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In an in-ring encounter earlier in the night, CM Punk once again lectured Jeff Hardy and the WWE Universe about the straightedge lifestyle. But, Punk paid the price when he tried to knock the champion from atop a ladder in the middle of the ring. The egregious actions prompted the high-flyer to crush the No. 1 contender with a Twist of Fate.

The night’s main event featured the reunited Hardy brothers, who proved they are once again a force to be reckoned with in WWE. A fired-up Matt Hardy took care of business by dropping No. 1 contender CM Punk with a Twist of Fate to get the pinfall for his team. Does the win give World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy the momentum he needs to successfully defend his title against Punk this Sunday?

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After his vicious attack on Jeff Hardy last week, CM Punk expounded on his own TLC attributes, insisting that he would prove victorious in the World Heavyweight Championship Match at SummerSlam (match preview). After the former champion promised to “end Jeff Hardy,” SmackDown General Manger Theodore Long stepped into the ring to refute Punk’s claims that the injured Hardy may be too hurt to compete at the pay-per-view. The war-torn Charismatic Champion himself then slowly emerged to echo Long’s statement, promising to defeat Punk in nine days time. (VIDEO | PHOTOS) Though it seemed Hardy would be out of action for the night, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon soon dropped a bombshell by phone, ordering that, despite his injuries, the World Champion would have face The Hart Dynasty in a Handicap Match.

Though Hardy fought heroically, the 2-on-1 disadvantage proved too much for the injured champion, as he finally succumbed to the Dynasty’s Hart Attack. When The Straightedge Superstar emerged to execute a post-match onslaught on his SummerSlam opponent, John Morrison rushed down to Hardy’s defense. But the pair still found themselves outgunned once Punk incorporated the steel chair. Then, to the surprise and delight of the WWE Universe, Matt Hardy suddenly burst onto the scene. After working to clear the ring, the elder Hardy extended an arm to help his brother up, igniting an explosive roar from the ecstatic WWE Universe.

Back in his office, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long made the monumental announcement to Mr. McMahon that next week on SmackDown, CM Punk & The Hart Dynasty will face John Morrison and Matt & Jeff Hardy.

The third time proved to be a charm for The Straightedge Superstar. After suffering two separate pinfalls at the hands of The Friday Night Delight in recent weeks, the No. 1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship foiled Morrison’s second attempt at Starship Pain and hit the GTS.

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Before the bell could ring to start their World Heavyweight Championship rematch, Jeff Hardy and CM Punk attacked each other, quickly bringing the WWE Universe into a state of absolute bedlam. Amidst the mass hysteria, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon emerged, declaring that the two Superstars would still have a World Heavyweight Championship Match with a “special guest enforcer,” handpicked by The Chairman himself.

Later that night, to the shock of the WWE Universe, Matt Hardy emerged as Mr. McMahon’s special guest enforcer. While Jeff was confronting his brother outside the ring, Punk used the distraction to attempt an attack on his adversary. But when Jeff moved, it was his elder brother that took the hit instead. Moments later, when it looked like Punk may pin the World Champion, Matt pulled the referee out of the ring. As Matt confronted Punk, Jeff rolled his opponent up and the guest enforcer himself counted Punk’s shoulders to the canvas. The former ECW Champion then left without further action or comment.

Following the bell, an enraged CM Punk viciously attacked Hardy for the second week in a row, ruthlessly incorporating a chair to catastrophic ends. SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long responded by making the blockbuster announcement that Jeff Hardy would again face CM Punk for the title at SummerSlam, in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match.

Hardy basked in the glow of his first successful title defense, CM Punk came to the ring to apparently congratulate Hardy by raising his arm in victory. But then, in an ugly display of poor sportsmanship, The Straightedge Superstar viciously assaulted Hardy amidst a chorus of boos from the WWE Universe. The crazed ex-champion reigned down blow upon blow on Hardy, leaving him battered and beaten on the arena floor. Then, just when it appeared Punk was done, he attacked Hardy again, tossing his helpless body across the announce table and onto the arena floor.

For weeks, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk said Jeff Hardy didn’t stand a chance against him. There was no way a flawed man like Hardy could defeat a competitor who follows the straightedge way of life, Punk claimed.

But at Night of Champions, Jeff Hardy proved CM Punk wrong when he pinned him in the center of the ring and captured his second World Heavyweight Championship.

This victory over Punk was a long time coming for The Charismatic Enigma. Jeff thought his dream of becoming the World Heavyweight Champion had finally come true at Extreme Rules when he defeated Edge in a Ladder Match, but the moment was short-lived. Mere seconds after he grabbed the gold, Hardy had to face CM Punk, who was cashing in his Money in the Bank title opportunity. Battered and tired, Jeff was unable to put up a good fight and The Straightedge Superstar won the title.

At The Bash, Hardy’s frustrations continued. When it seemed as though The Charismatic Enigma had pinned Punk to win the gold, it was revealed that the champion’s foot was under the ropes. When the match was restarted, Punk kicked the referee in the back, resulting in a disqualification and no title change.

