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WWE Champion CM Punk & United States Champion Santino Marella def. Daniel Bryan & Cody Rhodes

Less than a week before WWE Champion CM Punk will defend his title against Daniel Bryan at WWE Over the Limit, the champion tangled with his foe in tag action. And it was The Straight Edge Superstar who captured victory for his team over Cody Rhodes with a GTS … all the while making sure Bryan kept close watch on his fast and furious offense against Rhodes.

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General Manager John Laurinaitis was ripped by WWE Champion CM Punk
Raw and SmackDown General Manager John Laurinaitis showed no remorse for his ruthless assault on John Cena at the end of last week’s Raw. The GM said he wasn’t punished by the Board of Directors for his actions, which he claimed was justified because The Cenation Leader tried to undermine his authority and ridicule his leadership skills. Laurinaitis mandated that Cena not appear live tonight and instead undergo rehabilitation so he doesn’t have an excuse why he will lose to him at WWE Over the Limit. (PHOTOS | VIDEO)

Laurinaitis then revealed that the reason his voice sounds so hoarse is because he was injured in a match against “Dr. Death” Steve Williams in Tokyo, Japan. Showing off images of his in-ring action on the TitanTron, Laurinaitis boasted that, when he performed in Japan, he was Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock, all rolled into one dominant competitor.

Before Laurinaitis could get any further, WWE Champion CM Punk came out to the ring to confront the cocky General Manager. Punk blasted Laurinaitis for losing touch with the people, despite all the GM’s bragging that he’s the brains behind “People Power.” The Straight Edge Superstar’s sharpest jab of all came when he told Laurinaitis the reason he went to Japan is because no one in America ever wanted to see him compete.

Angered by Punk’s verbal barbs, Laurinaitis made a big match for Raw SuperShow tonight, pitting the WWE Champion against the fearsome Lord Tensai.

Before the main event, John Laurinaitis announced that the CM Punk vs. Lord Tensai contest was now a 2-on-1 Handicap Match, with Punk taking on both Tensai and Daniel Bryan.

The WWE Champion had his work cut out for him, as Tensai blasted and mangled Punk early with a series of power moves. Punk mounted a rally after Bryan missed with a flying headbutt off the top rope, but the strength in numbers would soon prove to be too much for The Straight Edge Superstar to overcome. As Punk went to the top turnbuckle, a lurking Bryan sent him flying with a shove, and Tensai took full advantage by squeezing The Second City Savior’s head like a vice with a green mist-filled claw. (PHOTOS | VIDEO)

Adding insult to injury, Bryan snapped the “Yes!” Lock onto Punk following the 2-on-1 victory and berated the helpless WWE Champion. If we’ve learned one major lesson from this Raw SuperShow, it’s that Laurinaitis is hell-bent on making Superstars pay dearly for crossing him.

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Daniel Bryan def. Jerry “The King” Lawler – Beat the Clock Challenge Match

Daniel Bryan’s reaction to finding out the identity of his opponent was a resounding “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Jerry Lawler put up quite a fight and even connected with a diving fist drop off the top turnbuckle. Bryan’s punishing kicks and submission technique, however, was too much for “The King” to overcome. Bryan made Lawler tap out with the “Yes!” Lock and easily beat Orton’s time of 4:16 to become the No. 1 Contender for the WWE Championship. (VIDEO)

At WWE Over the Limit, Bryan will take on CM Punk with the WWE Title on the line. (MATCH PREVIEW)

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CHICAGO – For weeks upon exhausting weeks, Chris Jericho attempted to publicly humiliate WWE Champion CM Punk and damage his family’s reputation with wild accusations.

At Extreme Rules, in front of a sold-out crowd that included his sister and other family members at ringside, Punk finally got an opportunity to destroy his most hated adversary once and for all. Fittingly, the two Superstars battled in WWE’s second-ever Chicago Street Fight, a grueling contest where the only way to win was by pinfall or submission – with no count-outs and no disqualifications. (PHOTOS)

The last time Punk fought on a pay-per-view in his hometown of Chicago, he pulled off a remarkable upset over John Cena to capture his first WWE Championship. With that stunning win at Money in the Bank still fresh in the Chicagoans’ minds, Punk was showered with deafening cheers at the Allstate Arena as he made his way down the entrance ramp to take on Jericho.

