Text By Jed Shaffer

What if...CM Punk took the Ring Of Honor World Title to WWE??

Part III

Our story continues at Ring Of Honor's "Enter The Dragon" event, where CM Punk must defend the ROH Title under orders...against a mystery challenger...from ROH Commissioner Jim Cornette or be stripped of the title. Making Punk's attitude worse is that he doesn't have physical possession of the belt; it is in the hands of ÒAmerican DragonÓ Bryan Danielson, who is making his return to ROH tonight to forfeit the belt. With Punk in the building, and the possibility of Danielson coming back, the stage is set for ROH to explode ... assuming Punk doesn't have a trick up his sleeve ...

Oct. 14, '05: Ring Of Honor's "Enter The Dragon":

In the weeks building up to Enter The Dragon, the attention falls on two major events: Bryan Danielson's return to Ring Of Honor, and whether he will adhere to forfeiting the physical World Title belt, and CM Punk's first Jim Cornette-ordered ROH Title defense. Several articles are written on Ring Of Honor's website, trying to speculate on what may happen based on the personalities, and what may happen if Danielson doesn't relinquish the belt, if Punk refuses to wrestle, and what Cornette may do if either comes to pass.

Danielson's first opportunity to do right comes at the start of the event, as Jim Cornette asks both Punk and Danielson to join him. Punk does, looking sullen and pissy, like a child forced to do something they don't want to. However, instead of Danielson, "Copacabana" hits the PA, ushering in Colt Cabana. Cabana skips his normal dancing and fan-friendly entrance in favor of making a beeline for the ring, eyes locked on Punk's.

"Colt, maybe I wasn't clear as I coulda been," says Cornette. "I wanted Bryan Danielson to come out now."

"Mr. Cornette, I understand, but I got a small piece of business to take care of first." Cabana looks at Punk, eyes seething with fury. "Business between old friends." Cornette tries to reason with Cabana again, but Cabana will not be deterred. "See, for years, I had this guy's back. I bailed him out when he needed it, and I took lumps that were meant for him. I bled for him. So I figure I'm owed a title shot."

Punk clears his throat and takes a step forward, getting close to Cabana. "I don't owe you shit."

Cabana nods. "I thought you may feel that way." Cabana turns to Cornette. "Mr. Cornette, I think I deserve a title shot."

"Well, what makes you think you deserve one?" Cornette asks.

"He had to cheat to beat me The Final Chapter. And if that ain't enough ..." Cabana looks at Punk again and smiles, but he speaks to Cornette. "I did pin him, on Monday Night Raw, in front of the world."

Punk steps up again, now almost bumping chests with Cabana. "If I remember correctly, it took that son of a bitch John Cena stabbing me in the back for you to even get the chance to pin me. So if you think you can take me down, sport, by all means, take your best shot, Colt."

Colt never gets the chance to reply, as his opponent for the evening, Homicide, rushes the ring and ambushes him. Punk and Cornette quickly get out of the way, and just as quick, the bell is rung, starting their match. It isn't long before Ricky Reyes, Homicide's running buddy, jumps in and helps Homicide beat down Cabana, drawing the disqualification. But to the surprise of the Rottweilers, the sides are evened by the surprise appearance of James Gibson, who sends the Rottweilers to the floor.

"Hope you didn't that just cause I was on Raw that I was done here," says Gibson. "I don't have a contract there yet, so until I do, I'll be helping out my buddy Matt by beating your ass! So why don't you and your lover there get in the ring, and me and Colt can put the boots to you?"

And just as quick, Homicide and Reyes slide in; the bell rings, making the brawl an official match, although any resemblance to a real tag match is only because there are four men. Otherwise, nobody tags, nobody leaves the ring, and weapons are used liberally. The brawl sprawls through the building, including a dramatic moment where Homicide attempts a Cop Killa on a chair in the audience, but Gibson slips out, spins Homicide around and nails the Twist Of Fate on the chair. Inside the ring, Cabana ducks a kick, nails a kick to the gut and hits the Colt .45 for the pin. Back in the crowd, Gibson taunts Homicide as he struggles to get to his feet, then picks up Homicide, tells him "this is for Matt," and nails a Gibson Driver on the chair. Cabana and Gibson shake hands, leaving The Rottweilers laying broken and beaten.

