WWE Champion CM Punk def. Ryback in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match

It was a long time coming, but WWE Champion CM Punk finally faced feeding time in the Tampa Bay Times Forum, battling Ryback one-on-one in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match for Punk’s WWE Title that was originally slated to go down at WWE TLC in December. Punk’s unexpected trip under the knife delayed the contest for a full month, but with The Straight Edge Superstar cleared by WWE medical officials, the champion’s brief reprieve from his ravenous challenger was finally at an end.

And make no mistake, Ryback was nothing if not very, very hungry when he finally stepped into the ring against Punk. Ryback literally came out swinging against the champion, tenderizing Punk with body shots and vicious blows from the steel steps, but Punk took advantage of the unique stipulation to fortify his counterattacks. Punk battered Ryback with chair strikes to soften him up for his signature kicks, but Ryback had a similar strategy. He matched Punk shot-for-shot with his own chair and, at one point, delivered a bone-crunching suplex to Punk that drove the champion, back-first, onto a prone ladder.

Punk rallied from the brutal assault to set up a ladder in the center of the ring, but Ryback seemed to irrevocably take control of the bout when he slammed Punk atop the ladder and then dropped him through a table, leaving the champion incapacitated and the title within reach. But right when the beast scaled the ladder, the arena lights cut out. When the lights returned, they revealed The Shield, who stormed the ring. The trio unleashed a beating on Ryback, executing the triple powerbomb and allowing Punk to scale the ladder unscathed. Against all odds, the WWE Champion survives, extending his historic reign by yet another day. Next stop: the Royal Rumble.

The Rock confronted WWE Champion CM Punk

Finally, it’s come down to this: WWE Champion CM Punk and The Rock, in the ring one-on-one. And while the first 2013 encounter between the two (and their first faceoff since Raw 1,000 back in July) was only a verbal one, the atmosphere was still pulsating with electricity and animosity as their WWE Title bout at the Royal Rumble drew ever nearer.

Before The Rock could address the people, however, CM Punk took the opportunity to drop another “pipe bomb.” In his own words, the term has been misinterpreted since that fateful 2011 night in Las Vegas. “Pipe bomb” has taken on the meaning of a tell-all missive, but to the champion, it is simply the truth. And the truth is, despite his efforts, Punk found that life in WWE had not changed much, and claimed that talented Superstars such as himself were still subject to the whims of an audience he believed to be fickle and ill-informed. In that vein, Punk snarled that he did not succeed because of “the people” who suddenly rallied to his side: He succeeded despite the “system” that had been established to keep him and his ilk down, and the fans who supported it in the first place.

“I have beaten you,” Punk said to the Universe, the establishment, to anyone and everyone his words could reach. “I have stomped you out under my oppressive boot and I’m gonna do the same to The Rock because I don’t care if he’s back. You do not get to win.”

At that point, The Rock had enough. The Brahma Bull’s music hit and for the first time since July, The Great One stalked down to the ring and wasted little time in addressing the champion’s comments. “Twenty days,” The Rock said, addressing the number of days Punk has until the fateful WWE Title Match between the two at the Royal Rumble. “Twenty days. Time’s up.”

What followed was a proverbial clash of the titans on the microphone, as Punk’s bilious rhetoric clashed with Rock’s patented braggadocio. After a tense back-and-forth, The Rock laid his own personal truth bare. His own “pipe bomb,” if you will. “The Rock is back to entertain them, The Rock is back to stop you, and after 10 long years, The Rock is back to win that,” he said.

Punk countered with a response that had no shortage of malice, but The Great One would not be deterred. “Twenty days,” Rock warned again. “Time’s up.” And before Punk could reply, The Brahma Bull struck with a Rock Bottom, leaving the WWE Champion in a heap on the canvas and sending an unmistakable message to The Straight Edge Superstar.

Welcome to 2013, WWE Universe. It’s gonna be quite the year. Twenty days.

