DIGITAL PICTURES — HQ SCREEN CAPTURES

General Manager John Laurinaitis was ripped by WWE Champion CM Punk
Raw and SmackDown General Manager John Laurinaitis showed no remorse for his ruthless assault on John Cena at the end of last week’s Raw. The GM said he wasn’t punished by the Board of Directors for his actions, which he claimed was justified because The Cenation Leader tried to undermine his authority and ridicule his leadership skills. Laurinaitis mandated that Cena not appear live tonight and instead undergo rehabilitation so he doesn’t have an excuse why he will lose to him at WWE Over the Limit. (PHOTOS | VIDEO)

Laurinaitis then revealed that the reason his voice sounds so hoarse is because he was injured in a match against “Dr. Death” Steve Williams in Tokyo, Japan. Showing off images of his in-ring action on the TitanTron, Laurinaitis boasted that, when he performed in Japan, he was Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock, all rolled into one dominant competitor.

Before Laurinaitis could get any further, WWE Champion CM Punk came out to the ring to confront the cocky General Manager. Punk blasted Laurinaitis for losing touch with the people, despite all the GM’s bragging that he’s the brains behind “People Power.” The Straight Edge Superstar’s sharpest jab of all came when he told Laurinaitis the reason he went to Japan is because no one in America ever wanted to see him compete.

Angered by Punk’s verbal barbs, Laurinaitis made a big match for Raw SuperShow tonight, pitting the WWE Champion against the fearsome Lord Tensai.

Before the main event, John Laurinaitis announced that the CM Punk vs. Lord Tensai contest was now a 2-on-1 Handicap Match, with Punk taking on both Tensai and Daniel Bryan.

The WWE Champion had his work cut out for him, as Tensai blasted and mangled Punk early with a series of power moves. Punk mounted a rally after Bryan missed with a flying headbutt off the top rope, but the strength in numbers would soon prove to be too much for The Straight Edge Superstar to overcome. As Punk went to the top turnbuckle, a lurking Bryan sent him flying with a shove, and Tensai took full advantage by squeezing The Second City Savior’s head like a vice with a green mist-filled claw. (PHOTOS | VIDEO)

Adding insult to injury, Bryan snapped the “Yes!” Lock onto Punk following the 2-on-1 victory and berated the helpless WWE Champion. If we’ve learned one major lesson from this Raw SuperShow, it’s that Laurinaitis is hell-bent on making Superstars pay dearly for crossing him.

Source

STAMFORD, Conn. – WWE Studios and Karé Productions have announced a partnership centered around Karé’s new French film, “Les Reines Du Ring” (“Queens of the Ring”), currently in production in France and being distributed by Warner Bros. Entertainment France.

“Le Reines du Ring” will utilize WWE trademarks, footage, consumer products and incorporate cameos by some of WWE’s biggest stars including WWE Superstars CM Punk, The Miz and Eve. WWE Studios will receive an in-association credit on the picture and have first-look rights to distribute the picture in the United States and Canada and to re-make the film in English.

“Les Reines du Ring” stars Nathalie Baye, Andre Dussollier and Marilou Berry. The comedy/drama is directed by Jean Marc Rudnicki and produced by Antoine Rein, Fabrice Goldstein and Thomas Langmann.

“Partnering on ‘Les Reines Du Ring’ is another way for WWE Studios to participate in the telling of great stories in any language and continue to expand the WWE Studios brand worldwide,” said WWE Studios President Michael Luisi. “When we read the heartfelt family story being told by the Academy Award winning team behind ‘The Artist,’ we knew as a company that we had to lend our expertise in the world of sports entertainment to make the film as authentic and engaging as possible.”

The film centers around Rose, a mother looking to strengthen her bond with her estranged son who is WWE fan. Going the extra mile, the loving mother begins training to become a wrestling diva. The comedy/drama follows Rose as she finds a job in a supermarket and convinces her new cashier colleagues to join her in her journey to impress her son by becoming a Queen of the Ring.

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In several ways, a CM Punk-Daniel Bryan WWE Championship Match was always fated to be. The two Superstars are among the purest athletes and finest technicians WWE has ever seen. Their championship reigns were some of the most dominant in late 2011 and early 2012, and they come from a hardscrabble, old-school wrestling background that has endeared them to the WWE Universe in a way that is not typically seen amongst modern Superstars. And now, at Over the Limit, they will finally meet with the supreme prize on the line.

The clash is sure to be a memorable one: each time these two have met in the ring, the results have been electric. The two wrestled a fierce sequence of Champion vs. Champion Matches earlier this year, when Bryan still held the World Heavyweight Title, and their paths have crossed numerous times over 10 years in smaller, independent promotions all over the world.

