After meeting with the WWE Board of Directors following SmackDown, General Manager Vickie Guerrero has announced that at Armageddon, her husband Edge will defend the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat Match against Jeff Hardy and Triple H. (Match Preview)

As new WWE Champion Edge reemerged on SmackDown with his gold raised high, the WWE Universe witnessed three of SmackDown's top Superstars, Jeff Hardy, Vladimir Kozlov and former WWE Champion, Triple H battle for clock supremacy to see who would face the Ultimate Opportunist at Armageddon, only to be left in a shroud of uncertainty until this morning's announcement.

Jeff Hardy set the standard early, winning the first Beat the Clock Challenge Match with a high-octane win over The Brian Kendrick in 12:13. After taking Ezekiel Jackson out with a lightning kick through the ropes, Hardy delivered a Swanton Bomb on Kendrick to secure the victory, making him the Superstar to beat.

Matt Hardy put everything on the line for the sake of his brother, battling tenaciously with the mighty Moscow Mauler, Vladimir Kozlov, while keeping one eye on the clock. The Extreme champion's endurance paid off, as time expired without a winner, thereby sealing the door shut on Kozlov's opportunity to be part of the Armageddon main event.

After a grueling match, Triple H hit the Gold Standard with a Pedigree. However, WWE Official Mike Chioda had been knocked out, and struggled through glazed eyes to finally deliver the three-count. However, after raising The Game's hand in triumph, indicating that he had beaten the clock, a second WWE Official, Charles Robinson ran down to dispute the outcome. The two officials came to the consensus that Triple H and Jeff Hardy had earned their win in exactly the same amount of time, 12:13, leaving the WWE Universe in a state of confusion and suspense as to who would be facing Edge at Armageddon until this morning.