Mr. McMahon addressed CM Punk’s WWE Title Match with Ryback
 

PHOTOS | VIDEO

If CM Punk’s 2013 resolution is to hang on to his WWE Title for a little while longer, the odds of The Voice of the Voiceless retaining his mantle just got a little bit slimmer. Sitting pretty — but injured — at 407 days as champion, The Straight Edge Superstar descended upon our nation’s capital to refute his doubters. This time, though, Punk brought his personal physician along to illustrate the severity of his injury. Despite the champion’s assertion he would be ready to compete against Ryback, the doctor would have none of it. Upon further review, he declared The Voice of the Voiceless would be unable to defend his title on the Jan. 7 Raw. And while the champion was visibly irked by this development, there was one individual who took even greater issue with the doctor’s decision: Mr. McMahon.

With 2012’s final hours ticking away, The Chairman gave his last decree of the calendar year: The champion would undergo a final evaluation by WWE officials to determine whether he was ready to compete. And if Punk was truly unable to go, Ryback’s replacement opponent would be … Paul Heyman. Happy (?) New Year, CM Punk.

Ric Flair returned, presented Superstar of the Year to John Cena and fought WWE Champion CM Punk

Seriously, who else could it have been? Who else could have awarded the supreme Slammy for a tumultuous 2012 than the limousine-ridin’, jet-flyin’, kiss-stealin’, wheelin’, dealin’ son of a gun himself, Ric Flair? Flair returned to WWE after a lengthy hiatus and looked like he never missed a beat. And like everything he’s ever done, “The Nature Boy’s” return to WWE did not come to pass without a maelstrom of controversy after the two-time WWE Hall of Famer was awarded the Slammy by its voted recipient, John Cena. But before Flair could take the trophy in his perfectly manicured hands, WWE Champion CM Punk hobbled out to the stage to drop a “pipe bomb” on Flair, unleashing a tirade against “Naitch” and insistinghe, not Flair or Cena, was the true Superstar of the Year.

So how does Ric Flair respond to such a thing? Why, he challenged Punk to a fight. The Second City Saint obliged, too, shattering one of his crutches over Flair’s back before The Dirtiest Player in the Game countered by poking Punk in the eye and wrenching Paul Heyman into the Figure-Four Leglock. With Punk and Heyman dispatched, Flair took to the mic to address the Philadelphia crowd … until the crackling static of The Shield’s theme spelled doom for Flair. “Come on down, boys,” he said, clearly ready for more.

WWE Champion CM Punk addressed his knee injury

386 days and counting, and WWE Champion CM Punk is still all about realness.

Specifically, the realness of his knee injury and subsequent surgery, which Punk and his pal Paul Heyman addressed onstage at the Prudential Center. “This injury is 100 percent real,” The Second City Saint insisted, bemused at the idea he would fake an injury to avoid giving Ryback another title opportunity. Punk wasn’t ready to concede anything of the sort to Ryback, instead insisting the injury was the result of the heavy workload that came along with defending the WWE Title for 386 days and, despite the setback, he would be at WWE TLC.

Paul Heyman echoed his champion’s statement, slamming the authenticity of other, lesser champions who would refuse to defend his title as often as Punk did. He also had particularly venomous words for The Rock, who he claimed lost his edge and would instead summon a stunt double (“some poor schmuck” as Heyman so loquaciously put it) to go through the table in his stead. The injury was a testament to Punk’s fortitude and his continued status as the WWE Champion and The Best in the World.

As for the “vocal minority” who insisted Punk should be stripped of the title, The Voice of the Voiceless cried foul on that, too. Rattling off a laundry list of his vanquished foes as evidence, Punk claimed he earned the right to keep his title and would continue to do so, should he end up facing The Rock at the Royal Rumble. “He will fail,” the champion vowed before taking his leave, Heyman in tow and his title safe, at least until day 387.

The Miz challenged WWE Champion CM Punk to take a lie detector test on “Miz TV”

PHOTOS | VIDEO

And so we enter day 379 of CM Punk’s WWE Championship reign, and to emphasize his point of the week, The Second City Saint went to the books to highlight the WWE Universe’s egregious disrespect of his accomplishments. Specifically, Punk and Paul Heyman pried open the new WWE Encyclopedia and brought Punk’s latest accomplishment as champion to light: As of midnight, Punk will surpass John Cena as the longest-reigning WWE Champion of the past 25 years.

