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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 employee of Vince McMahon, sufficiently embarrassing The WWE Chairman and conquering a now-fired John Cena, “The Champ.”

Averting the last-ditch desperate measures of The Chairman of the Board – including an attempted Montreal-esque Chicago Screwjob and a cash-in coup by Money in the Bank contract winner Alberto Del Rio – Punk escaped the Allstate Arena with the WWE Title and its 63-year lineage as he blew Mr. McMahon and WWE a kiss goodbye.

(I will add digitals later)

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Even without the flanking of his New Nexus rebels at Capitol Punishment, CM Punk eked out a sound victory over longtime enemy Rey Mysterio, closing the latest chapter on their storied rivalry and positioning Punk to next “do the most honest thing the WWE Universe has even seen.”

While his cryptic message begs for clarity in the wake of Capitol Punishment, the one certainty to be extracted is that – as attested by The Straight Edge Superstar’s staidness to his unique lifestyle – Punk takes personal vows most seriously. It’s a matter of time before the New Nexus leader’s actions make an indelible impact on the WWE Universe – not too dissimilar to that left on The Master of the 619 in Washington D.C., on pay-per-view.

The Ultimate Underdog, in this instance, wasn’t overwhelmed by the odds of the yellow-and-black armbanded renegades commanded by CM Punk. Banned by an authority-wielding “Stone Cold” Steve Austin prior to the pay-per-view clash, The New Nexus ranks – WWE Tag Team Champions David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty, plus the monstrous Mason Ryan – could not intervene in their savior’s favor.

The result? A definitive match between two former World Champions who’ve fought for hair, mask, family honor and much more in their intertwined pasts.

CM Punk evades Rey Mysterio’s 619 at Capitol PunishmentIn a fast-paced physical dispute between two men who are more than well versed in one another’s techniques and movesets, CM Punk snared a satisfying pinfall victory after slipping a 619 into a GTS. Digits morphed into letters and the referee’s three-count sealed The Straight Edge Superstar’s sworn impending act of honesty.

No alcohol, no drugs, no tobacco and no lies. According to the sinister CM Punk, he will outwardly differentiate himself from the politicians of Washington and his fellow Superstars whom he dubbed frauds.

Empowered by his substantial triumph on pay-per-view, Punk walks forth with obscured intentions. Honesty is typically the best policy … except when brandished by one with an ashen heart like CM Punk. What exactly is up The Second City Savior’s tape and tattoo sleeves? And when will he play his hand?

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WWE Tag Team Champions Big Show & Kane def. CM Punk & Mason Ryan

WWE Tag Team Champions Big Show & Kane once again proved what happens when the irresistible force and the immovable object are combined. The larger-than-life duo were too much for former World Champion CM Punk and his New Nexus cohort, Mason Ryan, to handle as the Tag Team Champions double chokeslammed Ryan to retain their titles and continue their dominant reign.

Undoubtedly, it was Big Show & Kane’s strategy that ultimately got the better of The New Nexus. Though two of the largest Superstars in WWE history, Kane & Big Show are only a pair, whereas the four men of The New Nexus display strength in numbers. However, the tag team champions were out to dominate in Seattle’s KeyArena and did so both physically and psychologically.
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Once again, CM Punk learned that Randy Orton’s patented RKO is perhaps one of the most unpredictable and devastating maneuvers in WWE history. The WWE Universe watched in awe — and thousands of flash bulbs attempted to capture the astounding moment when The Viper took down CM Punk to pick up another victory over the leader of The New Nexus. This instance was different than the one inside the Georgia Dome at WrestleMania and on Raw the following night, because after this unbelievable RKO, Orton truly was the last man standing at Extreme Rules.

In a Last Man Standing Match, anything goes, there are no count outs and whichever Superstar does not answer the official’s 10-count loses the match. After many close calls and brutal action in and outside of the ring, CM Punk was unable to get back to his feet before the count of 10.
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CM Punk forgot one very important detail about Randy Orton. Even on The Grandest Stage of Them All, The Viper can unleash a devastating RKO at any time. That’s exactly what happened inside the sold-out Georgia Dome as Orton delivered his trademark maneuver mid-air to The New Nexus leader.

As if he were a master tactician, CM Punk wisely targeted Orton’s injured knee, the same knee that The Second City Savior attacked on Raw with a wrench. With his New Nexus cohorts out of the equation, the strategy seemed nothing short of brilliant. With his ultimate goal of exacting revenge on Orton for causing him to vacate the World Heavyweight Title in 2008, CM Punk wanted nothing more than to humiliate The Viper in front of more than 70,000, including his family, at The Show of Shows.