Bryan seemed to be out of the world title picture after a pair of losses to Sheamus – the infamous 18-second defeat that cost him the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania, and a grueling 2-out-of-3-Falls rematch a few weeks later at Extreme Rules. But the upstart Superstar was actually emboldened by his effort in the rematch, which saw him trap The Great White in the “Yes!” Lock and render him unconscious in the process. Bryan’s bravado carried him through a Beat the Clock Challenge on the following night’s Raw, when he beat times set by Randy Orton and The Miz to earn the right to challenge for Punk’s mantle.

Immediately after learning of his new No. 1 contender, The Second City Saint made his presence known. Punk sized up his future opponent from the stage and offered a round of applause in approval for his opponent before holding his title aloft in defiance of his challenger. Bryan responded with a mocking gesture of his own, which is particularly fitting given the rivalry between these two: neither will budge, neither will back down. But only time will tell who is left standing with the ultimate prize in hand.

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DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES

Daniel Bryan def. Jerry “The King” Lawler – Beat the Clock Challenge Match

Daniel Bryan’s reaction to finding out the identity of his opponent was a resounding “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Jerry Lawler put up quite a fight and even connected with a diving fist drop off the top turnbuckle. Bryan’s punishing kicks and submission technique, however, was too much for “The King” to overcome. Bryan made Lawler tap out with the “Yes!” Lock and easily beat Orton’s time of 4:16 to become the No. 1 Contender for the WWE Championship. (VIDEO)

At WWE Over the Limit, Bryan will take on CM Punk with the WWE Title on the line. (MATCH PREVIEW)

via Variety

WWE Studios has partnered with Kare Prods. on the French dramedy “Les Reines du ring” (Queen of the Ring), which Warner Bros. Entertainment France will distribute.
Nathalie Baye, Andre Dussollier and Marilou Berry star in the film currently lensing under the direction of Jean-Marc Rudnicki.

Project revolves around a mother looking to strengthen her bond with her estranged son who is a WWE fan and trains to become one of WWE’s female wrestlers, known as divas.

Film incorporates WWE trademarks, footage, consumer products and cameos by some of WWE’s biggest stars, including CM Punk, the Miz and Eve, who recently shot their appearances for the film while on tour in France.

As part of its involvement, WWE Studios will receive an in-association credit on the pic and first-look rights to distribute the film in the U.S. and Canada. It also gets the rights to remake the film in English.

Thomas Langmann (“The Artist”) is producing the film through his Paris-based La Petite Reine banner, with Antoine Rein and Fabrice Goldstein.

Other upcoming films for WWE Studios include the IM Global co-production “Dead Man Down,” with Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard, Noomi Rapace and Dominic Cooper; the horror thriller “No One Lives,” starring Luke Evans and WWE’s Brodus Clay, which was co-produced with Pathe Films; cult hit “The Day,” a pickup from the Toronto Intl. Film Festival that stars Dominic Monaghan, Shawn Ashmore and Ashley Bell; and “Barricade,” with Eric McCormack.

Thanks to Amanda for the link to this video:

DIGITAL PICTURES — SCREEN CAPTURES

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.

To commemorate the most celebrated break-through moments of each passing year, the WWE Universe takes in the Slammy Awards annually. Yet, with WWE’s Extreme Rules right around the corner, WWE.com offers up its “extreme” take on WWE awards, presenting the first Hardcore Honors.

No boring acceptance speeches here, folks. Just pure, extreme action.
Most Extreme Promo – CM Punk’s “Pipe Bomb”

Perhaps no interview turned WWE on its head more than WWE Champion CM Punk’s infamous “Pipe Bomb” incident from the June 27, 2011, edition of Raw SuperShow. (WATCH)

Sitting legs crossed on the stage as his Money in the Bank opponent John Cena lay writhing in pain in the ring, Punk embarked on a five-minute diatribe that sought to tear down the WWE institution, starting at the top.

“I’ve grabbed so many of Vincent K. McMahon’s imaginary brass rings that it’s finally dawned on me that they’re just that: They’re completely imaginary. The only thing that’s real is me.”

While threatening to dethrone then-WWE Champion Cena and leave WWE with the gold in his hands, Punk vented about being an overlooked talent. Proclaiming that he was the absolute best wrestler on the roster, The Second City Saint stated simply, “Nobody can touch me.”

www.wwe.com

The Anaconda Vice and Go To Sleep Specials Are Back!

Dimo’s Pizza, (3463 N. Clark St.) announced today the return of two best-selling pizza specials just in time for WWE superstar CM Punk to sing the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley Field. The vegan Anaconda Vice and not-at-all-vegan Go To Sleep specials will be back on the menu for the week of May 8-14.
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