"Edge is a junkie for the roar of the crowd and you did nothing, NOTHING to stop him"

Beth Phoenix: "You know, I really appreciate being given this time on Monday Night RAW and I'm... I'm here tonight to give a medical update on my husband Edge. [Die Musik von Randy Orton ertönt und The Viper macht sich auf den Weg in den Ring. Er will Beth umarmen, doch diese weist ihn zurück.] You know, Randy, I'm not surprised. I thought I might see you here tonight and actually this is great, because if anybody here needs to here this, it's you. I am here as a wife, because I need my husband. I am here as a mother, because my children deserve their father. Now maybe, maybe, they're possibilities that we get--"

[Randy Orton unterbricht Beth Phoenix und lässt sich ein Mikrofon geben.]

Randy Orton: "I know what you were gonna say: possibilities. But no, there is no possibilities. It is a certainty that after what I did to Edge, that Edge will never wrestle again. Now Beth, I owe you an explanation. And I'm gonna give you one. I don't know how to say it, really, but let me start with a little story. Back in 1999, in the fall--October, I believe--WWE had a live event in St. Louis, which just so happens to be where I live. My father, Cowboy Bob Orton, took me downtown to the event to meet a couple of WWE agents, Jack Lanza and Tony Garea, because his son--that'd be me--at 19 years old wanted to break into the business.

Now, we were backstage, downtown. And at this point in my life I was a fan. I grew up in the business. This business is in my blood, I'm third generation. But at that point in my life, at 19, I was just a fan and to be backstage to see the likes of Austin, H, Michaels, Foley, Davey Boy Smith--they were all there. But you know who the one man was who came up to my father and show his respects? Edge! Edge shook my father's hand and told him--and while he told him this I was beaming with pride, so proud to be the son of Cowboy Bob Orton, a legend in this business. Edge told him he was one of the best bad guys in the history of this business. Edge told my father he is one of the reasons why he broke into the business in the first place. I was beaming with pride.

And then my father introduced me to Edge and he said: 'This is my boy, his name's Randy and he's looking to break into the business'. Do you know what Edge did? He looked at me with all the sincerity a man can have in his demeanor, he thanked me and said: 'Good luck. Good luck, kid. Maybe, just maybe, if you play your cards right one day you and I could work together in that ring.' I'll never forget that. As a matter of fact, that motivated me and I went from being insecure about my abilities in this ring to becoming confident and going on. And years later and handful of years later, Edge and I were battling all over the world in main events, main events in the pay per views for the Intercontinental Championship and we were stealing the show every damn night.

And then a few years after that Edge and I started our Rated-RKO and you know what we did? We became Tag Team Champions. And just when things couldn't get any better, just when we were flying high as high can be I got a little too close to the sun. I flew a little too high myself, I hit a brick wall, I hit a rough patch to say the least of it and I made some very poor life choices. And I dug a hole so deep, Beth, that I should have been buried in it. But you know why I wasn't? Because Edge reached down, grabbed me by the hand and pulled me up out of that whole. He saved my life. He made me realize that there is more to life. There is love, there is children, there is having a family, starting a family. I was able to go to volleyball games, baseball games, go to my son's play, help them with their homework. Teach them how to be men, teach my daughters how a man should treat a woman. And I was able to do that because your husband Edge saved my life.

What I did was, I returned the favor and I saved his life. Because at the Royal Rumble--at the Royal Rumble, the crowd, the reception for Edge when his music hit... It had been nine long years, Beth. I get goosebumps thinking about it. And I know all of you remember it, it was only five, six weeks ago and it was such a great feeling. But it wasn't a one-off because the next night I realized in this very ring that Edge thought that he was back for good. Edge thought that he was gonna start competing on a regular basis and I knew better. I know that someone like me was gonna make a name for themselves and put your husband in a wheelchair or possibly worse. And I wanted you to have a husband. I wanted your two little daughters, Lyric and Ruby, to have their father. How are your daughters, by the way? Thanks to me, Edge is going to be able to be their father, be your husband. He's gonna be able to go on hikes, ride bikes, take them to volleyball practice, softball practice. He's gonna be able to be there for them because of me. And I did it because I love Edge, I love you and I love your two little girls.

But here is, here is the sad truth. Here is the sad truth: everybody blames me for what I did to Edge. Everybody thinks it was my fault. But you know deep down in your heart, you know with every shred of your being that it's not my fault, is it Beth? It's your fault! You are an enabler. You enabled Edge. If he was a drug addict, you wouldn't supply him with drugs. If he was an alcoholic, you wouldn't mix him a drink and put one in his hand every night. Edge is a junkie! Edge is a junkie for the roar of the crowd and you did nothing, NOTHING to stop him! You did nothing to help him! So I had to step in, because I love him like a brother and I had to do what I had to do to make sure that he can go on and be your husband, be a father to Lyric and Ruby. And you know what? You know what, Beth? When I say that out loud I realized something. I love Lyric and Ruby, your two little girls, your beautiful girls, I love your girls and I love Edge more than you ever could. Truth hurts, don't it?"

[Beth Phoenix kämpft mit den Tränen und wird schließlich wütend. Sie verpasst Randy Orton zwei Ohrfeigen, wonach dieser sie schließlich mit dem RKO niederstreckt.]