Since The New Nexus first attacked Randy Orton, both The Viper and Punk have struggled to get inside each other’s heads, trying to gain the important psychological advantage heading into Atlanta. While Orton took out each member of The New Nexus with a punt to the head, Punk took a much more personal approach, using Orton’s tour bus and his family as bait to sadistically injure The Viper’s knee. In a true showing of his resilience, Orton – barely able to walk – confronted The Straight Edge Superstar a week later, only to be left unconscious in the middle of the ring from a GTS.

However, Randy Orton is certainly one of the most tenacious Superstars in WWE history and never backs down from a fight, especially at WrestleMania. The Viper battled through his pain and proved to the world why he is WWE’s Apex Predator. Even as The Straight Edge Superstar continued to target Orton’s knee, The Viper refused to yield.

CM Punk’s targeting of The Viper’s knee may have been enough to stop a lethal punt to the head, but as Orton has shown time after time in the squared circle, an RKO can devastate an opponent in the blink of an eye. Perhaps it was CM Punk’s overconfidence, but his seemingly ingenious strategy backfired as he attempted to take Orton down with a springboard clothesline. The Viper saw an opening, a pristine opportunity to silence his opponent and leave WrestleMania victorious.

More than 70,000 flash bulbs went off as CM Punk leapt from the top rope only to be met by a memorable RKO heard across the WWE Universe, putting The Second City Savior out for good. As Orton’s hand was raised in victory, the WWE Universe witnessed The Viper at his best, on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

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WWE’s Apex Predator fled the ring and bolted for his bus outside, resulting in a loss by count-out. When he arrived, Orton found his wife terrified but safe. Punk then ambushed his WrestleMania foe, leaving him crumpled on the asphalt.

credit to dolphziggler.com.

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Another week, another casualty. Despite suffering an ambush from The New Nexus, Randy Orton competed in a match against New Nexus disciple David Otunga. As stipulated by the Raw GM a week ago, should Otunga win he could be in CM Punk’s corner during his bout with The Viper at WrestleMania. Were he to lose, however, he would be banned.

As the match wore on, Orton exhibited stamina and determination enough to eventually overcome his sizable foe. Afterward, WWE’s Apex Predator lined up to punt Otunga in the skull. Before he could, Mason Ryan burst onto the scene, only to find himself RKO’d. The chaos prompted Punk himself to join the fray and plead with Orton not to follow through with his patented punt. Rather than abide, however, Orton reared back and fated Otunga to the same fate as fellow Nexi Michael McGillicutty and Husky Harris before him.

thank you to josie at michellemccool.net for the captures.

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In a grueling Elimination Chamber Match, WWE’s 2010 Superstar of the Year was forced to overcome five other Superstars – Randy Orton, John Morrison, R-Truth, King Sheamus and CM Punk – to capture his third victory inside the structure and secure his place in the main event at WrestleMania XXVII.

John Morrison and King Sheamus kicked off the contest while the remaining four combatants waited within their corner pods, each of which would open randomly every five minutes.

One by one, the Superstars were unleashed within Satan’s Structure, but not without incident. When CM Punk’s time arrived, his pod refused to open properly. As a result, The Second City Savior endured a beatdown from Randy Orton, who quickly pinned him. Before he could leave the callous coliseum, however, Raw’s anonymous GM reinstated him in the interest of fairness.

The first combatant to officially crumble was R-Truth, who succumbed to the punishment of the Irishman. A surprising second elimination came when The Viper fell to a returning and rejuvenated Punk. After inflicting a plethora of pain, The Celtic Warrior finally gave up the ghost in third. With only three Superstars remaining, The Shaman of Sexy offered a valiant effort. However, a knee injury had hobbled him, allowing Punk to pin him after a GTS.

Finally, despite having logged a 3-0 record against Cena in their last three matches, The Second City Savior failed in his final conquest. Instead, the Cenation Commander-in-Chief rose above thanks in no small part to sheer determination and a reservoir of what he called “faith.”

With the challenge of the Chamber behind him, a battered Cena can look forward to recuperating for his WrestleMania confrontation with WWE Champion The Miz, who successfully defended his title against Jerry “The King” Lawler earlier at the same pay-per-view.

For now, though, Cena can be content at not only having survived his fourth stint inside Satan’s Structure, but at having thrived under the most adverse of conditions.

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As the list of remaining competitors dwindled down, the final four Superstars were Edge and Rey Mysterio vs. Ezekiel Jackson and Team Raw captain The Miz.

Despite Team Raw’s confidence and drive, it was a Spear from The Rated-R Superstar to The Miz which earned Team SmackDown the win.

At last year’s WWE Bragging Rights, the winning brand was determined by tallying the number of victories from each brand during the entire night. This year however, everything rode on which brand won the tag team match.

What’s next from the reigning WWE brand? Catch the next edition of SmackDown at 8/7 CT on Syfy. Click here to find Syfy in your area.