PREVIEW: CM Punk vs. Triple H (No Holds Barred)

CM Punk’s fervent quest for answers will lead him to an intense confrontation with WWE’s Chief Operating Officer at Night of Champions, where The Straight Edge Superstar battles 13-time World Champion Triple H.

On an explosive WWE Raw SuperShow, Triple H admitted that he wouldn’t be satisfied by simply pinning Punk’s shoulders to the mat for a three-count. Therefore, using his power as a WWE executive, The Game made the contest a No Disqualification Match. The Second City Savior agreed to that high-risk stipulation, under the condition that The Game must resign as WWE COO if he loses.

Competing in the ring for the first time since his cataclysmic encounter with The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVII in April, The King of Kings would have at one time admired Punk’s anti-authority attitude. However, trading in his D-Generation X gear for a pressed suit and tie, the outlaw-turned-executive intends to silence the self-proclaimed “voice of the voiceless” after months of mouthing off. (WATCH)

Even though Punk’s Undisputed WWE Championship victory at The Biggest Event of the Summer was the result of some questionable officiating by The King of Kings himself, The Second City Savior nevertheless basked in the adulation of his screaming fans at the STAPLES Center after defeating fellow WWE Champion John Cena to become the sole bearer of the illustrious prize. Yet, the self-proclaimed “voice of the voiceless” was soon viciously silenced by The Game’s longtime friend Kevin Nash, who charged the ring and laid out Punk with his iconic Jackknife Powerbomb, a maneuver that has destroyed many a foe during the 7-foot former WWE Champion’s storied in-ring career.

Struggling to recover following “Big Sexy’s” unexpected and unprovoked assault, Punk was defenseless as Money in the Bank winner Alberto Del Rio cashed in his WWE Championship opportunity to capture the title. The following night on Raw, the WWE COO affirmed that he had no idea why his longtime friend Nash chose to attack Punk moments after his Undisputed WWE Championship Match. Nash, however, told a different tale altogether, saying that the order to “stick” the winner of that momentous bout came via text message from The Game’s cell phone – and presumably from The Cerebral Assassin himself.

Punk was dissatisfied with the Kliq members’ conflicting stories, and continued to disrespect both men despite their many accolades. Fed up with the silver-tongued Superstar’s verbal jabs, Nash – now officially signed to a WWE contract – challenged Punk to a match on the Aug. 29 edition of Raw. Triple H made that match official for Night of Champions, but The Game later dropped a massive bombshell on Nash, Punk and the entire WWE Universe: He would face Punk himself at the prestigious pay-per-view event. Nash, on the other hand, would ultimately be fired from his WWE contract after being implicated by The Game as the sole person responsible for the SummerSlam hysteria.

Can CM Punk overcome The King of Kings and force him to resign? Or will Triple H end Punk’s inquisitive campaign with a Pedigree? To find out, tune in to Night of Champions, Sept. 18, only on pay-per-view.