But when the two Superstars met again at Night of Champions, there was nothing CM Punk could do to stop Hardy’s drive to win. The World Heavyweight Champion utilized his aggressive and unique offense to slow the Cameron, N.C., native down, but he simply couldn’t break the colorful warrior’s spirit. Even Punk’s brutal finishing maneuver, the Go to Sleep, wasn’t enough to keep Hardy down.

Frustrated with Jeff’s resilience, The Straightedge Superstar grabbed his gold and tried to leave the ring, but the adrenaline junkie dragged him right back in and delivered the Twist of Fate. Then, with 17,774 fans in the Wachovia Center chanting his name, The Charismatic Enigma scaled the top rope and delivered a picture-perfect Swanton Bomb onto Punk, scoring the victory and the title.

After the match, Jeff Hardy passionately celebrated his championship win with the WWE Universe, but the party can’t last for long. If CM Punk’s track record is any indication, the former World Heavyweight Champion is already concocting a scheme to get the title back.

In the night’s main event, it was a champion vs. champion war that ended in mayhem. After Mysterio thwarted the Go to Sleep from Punk, he hit the 619 on the heavyweight champion and went for the pinfall. But as the ref pounded out the three-count, Dolph Ziggler stormed into the ring at the last moment and attacked Mysterio. Ziggler’s interference resulted in an immediate disqualification for CM Punk. But the action was far from over.

Mysterio battled back and had Ziggler set up for the 619, but The Straightedge Superstar stopped Mysterio in his tracks. Next, Ziggler launched a vicious assault on Mysterio. Then, before things could go from bad to even worse for Mysterio, Jeff Hardy came to Mysterio’s aid, driving Ziggler out of the ring. But it was Punk who got the final word in when he rushed in and dropped Hardy with the Go to Sleep.

Punk prepares to defend his title at Night of Champions, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk offered some straightedge advice for the WWE Universe. But, his talk was interrupted by No.1 contender Jeff Hardy, who said “People make mistakes, and those people can change.” On Sunday, the time for talking will be over when the two go toe-to-toe for Punk’s title.

For the second time in three weeks, The Friday Night Delight used a quick counter to score a second non-title victory over World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk. After the bell, the World Champion he refused to shake hands because the last time they shook hands, Punk hit the GTS cheap shot on Morrison. Punk knows that by Morrison offering the hand, it comes with consequences.

The animosity between the polar opposite Night of Champion opponents, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and Jeff Hardy, reached a new level of intensity. Hardy insisted he will become the next World Heavyweight Champion while Punk says that his pay-per-view opponent is a consummate screw-up who will never beat him. After listening to one insult too many, Hardy abruptly ended the confrontation, knocking the World Champion to the canvas.

Later, in the culmination of a spectacular tag team main event, Jeff Hardy threw Jericho in The Straightedge Champion’s direction as he was sitting at the broadcast table. Punk then tossed Jericho into Hardy, knocking his Night of Champions challenger into the unforgiving steel steps disqualifying he and Rey Mysterio in the process. After the match, the smiling United Tag Team Champion hooked in the Walls of Jericho to the war-torn Charismatic No. 1 Contender while Punk looked on indifferently from outside the ring.

Jeff Hardy later joined Hall of Famer Jim Ross & Todd Grisham at the broadcast table as Punk prepared to face The Punjabi Playboy. Punk produced an eye drop prescription and mocked Hardy’s past troubles. The growing animosity between Punk and Hardy threatens to reach a fever-pitch as they prepare to face off at Night of Champions in a World Championship Match in two weeks.

In the culmination of an explosive match, Khali hit Punk with the devastating Punjabi Plunge. But before he could get the three-count however, Kane emerged with a steel chair. A “clash of the titans” ensued when Ranjin Singh evened the odds, supplying Khali with a chair of his own. Kane struck first, but the fury of Khali kept him on his feet. He then nailed Kane with the chair, causing The Big Red Machine to uncharacteristically retreat for the second week in a row.

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CM Punk denied any foul play in his championship match with Jeff Hardy at The Bash, claiming his “eye injury” caused him to “accidentally” kick the referee. He demanded an apology from The Charismatic Enigma for his post-match attack. Teddy Long emerged, swiftly creating a World Heavyweight Title rematch between Punk and Hardy at Night of Champions. Hardy then came to the squared-circle, making it clear that he does not believe Punk’s explanation. He did, however, offer an “apology” in advance for taking The Straightedge Superstar down at Night of Champions

Unfortunately for the WWE Universe, the night ended on a sour note, as Edge was awarded the victory after CM Punk forfeited due to seemingly injuring the same eye he did in his title defense against Jeff Hardy at The Bash. Throughout most of the match, things looked to be going The Straightedge Superstar’s way, as he used his well-trained kicks to break down The Rated-R Superstar. When it seemed as if everything was in line, Punk had Edge up on his shoulders for the Go To Sleep, but The Ultimate Opportunist slid out of it, raking the World Heavyweight Champion’s eyes. After a few minutes favoring his eye in the corner, Punk waved his arms signaling that he could not fight on. As Josh Mathews asked Punk after the match while he was being checked on by trainers, the real question is: Would Punk have been willing to just give up if the gold was on the line?