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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 »

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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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Chris Jericho didn’t even have a chance to open his mouth this time. He was totally out cold.

On Sunday night, the very Superstar who Jericho ripped as a “wannabe,” the man who he disrespected at every opportunity, was the only one who could lay claim to being the “Best in the World”: WWE Champion CM Punk.

The Straight Edge Superstar knocked Jericho unconscious with a kick to the back of the head, and stood tall above four other fearsome contenders, to retain his title in the grueling Raw Elimination Chamber Match. Continue reading »

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Whether Interim Raw General Manager and Executive Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis intended it or not – CM Punk stood tall over Dolph Ziggler in the WWE Championship Match at Royal Rumble, proudly showing off the most coveted prize in WWE.

Rather than risk seeming biased in light of his upcoming performance appraisal by WWE COO Triple H, Mr. Laurinaitis excused himself from officiating duties in the WWE Championship Match. This ultimately allowed Punk and Ziggler to do what they do best in an evenly- officiated contest.

The sold-out WWE Universe inside St. Louis’ Scottrade Center witnessed the two Superstars lay everything on the line, highlighting the importance of the WWE Championship and The Grandest Stage of Them All waiting on the horizon in Miami. Continue reading »

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If the WWE Universe didn’t think CM Punk was a superhero already, they will after witnessing his daring performance in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match at WWE TLC.

Up against the rogues’ gallery of the treacherous Miz and the underhanded Alberto Del Rio, The Straight Edge Superstar miraculously broke free of handcuffs after being latched to the ropes by The Awesome One. The WWE Champion then fought his way to the top of a ladder and snatched his title before celebrating high above the carnage he’d just created.

It was the kind of fearless, in-your-face showing that has defined The Straight Edge Superstar’s run since he resigned with WWE in the late summer. Outspoken about his frustrations with the sports-entertainment empire in the past, Punk chose to be an agent of change instead of sitting around and waiting for one to appear. The “Voice of the Voiceless” wanted to see a more entertaining WWE Champion? At WWE TLC, he became it.
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CM Punk def. WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio (New WWE Champion)

The “Entertainment Era” begins now.

Making good on his pledge to beat WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series, CM Punk became the 16th Superstar to win the coveted title in New York City’s historic Madison Square Garden after forcing The Mexican Aristocrat to submit to the Anaconda Vise. Now, The Straight Edge Superstar will have to live up to the second part of his promise — make the WWE Championship interesting again.

If Punk’s choice for his personal ring announcer was any indication, the man definitely knows what the WWE Universe wants. Recruiting WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel to vocally overpower Del Rio’s sniveling manservant Ricardo Rodriguez, Punk immediately thrilled the Garden faithful who fondly remembered hearing The Fink’s booming voice during some of MSG’s most classic moments. But once the excitement of the announcements subsided, it came down to two men fighting it out for one championship.
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At Vengeance, WWE’s conspiracy theorists benefited from a much suspected scheme against the Chief Operating Officer, as The Miz & R-Truth defeated Triple H & CM Punk with the abetting of an invading Kevin Nash.

The Game’s ex-best friend parted the crowd in San Antonio and entered the squared circle like he did during Triple H’s clash against Punk at Night of Champions last month. This time, the near 7-foot former WWE Champion directly targeted the WWE COO (who fired Nash on Sept. 5) and dismantled The Cerebral Assassin at ringside – ironically, in the hometown of their fellow Kliq cohort, Shawn Michaels. Continue reading »

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WWE COO Triple H def. CM Punk (No Disqualification Match)

Superstars, Divas, consultants and all others can stow their résumés for the time being. At Night of Champions, WWE Chief Operating Officer Triple H trounced the ambitions of would-be successors as he defeated CM Punk to maintain his spot as top executive in WWE, thanks to the man terminated by The Game weeks ago: Kevin Nash. (PHOTOS)

But it’s really not that easy.

Like the rest of the WWE Universe, the anti-establishment “Voice of the Voiceless” may be speechless right now after falling to said establishment in a No Disqualification Match that ultimately favored The Game by making Nash’s Jackknife Powerbomb (and unexpected attack on Triple H, himself) plainly legal. Given the rules of the match, it was all fair game, including the disruption of The Miz & R-Truth, whose attack on the combatants opened the flood gates to sheer chaos. (EXCLUSIVE POST-SHOW VIDEO) Continue reading »

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WWE Chief Operating Officer and special guest referee Triple H guaranteed that an Undisputed WWE Champion was indeed crowned at SummerSlam. Yet, much to the surprise of the sold-out crowd packed inside the STAPLES Center, neither CM Punk nor John Cena would raise the coveted prize high above their head at the end of the night.

After a series of near-falls in this competitive clash, The Second City Savior nailed The Cenation Commander-in-Chief with a second Go to Sleep to pick up the pinfall victory – even though Cena’s foot was on the bottom rope. Apparently not noticing that Cena had broken the hold by reaching the ropes, The Game made the three-count.

As Punk celebrated his contentious victory in one of the biggest matches in WWE history, Triple H’s longtime friend Kevin Nash – unseen in a WWE ring since the 2011 Royal Rumble Match – emerged from the crowd and leveled the tattooed Superstar with a ring-shaking Jackknife Powerbomb before making a hasty exit. Dazed, Punk was helpless as Alberto Del Rio seized his destiny by successfully cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on the battle-weary Undisputed WWE Champion. After nailing a prone Punk with a devastating kick to the skull, Del Rio pinned his shoulders to the canvas to capture the title.
Continue reading »

(This is a longer article from WWE.com)

CM Punk did it. He opened a black hole in the WWE Universe, seizing the WWE Championship in his hometown within his final hours as a contracted Superstar of Vince McMahon, sufficiently embarrassing The WWE Chairman and conquering a presumably fired John Cena, “The Champ.”

As time precariously ticked away toward the expiration of Punk’s contract, a fretful Mr. McMahon’s overzealous acts during the high stakes bout enabled The Second City Savior to supplant Cena as the new WWE Champion. Then, averting the last-ditch desperate measures of WWE’s CEO – including an attempted Montreal-esque Chicago Screwjob and a cash-in coup by Money in the Bank contract winner Alberto Del Rio – Punk escaped through the crowd with the WWE Title and its 48-year lineage, as he blew Mr. McMahon and WWE a kiss goodbye.

McMahon, who’s waged war with the likes of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Bret “Hit Man” Hart and more, witnessed the end of a dynasty he himself established. After, when asked for his comments on Sunday night’s events, The WWE Chairman refused comment. Continue reading »