“Now you’re gonna have to agree with me when I say to you that CM Punk is not only your champion, not only The Best in the World, but there is no argument that CM Punk shouldn’t be front and center on WWE’s version of Mt. Rushmore,” Heyman sneered before Punk took the mic for himself.

Despite surpassing the WWE’s resident Superman on the championship chart, Punk claimed he was still unfairly persecuted and unjustly denied the proper reverence as WWE Champion, including an apparently measly entry in the encyclopedia itself. The latest injustice perpetrated upon him — being forced to defend his title against Ryback in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match — was just a testament to how high the deck has been stacked against him by the likes of the WWE Universe. They were the ones, Punk spewed, who turned their back on him at the drop of a hat and continue to vilify him at every turn, causing WWE management to place Punk in insurmountable situations that endangered his reigns.

“The truth,” Punk said, “is if it wasn’t for me, none of you would be here today … if it wasn’t for me, you people would have nothing to look forward to on these dismal, three-hour Monday Night Raws.”

But just as Punk was daring the assembled crowd to leave the arena if they couldn’t accept his truths, he found his tirade cut off by the most awesome of gatecrashers.

Mic in hand and resplendent in his suit, The Miz emerged from backstage and gave the Greensboro faithful an alternative: “Sit down and enjoy yourselves.” And then, he went on the attack.

“Everyone knows that Brad Maddox was in your back pocket at Hell in a Cell. Everyone knows The Shield bailed you out at Survivor Series. And last week, if The Shield didn’t bail you out again, Ryback would’ve fed himself some Punk.”

Having challenged Punk’s credibility but unwilling to scuff his top-dollar kicks, The Miz presented Punk with a unique challenge: to defend his reputation not in the ring, but on “Miz TV” courtesy of a lie detector test (co-signed by the county sheriff’s department) that would determine whether Punk truly had any association with The Shield or rogue referee Maddox. The Voice of the Voiceless balked at the idea at first, but as always, Miz wasn’t about to allow anyone get the last word in over him.

“That is exactly what I want,” Miz roared. “You with a live mic … me with a live mic. Bring your best pipe bomb! I am giving you exactly what you want: a chance to clear your name, to cement your legacy … or maybe you’d rather walk around with an asterisk next to every single one of your accomplishments, including your 379 day title reign.”

Needless to say, that did the trick. Sufficiently goaded, Punk agreed to take the test, with one final catch: after he passes and proves himself to be The Best in the World, Miz, along with the world, would have to admit it.
WWE Champion CM Punk took a lie detector test on “Miz TV”

PHOTOS | VIDEO

If the truth will not set you free, perhaps The Shield will.

In any case, that seemed to be the prevailing lesson of CM Punk’s highly hyped lie detector test, conducted under the bright lights of “Miz TV” in a highly controversial Q-and-A that would see Punk’s mentor Paul Heyman placed into a match with Ryback should Punk prove a liar. The Second City Saint looked appropriately surly as The Awesome One strapped Punk to the polygraph and conducted a few “test” questions to establish a base for the test.

The interrogation began innocuously enough: “Is your name CM Punk?” (It is.) “Have you held the WWE Title for 379 days?” (He has.)

“Did Rey Mysterio shave your head bald at Over the Limit 2010?”

Things degenerated quickly from there (though, for the record: Yes, Mysterio shaved Punk bald at Over the Limit 2010), with Miz challenging his inner Lt. Daniel Kaffee and moving from the innocent to the provocative in a matter of minutes. Punk’s responses to the million-dollar question — is he involved with The Shield and/or Brad Maddox? — apparently weren’t up to snuff, as Miz’s administrator decreed The Voice of the Voiceless might be lying.

But before any kind of resolution could unfold, The Shield made their presence known yet again. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns mobbed the ring and dismantled the “Miz TV” set, attacking the host in the process and once again bailing Punk from his predicament. With The Miz at their mercy, The Shield looked to once again close Raw out standing tall over a fallen foe … but then who should come to the rescue but the Tag Team Champions Team Hell No. Kane & Daniel Bryan wasted no time in joining the fracas, but things looked to be going sour all the same … until Ryback’s music hit.