Danielson gets a second chance to deliver the goods just after the intermission, as Cornette once again brings out Punk, now looking perturbed as well as moody. "So, here we are again. Would my guest come out this time?" says Cornette.

But instead of Danielson, Samoa Joe hits the ring. Punk stiffens and takes a step back as the longest reigning champ in ROH history steps into the ring. No sooner does Joe enter then James Gibson comes out, and behind him, Christopher Daniels, Nigel McGuinness, BJ Whitmer, Jimmy Jacobs, Jimmy Rave, Alex Shelley, Abyss, Jay Lethal and Steve Corino all file into the ring. Cornette stands with his mouth open, trying to make sense of what is in front of him. "I know I'm the new guy in the company," says Cornette, "but I could swear I asked for Bryan Danielson, and I know for a fact that not a single one of ya right here is Bryan Danielson. So you mind explaining what it is exactly you guys are out here for?"

"Jim, it's real simple." Joe, the spokesman, gestures to the men behind him. "We're all ROH to the core. No, Jim; we are ROH's core. Some of us have fought Punk, a few of us ..." Joe smiles and shrugs. "Well, a few of us have beaten Punk. But the bottom line is, we all--well, everyone except for Corino, but he's proven his chops and he's held gold most everywhere he's gone--we all live for ROH. This is our home. This is our promotion." Joe points to Punk. "And that son of a bitch went off and switched teams, which is his right. But he stole our property when he did it."

"None of this is exactly news to me, Joe," says Cornette. "So why don't you stop circling whatever point it is you have like a dog lookin' for a place to lay down and get to it?"

"Jim, all we're doin' is serving you notice. Personal grudges aside, the one thing we all agree on is that rotten, miserable bastard's gotta pay, and there ain't one of us who isn't dedicated to getting it done. I sent Mick Foley packing because CM Punk is ROH business, and we're ROH. So all I'm telling you is that we're lining up for our shot. We don't care who goes first, and we ain't out to screw each other, because bringing home that gold means the same thing to every one of us. So you might as well get used to every World Title match being a lumberjack match, because that's how it's gonna shake until Punk's staring at the lights for three seconds." Joe turns to Punk, flashes a predatory grin, and adds; "Oh, and if your little buddy from Connecticut thinks he's gonna be runnin' in here and saving you from us, Punk ... we'll be sending him back to Stamford in a hearse. You dig?" Joe turns and leaves, leading the rest of the troupe out of the ring.

Cornette gives Bryan Danielson one final chance to come through, right before CM Punk's title defense. With Punk in his wrestling gear, still unsure of his opponent, he and Cornette wait through an uncomfortable silence before, finally, the lights dim and "The Final Countdown" hits. The audience explodes as the American Dragon Bryan Danielson steps through the curtain, holding the ROH Title in the air. Danielson walks to the ring, making sure Punk sees the belt, pointing to himself as if he were the reigning champ. When Danielson gets in the ring, he marches right up to Punk, dropping the belt at Cornette's feet without even looking. Punk and Danielson eye each other for a long minute; the audience, expecting Danielson to be the mystery opponent, starts to chant "let them fight" and "let's go, Dragon!".

Without warning, Danielson nails Punk across the mush with a huge open-handed slap. Before Punk can step back into Danielson's face, Danielson walks over to Cornette and grabs the hand Cornette is using to hold the microphone. "That's twice I've punked you out," Danielson says. "Next time, I take the belt back." Danielson leaves the ring as the crowd boos, upset that Danielson isn't the opponent.

When Danielson is gone, Punk gestures for Cornette to get on with it. "Patience, son," says Cornette. "This'll take a minute, since you have three opponents." Punk's eyes go wide, and the crowd, only moments ago upset, is now excited at the odds being against the hated champion. "In a four-way elimination match, you will be facing these men!"

