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.

I would like to thank Aurélie Hombert for donating scans from a French magazine that included Punk. The magazine is called 100% Catch for May 2009.

At The Bash, the high-flying Superstar had World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk right where he wanted with an apparent pinfall. However, after closer inspection by the referee, it was determined Punk’s foot was under the bottom rope and out of bounds. After the action was restarted, Punk kicked the referee in the back, resulting in a disqualification. In one fell swoop Punk dropped the ref and crushed Hardy’s hopes of getting gold.

At Extreme Rules, Jeff Hardy was triumphant over Edge in a career-threatening World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match. But then, in the blink of an eye, it was all over when Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Hardy.

At Judgment Day, Jeff Hardy was betrayed by his own flesh and blood, Matt Hardy, who helped World Heavyweight Champion Edge steal a win.

And if you go all the way back to January at Royal Rumble, that is when Jeff’s troubles began. Shocking the WWE Universe, Matt showed his true colors, violently smashing his brother in the head with a steel chair, costing him his WWE Championship.

How much more can Hardy take? At Night of Champions, can he finally turn things around? Not if CM Punk has anything to say about it.

After waiting for just the right moment to cash in his Money in the Bank contract, the champion has proven he will do whatever it takes to retain his gold, including kicking a referee in the back at The Bash – a move which Punk still maintains was an accident. Certainly, Punk will not go down without a fight.

Don’t miss this epic confrontation at Night of Champions, only on pay-per-view, Sunday, July 26 at 8/7CT.

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES
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?