Wearing a T-shirt that proclaimed “Drug Free” on the front and “Poison Free” on the back, Punk wasted no time dishing out punishment by lashing his opponent with a kendo stick. Jericho weathered the initial attack and returned the favor while brawling with Punk on the outside. Tempers flared when Jericho taunted Punk’s sister at ringside, a bold action that resulted in a slap across Jericho’s face from Punk’s sister as The Straight Edge Superstar flew into a rage.

After beating each other mercilessly with the tops of the announce tables, Jericho reached for a can of beer and drenched the WWE Champion. However, as with his previous attempts to embarrass Punk, it just added fuel to his competitive fire.

Punk rallied back and went for the Go To Sleep, but Jericho evaded the finishing move and slapped on the Walls of Jericho, which Punk then countered and nearly notched a pinfall. Further showing his resiliency, Jericho kicked out following Punk’s big elbow drop from the top rope, and later slipped out of a second Go To Sleep attempt.

As Jericho locked Punk in the Walls of Jericho following a Codebreaker, The Straight Edge Superstar crawled to escape the hold, but under the rules of a Chicago Street Fight, he was unable to break the submission by grabbing the ropes. In an act of desperation, Punk reached under the ring and discovered a fire extinguisher, blasting his rival in the face to regain momentum in the match.

With a breathtaking leap to the outside, The Straight Edge Superstar drove his elbow into Jericho’s chest, shattering the announce table. Even that devastating blow wasn’t enough to keep Jericho down for good, as he escaped an Anaconda Vise attempt by whacking Punk repeatedly in the head with a kendo stick.

After Punk survived a Codebreaker onto a steel chair, Jericho tried to mock the WWE Champion with the Go To Sleep, holding up Punk above his shoulders while screaming “I am the best in the world!” The moment to gloat backfired, though, as Punk reversed it with a slingshot into the turnbuckle and followed with the Go To Sleep for the incredible victory.

At one point, it seemed like The Straight Edge Superstar would never shake the constant harassment from a rival intent on taking away his title. As The Second City Savior leapt into the crowd Sunday night and soaked in the ovation from his Chicago supporters, all of the ridicule and torment from Jericho appeared to be a distant memory.

Mind games couldn’t break Punk; they only made him a stronger WWE Champion.

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WWE Champion CM Punk received a liquor basket from Chris Jericho
CM Punk probably didn’t even have to open Chris Jericho’s gift to know what was inside. After receiving a basket full of liquor from his rival, The Straight Edge Superstar said he has a present for Jericho, too – the one he’s going to personally deliver in a Chicago Street Fight at Extreme Rules

Alex Riley told Chris Jericho that he saw CM Punk drinking liquor in the locker room
Alex Riley claimed to have seen CM Punk drinking out of one of the liquor bottles that Jericho gave the WWE Champion. Unconvinced, Jericho took a peek inside the locker room to see for himself and spotted Punk sipping out of a plastic cup while one of the liquor bottles appeared to be sitting half-empty nearby. Continue reading »

WWE Champion CM Punk def. Mark Henry (WATCH | PHOTOS)
In their third meeting in as many weeks, WWE Champion CM Punk put his title on the line against Mark Henry in London in a No Count-Out, No Disqualification Match. With both Superstars taking full advantage of the match stipulation, they went to war.

At one point, Punk acquired a steel chair and blasted Henry with a thunderous shot to the mid section. But when The Straight Edge Superstar went for another shot, Henry countered with a big boot to the gut and smashed him with the chair. As their battle waged on, the champion avoided a World’s Strongest Slam with a kick to the head then a running high knee. But when Henry battled back and charged at Punk in the corner, he ran headfirst into a steel chair when Punk ducked out of the way. With The World’s Strongest Man down, Punk leaped from the top rope and bashed Henry with steel chair to retain his WWE Championship.
After CM Punk’s successful title defense against Mark Henry, Chris Jericho revealed the two would square off at Extreme Rules in a Chicago Street Fight (PREVIEW). Jericho then accused Punk of drinking earlier in the day at a London pub (FULL STORY). Punk vehemently denied Jericho’s claim and urged Jericho to come to ring and smell his breath. After calling Punk’s straight edge lifestyle a facade, Jericho declared that Punk is going to lose his WWE Championship at Extreme Rules. Before Punk could respond, Jericho vanished from the arena screen.