One by one, Punk's opponents come out: Austin Aries, Jack Evans and Roderick Strong, three of the founding members of Generation Next. Together, they storm the ring and take after Punk for several minutes, until the referee orders everyone to corners or risk the match being thrown out.

Once the match gets under control, Punk finds that the greatest problem in the match--his being the odd man out against a group--is also his greatest asset; every time he is tagged in, he quickly tags out, never spending more then a minute or two in the ring, conserving energy and forcing the members of Generation Next to fight each other. When he does tag in, Punk maximizes his in-ring time with blind tags, swapping out with a fresh person against someone who's been taking punishment, striking until the victim shows signs of life, and tags out again. The strategy pays its first dividend when Punk is able to take advantage of a Jack Evans mistake, tags himself in at the expense of Aries, and pins Evans.

But the elimination of Evans only means he's down one opponent; his two remaining foes boast the credentials of being a Survival Of The Fittest winner and a former ROH World Champion. Aries quickly jumps in and goes after the man who ended his title reign, but Punk wisely drops back and tags in Aries' friend and stablemate Roderick Strong. With the World Title, and the very sanctity of the company, riding on the line, Aries and Strong put aside friendship and take it to one another, each one wanting to be the man to reclaim Ring Of Honor's crown jewel from the thief Punk. But as much as the spirit of competition captures Strong and Aries, teamwork and brotherhood still survives; so when Punk tries his "sneak in, hit quick, sneak out" strategy, Punk finds the duo too well-versed in his tricks and he ends up taking punishment. From there, Strong and Aries treat it like a handicap match, dissecting Punk much like Danielson and Cabana did on WWE Raw.

But unlike Raw, Punk doesn't pour 100 percent of himself into staying on the offense, so that, when his opponent makes a mistake, he's got enough to capitalize on the error. Namely, Aries misses a 450 splash, which Punk turns into a pinning attempt with his feet on the ropes. Strong tries to break it up, but Punk stands up and shoves Strong through the ropes, right at the feet of Generation Next's rivals, The Embassy; with Aries in the ring and still alive, the faction disposes of any pretense of honor and puts the boots to Strong until the rest of the roster stops them. But with the distraction, Punk is able to use a low blow to set up a Pepsi Plunge and puts Aries down for the count. This leaves a beaten Strong, whom Punk is able to make easy work of, capturing a tap-out victory with the Anaconda Vice. Joe leads a brawl consisting of almost the entire roster against The Embassy on the outside, oblivious to the fact that once again, Punk is victorious and the nightmare continues.

Oct. 15, '05: Ring Of Honor's "Buffalo Stampede":

Following the events of "Enter The Dragon", speculation runs rampant for the following night's "Buffalo Stampede" show as to who will be given the shot against CM Punk. Nobody expects anyone from the Embassy to get the shot after the debacle from the previous night, and indeed, Jimmy Rave gets slated against Colt Cabana, while Alex Shelley gets put against Nigel McGuinness in a non-title bout; both of these matches are met with mixed approval, as the matches deny both the undeserving Embassy members, but also tie up two potential contenders in Cabana and McGuinness. And a post-event interview with Punk, posted on ROH's website, only fans the flames of ire in Ring Of Honor, as Punk proclaims to have "defeated every worthy contender on the roster" and that he's contemplating retiring with the belt, just to make a break in the lineage out of spite.