Wasting no time, the beast rushed in and attacked the triumvirate alongside the Tag Team Champions. The threesome managed to turn the tide against The Shield, driving Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns away and leaving Punk to gloat over the beaten and battered Miz.

As it turns out, though, Ryback wasn’t done.

While Punk stood over his smarmy tormentor, the human wrecking machine stormed back into the ring and had his way with the WWE Champion, leaving Punk Shell Shocked and producing a ladder and a chair from beneath the ring. Ryback battered Punk with both before bringing a table into play and pummeling Punk through it, closing a tumultuous Raw.

“Miz TV”: come for the jokes, stay for the unmitigated destruction.

Ryback def. Titus O’Neil and demanded a rematch with WWE Champion CM Punk

Titus O’Neil probably felt like less than millions of dollars after Raw rolled into Lafayette, La., when the mouthy big dog of The Prime Time Players met the same ignominious fate as his other half Darren Young did last Friday on SmackDown at the hands of Ryback. “The Big Deal” came out swinging in the Cajundome in the pursuit of retribution against the ravenous Superstar, but things went pear-shaped for Titus relatively quickly when Ryback tossed the big man outside the ropes, decking him with a clothesline while Titus called for a timeout.

The tag-team standout found enough strength to pound Ryback with Clash of the Titus sit-down powerbomb, but even O’Neil’s powerful signature move wasn’t enough to finish the job. Ryback kicked out after only a count of one, thwarting Titus’ second attempt at the maneuver before executing the Meathook Clothesline and following up with Shell Shocked to seal the victory.

But having dispatched both Prime Time Players in a four-day span was apparently not enough. For the second time in two weeks, Ryback seized a microphone and made his intentions known. ”Whether it’s one CM Punk, three outsiders dressed in black or all four of them together, I’m gonna stand here all damn night until I get what I want. FEED. ME. MORE!”

What Ryback got instead was a hearty helping of Cajundome security, which swarmed the ring and stood toe-to-toe with the monster. One unlucky guard, though, found himself forcibly removed when he had the temerity to mean-mug the monster. Ryback’s opposition withered significantly after that, but while he was spoiling for a fight, Vickie Guerrero wasn’t about to have Raw degenerate into chaos.

The Managing Supervisor took to the stage and, just as last week, attempted to reason with Ryback. ”I am a very understanding person,” Vickie said, “and I know that you feel angry and embarrassed … however as Managing Supervisor of Raw, I am telling you that you will not be allowed to put your hands on security.”

But this time, Ryback would not be placated. The monster offered Vickie a deal: a WWE Title TLC Match at TLC: Tables Ladders & Chairs against CM Punk … and severe consequences should Vickie deny him.

Back to the wall, Vickie had no choice but to acquiesce to Ryback’s demands, provided he leave the ring. His appetite temporarily satisfied and the match made, Ryback finally departed (though not before scaring security off for good measure) with eyes toward his biggest feast yet.

Michael Cole interviewed Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns, aka “The Shield”

VIDEO

These are the facts, WWE Universe, as dictated to Michael Cole in a sit-down interview: Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns are not working for CM Punk and Paul Heyman. They are not rogue Superstars looking to cause chaos. They are not The nWo reborn. What they are, apparently, is a shield. The Shield, in fact, a group of Superstars whose sole purpose is to protect justice in a WWE where principles have fallen by the wayside.

“We sat down in NXT and we saw things clearly. We saw things headed in the wrong direction,” Rollins said in the trio’s exclusive interview with Cole. “We stepped in and righted those wrongs.”

“It’s about right and wrong,” sneered Ambrose, who balked when Cole implied their actions were for the sole benefit of CM Punk. Punk, Ambrose rationalized, was forced to defend his WWE Title against two foes he’d already beaten, so “The Shield” stepped in. When Ryback attempted to ruin Punk’s 365-day celebration, they intervened as well.

