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As World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk battled Undertaker in the night’s main event, the thoughts of what transpired at WWE Breaking Point were still fresh in the minds of everyone in the WWE Universe. As both Superstars waged war, the action spilled out onto the arena floor. It looked as if Punk was done for, when The Deadman prepared to slam him onto the announce table. But, The Straightedge Superstar managed to avoid being trounced and pushed Undertaker onto the announce table. As the ref neared the 10-count, Punk slithered back into the ring. The Deadman entered right on Punk’s tail, but it was not quick enough to avoid the ref’s final count of 10.

Once the action resumed, Punk locked The Deadman in the Anaconda Vise. Although The Phenom clearly did not tap out of the hold, Armstrong quickly called for the bell, signaling Undertaker had indeed submitted.

The decision stunned not only Undertaker, but the entire WWE Universe. It took five days to find out any answers.

The following Friday on SmackDown, Long admitted to a pre-planned conspiracy involving himself, Armstrong and Punk to prevent Undertaker from winning the match.

It wasn’t until the Sept. 25 edition of SmackDown that Long was heard from again – when he was found to be bound and gagged in a coffin! After being untied by CM Punk, Long revealed that Punk would face Undertaker and Hell in a Cell – and Hell’s Gate is now legal. And in a match that same night, Punk found a way to escape The Deadman’s wrath by defeating him by count-out.

But with nowhere to hide within the confines of their Hell in a Cell Match, can Punk find a way to fend off Undertaker and retain his gold? Or, will The Deadman inflict hellish torment and take what he believes he already rightfully earned?

Find out live on Oct. 4 at WWE Hell in a Cell, the inaugural pay-per-view event designed to take Superstars to Hell and back … if they’re lucky.

A huge thank you to Katy for donating pictures along with her detailed event of what happened for this weeks Smackdown.

unk opened up SmackDown. He did a promo about us being drug users, him not. He said other things but it was hard to hear because of the booing. The last thing he got to do was challenge someone (I think is what he said), but nobody came out because, as he said, “Nobody’s left.” The lights went out and a bunch of druids came down with a casket. Punk ran out of the ring and got a chair. He kept hitting the casket with it then finally lifted the lid. Teddy was inside. Punk dragged him out and untied/ungagged him. Teddy told him that as of that moment, the Hell’s Gate was no longer banned, that Punk would defend his title in Hell in a Cell, and that he would face Undertaker tonight.

The match was really good, lots of outside action. The end came when they were on the outside by the announcers. I don’t know if Punk was going for his title or a chair, but Taker stopped him. Taker took off the top of the announce table and was about to give Punk a Last Ride on it. By this time the ref is up to an 8 or 9 count. Punk got away, shoved Taker and ran into the ring. Taker got back in the ring right after the 10 count, so Punk won via count out. That ended Smackdown.

After that, Taker ran to the back and grabbed Punk. They came back to the ring where Taker gave him a Chokeslam and a Tombstone. That was it!

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Without pinfalls, disqualifications or count-outs, passage to the World Heavyweight Title was granted only by making an opponent submit – something The Deadman has never done in his near-two decade career. The heavy match favorite, the returning Phenom sought to cull both the gold and soul of CM Punk in a single night at WWE Breaking Point.

This outcome appeared imminent when Undertaker ultimately hooked in Hell’s Gate, gripping the champion and squeezing the petty life from Punk’s tattooed body. The Straightedge Superstar’s flailing arms dwindled to a wilt and the champion used his last moment of consciousness to submit.

But mere instants after The Phenom could have his cold arm raised as the victor, GM Long arrived to overrule the referee’s initial decision, reinforce the ban on Undertaker’s potent hold and grant Punk a second chance by restarting the match.

While the WWE Universe uncharacteristically jeered the General Manager and Hell’s Gate-crasher, CM Punk sprung back into action, en route to The Straightedge Champion’s signature Anaconda Vise. A shocking Canadian coup then became apparent; Long stood watch from the stage while Armstrong, the match’s official, signaled for an abrupt ringing of the bell to end the match in Punk’s favor, despite The Deadman’s lack of legitimate submission.

Leaving mouths agape in Montreal, the tattooed titleholder quickly exited the ring beside his co-conspirator and swiftly stumbled away from The Phenom’s reach to the ramp where Punk gloated beside a stoic, expressionless Long.

Though The Deadman is a WWE figure who’s often shrouded by anomaly, the puzzling conclusion of this bout in Quebec is more so the result of another deceptive act by CM Punk to maintain his position at SmackDown’s pinnacle. This calls into question the judgments rendered by both Armstrong and Long, who confounded his loyal SmackDown supporters. Simply stunned, the WWE Universe begs for explanation, but more importantly, righteous resolution.

As countless collected souls can attest, Undertaker is the specter of vengeance in WWE. Though seemingly bamboozled at WWE Breaking Point, The Deadman does not rest, and likely will not rest until The Straightedge Superstar serves a suitably painful penance by his gloved hand.

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In the main event, “the only Straightedge Champion in WWE history” made a tremendous statement about his upcoming match with The Deadman, forcing Matt Hardy to tap out to his excruciating Anaconda Vise. Although Punk held the gold high above his head, darkness soon overcame his triumph. And when illumination was restored, Undertaker was standing at the top of the ramp, clutching Punk’s World Title in his mighty hands.

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But instead of The Phenom, it was Matt Hardy who charged into the ring to brawl with The Straightedge Superstar. The emotion-charged fight ended only when WWE officials separated the two Superstars. Later, when CM Punk confronted SmackDown General Manger Theodore Long, Teddy agreed for both Superstars to meet in a non-title match later in the night.

In Matt Hardy’s first one-on-one match on SmackDown since having abdominal surgery, he was looking to represent the Hardy name and take down the reigning champion in the night’s main event. In a battle of wills, it was anyone’s match to win. However, before a victor could be decided, Undertaker emerged to confront his WWE Breaking Point opponent. In a swift and powerful assault, The Phenom chokeslammed Punk through the announce table, leaving him a lifeless heap on the arena floor. Is it a sign of things to come at WWE Breaking Point?