DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES

While no man is an island, Triple H certainly appeared adrift in unfamiliar waters when he opened Raw. The Superstar explained that, unlike the remainder of the red brand’s roster, he had remained stateside during Raw’s European tour. He explained that, due to the volcanic ash over Europe, air travel has been disrupted grounding most of his Raw brethren across the Atlantic.

The Game then went on to discuss his Street Fight against Sheamus this Sunday at Extreme Rules before he was rudely interrupted by The Straight Edge Society, including Luke Gallows, Serena and leader CM Punk. After Punk and Triple H exchanged words regarding Punk’s pay-per-view bout against Rey Mysterio, the preachy provocateur demanded that The King of Kings convert to Straight Edge. Triple H didn’t take too kindly to the proselytizing, and he and The S.E.S. came to blows. That’s when Mysterio joined the fray. The Biggest Little Man helped beat back The S.E.S. and, in a possible foreshadowing of their bout at Extreme Rules, managed to snip a lock of Punk’s hair in the process.

Just six days until Extreme Rules, a battalion of the pay-per-view’s competitors converged in a Six-Man Tag Team Match pitting Rey Mysterio, Edge & Triple H against CM Punk, Chris Jericho & Luke Gallows. In the run-up to the highly anticipated Steel Cage Match, Edge faced down his former partner Jericho, who punished his rival by crushing his ankle. Punk also sent Mysterio a message in the lead up to their Extreme Rules contest.

The match’s conclusion, however, seemed fitting since it was Raw Superstar Triple H who led his team to victory by pinning SmackDown’s Straight Edge spiritual guide, CM Punk.

A huge thank you to Rockecy for sending me these captures. In case you guys haven’t already, pick up The Best Of SmackDown 10th Anniversary and you’ll find an interview with CM PUNK. Here are some captures from the interview.

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES
Shawn Michaels’ recent career crisis appears to have DX unraveling at the seams. HBK and Triple H joined forces in an effort to retain their Unified Tag Team Titles in a Triple Threat Elimination Match against United States Champion The Miz & Big Show and the Straight Edge Society. Michaels, however, seemed distracted by what can only be categorized as his obsession with a WrestleMania rematch against World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker.

After eliminating Luke Gallows, HBK focused on the remaining threat, Big Show & Miz. Rather than offer his usual sure-handed performance, though, Michaels crumpled, allowing his opponents to surmount his offense and capture the Unified Tag Team Titles

SCREEN CAPTURES
William Shatner: Renaissance Man. The iconic thespian wears many hats in his life, and, in WWE, he slipped easily into his role as “Raw Match Negotiator.” When United States Champion The Miz & The Big Show whined about wanting to face DX for the Unified Tag Team Titles, they were not alone. CM Punk & Luke Gallows also craved an opportunity. Therefore, the brilliance that is Shatner arranged for the three teams to battle for the titles next Monday night in a Unified Tag Team Triple Threat Match.

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CM Punk retiring Jeff Hardy won Shocker of the Year; John Cena def. CM Punk
Despite having captured two World Heavyweight Championships and winning Money in the Bank for the second year in a row, CM Punk described retiring Jeff Hardy after their Steel Cage Match on SmackDown as his finest moment.

While The Straightedge Superstar also promised to prevail as WWE Superstar of the Year, his hopes were dashed in minutes when he met up with John Cena. Perhaps compensating for his loss to Sheamus at WWE: TLC, Cena showcased his considerable strength and skills against the holier-than-thou opponent to move onto the winner of the Undertaker vs. Randy Orton match. Cena then shared his thoughts with the WWE Universe: He will not lose another match before regaining the WWE Title!

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES
Raw’s special guest host, Gov. Jesse Ventura, expressed his desire to break free from convention – and tonight he succeeded. He arranged a non-title match between WWE Champion John Cena and a SmackDown Superstar, CM Punk. The preachy pugilist, Punk dropped by Raw just one night after falling shy of clinching victory for Randy Orton and his team at Survivor Series. The Champ, on the other hand, was fresh off a successful title defense against Triple H and Shawn Michaels at the colossal pay-per-view.

The momentum proved too much for Punk to overcome as Cena dug in his heels and managed to triumph over his opponent’s high-energy attack.

As World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk looked on from the announce table, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio & The Great Khali teamed up to face down Edge, Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho & Dolph Ziggler. Perhaps sending a message to Punk, his opponent at The Bash, The Charismatic Enigma pinned Ziggler himself to secure the win for his team. As Hardy celebrated in the ring after the match, Punk climbed in and raised his Bash opponent’s hand in victory. Undoubtedly recalling how Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract against him at Extreme Rules after a grueling World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match against Edge, Hardy jerked his hand away, his mind looking forward to this Sunday.

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES
Though Jeff Hardy and some members of the WWE Universe might think otherwise, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk maintained that he did nothing wrong in cashing in his Money in the Bank on Hardy following his Ladder Match against Edge. On Raw, The Charismatic Enigma had an opportunity to win the World Heavyweight Title back from The Straightedge Champion, but with the added complication of The Rated-R Superstar’s presence.

In the course of the match, Punk appeared to injure his leg after landing wrong on the ring steps, moving outside the ring for WWE’s athletic trainers to attend to him. The World Heavyweight Champion made a miraculous recovery however, launching into action after Hardy hit Edge with a Swanton Bomb, pulling The Charismatic Enigma out of the ring and covering Edge to retain his championship gold. After the match, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long emerged, congratulating CM Punk and revealing that his next title defense would be against Jeff Hardy at The Bash.

John Cena def. WWE Champion Rey Mysterio; CM Punk confronted Cena
The capacity crowd inside the Hampton Coliseum might want to save their ticket stubs. It was a night to remember for the WWE Universe. In an unprecedented second WWE Championship Match of the night, newly-minted WWE Champion Rey Mysterio was forced to defend the title he won less than two hours earlier against one of WWE’s toughest competitors, John Cena.

As the two sportsmen competed, it eventually became clear that The Cenation Commander-in-Chief would overpower Rey’s agile assault and capture his ninth WWE Championship. In the carnival of celebration, however, one competitor emerged to dispute the legitimacy of Cena’s reign.

CM Punk shocked the WWE faithful when, after having departed the company two weeks earlier, he surfaced inside the arena carrying his WWE Title. The audience, as well as millions at home, watched the confrontation, the tension, the body language. Which man would blink first? Which WWE Champion was the rightful heir to WWE’s most coveted object? In the frenzied air of anticipation, however, there would be no determination. The Second City Savior and The Champ merely stood hoisting their respective WWE Titles skyward, as if to declare their proper place in the history books despite the protests of the other.