“Three hundred and sixty-five days as champion in this era should mean something,” Ambrose said. ”We’re not renegades, we’re not mercenaries. We’re not The Nexus … we’re about honor, we’re about principles. Where honor no longer exists, we will step in.”

Cole, for his part, continued with his attempts to pick through The Shield’s nebulous responses, but the threesome remained unbroken throughout each of Cole’s volleys. It was finally the intimidating Reigns, who had been silent the whole time, who brought the sit-down to its unceremonious halt. “We’ve said enough,” Reigns rumbled. “This interview is over.”

WWE Champion CM Punk def. WWE Tag Team Champion Kane; The Shield attacked again

PHOTOS | VIDEO

The WWE Universe spoke, and so it was that CM Punk, on the 372nd night of his WWE Title reign, found himself in hell once again. Renewing their rivalry from earlier this year, The Second City Saint and The Devil’s Favorite Demon collided in a RAWactive Match when Punk took on WWE Tag Team Champion Kane in a hard-hitting bout that shook the Cajundome to its core.

And while there was no romantic entanglement to motivate either man this time around, Punk and Kane both came out swinging, with The Second City Saint unleashing body shots on The Big Red Machine in an attempt to slow the Tag Team Champion down before he could get the ball rolling. Kane, for his part, adopted an unusually patient game plan, absorbing Punk’s attacks and retaliating with quick bursts while the champion preened for the crowd. Kane hit The Voice of the Voiceless with a barrage of chops in the corner before bouncing Punk off the ropes and booting him from the ring.

Punk switched up his style quickly after that, targeting Kane’s legs and lulling the demon into a false sense of security by playing possum, milking an injured knee to force Kane’s guard down. The strategy paid dividends when Punk executed a dive that left Kane reeling, following the attack by stomping on the monster’s legs and softening him up for a pair of running knees into the corner.

The third knee, however, didn’t go so great for him. Kane surged forward as Punk went for the trifecta, decking the champion with a chop to the face and flattening Punk with a sidewalk slam. Kane then set him up for the flying clothesline that so often precedes the Chokeslam.

But Punk was ready for Kane’s signature move, ducking under the demon’s gloved hand and countering with a swinging neckbreaker. Kane got the last word in, however, when he caught Punk in the middle of his own flying clothesline and finally planted the champion with the Chokeslam. With Punk down, Kane decided to seal the match with a statement and called for the Tombstone, but it wasn’t long before a trio of interlopers made themselves known. The Shield slowly materialized from the crowd, and their presence was enough to distract Kane for Punk to execute the Go to Sleep on The Big Red Monster. The Second City Saint quickly put the Tag Champion down and left him to the mercy of The Shield, who swarmed the ring and rained blows upon the prone Kane. Daniel Bryan suffered a similar fate when he ran to his partner’s aid, and just when it seemed like Punk would get off scot-free, Ryback returned for a piece of the action.

For once, though, his attentions were focused elsewhere than Punk because Ryback made a beeline for The Shield, planting Rollins with a powerbomb and cutting Ambrose and Reigns down with a pair of Meathook Clotheslines before Punk struck from behind. Ryback’s attempt to powerbomb the champ into oblivion proved fruitless when Reigns felled Ryback with a spear. With the beast vulnerable, The Shield ended their onslaught as they had the past two instances: a triple powerbomb that left Ryback limp on the mat, with Punk standing tall yet again over his TLC opponent. Whether he’ll be doing so again in three weeks’ time at Barclays Center remains to be seen.

Ryback crashed WWE Champion CM Punk’s 365-day celebration party

So here we are, 365 days later. One full turn around the sun since CM Punk made Alberto Del Rio tap in New York City and took the WWE Championship for his very own. Eleven months since his first defense of the reign at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs. Seven months since he walked into and out of WrestleMania XXVIII as champion, and one night after Punk proved his own prophecy right by defeating John Cena and Ryback, The Second City Saint stood in Dayton and celebrated the one-year anniversary of his second reign as WWE Champion.

