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CM Punk def. WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio (New WWE Champion)

The “Entertainment Era” begins now.

Making good on his pledge to beat WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series, CM Punk became the 16th Superstar to win the coveted title in New York City’s historic Madison Square Garden after forcing The Mexican Aristocrat to submit to the Anaconda Vise. Now, The Straight Edge Superstar will have to live up to the second part of his promise — make the WWE Championship interesting again.

If Punk’s choice for his personal ring announcer was any indication, the man definitely knows what the WWE Universe wants. Recruiting WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel to vocally overpower Del Rio’s sniveling manservant Ricardo Rodriguez, Punk immediately thrilled the Garden faithful who fondly remembered hearing The Fink’s booming voice during some of MSG’s most classic moments. But once the excitement of the announcements subsided, it came down to two men fighting it out for one championship.
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Jim Ross failed The Michael Cole Challenge (WATCH)
Is anyone in the WWE Universe surprised that The Michael Cole Challenge was a sham? After weeks of threats, the sniveling announcer finally subjected J.R. to three tests for the opportunity to take over his announcing position. First, the Sooner beat Cole in an arm wrestling match. Then, J.R. schooled him in a dance competition. But the WWE Hall of Famer couldn’t pass the final challenge — a comparison to see who weighed less.

Cole may have been entertained by his swerve, but he was the only one. Outraged by what he described as a colossal waste of time, CM Punk stormed the ring and vowed to make Raw interesting again. Of course, he was quickly interrupted by Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis who announced a huge bout for tonight — CM Punk & Big Show vs. WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio & World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry.

Unimpressed by the GM’s declaration, The “Voice of the Voiceless” immediately went about making Monday night more entertaining by locking Cole in a brutal Anaconda Vise. (WATCH)

WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio & World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry def. CM Punk & Big Show (WATCH)
Before teaming with Big Show in an exciting preview of Sunday’s two World Title bouts, CM Punk was ambushed in the locker room by the vicious Alberto Del Rio and stomped into the ground. (WATCH) Bravely, The Straight Edge Superstar still made it out for his match, but he couldn’t stop The Mexican Aristocrat in his weakened state and was pinned by the WWE Champion. After the bell, Del Rio continued his assault, punishing Punk with the cross armbreaker.

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WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio def. WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston (WATCH)
Still fired up after being brutalized by CM Punk last Monday night, WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio took his anger out on Kofi Kingston, destroying him with blistering strikes before submitting one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with the cross armbreaker.Not content to stop there, The Mexican Aristocrat continued to apply the devastating maneuver before The Straight Edge Superstar stopped the carnage. Now face-to-face with his Survivor Series opponent, Del Rio told Punk to cancel their WWE Title Match — or he would force him to. Clearly not intimidated, The “Voice of the Voiceless” refused and came to blows with his rival before locking him in the Anaconda Vise. Of course, it was Ricardo Rodriguez who got the worst of it as Del Rio sacrificed his personal ring announcer to the GTS so he could flee the ring. (WATCH)

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On any other program, the sudden appearance of a talking frog and a pig who knows karate would seem bizarre. On WWE Raw SuperShow, it was just another part of a night that included a trick from R-Truth, a treat for CM Punk and a very Happy Halloween for John Cena.

World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry def. CM Punk by Disqualification (WATCH)
In a bout set by Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis on WWE.com, CM Punk had to defeat The World’s Strongest Man if he wanted to face Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Title at Survivor Series.

It was a massive undertaking, but one The Straight Edge Superstar was more than willing to accept. That was until Del Rio’s flunky, Ricardo Rodriguez, hit the ring and jumped on Henry’s back, leading the official to award the bout to the World Heavyweight Champion via disqualification. Clearly, The Mexican Aristocrat wants nothing to do with Punk.

Big Show def. WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio in a Title-Free Match; Del Rio vs. Punk set for Survivor Series (WATCH)
It looks like Alberto Del Rio will be defending his WWE Title against CM Punk after all. After being knocked out cold by Big Show’s mighty fist, The Mexican Aristocrat awoke to find himself in the wrenching agony of The Straight Edge Superstar’s Anaconda Vise.

With no choice but to agree to Punk’s demands for a WWE Title Match at Survivor Series or risk having his arm broken, Del Rio consented and the bout became official. Now that’s what you call hostile negotiations. (WATCH)

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GM Theodore Long made a Christian vs. CM Punk main event (WATCH)
While Christian was trying to convince Teddy Long to give him “one more match” for the World Heavyweight Championship, Raw’s CM Punk and his Pipebomb Microphone decided to join the conversation – igniting a war of words between the two Superstars. After openly bashing Raw’s Interm Raw GM John Laurinaitis, The Second City Saint – backed by an approving WWE Universe – suggested he and Christian battle it out. Teddy Long concurred, making the match official for the main event.

CM Punk def. Christian (WATCH)
As CM Punk looked ready to put Christian away with the GTS, WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio suddenly emerged – distracting The Second City Saint long enough for his crafty opponent to regain the advantage.

The disruption from The Mexican Aristocrat did not stop there. Later in the match– as his personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez jumped up on the ring apron to take the referee’s attention – Del Rio pushed Punk off the top rope. Christian seized the moment, poised to hit the spear on his war-torn foe. However, before he could, Sheamus charged to the ring to even the odds.

Although The Celtic Warrior did not enter the ring or physically interfere with the bout, his presence caused Christian to take his eye off the ball, giving Punk the opening he needed to finish him with the GTS.

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CM Punk confronted WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio (WATCH)
Interrupting another boastful speech from WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio, CM Punk questioned The Mexican Aristocrat’s claims that no one could beat him. Pointing out that he pinned him as recently as a month ago, The Voice of the Voiceless challenged the champion to put his title on the line against him. Unsurprisingly, Del Rio scoffed, saying the Chicago native wasn’t a worthy challenger.