Before the match, CM Punk defended his straight-edge lifestyle in an emotional address to the WWE Universe. Punk admitted that he felt violated by Chris Jericho’s disturbing act of drenching him with alcohol and smashing the bottle over his head on last week’s Raw. Before Punk could speak any further, though, Jericho interrupted on the TitanTron and mocked The Straight Edge Superstar for getting so emotional over experiencing his first “bender.” Punk fired back, saying Jericho can’t break him, and that he would only bring out the more dangerous side of the WWE Champion.

Punk’s match against Mark Henry was short-lived, as Punk grabbed a TV monitor and attacked The World’s Strongest Man, resulting in a victory for Henry via disqualification. Henry then exacted his revenge with a World’s Strongest Slam and Jericho seized the opportunity to ambush The Straight Edge Superstar by surprise – with six-packs of beer in hand. (PHOTOS)

Jericho broke open can after can of beer, and despite The Straight Edge Champion’s best efforts to stop him, Punk was soaked with the alcohol. All the while, Jericho continued to taunt Punk, urging him to “have some more,” before drilling him with a Codebreaker as he posed with the WWE Championship.

On next week’s Raw SuperShow, Punk will once again put his title on the line against Mark Henry. But this time, it will be in a No Count-Out, No Disqualification Match.

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After challenging the authority of new Raw and SmackDown General Manager John Laurinaitis at the start of the night, Punk was forced to defend his title against the formidable Mark Henry. In a dominant show of force, Henry took it to Punk as soon as the match began, and Punk found himself just trying to preserve his title for most of the bout. Each time Punk appeared to gain the upper hand, Henry would come right back.

In a promising display of offense, Punk delivered a series of blows and a kick to the head, then launched himself from the top rope onto Henry. But the risky move appeared to take its toll on Punk, who was then tossed from the ring and counted out of the contest. But Henry wasn’t done yet. With Punk down, Henry blasted him with a World’s Strongest Slam to the arena floor, leaving him writhing in pain.

After the brutality, Laurinaitis emerged to inform Punk that the WWE Universe wants to see him defend his title more often. “I see some dark clouds in your horizon,” he warned.

Adding insult to injury, Chris Jericho came to ringside to recall his WrestleMania Match with Punk. With The Straightedge Superstar still writhing in pain on the arena floor, Jericho hoisted a bottle of booze and proposed a toast. But instead of sharing a drink, Jericho poured the bottle’s contents all over the fallen champion. Next –while verbally assaulting Punk’s family – he warned him about drinking and proceeded to smash the glass bottle over his head!

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Just when you thought CM Punk’s rivalry with Chris Jericho couldn’t get any more personal, Jericho makes sure it does. Before Punk squared off with Christian, The Straight Edge Superstar got another heated video message from Jericho, who appeared live via satellite on the TitanTron. Jericho proceeded to make personal remarks about Punk’s birth, alleging that it occurred before his parents’ wedding date, and claiming that makes Punk “the legal definition of a bastard.” (VIDEO)

Christian tried to make a surprise attack on Punk from behind, but it was the enraged WWE Champion who quickly took out his aggression on Captain Charisma. Punk had to be separated by WWE officials after he repeatedly smashed Christian into the announce table, then refused to let go of the painful Anaconda Vise. It’s become very apparent that Jericho has gotten inside Punk’s head. The question is whether or not it will work to Jericho’s benefit for their “Best in the World” clash at WrestleMania. (VIDEO: Punk responds to what Jericho said about his mother)

UPDATE: Christian re-aggravated his neck injury due to Punk’s attack, and has been ruled medically unable to compete at WrestleMania. (FULL STORY)

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WWE Champion CM Punk & Sheamus def. World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan & The Miz

(WATCH | PHOTOS)

The Second City Saint journeyed to Friday nights, just nine days before he will put his WWE Title on the line against Chris Jericho in what has become an extremely personal WrestleMania showdown (MATCH PREVIEW). Together with Sheamus, he would battle World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan – whom The Celtic Warrior will challenge at The Show of Shows (MATCH PREVIEW)– and The Miz – who has been completely unsuccessful at getting a match on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Just when Bryan looked be in trouble with The Great White in the fierce tag team main event, the calculating champion quickly tagged himself out, leaving Miz to fend for himself as he took off up the ramp with AJ and his title following close behind him. Sheamus finished off his remaining opponent with the Brogue Kick.