And after some introductory oration by Paul Heyman, Punk took to the ring and, with no small amount of pleasure, quickly placed himself above the likes of Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock and proclaimed himself to be, as ever, The Best in the World. The Second City Saint then set his sights squarely on a date in the future: July 25, 2018, the 355th episode of WWE Main Event, when he would surpass Bruno Sammartino for the longest title reign in history. As for his greatest victory? For Punk, that answer was simple: His historic victory over Cena and Ryback, a win nobody said could be done save for Punk and Heyman himself.

It was a victory Punk seemed eager to relive, but at least one man wasn’t feeling the same nostalgia. Ryback’s music hit and the beast stomped down to the ring, fine/suspension be damned, to sink his claws into CM Punk finally. But once again, Ryback would be stopped short by the same men who cut him down the night before. Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns swarmed Ryback halfway down the ramp, stopping him from getting to Punk (who seemed as surprised by their presence as anyone) before once again hoisting Ryback on their shoulders and pummeling him through the announce table.

While the three attackers stood stoically in the ring, Punk decided to bask in the moment all the same. The Second City Saint sauntered down to the prone Ryback, planted one foot on his chest, and for the first time in year No. 2 of his WWE Title reign, proclaimed himself The Best in the World.

WWE Champion CM Punk interrupted Jerry “The King” Lawler’s return to Raw

There was no pomp and circumstance in re-introducing Jerry “The King” Lawler to the WWE Universe for his first Raw since his near-fatal heart attack nine weeks earlier, because there was no need for any. Lawler’s mere presence seemed to light a fire in the WWE Universe, each and every one of whom was either on their feet or bowing in reverence when the WWE Hall of Famer made his long-awaited return, a moment that Lawler, Michael Cole and J.R. unanimously agreed nobody was sure would ever happen again. “I just want to say from the bottom of my heart that I apprecaite it.

Is love you all so much,” said a tearful Lawler. “It’s great to be –” Enter CM Punk. The Second City Saint, who clearly has not been one for celebration these past few months, wasted no time in picking up where he left off in his torment of the WWE Hall of Famer. The Voice of the Voiceless’ audacity knew no bounds in particular on Monday night. “It’s good you left the ring when you did,” Punk sneered after Lawler headed back to the announce booth, “because if you did, I would have beat you to death … again.” Because what else should “The King” have expected, Punk said, after getting in the ring with the reigning WWE Champion and “attempting to relive his glory days?”

While the Superstars in the locker room talked about the number of minutes Lawler clinically left the land of the living, Punk presented a figure that he claimed “actually means something:” 358, the number of days he had stood as champion, a number that officially ties him with Diesel on the all-time list. The mockery didn’t stop there, though, as Punk only paused his mockery of Lawler to aid Paul Heyman in the mad scientist’s crass imitation of a heart attack. This, of course, would not stand for Mick Foley, who had been wating in the wings during “The King’s” return and saw fit to confront Punk one final time.

Because even though the two Superstars had supposedly concluded their business following the installation of Dolph Ziggler as a Survivor Series captain, Foley still had a few words for Punk’s attempt to hijack Lawler’s return for himself. ”Let me tell you a secret about Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler,” seethed Foley, the old Cactus Jack fury seeping from his pores. “HE WAS DEAD! And through miracles … he’s here tonight … You think that the fact that Jerry Lawler is here involves you and it DOESN’T!” And yes, while Foley did harbor disappointment over losing Punk as a Survivor Series opponent and the opportunity to “teach him a lesson,” not to mention the hole left in his ranks by Ryback’s absence (to be filled by the WWE Universe via a RAWactive poll) he wasn’t all that upset given the “parting gift” he’d been granted by the powers that be. For Punk’s contest against Cena later in the night, Foley would serve as the Special Guest Enforcer.

John Cena def. WWE Champion CM Punk

Nearly two months after their last meeting, CM Punk’s epic conflict with John Cena resumed in the confines of Nationwide Arena, with Mick Foley patrolling the outside as the Special Guest Enforcer. And despite Punk’s hesitance to mix it up with Cena, the 10-time WWE Champion notched a strong victory over the incumbent titleholder when Foley prevented The Second City Saint from abandoning the contest.

