World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus won the Fatal 4-Way Match

RALEIGH, N.C. – In what was his greatest challenge as champion to date, Sheamus stood up to seemingly insurmountable odds in a brutal Fatal 4-Way Match on his way to retaining the World Heavyweight Title. It was certainly no easy feat, squaring off with three former multi-time World Champions – Alberto Del Rio, Chris Jericho and Randy Orton – but The Celtic Warrior’s triumph cements his rightful place as one of WWE’s most dominant Superstars. ( PHOTOS)

The way in which The Great White picked up the victory was undoubtedly impressive – after all, he only had a one in four chance of leaving Raleigh, N.C., victorious. Fatal 4-Way Matches are especially treacherous for the defending champion as they can lose the title even if they don’t submit or succumb to pinfall. With that in mind, The Celtic Warrior’s victory leaves the WWE Universe wondering who could possibly dethrone the World Heavyweight Champion, and what the future holds for his challengers at WWE Over the Limit.

Not in doubt, on the other hand, was the disappointment of the three challengers, particularly The Viper. In the bout's waning moments, Orton ate a Brogue Kick from the champion only days after delivering a cautionary RKO to The Great White on SmackDown. Although Orton was not pinned following the strike, a post-match close-up of The Apex Predator's furious countenance said it all.

After a brief few moments of the four gladiators sizing each other up, an all-out brawl erupted. Sheamus and Orton focused their attacks on Del Rio and Jericho, quickly removing them from the squared circle. The WWE Universe inside the PNC Arena rose to their feet at The Viper and The Great White sized each other up, ready to strike. The crowd waited with baited breath as the two Superstars taunted each other, only to be stopped by a returning Jericho and Del Rio.

Taking the battle to the outside of the ring, WWE’s Apex Predator and the World Heavyweight Champion once again left their opponents reeling and immediately returned to the ring to face off with one another. The WWE Universe watched anxiously as both Superstars challenged each other and finally went on the offensive.

Returning to the ring, Del Rio and Jericho formed an alliance to attack the venomous Viper and the World Champion. But as Fatal 4-Way Matches typically go, the cohesion between The Mexican Aristocrat and WWE’s first-ever Undisputed Champion was short-lived. As Del Rio and Jericho erupted, the true nature of the Fatal 4-Way was exposed, it was now every Superstar for himself.

When the dust settled, Jerry Lawler summed up the match perfectly by saying, “There was never a time that anyone had a clear advantage.” Momentum is key inside the squared circle, but it was never clearly in anyone’s grasp. The elite Superstars vying for the World Title knew that the only way to come out on top was to seize moments and opportunities. Jericho, fueled by his anger toward an article on WWE.com questioning whether he should have returned ( FULL  STORY), was the clear victor in terms of timing moments to take out his opponents with a Code Breaker or locking them in the devastating Walls of Jericho. There were many times when Jericho was half a count away from claiming the World Title.

However, to Jericho’s disadvantage, there were too many variables in the ring, including the most explosive, WWE’s Apex Predator. An impressive double DDT delivered to Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez delighted the WWE Universe in Raleigh, but not nearly as much as the flurry of high-impact RKOs that temporarily shifted momentum into The Viper’s corner.

As chaos erupted inside the squared circle, it would be a final opportunity seized by Sheamus that led to victory. With Del Rio reeling on the outside of the ring, The Celtic Warrior took out Orton with a Brogue Kick before delivering a crushing White Noise to Jericho to retain the World Title.

Since winning the 2012 Royal Rumble Match and defeating Daniel Bryan in a history-making 18 seconds for the World Heavyweight Championship, Sheamus’ momentum has made him nearly unstoppable. The Great White continued to build on his legacy after overcoming the odds inside Raleigh’s PNC Arena. Will Del Rio, Orton or Jericho continue to claim their place as No. 1 contender to the World Heavyweight Champion, or will a new challenger prove bold enough to challenge The Celtic Warrior? Stay tuned to WWE Raw SuperShow on USA and Friday Night SmackDown on Syfy to find out!