May 2007 | RAW | Week 1
Punk lifts HBK up into the GTS.
Cody Rhodes came in as the biggest underdog in the tournament as the #16 seed, and knowing he needed an advantage, he acted a bit out of character, attacking Austin from behind before the match started. Austin rallied against his attack but definitely started off at a disadvantage. Rhodes at the momentum early, but that was cut short very quickly with an early Stunner from out of nowhere. It looked like Austin would make quick work of Rhodes, but he kicked out at two. Things continued and Cody got increasingly more desperate to try to get the win, especially after hitting a Cross Rhodes on Austin that only earned him a 2 count. He went for a flying dive outside the ring on Austin and missed and from there it was all over. Austin threw him back into the ring and hit him with a nasty Stunner to win and advance to the quarter-finals of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament.
► Show Spoiler
Winner: Stone Cold by pinfall.
This started off as a technical masterclass with two of the best mat-technicians and submissions specialists in the game going head to head. Bret had the slight advantage early but momentum shifted when Angle hit an Angle Slam against the run of play. It wasn't long till he locked in the Ankle Lock but Bret was able to use his own submission speciality to escape and reverse it into a Sharpshooter that Kurt had to crawl to the ropes to get out of. The fight continued and Kurt started to use his power to overwhelm Bret and weaken his legs. Hart went for a Piledriver but Kurt slipped out of it and locked in an Ankle Lock again in the center of the ring. Bret had nowhere to go and had to tap as Angle advanced in the first upset, albeit a minor one, of the tournament.
► Show Spoiler
Winner: Kurt Angle by submission.
In a pretty shocking turn of events, Batista manhandled Undertaker from the onset here. He definitely used underhanded tactics, pushing the referee into the way and slipping in and out of the ring, but Taker never really got going. He kicked out of two Batista Bombs, but a third one came after a nasty rake to the eyes out of the ref's view, disorienting Taker. Batista capitalized on that with the pinfall and first major upset of the tournament as he advanced to the quarter-finals.
► Show Spoiler
Winner: Batista by pinfall.
CM Punk gave his absolute best against Shawn Michaels and gave him everything he could handle. An Anaconda Vise early on in the match followed by a GTS had Michaels reeling and off balance from the onset, but the Heartbreak Kid eventually recovered. He hit Punk with a Superkick that earned a two count then followed that up with a Sweet Chin Music that CM Punk shockingly kicked out of just before three. Shawn went high risk after that going for a flying Elbow Drop that Punk dodged at the last moment. Punk went for another GTS and connected with it, thinking he had the match won, but HBK kicked out at the last millisecond. This frustrated Punk and then HE went high-risk with a flying body splash. HBK rolled out of the way and as soon as Punk got to his feet he was on the receiving end of another Sweet Chin Music that knocked his lights out. One, two, three. Shawn Michaels advances to the quarter-finals to join Stone Cold, Kurt Angle and Batista.
► Show Spoiler
Winner: Shawn Michaels by pinfall.
