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WWE Champion CM Punk interrupted General Manager John Laurinaitis

HERSHEY, Pa. – With just two days before the epic Fatal 4-Way World Title showdown at WWE Over the Limit, a match between World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and Randy Orton – scheduled by Executive Administrator Eve via Twitter on Monday – became SmackDown’s explosive main event. While The Great White would reign supreme in the monumental battle, The Viper may very well have set himself up to win the war.

On the May 14 episode of Raw SuperShow, the WWE Board of Directors handed down a surprising series of mandates to the permanent General Manager of Raw and SmackDown, John Laurinaitis: His match against John Cena at WWE Over the Limit would be one-on-one, if anyone helped him, they would be terminated and if “Big Johnny” lost, he would also be terminated!

As a result, the WWE Universe got to see a whole different side of the GM at the start of Friday night’s SmackDown. A humbled “Mr. Excitement” claimed that, because of the Board’s ruling, his looming battle against the 10-time WWE Champion was like “leading a lamb to slaughter.” He went on to ask the WWE Universe to pray for him in his “lopsided” match.

CM Punk interrupted Laurinaitis’ prayer with a smile on his face, informing the despondent head honcho that the WWE Universe will be “partying in the streets” after he loses Sunday and that he’d personally wish the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations “best of luck in his future endeavors!”

Reminding The Second City Saint that he’s still in charge, Laurinaitis scheduled a match between Punk and the monstrous Kane for later in the show. Then, in a shocking display of fury, the GM blamed the WWE Universe for the actions of Superstars like Punk and Cena, insisting that they all “go to hell!”

In a match ordered by General Manager John Laurinaitis at the opening of SmackDown, CM Punk took on the ruthless Devil’s Favorite Demon Kane – with Daniel Bryan joining the SmackDown announce team to scout out his WWE Over the Limit adversary.

In a completely brutal back-and-forth onslaught that saw The Big Red Monster punish Punk’s ribs throughout, the resilient Straight Edge Superstar fought back with unyielding determination – using his “educated feet” to strike at the heart of his horrific foe.

When the action spilled outside the ring, however, the “observing” Bryan picked up a steel chair. But instead of striking the champion, the crafty Superstar smashed Kane across the back, assuring that Punk would lose by disqualification before hightailing it up the ramp.

Recovering in time to see Punk holding the chair in question, Kane used the weapon to unleash an onslaught of absolute mayhem on The Second City Saint, capped off by two earth-shattering chokeslams.

Will the beating Punk endured give Bryan the advantage heading into his WWE Title Match this Sunday?

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Less than a week before WWE Champion CM Punk will defend his title against Daniel Bryan at WWE Over the Limit, the champion tangled with his foe in tag action. And it was The Straight Edge Superstar who captured victory for his team over Cody Rhodes with a GTS … all the while making sure Bryan kept close watch on his fast and furious offense against Rhodes.

USANetwork.com has added four amazing photos of Punk, be sure to check them out in the gallery!

Related Links:
Pictures from other websites > USA Network

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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.

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.

Daniel Bryan and Lord Tensai def. WWE Champion CM Punk in a Non-Title Handicap Match

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.

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.

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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.

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

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WWE Champion CM Punk received a liquor basket from Chris Jericho
CM Punk probably didn’t even have to open Chris Jericho’s gift to know what was inside. After receiving a basket full of liquor from his rival, The Straight Edge Superstar said he has a present for Jericho, too – the one he’s going to personally deliver in a Chicago Street Fight at Extreme Rules

Alex Riley told Chris Jericho that he saw CM Punk drinking liquor in the locker room
Alex Riley claimed to have seen CM Punk drinking out of one of the liquor bottles that Jericho gave the WWE Champion. Unconvinced, Jericho took a peek inside the locker room to see for himself and spotted Punk sipping out of a plastic cup while one of the liquor bottles appeared to be sitting half-empty nearby.

Chris Jericho told GM John Laurinaitis to strip CM Punk of the WWE Title
Chris Jericho pleaded with GM John Laurinaitis to strip CM Punk of his WWE Championship because he saw him drinking alcohol in the locker room. After Laurinaitis expressed some doubt that he has the power to do that, his new Executive Administrator, Eve, said Laurinaitis actually does have the right to strip him of the title if in fact Punk violated WWE policy, which states WWE Talent is not allowed to drink alcohol within 12 hours of a WWE Live Event. Laurinaitis agreed to set up a sobriety test to find out if there is credible proof that Punk drank alcohol in the locker room and violated the policy.

CM Punk passed a public field sobriety test, attacked Chris Jericho
With Teddy Long and Chris Jericho looking on, CM Punk took a public field sobriety test administered by two Detroit police officers. First, Punk was asked to recite the alphabet backwards but failed to do so, as the WWE Champion claimed that nobody knows how to do that even when they’re sober. Next, Punk was asked to walk a straight line in the ring, but failed to do that successfully as well. After the officers ruled that Punk failed the sobriety test, Long requested that Punk hand over his WWE Championship.

However, The Straight Edge Superstar was granted one more chance by Long to pass the public sobriety test, and proceeded to walk a straight line across the ring several times while reciting the alphabet backwards at the same time. Right after he reached “A” in the alphabet, the WWE Champion surprised Jericho with an attack that sprawled quickly to the arena floor.

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At one point, Punk acquired a steel chair and blasted Henry with a thunderous shot to the mid section. But when The Straight Edge Superstar went for another shot, Henry countered with a big boot to the gut and smashed him with the chair. As their battle waged on, the champion avoided a World’s Strongest Slam with a kick to the head then a running high knee. But when Henry battled back and charged at Punk in the corner, he ran headfirst into a steel chair when Punk ducked out of the way. With The World’s Strongest Man down, Punk leaped from the top rope and bashed Henry with steel chair to retain his WWE Championship.

I’ve added the digitals from Punk’s match in Moscow, Russia against Dolph Ziggler.

I’ve also added digitals from Punk’s media day in Washington, D.C.

Related Links:

Digitals > Other > WWE Overseas 2012 > Moscow, Russia
Digitals > Other > CM Punk’s Washington D.C. Media Day

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Mark Henry def. WWE Champion CM Punk by Disqualification

Before the match, CM Punk defended his straight-edge lifestyle in an emotional address to the WWE Universe. Punk admitted that he felt violated by Chris Jericho’s disturbing act of drenching him with alcohol and smashing the bottle over his head on last week’s Raw. Before Punk could speak any further, though, Jericho interrupted on the TitanTron and mocked The Straight Edge Superstar for getting so emotional over experiencing his first “bender.” Punk fired back, saying Jericho can’t break him, and that he would only bring out the more dangerous side of the WWE Champion.

Punk’s match against Mark Henry was short-lived, as Punk grabbed a TV monitor and attacked The World’s Strongest Man, resulting in a victory for Henry via disqualification. Henry then exacted his revenge with a World’s Strongest Slam and Jericho seized the opportunity to ambush The Straight Edge Superstar by surprise – with six-packs of beer in hand.

Jericho broke open can after can of beer, and despite The Straight Edge Champion’s best efforts to stop him, Punk was soaked with the alcohol. All the while, Jericho continued to taunt Punk, urging him to “have some more,” before drilling him with a Codebreaker as he posed with the WWE Championship.

On next week’s Raw SuperShow, Punk will once again put his title on the line against Mark Henry. But this time, it will be in a No Count-Out, No Disqualification Match.

A huge thank you to Devin for sending me the screencaps of Punk from the Hall of Fame Ceremony that took place last weekend!

Related Links:
Screen Captures > Other WWE Caps > Other Caps: WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2012