When Punk shows up dressed up to work, the crowd is actually relieved to see the loathesome cretin. The crowd still spews hatred at him, which Punk brushes off with typical nonchalance. "See, you hate me, yet you're glad to see me," he says with more then a dose of smug superiority. "That, folks, is power; to be so hated, and yet so needed. Who else inspires that kind of loyalty, that kind of pure, unbridled emotion? Nobody in this company, let me tell you. And that brings me to my quandary tonight; see, I've done it all in this company. Raven ... Jimmy Rave ... The Prophecy ... Generation Next ... James Gibson ... Colt Cabana ... I've beaten just about every single big-money player in this company." The crowd starts to chant for Danielson, which draws a chuckle from Punk. "Oh, don't get me started on that guy. The guy's ran scared from me for years. He's never wanted a piece of me. That's why he stole the title belt and then disappeared for a month; he's a coward. He can't take me." Punk shrugs. "And besides, he's busy tonight; your beloved Commissioner booked him in a six-man tag with Steve Corino and James Gibson against the Rottweilers. So who you got left? Nobody. So I'm gonna enjoy my night off by stealing one of your girlfriends and showing her a good time."

Jim Cornette comes out and wastes no time in getting to the point. "Got a problem with that, Punk. I already told you that you'd be defending the belt at every Ring Of Honor show until you lost it. I got an owner I answer to, and these fans sure as hell count as bosses, so you'll understand if I take exception at you kicking back on your heels for the evening. Believe me, there's more then a couple guys in the back who'd love a piece of you that you haven't faced." Cornette jabs a finger in Punk's chest. "Lucky for you, I got someone for you. Someone you know well. Someone ... someone you've never defeated one-on-one." The crowd immediately falls on the answer and starts chanting "Joe's gonna kill you!". Cornette nods emphatically. "That's right! One on one, tonight, you, CM Punk, will defend our championship against Samoa Joe!"

The announcement electrifies the crowd, who spend the evening on the edge of their seat in anticipation of the blockbuster main event. Colt Cabana once again bolsters his status as a top talent in the company and someone deserving of a title shot by taking out Jimmy Rave; afterwards, he cuts a promo, verbally underscores his intent on dethroning Punk and that he considers himself the rightful number one contender. The crowd chants for Cabana until the lights go dark and Europe's "The Final Countdown" hits the PA, ushering out Bryan Danielson. Danielson gets in Cabana's face, a shark-like smile on his face.

"You think you deserve a shot, huh?" Danielson says. "Who made him tap out, Colt?"

"Who pinned him on Monday Night Raw?" Colt retorts.

Danielson smirks. "See, that's what I like about you, Colt. You can talk yourself into anything. Like overlooking how Punk already beat you in a two-out-of-three falls match a couple months back."

Cabana never has a chance to reply, as the Rottweilers interrupt the confrontation, putting the boots to Danielson and Cabana. James Gibson and Steve Corino race to the ring in time to stop the street gang before they can escalate the situation, but as Homicide leads his troops away from the ring, Corino gets on the stick and challenges the trio to make their six-man a street fight. Homicide accepts the challenge, vowing to "kill every last one" of their enemies.

With the promise of a bloody, barely-contained riot brewing for the six-man tag, the ROH World Title match goes on just before the main event. Samoa Joe comes out to a thunderous ovation from the crowd, stamping their feet and chanting Joe's name. And where the night before, Punk had trepidation over facing three opponents, when the champ comes out, he shows outright fear at facing the man he failed to beat on three occasions. And unlike the two legendary draws and the third match that ended in Joe victorious, Punk shows none of the calm precision or strategy this time; instead, he rushes headlong, almost in a panic, at Joe, hoping to score a quick knock-out blow. Instead, Joe counter-wrestles Punk, vexing the champ by evading or countering out of all of his offense.

But, similar to their other encounters, just as Punk could never find the killing edge to finish off Joe, a winning strategy eludes Joe, and it isn't for lack of trying. This time around, Punk uses every cowardly short-cut, cheat and cheap stall tactic to keep from being defeated. Every time Joe gets momentum on his side, Punk ducks out of the ring, puts a thumb in Joe's eye, or finds some other way to bring Joe's onslaught to an unceremonious halt. The anticipation of the crowd goes from palpable to suffocating as the minutes wear on, and Punk keeps dodging Joe's bullets. On three separate occasions, Joe gets the Kokina Clutch, but Punk manages to twist his body to the ropes to break the hold before the pain is too great.

