DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES

Daniel Bryan is not a happy camper. The irate submission specialist showed the crowd photos of his WWE Over the Limit match against CM Punk, alleging that Punk tapped out to the “Yes!” Lock before the WWE Champion notched the pinfall. The Straight Edge Superstar retorted that the count of 1-2-3 obviously happened first, which makes any submission afterward irrelevant. To be fair, as announcer Michael Cole pointed out, Bryan still proved to the WWE Universe that he could make the WWE Champion tap out.

The Second City Savior then revealed that Bryan’s next opponent would be none other than Kane! With Punk dishing out some running commentary, Bryan did his best to wear down The Big Red Monster. But as Bryan daringly attacked Kane on the outside, Punk got up from his commentary seat, and it looked as if The Straight Edge Superstar was going to hit Kane with a steel chair. When Bryan grabbed the chair from Punk, though, Kane recovered and turned the tables on his opponent, whacking Bryan in the back with the chair multiple times as Punk reveled in his mischief.

After the ref called for the bell, Kane inflicted more punishment by driving the former World Heavyweight Champ into the mat with two massive chokeslams. Taking advantage of an opportunity to add insult to injury, Punk slipped into the ring and locked Bryan in an excruciating Anaconda Vise.

Both Bryan and Punk are definitely playing with fire by using Kane’s fury as a weapon against each other, first on SmackDown and now on Raw.

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES

WWE Champion CM Punk def. Daniel Bryan

Far from their humble beginnings competing inside state armories and high school gymnasiums, WWE Champion CM Punk and No. 1 contender Daniel Bryan battled in an instant classic that left the WWE Universe absolutely breathless and Bryan incredulous. When the smoke cleared and the chants of “This is awesome” quieted, Punk was left holding the WWE Title, although the pinfall he used to achieve that end has already been called into controversy. (PHOTOS) | PUNK’S EXCLUSIVE POST-MATCH INTERVIEW)

From their many travels around the globe perfecting their craft, to their current statuses as two of the world’s premier talents, Punk and Bryan have been on parallel paths for most of their careers. Continue reading »

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES

WWE Champion CM Punk interrupted General Manager John Laurinaitis

(WATCH)
On the May 14 episode of Raw SuperShow, the WWE Board of Directors handed down a surprising series of mandates to the permanent General Manager of Raw and SmackDown, John Laurinaitis: His match against John Cena at WWE Over the Limit would be one-on-one, if anyone helped him, they would be terminated and if “Big Johnny” lost, he would also be terminated!

As a result, the WWE Universe got to see a whole different side of the GM at the start of Friday night’s SmackDown. A humbled “Mr. Excitement” claimed that, because of the Board’s ruling, his looming battle against the 10-time WWE Champion was like “leading a lamb to slaughter.” He went on to ask the WWE Universe to pray for him in his “lopsided” match. Continue reading »

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES — VIDEO

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.

DIGITAL PICTURES — HQ SCREEN CAPTURES

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.

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES

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)

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES

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.

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES

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.