DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES
At WrestleMania, Rey Mysterio reigned supreme over CM Punk, defending his family’s honor while saving himself from a forced induction into The Straight Edge Society.

Mysterio’s intense battle for freedom with The Second City Saint raged fast and furious on The Grandest Stage of Them All. From the opening bell, both Luke Gallows and Serena made their presence felt, interfering whenever possible in their savior’s favor. But, despite Punk’s ruthless attack and the actions of his loyal cronies, Mysterio refused to give in. And his heart-filled refusal to give in would not go unrewarded. When The Straight Edge Society tried to prevent the masked Superstar from dialing-up the 619, Mysterio went to work, countering Punk’s GTS and sending him flying into the interfering Gallows. Then, before the capacity crowd, Mysterio rang-up 619 on his second attempt and successfully defeated his Straight Edge nemesis.

The volatile paths of The Master of the 619 and The Straight Edge Superstar collided with catastrophic fallout on The Road to WrestleMania. Punk, along with his faithful disciples Luke Gallows and Serena, assaulted Mysterio with brutal back-to-back attacks on SmackDown. Mysterio cost The Straight Edge Savior two huge opportunities, pinning him at WWE Elimination Chamber and costing him his WrestleMania Money in the Bank Qualifying Match against Shelton Benjamin.

Punk “crossed the line” when he and The Straight Edge Society ridiculed Mysterio and his family as they attempted to celebrate his daughter’s birthday on SmackDown. In the midst of his merciless verbal taunts, the calculating Punk issued a WrestleMania challenge to his emotionally-charged adversary.

One week later, Mysterio accepted Punk’s Show of Shows challenge with fury in his eyes. But, when Gallows triumphed over The Master of the 619 later that night, a stipulation was set in stone that The Ultimate Underdog must win at WrestleMania or take the Straight Edge pledge.

Rey Mysterio’s victory on The Grandest Stage of Them All has allowed him to stay clear of everything he detests. But considering the deplorable actions of CM Punk in recent weeks, has the masked Superstar seen the last of The Straight Edge Society?

This magazine is on news stands now. There are 26th covers in total but I’m sorry to say that I couldn’t get my hands on a CM Punk cover. I did manage scan in the rest of the magazine.

CM Punk has that maniacal glint in his eye. He’s gotten really good at the maniacal glint thing lately. He’s taunting the beloved masked luchadore Rey Mysterio, Jr. at the Staples Center in Los Angeles during the taping of the Friday March 19th installment of “WWE Smackdown.” The week before, Punk ruined an in-ring celebration for Mysterio’s daughter Aaliyah’s ninth birthday. In case we missed all the high drama, the WWE showed a tightly edited clip of Punk wrecking the festivities on the high def big screen over the ring entrance.

But Punk’s taunts aren’t the usual kind of pro wrestling bluster bordering on histrionics. He’s not yelling, “I’ll assassinate the bum.” No, punk sounds more like someone playing a cult leader in a David Lynch movie. With his Manson-like full beard, he looks the part too. “I could save you if you could just accept me as your savior,” Punk says, urging Mysterio to join his little wrestling cult called the Straight Edge Society. Currently, this society only consists of two members: the thuggish wrestler Luke Gallows and Sirena, a plant from the audience that Punk converted during a previous episode of this macho soap opera. The line between pro wrestling and tent house revivals has always been a thin one, but Punk’s disciples still perform the task of the traditional bad guy wrestler’s entourage by interfering with matches when the ref’s back is turned.

Read the rest of the article with Bob Calhoun by clicking here.

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES
Like Rey Mysterio, CM Punk appeared on “WWE Superstars” hoping to send a clear message about his commitment to victory at WrestleMania. With the support of the Straight Edge Society, the maniacal Superstar looked to make an example of his opponent, JTG. Despite a valiant effort from the Cryme Tyme member and the massive Shad at ringside, JTG was left on the mat counting sheep after a devastating execution of Punk’s Go-To-Sleep.

As the Straight Edge Superstar heads to WrestleMania, we talk with him about his love for comics and kickin’ butt.
By Arune Singh

Every week on “WWE Friday Night SmackDown,” there’s one superstar who draws the ire of fans more than anyone else, even though he’s trying to lead them on the path to salvation…of a sort. Meet CM Punk, the self-styled “Straight Edge Superstar” of the WWE Universe, whose only goal is to rid the world of addiction to alcohol and drugs by converting people to the straight edge lifestyle. Unfortunately for non-believers, rejection of Punk’s ideals often leads to a brutal beat down by his Straight Edge Society. On the verge of Punk’s hotly-anticipated WrestleMania 26 match with Rey Mysterio, Marvel.Com spoke with the WWE superstar about his love for comics and appearing on the grandest stage of them all.