Forced to fight his way out of the predicament, however, Punk responded with gusto despite his efforts to vacate the bout. The Voice of the Voiceless’ technical expertise nearly swung the contest after Punk locked Cena in a vise-like sleeper hold, but Cena managed to power out and create separation by slamming Punk into the turnbuckle. Punk briefly abandoned mat wrestling for brute force when he exchanged a barrage of kicks and punches against the Cenation leader. But blunt force is where Cena lives, and the 10-time WWE Champion countered strongly with his signature shoulderblocks.

Punk was not about to take Cena’s moves lying down, though, and sprang a surprise counter to leave Cena prone for the flying elbow. Cena dodged the airborne strike and landed a Five-Knuckle Shuffle, but Punk again countered, writhing out of the Attitude Adjustment and stunning Cena with a kick to the face before locking him up in the Koji Clutch. Cena broke the hold by reaching the ropes. The maneuver appeared to have taken its toll on him, but as always, Cena would not be counted out so fast. He countered Punk’s springboard clothesline into the STF and, after Foley foiled Paul Heyman’s attempt to break the hold, locked Punk in the maneuver again until the champion made his way to the ropes.

Having had enough, Punk attempted again to leave, but was met by Ryback halfway up the ramp and scrambled reluctantly back to the ring. Cena, however, was lying in wait and pounded Punk with the Attitude Adjustment to pin the champion. Cena’s jubilation was ultimately short-lived as he found himself face to face again with Ryback. Each man grabbed hold of Punk’s precious title, laying claim to The Second City Saint’s prize while Punk himself withered in dread, the elusive yearlong mark never closer and yet, somehow, never quite so far away.

The Miz quit Team Punk

Anarchy hit the U.K. before Raw even began, when Team Punk collapsed in on itself with a coup d’état writ small as The Miz aired his grievances to Paul Heyman in the locker room area. “What kind of team leader abandons his team?” The Awesome One seethed in response to what transpired last week on Raw. But even though Heyman attempted to placate the former WWE  Champion by commanding he fall in line behind The Voice of the Voiceless.
Wade Barrett agreed to join Team Punk

Following The Miz’s resignation, Team Punk found itself one man short, so it fell to Paul Heyman to seek out a suitable replacement for The Awesome One at WWE’s fall classic. And who better to go to than the local boy himself, Wade Barrett?

Only the bare-knuckle champion wasn’t biting, and turned down the mad scientist’s offer before reconsidering on under one condition: “You owe me.” An elated Heyman agreed to Barrett’s terms before the rough-and-tumble fighter added one more caveat: “I want that in writing.”

Mr. McMahon suggested forced Vickie Guerrero to make a Triple Threat WWE Title Match at Survivor Series

McMahon next brought out Vickie Guerrero herself and did a little on-the-spot rejiggering of the Survivor Series main event. Why, The Chairman asked Vickie, should CM Punk be able to hide behind scores of other Superstars in a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match without having to defend his title? Why not defend his title against two men who deserved an opportunity at the prize — the Superstar who got screwed at Hell in a Cell and the Superstar who fought Punk to a tie at Night of Champions?

Safe to say Vickie didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. With The Chairman breathing down her neck, the Managing Supervisor of Raw made it official with a strained smile on her face: CM Punk vs. John Cena vs. Ryback at Survivor Series for the WWE Championship
Dolph Ziggler was named a team captain at Survivor Series; Vickie Guerrero declared CM Punk & Dolph Ziggler would face John Cena & Ryback

Let’s call it a mixed couple of moments for Mr. Money in the Bank, who went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows within the span of a few minutes at the hands of Vickie Guerrero and Mr. McMahon.

First came the good news: With Punk deposed as team captain at Survivor Series, Ziggler would be taking over The Second City Saint’s seat of power and head the newly christened “Team Ziggler” at WWE’s fall classic. This development brought out Punk, who railed against The Chairman’s temerity to rob him of his team and force him into a Triple Threat Match against Cena and Ryback.

