_________________________________________________
Night of Champions, June 29, 2008
Triple H stood atop the ring's turnbuckle, the WWE Championship hoisted up in one of his his meaty hands. He was full of gloating that night, and hell - as far as he was concerned, it was his given right.
He had just put away that pain in the ass John Cena. Yes, he knew the man was a much better wrestler and all around athlete. It didn't matter. After all, he was the one married to Stephanie McMahon... He was the one who had a very special relationship with the boss. Oh, and he knew his wife had been carrying on an affair with Cena for over the past two years - but so what? It wasn't getting the other man anywhere at this point, and Vince was punishing him for it. That was what mattered, because through it all, Hunter was the one still getting all the perks. And as far as he was concerned, life couldn't get any better. It was his night, and his alone. It didn't matter a damn that Edge had retained his World Heavyweight Championship against Batista, or that Mickie James - a mere chick - had retained her Women's title, or that Kofi Kingston was the new Intercontinental Champion. No... All eyes were on him, and rightly so.
The Game shot his head in the direction of the entry ramp at the abrupt sound of Killswitch Engage blaring through the arena. What the hell...? His beady amber eyes narrowed with suspicion as he spotted CM Punk, along with his Money in the Bank briefcase, his brother-in-law Shane McMahon and referee Nick Patrick. Shane had a microphone in hand and started to speak.
"Oh, Hunter? I'm sorry to interrupt your little one-man party, but... Well, as you and everyone else knows, CM Punk is Mr. Money in the Bank." The elder McMahon sibling gestured to the Straightedge superstar, who stood grinning and nodding beside him. "And as Mr. Money in the Bank, he has every right to challenge any major champion of his choice for the title at any time." Shane smiled as he caught the expression on Hunter's face. "And guess what? 'Any time' is right now. Looks like you aren't quite through for the night." With that, he accepted the briefcase and Punk's earned contract.
The Straightedge superstar was all smiles as he trotted down the ramp and to the ring. He hadn't seen action all night, so he was fresh and very ready for this match.
As his surprise opponent slid into the ring under the bottom rope, Triple H tried a cheap shot with a kick. However, Punk saw it coming and rolled out of the way just in time. He reveled in the huge cheers from the crowd, which earlier had been mixed for John Cena but extremely lukewarm for The Game.
"Can you believe this, Mick?" JR asked from the SmackDown announce table.
"Yeah, I can," Foley replied. "And I'm willing to bet Punk walks out with the WWE title!"
In the ring, Punk kept things fast-paced, in his usual style. He knew Triple H didn't fare well with that, as evidenced with his prior losses to the high-flying Jeff Hardy. And he also knew Hunter had injured his right knee during the bout with Cena. Well, that was all fine and good as far as he was concerned.
Taking a page out of the Doctor of Thuganomics' book from earlier, the dark-haired man delivered a chopblock. The move sent his egomaniacal opponent to the canvas, groaning and clutching his bad knee.
Taking full advantage, Punk grabbed the WWE Champion's leg, going to work on it by stretching it out. Once he was through with that, he delivered a few kicks to the bodypart. Then, hefting Triple H to his feet, he tossed him into the turnbuckles.
Hunter winced and hobbled as he tried to stand straight. He didn't have much time to reach, though, as the little squirt who had the nerve to challenge him suddenly connected with a running knee. A gust of air blew out of his lungs as he collapsed in a heap to the mat a second later thanks to a bulldog.
This wasn't fair! All his hard work and everything he'd worked for was slowly swirling down the drain. Okay, so he really hadn't worked all that hard - at least not in the ring.
Punk was like a shark that smelled blood in the water. Foregoing his GTS, he again grabbed The Game's leg, instantly trapping him in a figure four leglock. Triple H started screaming - and he tapped out in mere seconds.
CM Punk was ecstatic as he heard the bell ring. He sank to his knees as the referee reaised his hand in sweet victory. Tears began to freely flow as he heard Lilian Garcia's excited announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner and new WWE Champion - CM Punk!"
The happy roars and cheers from the fans in the crowd were nearly deafening, and Punk appreciated all of it. With the gold placed right in his hands, he climbed the turnbuckles and proudly held the belt high in the air for all to see. This was truly his shining moment.
Moments later, after Punk had gone to the back, Triple H was still laying in the center of the ring, clutching his knee. As he pulled himself up to a sitting position, it dawned on him that the bastard referee hadn't even stuck around to check on him. Well, that was just fine - he'd have the guy fired for that!
Suddenly, he heard the distinctive sexy female voice speak, "You think you know me," and then "Metalingus" by Alter Bridge began to play. As he looked toward the entryway, he saw not only Edge, but all of La Familia emerge from the back, with Curt Hawkins wheeling SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero in the middle.
"Hunter?" she began in a microphone. "I have a bit of news for you... You know what? SmackDown was looking great, like the number one show when you were drafted last week."
Triple H stared blankly at the woman, his mouth open as she went on.
"It was great for my show to have the two big champions. But it looks like you're no longer a champion, and therefore..." A smile crossed Vickie's lips. "... you're nothing! What's more, you can go join The Undertaker on the unemployment line. Because as of now, you're fired!"
The former twelve-time champion now hobbled to his feet, enraged as he shouted back, but no one could hear him without a mic.
"My God!" JR bellowd. "Mick, The Game has just been fired!"
"Oh, and Hunter?" Vickie continued. Edge knelt by her left side, a gleeful grin on his face. "Much like The Undertaker, you're not merely fired from SmackDown but from the entire WWE!"
"Baby," the Rated R Superstar said into his fiancee's mic, "I always knew you were brilliant!" He patted her shoulder with appreciation.
Back in the ring, Triple H was still ranting and raving. He couldn't believe everything that had just happened. It wasn't fair. He was the King of Kings, damn it! His night - his night - had gone from being absolutely perfect to being his worst nightmare. Who would have thought that, at Night of Champions, The Game would officially end?
// END