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Hell's Gate Reopened For Punk In Tulsa

Posted: Sep 27th 2009 By: CMBurnham

They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

WWE Smackdown World Champion C. M. Punk's intentions were far from good when he conspired with Smackdown General manager Teddy Long to retain his title during his match against the Undertaker at the WWE "Breaking Point" PPV two weeks ago.

In this match, a decision could only be rendered as a result of a submission. And while both men were known for their hard striking style, they each had submission finishers in their backgroud. Punk employed the Anaconda Vice, which targeted the pressure points around the elbow while the Undertaker had perfected the Hell's Gate, a form of a Triangle Choke, which locked the head and neck into the legs of the person applying it and put undo pressure on the ability to breathe.

The problem was, previous Smackdown general manager Vickie Guerrero had outlawed the Hell's Gate hold during her tenure. And Teddy Long had never overridden that decree. So Long and Punk saw an opportunity to make sure Punk walked away with the belt and they did that by having Long overturn the referee's decision in their title match and then ordering the referee to ring the bell as soon as Punk applied the Anaconda Vice.

So, Punk retained the belt, even though the Undertaker never submitted. And by the following Tuesday, the Undertaker was in no mood to hear explanations. Teddy Long came to the ring to offer one, then went to his limosuine to drive back to his hotel room. But the Undertaker had taken the position as limo driver and locked Teddy in the car, telling him to "buckle up". The last we saw of Teddy a week ago, he was being taken away at the mercy of an irate Undertaker and it looked like there could be no escape.

When Smackdown opened in Tulsa, C. M. Punk came to the ring full of the same bravado he'd had ever since he had defeated Jeff Hardy in a Loser-Leaves-WWE match. Always prepared to remind everyone how much better he is then them because he adheres to the "straightedge" lifestyle, he ran down his career accomplishments to the crowd and wondered who his next challenger would be. He then laughed, as he said that he had no challengers left. At that point, the arena darkened and several druids rolled an ominous casket to ringside. Punk was scared. Uncertain as to what was in the casket, but fearing the worst, he grabbed a steel chair and began to attack the casket. Then, ever so cautiously, he opened the lid to reveal....Teddy Long, bound and gagged in the casket.

Punk was highly amused. He said Teddy looked horrible, but this was obviously a sign of how scared the Undertaker was of facing him. Punk then assisted Long out of the casket into the ring and undid the gag and binds.

At that point, it was obvious that Punk was expecting some gratitude from the general manager. He got none. Instead, in a slightly breathy voice, Long exclaimed that he was revoking the ban on the Hell's Gate Submission move. As Punk stared on in shock, Long also announced that Undertaker would once again be challenging for Punk's title, but this time it would be in a Hell In A Cell Match. Finally, Long told Punk that he would be facing Undertaker in the main event of the evening! Long then rolled out of the ring and stumbled up the rampway as Punk began to ponder what he had just been committed to.

Punk figured that if Long could do that to him, he needed to go over Long's head to get it undone, so when he ran into WWE Chairman Cince McMahon backstage, he saw his opportunity. Punk immediately began to whine and asked if McMahon was going to allow Long to do this. McMahon responded that Punk should have thought of the consequences before entering into the conspiracy. There would be no easy fix for Punk from the Boss, so he left and began to prepare for his match.

When the time for the main event arrived, Punk came to the ring first. He tried to put on a brave face, but it was obvious that he was concerned. Then the arena darkened and the ominous tolls of the bell began as "The Dead Man" made his way to the ring. Never one to show much emotion, it was impossible to see if 'Taker was angry, focused or concerned himself. But when the bell rang, he was all about business. Both men knew that, even though the title was not on the line, the match was important in getting momentum headed into the PPV in two weeks.

Eventually the combatants spilled outside the ring and the Undertaker really picked up the brutality. He cleared off the top of the ring announce area, pulling the monitors out of their sockets and sending announce team members Todd Grisham & Jim Ross scurrying for cover. He then hoisted Punk up and looked prepared to send him through the table with a "Last Ride" powerbomb. But Punk slithered down 'Taker's back and back into the ring before the referee reached the count of 10. 'Taker was not so lucky and C. M. Punk claimed a victory (via countout) over his #1 challenger.

The champion quickly exited the ring and began cockily backing up the ramp, smiling with the bravado of someone who had pulled a fast one. But "The Phenom" would not tolerate this. He rapidly pursued the champion and pulled him from the backstage area, tossing him down the rampway. To ths crowd's enjoyment, 'Taker rolled Punk into the ring and hoisted him up, delivering a thunderous chokeslam. Then, as the final nail in the coffin, he picked up the champion one more time and connected with a Tombstone Piledriver. As Punk was assisted from the ring, Undertaker acknowledged the crowd and made his entrance to the pleasure of the 10 000+ fans in attendance. He may not have won the title this night, but with the Hell's Gate back in his arsenal and the comfort of the Hell In A Cell Match stipulation (a match he has competed in more than any other WWE Superstar), Taker feels confident that the big belt will soon be his again. And while Punk may be proud to be "straightedge", he might want to consider medication for the pain that the challenger is likely to inflict on him.

Tags: WWE, Jim Ross, Undertaker, C. M. Punk, Teddy Long