WWE Champion CM Punk evaluates how his match with Dolph Ziggler went Sunday night, and how he would grade the match’s guest official, Raw Interim GM John Laurinaitis.

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WWE.com Exclusive: CM Punk talks about retaining the WWE Championship and how he would rate John Laurinaitis’ job performance

WWE.com has posted two new features: Bring it Back! SmackDown’s Fist Set and Top 25: Stunning Royal Rumble Match Statistics. Digitals of Punk are included in each feature; these have been added to the gallery.

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WWE.com has uploaded digitals of the superstars from their past and present days in the WWE. These images can also be found in the latest issue of WWE Magazine.

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By declaring outright his intentions of screwing CM Punk out of his WWE Championship at the 25th annual Royal Rumble event, John Laurinaitis revealed himself to be a man of deep resentment. That’s according to the one person who has known the Interim General Manager of Raw and EVP of Talent Relations longer than anybody else: his older brother, WWE Hall of Famer Road Warrior Animal.

In an exclusive interview, Animal told WWE.com that his brother’s vendetta against The Second City Saint is relatively easy to explain. Whereas Punk has reached the uppermost echelon in sports entertainment – the WWE Championship – Laurinaitis, an accomplished grappler in his own right, was never able to parlay his success overseas into a main event slot in the U.S.

“It’s one thing to be popular in Japan, and it’s another to make it in the U.S.,” Animal said. “That’s one thing that eats John from the inside, deep in his gut. I think he carries animosity over that, because he never got to be ‘the guy’ in the U.S. the way that CM Punk is today. I think he’s getting on Punk’s case because Punk is living the dream that John wishes he could have accomplished.”

Although the WWE Universe knows Laurinaitis primarily for his role on Raw SuperShow and, perhaps, for his time as one half of the oft-ridiculed Dynamic Dudes, less familiar to the WWE Universe is Laurinaitis’ impressive legacy inside Japanese squared circles.

[...]

Yet, to the WWE Universe, John Laurinaitis is little more than a front-office suit pushing a decidedly anti-Punk agenda. Conceding that Laurinaitis has overstepped his authority in targeting Punk, Animal nonetheless lauded his brother’s performance since taking over as the Interim GM of Raw.

Leaving behind a career between the ropes for a job in upper management is not always a smooth transition, Animal explained.

“He’s doing a good job of it,” he said. “It’s a tough position to be in, and it’s a fine line to walk, especially when you’ve spent your entire career in the ring. In making that switch over to the front office, sometimes you forget where you came from, and that might be what’s happening to John now.”

Still, Animal is not one to excuse his brother’s actions, and he refuses to let Laurinaitis off the hook for his barefaced grudge against Punk. Earlier this week, Laurinaitis tersely told WWE.com that he plans to do “what’s right for business” at the 25th annual Royal Rumble event.

Speaking of the WWE Champion and fellow Chicagoan with the utmost respect, Animal said Punk should be allowed to carry on with his championship affairs unimpeded.

“Let the guy be a champion; let him have his reign, let him do what he’s going to do,” Animal advised his brother, adding, “Just leave Punk alone.”

However, with Laurinaitis appointing himself special guest referee for the hotly anticipated Punk-Dolph Ziggler match, it appears rather unlikely that Raw’s Interim GM will, in fact, leave Punk alone. The bad blood between Laurinaitis and The Second City Saint shows absolutely no sign of easing, and the WWE Universe anxiously awaits the day when Punk gets his true opportunity to revolt against the oppressive authority figure known as Mr. Laurinaitis.

But how does Mr. Laurinaitis’ brother feel about it? Should a Punk-Laurinaitis matchup ever take place, would Animal put his money on the WWE Champion?

“I think Punk would tear him apart,” Animal said, speculating that his brother may have lost his edge since leaving active competition. “I’m not saying that John can’t handle himself, because he can. He was a world champion over in Japan, and he knows what it takes to get there. But once you spend five, six years in the front office, you’re bound to get soft, and you can’t expect to compete with a thoroughbred like Punk.”

Read the entire article at WWE.com »

By: Mitch Passero | January 20, 2012

CM Punk has faced – and overcome – many challenges during his rise to becoming WWE Champion. Not only did he fight tooth-and-nail to wrest the coveted title from John Cena – twice – he had to work just as hard to get it back from Alberto Del Rio. However, after everything that’s transpired on Raw SuperShow over the past several weeks, Punk could be up against his biggest challenge yet when he faces Dolph Ziggler at the 25th anniversary of Royal Rumble.

On Raw SuperShow, EVP of Talent Relations and Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis admitted that he’s going to try and screw Punk out of his title when he serves as the guest referee at Royal Rumble (WATCH). And if history is any indication, guest refs have been notorious for being anything but fair. Immediately after the shocking confession, Punk responded in a WWE.com Exclusive Video. (WATCH)

Finally, on top of worrying about what Laurinaitis might do, Punk will have his hands full in battling Ziggler – who has proven to be a formidable competitor for any Superstar. His resume includes Intercontinental, United States, and World Heavyweight Championship reigns.

Now that he has shown his true colors, will Laurinaitis get what he wants? Or will the WWE’s Second City Saint find a way to leave Royal Rumble with his title intact?

Source: wwe.com

Hear what WWE Champion CM Punk had to say after Interim Raw GM John Laurinaitis’ shocking confession that he’ll try to cost him the title at the 25th anniversary of the Royal Rumble.

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Special guest referees: Not so black and white
By: Alex Giannini | January 16, 2012

Eyebrows across the WWE Universe were raised when Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Interim Raw General Manager John Laurinaitis named himself special guest referee in the WWE Championship Match between CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler at the 25th anniversary of the Royal Rumble on Jan. 29.

Because of the Interim GM’s rocky relationship with CM Punk, the WWE Universe is left to wonder what role Laurinaitis might play in determining the WWE Championship. Despite being true to his word and banning Jack Swagger and Vickie Guerrero from ringside at the Rumble, the WWE Universe is left unconvinced of Mr. Laurinaitis’s ability to remain impartial – at least according to numerous posts on Facebook and Twitter. If he does work his way into deciding the outcome of the match, just how stacked will the deck be against The Second City Savior with the title on the line? For that matter, should Dolph Ziggler feel all that comfortable with the new guest referee? After all, Laurinaitis lived up to his word on the Jan. 9 Raw SuperShow, and banned both Jack Swagger and Vickie Guerrero from ringside.

As history has shown, when a WWE authority figure works him or herself into a guest officiating role during an important match, there’s just no telling what might happen. Though it’s a pretty safe bet that in their WWE Championship Match at the Royal Rumble, either the champion or challenger will not be happy with the guest official’s final decision.

Read the rest of the article at WWE.com »

By: Greg Godfrey | January 6, 2012

Best Mic Skills
CM Punk on his gift of gab
“Honestly, I don’t know if I ever learned it. I was once given a great piece of advice by The American Dream, Dusty Rhodes. He told me that the best stuff comes from the heart, and that’s all I’ve ever done. I don’t try to think about what I’m going to say because then it seems forced, rehearsed and phony. So when you see me with a mic in my hand, it’s just me talking. It’s what I do, it’s who I am, and I can talk all day long. Some animals are born with claws. Well, I was born with the ability to talk.”

Click here to view scans of the January 2012 issue of WWE Magazine »