John Cena addressed the WWE Universe
It’s safe to say that the WWE Universe was surprised to say the least when John Cena stepped aside to allow Ryback to sign the No. 1 contender’s contract last week on Raw. And this week, in the shadow of MetLife Stadium, the Cenation leader stepped into the ring not to expound upon his decision, but to give the WWE Universe a preview, in his own words, of what they can expect at Hell in a Cell.

And what, exactly, did the historic main event of Hell in a Cell hold in store? To put it simply: “Change.”

“Change is 6-foot 3,” Cena said. “Change is 291 pounds, and when “Change” sets foot into this ring, all he can hear over and over again is ‘FEED ME MORE!’”

Before Cena could continue, though, the riff of “Cult of Personality” rumbled through the loudspeakers and the WWE Champion strutted out, 337 days atop the mountain under his belt and looking thoroughly bemused at what he called Cena’s “new role” of being “Ryback’s personal cheerleader.”

And regarding change? “I’ve been WWE Champion for 337 days and counting, which means you haven’t been champion for a lot longer than that,” Punk said. “And that is change you can count on.”

“Everybody knows when CM Punk makes a promise he keeps it, and I promise I will walk out of Hell in a Cell still the WWE Champion.”

Cena, however, had heard enough. Riled up by Punk’s insults, Cena turned the subject of conversation to another recent hot topic: his injured elbow. He would not be interfering in Punk’s scheduled Title Match at Hell in a Cell, but as for tonight, “Regarding yours truly, I am 100% medically cleared,” the Cenation leader said, flexing his elbow for emphasis and inviting Punk into the ring for an impromptu rumble down the Turnpike.

And for a minute, it looked like Punk would acquiesce to Cena’s request. But eventually, the warning shrieks of Paul Heyman won out and the champion strode back to the locker room, a smile on his face and title held high.
Digitals and Screencaps coming soon

WWE Champion CM Punk def. World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus
The highway was jammed with broken heroes and a small army of WWE Superstars on Monday in the IZOD Center as three dozen lumberjacks roamed ringsinde for the Champion vs. Champion Match between CM Punk and Sheamus, the largest such match in the history of Raw and the first main event of Vickie Guerrero’s tenure as Managing Supervisor. The contest was appropriately pulse-pounding, but in the end, it was a Superstar who wasn’t even involved that proved to be the most impactful man in the ring.

Punk took an unconventional route against The Great White, attempting to use his technical accumen as a way to slow down the brawling World Champion and prevent him from building to the devastating Brogue Kick. The strategy found early success (although Punk was the first competitor to get tossed back into the ring by the lumberjacks), but Sheamus, as always, would not be kept down. The Celtic Warrior rallied quickly, but Punk took advantage of the unique stipulation by shucking Sheamus over the ropes, leaving him to the mercy of the lumberjacks before attempting a pinfall.

The Second City Saint would repeat his strategy throughout the match, and after a few trips over the ropes for Sheamus the lumberjacks began to target each other, with one group attempting to assist The Great White while another worked to keep him down. The Voice of the Voiceless moved to capitalize with a trio of top-rope strikes, but after connecting with the first two Sheamus countered with a thunderous punch to the ribs of the WWE Champion. An attempt at a headlock by Punk seemd to have Sheamus down for the count, but The Great White powered up, and that’s when Sheamus began to roll.

The Celtic Warrior moved fast, clobbering Punk with axe handles, forearm clubs and shoulder tackles, powering out of Punk’s attempted pinfalls before planting The Voice of the Voiceless with a rafter-shaking superplex. Punk decided to use Sheamus’ own power against him, reversing The Celtic Warrior’s turnbuckle charge into a small package, but that proved fruitless as well. Sheamus would continue to withstand Punk’s assault, dodging The Second City Saint’s flying elbow and planting him with a furious Irish Curse. The Voice of the Voiceless used his last wind to throw Sheamus to the lumberjacks again, but The Great White was ready, rumbling with the enforcers before making his way back to the ring.

Attempted attacks on Sheamus by Antonio Cesaro and Jinder Mahal ended unceremoniously, but before the World Champion could execute the Brogue Kick on Punk, Big Show made his way up to the ring and planted The Great White with a chokeslam while the referee’s back was turned. Punk picked up the pieces and covered Sheamus for the pin, but instead of his theme music, “FEED ME” roared through the IZOD Center speakers and Ryback, the one Superstar conspicuous by his absence, made his way to the ring.