Like many comic book fans, Punk’s passion began at a young age, he explained. “My first job was at a comic book store and Larry Hama’s G.I. JOE is what got me into comics. It’s funny because it’s such a well-written book and to start off reading that really set the bar high. I initially read it because I was a fan of the cartoon, the toys and all that, but the comic was so sophisticated, so sleek and so different from the cartoon. Then I discovered comic shops once Gas City [a gas station franchise with attached stores] stopped carrying comic books and I couldn’t get my monthly G.I. JOE fix.

Read the entire article with Marvel by clicking here.

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES
With the Straight Edge Society in their corner led by Pro CM Punk, Rookies Darren Young & David Otunga both upped their records to 3-1 on WWE NXT. Thanks to a distraction by Luke Gallows, Rookie Daniel Bryan was left alone in the ring when his partner, Rookie Michael Tarver, didn’t tag into the match, allowing “A-List” Otunga to capitalize on the situation and pin Bryan for the win. Earlier, Bryan showed off his extraordinary arsenal of submission moves on party boy Young, but with the loss, Bryan’s record fell to 0-5. Disappointed Pro Carlito watched as the record of his stunned Rookie, Tarver, dropped to 0-3.

Thank you to Kathy for sending me the following image. It is an interview promo shot of the Straight Edge Society. This is a great shot of them.

A huge thank you to Rockecy for sending me these captures. In case you guys haven’t already, pick up The Best Of SmackDown 10th Anniversary and you’ll find an interview with CM PUNK. Here are some captures from the interview.

In an explosive WrestleMania showdown, the biggest heart in WWE will risk every part of himself against the collective forces of everything he despises as Rey Mysterio takes on CM Punk. And if The Ultimate Underdog loses the extremely personal match, he must join The Straight Edge Society.

The paths of Mysterio and Punk have collided with catastrophic fallout in recent weeks. Punk, along with his faithful disciples Luke Gallows and Serena, assaulted Mysterio with brutal back-to-back attacks on SmackDown. Mysterio cost The Second City Saint two huge opportunities, pinning The Straight Edge Superstar at WWE Elimination Chamber and costing him his WrestleMania Money in the Bank Qualifying Match against Shelton Benjamin.

Punk “crossed the line” when The Master of the 619 brought his family to SmackDown to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. As the WWE Universe joyfully sang “Happy Birthday” to the elated 9-year-old, The Straight Edge Society crashed the party. Punk challenged Mysterio to a match right then and there, as well as one at WrestleMania. Though he taunted Mysterio and his family mercilessly, the masked Superstar refused to give an answer or to fight while his loved ones were in the ring. Later that night, Mysterio attacked Punk, igniting an all-out brawl that spilled into the crowd.

One week later, Mysterio accepted Punk’s WrestleMania challenge, demanding that the match be a Street Fight. The Straight Edge “Savior” declared that if Mysterio laid a hand on him before WrestleMania, he would call off their match. He also proclaimed that if Mysterio wanted a Street Fight Match at The Show of Shows, he would first have to beat Luke Gallows. However, if he didn’t and Mysterio went on to lose their match on The Grandest Stage of Them All, the masked Superstar would be forced to join The Straight Edge Society. With Punk and Serena’s help, Gallows triumphed over Mysterio, setting the circumstances of the volatile WrestleMania encounter in stone.

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES
After being tormented in front of his family last week, Rey Mysterio eagerly accepted CM Punk’s challenge for a WrestleMania match. However, The Master of the 619 wanted their differences to be settled in a Street Fight! Not willing to give in to Mysterio’s request so easily, Punk demanded that he beat Luke Gallows in a match on SmackDown – or their WrestleMania encounter would be a straight up match. Piling on the stipulations, CM Punk declared that if Rey touches him before WrestleMania, their match is off. And if The Ultimate Underdog loses at WrestleMania, he must take the Straight Edge pledge!

After stinging Luke Gallows with the 619, Rey Mysterio appeared to be on his way to victory – and a Street Fight with CM Punk. However, as Mysterio set up on the top ropes, Serena grabbed his feet, causing him to fall to the canvas. Gallows capitalized, covering Mysterio for the win. Frustrated with the outcome, Mysterio launched into an uncharacteristic vicious attack on Gallows outside of the ring. The loss means Mysterio will now face CM Punk in straight up match at WrestleMania.

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