At No Mercy 2007, the vacated WWE Championship changed hands twice. At the beginning of the night, Randy Orton was awarded the title, but was quickly forced to defend and lose the title against his former mentor, Triple H. Orton then immediately exercised his rematch clause with Mr. McMahon’s stipulation that it be in a Last Man Standing Match.

While this was Orton’s second match that evening, it was Triple H’s third. The two exhausted Superstars fought viciously, but it was the Legend Killer who won out by hitting The Game with an RKO over the announcers’ table. Triple H was too battle worn to rise for the 10-count, making The Legend Killer the new WWE Champion and commencing the “Age of Orton.”

WATCH: Triple H vs. Randy Orton

After Undertaker defeated Batista at WrestleMania 23 to win the World Heavyweight Championship, The Animal challenged The Phenom to a Last Man Standing Match at Backlash 2007. Batista unloaded his entire arsenal on Undertaker, but even spinebusters and a Batista Bomb weren’t enough to keep The Deadman down – Undertaker kept on rising before the referee could complete the 10-count.

With no other options left, Batista speared The Phenom off the stage, sending both men crashing into a bank of audio equipment. They were both rendered unconscious, and as medical personnel rushed to their sides, the referee called the match a no contest, with Undertaker retaining the title.

WATCH: Batista vs. Undertaker

John Cena had defended the WWE Championship against many fierce competitors, but at Royal Rumble 2007, he was faced with the most monstrous of challenges: defeat Umaga in a Last Man Standing Match. The Samoan Bulldozer’s power and speed made him one of Cena’s toughest opponents to date, until Umaga missed a splash, and gave Cena the opening he needed.

Resorting to tactics not usually seen from the Chain Gang Soldier, Cena used the ring itself as a weapon, detaching the top rope and using it to choke out Umaga. With the Samoan Bulldozer unable to respond to the referee’s count, Cena secured the win and retained his WWE Championship.

Learn more about Royal Rumble 2007

Fearing that Undertaker and The Great Khali would destroy each other before their Last Man Standing Match at SummerSlam 2006, General Manager Theodore Long rescheduled it for an edition of SmackDown – the first time this brutal match type would be aired on network TV. The Deadman took the fight to the Punjabi Giant, using whatever he could get his hands on, including ring steps and steel chairs.

Though he was thrown off the stage onto a row of tables, The Phenom managed to rise before the 10-count and respond to the attack with a flurry of chair blows to Khali’s head. After being planted to the mat with a vicious chokeslam, the 7-foot-3 leviathan stayed down as Undertaker was declared the victor.

WATCH: Undertaker vs. Great Khali

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The Game is no stranger to the Last Man Standing Match, especially when championship gold is at stake. At Royal Rumble 2004, Triple H had to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against his DX co-founder, Shawn Michaels. The Cerebral Assassin wasted no time in working over HBK, and hit his former friend with his infamous Pedigree. Astonishingly, The Showstopper managed to get up on one knee by the count of 10, and the match continued.

Triple H rushed in to finish his exhausted and battered opponent, only to be met by a fading Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music. With both men down, the referee made the count of 10 before either could raise themselves from the mat, and the match was declared a no contest, keeping the championship in The Game’s possession.

Learn more about Royal Rumble 2004

At Unforgiven 2003, the WWE Chairman’s son risked everything against Kane in a Last Man Standing Match. That night, McMahon took a huge gamble, climbing the rigging of the set and leaping off to drop an elbow on his opponent from 40 feet in the air. Unfortunately for McMahon, however, Kane moved at the last second.

To the amazement of the crowd, Shane crashed through the wooden platform, brutalizing his own body. This leap of faith had proven effective in other battles, but Shane O’Mac’s miscalculation cost him the match as the official counted him out, leaving the Big Red Machine standing tall – and last.

Learn more about Unforgiven 2003

Unforgiven wasn’t Shane’s first time fighting a big man in a Last Man Standing Match. At Backlash 2001, Mr. McMahon put his own son up against Big Show, even going so far as to step in and hit his son with a steel chair in order to retaliate for Shane’s WrestleMania X-Seven victory over the WWE Chairman. In an amazing bit of risk-taking that Shane would attempt to repeat two years later, he leapt from high above the entranceway, dropping an elbow onto The World’s Largest Athlete and sending them both through the platform below.

While both men were unconscious, Test stepped in to hoist Shane to his feet. As the referee counted, he draped the Chairman’s son over a camera boom, keeping him on his feet long enough to pick up the win.

Learn more about Backlash 2001

At Royal Rumble 1999, The Rock defeated Mankind in an “I Quit” Match to win the WWE Championship. His title reign didn’t last long, though, as Mankind defeated him in an Empty Arena Match one week later to reclaim the title. So, by the time St. Valentine’s Day Massacre 1999 rolled around, the two men couldn’t wait to get their hands on one another in a Last Man Standing Match.

The contest was a brutal one, finally ending when the Superstars exchanged blows with two steel chairs, hitting one another simultaneously and knocking each other out. With both men laid out unconscious, the 10-count started and ended with no one getting to their feet. The hellacious match was declared a no contest and, as a result, Mankind remained WWE Champion.

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