While Punk cried conspiracy (Ziggler demurred), Vickie delivered the kicker of her meeting with The Chairman: Mr. McMahon decreed that later, Punk & Ziggler would unite against the first-time teaming John Cena & Ryback. Suffice it to say, Vickie was the only one who tried to see the upside of this situation.

John Cena & Ryback def. WWE Champion CM Punk & Dolph Ziggler

We’re not saying CM Punk has the gift of prophecy, but it’s fair to say his and Dolph Ziggler’s tag team contest against John Cena and Ryback was about as rough as they both expected it was going to be. Still, Punk wasn’t about to let such a match go by without getting his two cents in. The Voice of the Voiceless grabbed a microphone before the opening bell, lauding the length of his reign (351 days and counting) and promising to leave Survivor Series as the reigning WWE Champion, confirmed as The Best in the World.

The time for talk ended rather abruptly, though, when Cena and Ryback hit the ring for their first-ever (and potentially last-ever) teaming.

Cena and Punk started things off, resuming their long-running rivalry with a dead-even sequence of mat wrestling before Punk tagged in Ziggler, whose technical acumen wasn’t enough to keep the Cenation leader at bay. But after a brief return by Punk to soften Cena up, Ziggler found his groove. Mr. Money in the Bank re-entered the match with gusto, unleashing a seemingly endless sequence of elbow drops on Cena’s prone torso. The attack opened the door for Punk to tag back in and pummel Cena with a set of kicks and knees that brought The Second City Saint within a hair’s breadth of triumph. Cena quickly turned the tables with a last-ditch Attitude Adjustment on Punk, but a quick tag to Ziggler prevented the Cenation leader from summoning Ryback. The momentum, however tentatively, stayed in the corner of Punk & The Showoff.

Punk kept the attack going, trapping Cena in a triangle hold and alternating with Ziggler in an attempt to isolate the 10-time WWE Champion from his monstrous partner. Still, they don’t call Ziggler The Showoff for nothing, as his failed attempt at an overly flashy dropkick forced him to tag in Punk just as Cena reached Ryback and brought the beast into the match.

The Second City Saint did not last long after Ryback entered the fray, as the beast pulverized both Punk and Ziggler before pinning The WWE Champion with Shell Shocked. Once Punk writhed out of the ring, though, the WWE Universe was treated to a strange, ominous scene. As Cena entered the ring, ostensibly to celebrate, Ryback locked eyes with the Cenation leader and began to bellow “FEED ME MORE!!!” with the WWE Universe chanting in unison.

The message, it seemed, was clear: There’s room on Ryback’s menu for more than just CM Punk.

WWE Champion CM Punk challenged Mick Foley to a traditional Survivor Series Match

Battered, beaten and bruised, CM Punk strode into Monday Night Raw the very image of defiance, if not necessarily health, following his controversial victory over Ryback at Hell in a Cell. With his ribs taped and a gait in his step, The Second City Saint looked like he’d gone ten rounds with a Mack truck but had lost none of his signature bile as he addressed the WWE Universe.

“You all thought he was unbeatable,” sneered Punk. “You thought I was going to be just another victim in this trail of bodies left behind by the monster. You were wrong … you were all wrong and you were proven wrong by me. For 344 days you were proven wrong by me.”

“I’ve defeated every single one of your heroes,” Punk gloated, citing his past defeats of the beloved Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton as evidence of his greatness, before turning attention to his series of victories over “the resident Superman” of WWE, John Cena. “As far as Ryback’s concerned, he’s not even in the conversation.”

Of course, per Punk’s M.O., he turned attention next to himself, looking to celebrate his own victory but disappointed that the win was “marred” by the injustice perpetrated by Brad Maddox. Punk denied involvement in Maddox’s controversial interference and claimed the only thing he was guilty of was taking advantage of the situation Maddox presented him.

In other words, a win is a win, and Punk, the victor, stood tall before the crowd and declared that he was “ineraseable.” “I am The Best in the World,” Punk preened, but The Voice of the Voiceless’ latest manifesto was brought to a screeching halt, incidentally, by the screeching sound of a car cash through the speakers. Which, of course, could only mean one thing:

Mick Foley had arrived. And boy, was he mad.