The tense moment brought out Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis who awarded Punk his WWE Title Match for Survivor Series, but there was a catch. Explaining that The Straight Edge Superstar had to revere him before he gave him a championship opportunity, the executive commanded Punk to tell the entire WWE Universe that he respected him. The incendiary Superstar sarcastically obliged, but it wasn’t good enough for Mr. Laurinaitis who told the tattooed rebel he’d take a week to think about the title bout. The Straight Edge Superstar then gave both the GM and Del Rio something to think about by nailing Ricardo Rodriguez with the GTS. (WATCH: PUNK’S THOUGHTS ON THE INTERIM GM)

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At Vengeance, WWE’s conspiracy theorists benefited from a much suspected scheme against the Chief Operating Officer, as The Miz & R-Truth defeated Triple H & CM Punk with the abetting of an invading Kevin Nash.

The Game’s ex-best friend parted the crowd in San Antonio and entered the squared circle like he did during Triple H’s clash against Punk at Night of Champions last month. This time, the near 7-foot former WWE Champion directly targeted the WWE COO (who fired Nash on Sept. 5) and dismantled The Cerebral Assassin at ringside – ironically, in the hometown of their fellow Kliq cohort, Shawn Michaels. Continue reading »

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CM Punk def. The Miz; Triple H ejected from the arena
Wherever The “Awesome Truth” goes, controversy follows. Ridiculing both CM Punk and Triple H before the bell even rang, The Miz and R-Truth insulted The Cerebral Assassin to the point that he came to ringside to watch The Straight Edge Savior’s back. It was a good thing he was there. After Truth attempted to get involved in the bout, Triple H chased him off only to be stopped by Mr. Laurinaitis. Revealing that there was an immigration issue that prohibited The Game from being in Mexico City, the Interim Raw General Manager requested that Triple H leave the premises — or be taken out by security. (WATCH)

Now outnumbered, The Voice of the Voiceless took advantage of his situation, knocking The Awesome One into his tag partner before rolling him up for the quick victory. Punk’s celebration was short-lived, however, as his Vengeance opponents ruthlessly stomped him after the bell.

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Randy Orton won a 41-Man No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal (WATCH)
The night started with major news. With new Interim Raw GM John Laurinaitis at his side, Teddy Long announced the first match of the night would feature 41 Superstars in the largest Battle Royal in WWE history. Laurinaitis then revealed the winner would earn a title match against the champion of his choosing.

During the mayhem, powerhouses like Mason Ryan and Sheamus eliminated multiple Superstars. With bodies flying, a Brogue Kick from The Celtic Warrior sent The Miz careening from the ring. But since Miz didn’t go over the top rope, he was still in contention. In contrast, even though Christian was eliminated, in a devious move, he reentered the ring and took Sheamus out of the hunt.

As the field thinned down to the final two combatants, Miz found himself battling Randy Orton tooth-and-nail for the championship opportunity. With both Superstars tangling with each other on the ring apron, The Viper downed Miz with an RKO. In a wild finish, the momentum from the RKO carried both Superstars to the arena floor. But since Miz’s feet hit just before Orton’s, the victory went to The Viper.

Battle Royal Elimination Order: 1. Cody Rhodes, 2. Johnny Curtis, 3. JTG, 4. Michael McGillicutty, 5. Derrick Bateman, 6. Yoshi Tatsu, 7. Titus O’Neil, 8. Matt Striker, 9. William Regal, 10. Percy Watson, 11. John Morrison, 12. Dolph Ziggler, 13. Trent Baretta, 14. Jey Uso, 15. Ted DiBiase, 16. Tyson Kidd, 17. Daniel Bryan, 18. Tyler Reks, 19. Curt Hawkins, 20. Drew McIntrye, 21. Justin Gabriel, 22. Mason Ryan, 23. Primo, 24. Santino Marella, 25. Alex Riley, 26. Kofi Kingston, 27. Zack Ryder, 28. David Otunga, 29. Jimmy Uso, 30. Ezekiel Jackson, 31. Heath Slater, 32. Sin Cara (Negro), 33. Christian, 34. R-Truth , 35. CM Punk, 36. Sheamus, 37. Wade Barrett, 38. Jack Swagger, 39. Jinder Mahal, 40. The Miz

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Triple H addressed the state of the Raw SuperShow
Defiant in the face of the chaos that has taken over the Raw SuperShow, Triple H vowed that he would not step down as WWE COO and that the night’s event would continue as planned in spite of the Superstar “Solidarity Rally” that was taking place in the parking lot of Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena. (WATCH: EXCLUSIVE RALLY FOOTAGE) The Game was not alone, though. Soon joined by John Cena, Sheamus and CM Punk, Triple H and this group of Superstars made it clear that they believe in sports-entertainment’s oldest adage — the show must go on.

In short order, the GM scheduled two main events for the night — World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton and WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk.

CM Punk & WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio def. The Miz & R-Truth by Disqualification (WATCH)
What started off as a showdown between the WWE Champion and The Straight Edge Superstar soon exploded into tag team warfare when Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis reinstated the controversial duo of Miz & Truth and set this match on the spot. Quickly abandoned by his spineless partner, Punk was forced to go it alone against his devious opponents. But when The Awesome Truth began to double-team The Voice of the Voiceless, The Game rushed to the ring to defend his former rival in a show of solidarity the WWE Universe could actually get behind.

Following the match, the Interim Raw General Manager proposed yet another idea to bring to the Board — a bout pitting CM Punk & Triple H against The Miz & R-Truth at Vengeance.