In the fourth match,

Big Show and Kane Big Show and Kane were an American tag team active in professional wrestling during 2001–2002, 2005–2006, 2011 and 2014–2016 consisted of Paul Wight (Big Show) and Glenn Jacobs (Kane). Using their gigantic statures and power to dominate ...

defended the

against

(

and

). The match ended when Big Show and Kane performed a double Chokeslam on Ryan to retain the title. Later,

defended the

against

. Brie performed a Bella Buster on Kelly to retain the title.

Main event matches

In the sixth match,

defended the World Heavyweight Championship against

. During the match, Orton attempted a Punt Kick but Christian performed a Spear on Orton for a near-fall. In the climax, Christian attempted a Killswitch but Orton and performed an RKO on Christian to retain the title. In the seventh match,

faced Michael Cole in a Kiss My Foot. Lawler performed a Diving Fist Drop on Cole to win the match. After the match,

Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...

performed a diving Moonsault on Cole,

poured barbecue sauce over Cole and

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...

applied the sharpshooter on Cole whilst Cole kissed Lawler’s foot. In the main event,

defended the

against

in an "I Quit" match. At the start of the match, Cena took control of The Miz whilst attacking

Alex Riley Kevin Robert Kiley Jr. (born April 28, 1981) is an American professional wrestler and commentator best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Alex Riley. He was a participant in the second season of ''NXT''. Professional wrestling c ...

. Cena applied the STF on Miz but Riley broke the hold. Cena performed an Attitude Adjustment on Miz but Riley hit Cena with a briefcase. After Miz and Riley double-teamed Cena, The Miz performed a Snap DDT onto the steel steps but Cena refused to quit. Cena managed to push Riley into the ring post but The Miz hit Cena with a chair. Cena took control of The Miz and Cena pushed Riley, knocking him into the referee. When Riley asked Cena whether he wanted to quit, Cena was heard saying “I quit”, seemingly resulting in The Miz winning the title. After the referee heard a recording of Cena saying “I quit”, the match was restarted. Cena performed an Attitude Adjustment on Riley through the broadcast table and hit The Miz with a leather belt whilst The Miz ran up the entrance ramp. Cena applied the STF on The Miz, who quit, resulting in Cena retaining the title.

Reception

Over The Limit 2011 received mixed reviews from critics, in his review for ''The Sun'', Rob McNichol reported that the main event saw John Cena in a "typical 'superman' performance, Cena suffered a torturous beating before recovering to beat the former champion". "It was an old-fashioned, Hogan-esque performance which the young fans who look to Cena as a superhero would have adored, while many purists would have cringed at the contrived narrative". The Smackdown main event and both wrestlers involved were highly praised, being described as "a tremendous match that will no doubt gain universal praise" and that "Christian has developed into a very accomplished wrestler, and Orton is arguably the best all rounder in the game right now, so a cracking match was not a surprise". The opening bout between Rey Mysterio vs R Truth was mentioned as being "a satisfactory opening match" and adding that "R-Truth entering the arena to no music — another nice touch in the development in Ron Killings' new heel persona". Sin Cara beat Chavo Guerrero in what was "virtually a showcase match for the former Mistico, but once again the masked Mexican failed to truly shine, making a hash of the finish". The match between Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole was mixed, but Jim Ross and Bret Hart's appearances were praised by critics. ''The Sun'' awarded WWE Over the Limit 2011 8 out of 10.

Aftermath

The 2011 Over the Limit was the last Over the Limit held during the first brand extension, which ended in August.

Results

References

External links

Official Over the Limit website
{{WWEPPV, Over the Limit

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

Events in Seattle 2011 in Seattle Professional wrestling in Seattle 2011 WWE pay-per-view events May 2011 events in the United States