With Ryback hot on his heels, Punk made a move to leave the ring, but the lumberjacks were right there to throw him back. Each time Punk tried to escape, his fellow Superstars tossed him back into Ryback’s waiting maw, where The Second City Saint felt the wrath of the No. 1 contender’s earthshaking attacks before fortune finally afforded him an escape. It was a luxury the champion may not have on Sunday when he finds himself enclosed in the place where rivalries are settled, with the hungriest beast in the stable staring him down.

WWE Champion CM Punk announced who his opponent would be at Hell in a Cell

His week was up, and the hour of decision fell upon WWE Champion CM Punk this Monday on Raw. And when the proverbial clock struck midnight on Punk’s deadline to select his opponent at Hell in a Cell, who did The Second City Saint designate as the next challenger for his WWE Title? The answer, as it turned out, was …

Nobody.

Well, at least not yet.

The Voice of the Voiceless did not deign to name his next opponent at the appointed time, instead choosing to bask in his beatdown and humiliation of Mr. McMahon the previous week. “I slapped Vince McMahon in the face!” Punk grinned with Paul Heyman at his side. “I think it’s safe to say that you will never see Vince McMahon compete in this very ring ever again,” Punk said, “and for that, you can thank me” (needless to say, longtime McMahon rival Heyman did not hesitate to do so). Moving on to the business at hand, Punk continued to expound upon the perceived smear campaign against his reputation and began to contemplate the choice of “the devil I know” vs. “the devil I don’t.”

On the one hand, Punk explained, was the monstrous Ryback, who to him has proven little more than an interloper who inserted himself into a conflict he had no part in, and on the other hand, was Cena, who has fallen to Punk several times before. So, with his options laid out, Punk turned to the covered easel erected in the ring and prepared to unveil his opponent, when the “disrespectful” roars of the crowd prompted him to “go back to the drawing board” and take a little more time with his decision.

Would this decision sit well with the powers that be?

As it turned out, there was no chance in hell, because no sooner had Punk dismissed the notion of unveiling his opponent than Mr. McMahon strutted out to the stage and reiterated to the champion that his time had run out. “You blew it,” McMahon sneered, proclaiming that he would be selecting the new No. 1 contender. “Your fate at Hell in a Cell is in my hands,” The Chairman grinned. “Respect that.”

Mr. McMahon named CM Punk’s challenger at Hell in a Cell

Decision time, take two: with the fate of WWE Champion CM Punk left to the discretion of Mr. McMahon, which route did The Chairman choose for his champion in the place where rivalries are settled once and for all?

Well, the answer, as turned out, was not what anyone could have expected. But we’re getting to that.

The contract signing for Hell in a Cell started off somewhat typically, with champion and challenger(s) staring daggers at each other over while The Chairman began to address the assembled Superstars, but Punk cut The Boss off before he could even begin, putting pen to the paper and declaring that what would be would be. “I will do to [Cena or Ryback] what I did to you. I will break them,” Punk vowed with vigor. This brought out the fire in Cena, who demeaned Punk yet again before making a decision that left all parties speechless: Cena demurred.

Because, while Ryback may or may not care about the WWE Title, what Big Hungry does care about is “kicking ass.” And more than anything, Cena’s message to Punk was: “You need to get your ass kicked.” It was then that Cena painted a picture of Punk’s future, and it was a highly unpleasant one filled with unrest and terror as the WWE Champion spent his waking days and sleepless nights haunted by three simple words: “Feed Me More.”

With the ramifications of the night becoming clear, Punk looked on in horror as Cena led the WWE Universe in Ryback’s chant and Big Hungry put his name to the legalese, solidifying the match and his new status as the No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship. Punk’s attempt to intimidate the big man proved fruitless at best, as Ryback unceremoniously pounded Punk’s head against the table and Shell Shocked him for good measure, while Cena’s prediction showed early signs of coming true: as Raw faded to black and the main event of Hell in a Cell was set, the WWE Champion found himself prone on the mat and surrounded on all sides by those three magic words.

WWE Champion CM Punk interrupted the State of WWE Address; Mr. McMahon challenged Punk to a match

PHOTOS | VIDEO

So what is the state of WWE? Following Mr. McMahon’s address, state of flux would be appropriate to say the least. What started as a good-natured speech to the WWE Universe about what makes WWE great devolved into animosity and, finally, physicality after WWE Champion CM Punk decided to go a few verbal rounds with his former favorite “pipe bomb” target. Continue reading »

Hi everyone, I’ve updated the gallery with help from my good friend Amanda. I’ve added a bunch of digitals and screencaps. Also I added:
Joanne’s candids from Australia
Australia Digitals
Some additions to the WWE.com “Other” Section.

WWE Champion CM Punk def. Dolph Ziggler

(WATCH | PHOTOS)
After CM Punk came to SmackDown to confront Mr. Money in the Bank, Dolph Ziggler, over leaving him “high and dry” on Monday’s Raw (WATCH), GM Booker T opted to put the two Superstars into a match against each other in the SmackDown main event.

In the height of the phenomenal, back-and-forth contest between two absolute masters of the ring, The Showoff caught the WWE Champion on the top rope, hurling him down to the canvas with an explosive bodyslam. When Ziggler tried to follow-up by charging Punk in the opposite corner, however, The Second City Saint had enough presence of mind to move. Ziggler slammed into the turnbuckle, allowing the WWE Champion to execute the Go to Sleep for the SmackDown victory.

Moments after the bell, CM Punk climbed on top of the announce table to toy with the WWE Universe. He sarcastically explained that because he needed to face John Cena at WWE Hell in a Cell to get the respect he deserved, he would not compete against him at the upcoming pay-per-view.

WWE Main Event kicked off on ION Television in grandiose fashion with a crucial WWE Tag Team Tournament Match and a history-making clash pitting WWE Champion CM Punk against World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus. The non-title Champion vs. Champion Match also marked the first time the two Superstars have squared off with one another.

Following the landmark premiere of WWE Main Event on ION Television, the WWE Universe can be certain of one thing: Wednesday nights just got a lot more explosive.

WWE Champion CM Punk def. World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus — Non-Title Champion vs. Champion Match (PHOTOS | WATCH)

WWE Champion CM Punk’s quest for respect highlighted the debut main event of ION Television’s newest weekly extravaganza. Before the contest, The Second City Saint emphasized the fact that he has defeated John Cena four times in the past year but still does not garner the respect he expects, so defeating the “other” champion would satisfy him. Sheamus retorted by telling Matt Striker of his own plans to silence the WWE Champion with a boot to the face. Continue reading »

WWE Champion CM Punk and Paul Heyman demanded an apology from Raw General Manager AJ Lee

PHOTOS | RAW HIGHLIGHTS | RAW EXCLUSIVES

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Voice of the Voiceless, CM Punk, took to the airwaves as Raw began, throwing accusations of cowardice in the general direction of both John Cena and Mick Foley. Punk condemned them for their actions the previous week (Cena for battering Punk with a lead pipe while the WWE Champion’s back was turned and Foley for a perceived act of disrespect in the locker room area as Raw went to black). While The Second City Saint showed little to no remorse for his attack on The Hardcore Legend in the locker room, he did say that Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy managed to reach Punk with his impassioned plea to face John Cena at Hell in a Cell for the WWE Title. That said, he must not have reached the WWE Champion all too well, because despite Foley’s “eloquent” speech, the match was still not going to happen. Continue reading »

WWE Champion CM Punk confronted referee Brad Maddox, Paul Heyman proposed to Raw GM AJ Lee

PHOTOS | VIDEO | RAW HIGHLIGHTS | RAW EXCLUSIVES Continue reading »

John Cena interrupted Paul Heyman’s interrogation of Chad Patton, challenged CM Punk to a rematch
PHOTOS | VIDEO | RAW EXCLUSIVES

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Raw began only 24 hours after the conclusion to Night of Champions, but the controversial coda to the pay-per-view left a fallout so severe it felt like it had been brewing for years. From the second the opening pyro boomed, the WWE Universe was riled up, hungry for answers as to what the implications of the WWE Championship Match — a double pinfall draw that saw CM Punk retain his title against John Cena — would be. Salvation seemingly arrived moments into the show as the opening chords of “Cult of Personality” ripped through the Webster Bank Arena, and who should arrive but … Paul Heyman. Continue reading »