Finally, Joe manages to catch Punk in a precarious position on the turnbuckles and busts out the muscle buster. The crowd is on their feet, screaming for the Clutch, but Joe puts Punk back on the turnbuckle and hits a second muscle buster. Joe leans over Punk's nearly unconscious body and yells distinctly "You ain't gettin' outta this, motherfucker!", then drags Punk to his feet, puts him back on the turnbuckle and nails a third muscle buster. The crowd, now on the borderline of anarchy, chants "Choke him out!"; Joe acknowledges the chant with an emphatic nod and yells back "You're goddamn right, he's getting choked out!", then slaps on the Kokina Clutch. With Punk all but comatose anyway and not even fighting, the ref goes to check Punk's arm. The crowd gasps as the hand drops the second time, being only one away from the end of Punk's reign of terror ... only the bell rings before the ref can perform the third and final check. So into the moment is Joe that he doesn't even hear the bell, and only breaks the hold when he hears the voice of ring announcer Bobby Cruise proclaiming the match has reached its sixty minute time limit and is a draw. The crowd comes unglued, declaring the result to be bullshit, and no sooner is Joe on his feet, arguing with the ref, then Commissioner Jim Cornette is on the scene.

"Joe! Joe! Joe!" Cornette has to put himself in jeopardy by standing between the ref and Joe to keep the referee from being turned into putty. "Listen to me! Nobody's more mad about this then me, Joe. It's my butt if I can't get that belt back here in this company around a Ring Of Honor wrestler, so believe me, I understand how you're feeling right now. But I'm gonna make it better." Joe cocks his head and asks how. "Our next show is October 29th, Joe, and I got an idea. Far as I'm concerned, you just beat that man lying on the mat, and if it weren't for that clock, you'd be Ring Of Honor World Champion right this very second. So how about at This Means War on October the 29th, we do away with the clock?" The crowd erupts with approval. "No time limit, Joe! One last match, Joe versus Punk, World Title on the line, a guaranteed winner! How does that sound?" Joe smiles and seals the deal with a handshake; on the way out, as Punk is stirring, Joe bends down and tells Punk, still dazed and confused, he'll be seeing him in two weeks. As Joe leaves, the crowd re-ups the "Joe's gonna kill you" chant, much to Punk's confusion.

The team of Bryan Danielson, Steve Corino and James Gibson--an odd trio, to be sure--is introduced first for the main event. Before the Rottweilers can be introduced, Gibson gets on the microphone and says that his mission tonight is take out Homicide and get revenge for his injured friend, Matt Hardy, and then dedicates the match to Hardy. With that, the Rottweilers storm the ring, bringing an hurried start to something that has almost no resemblance to a wrestling match, save for Low-Ki and Danielson trading submission moves and stiff kicks. In time, even they give into the brutal nature that surrounds them, as the six men pair off in brawls that take place in the ring and in the audience. Homicide introduces a fork, which he uses to open up Corino's forehead, while Gibson produces a strand of barbed wire, which gets used like a whip across Homicide's back. Tables, chairs, the guard rail and a bag of thumbtacks all get introduced and used to rend flesh, break bones and spill blood. The finale, amazingly, comes down to a wrestling maneuver, as Low-Ki nails a Ki Krusher on Gibson, from the top rope, through a table, but the three count doesn't stop the Rottweilers from continuing the beatdown. Using every impliment available, Homicide conducts a violent symphony with his troops, tearing Danielson, Gibson and Corino limb from limb. And just when the crowd thinks the Rottweilers have finally tired of savaging their fallen foes, Homicide comes back to the ring, carrying a white t-shirt with the old Hardy Boyz logo on it. Homicide dips his fingers in the pools of blood in the ring and coming from the foreheads of his opponents, and, though misspelled, writes a very clear and distinct message over the Hardy logo:

DED MAN.

Oct. 17, '05: WWE Raw:

An update on the condition of Matt Hardy, as well an all-star tag team match pitting Edge and CM Punk against Triple H and Shawn Michaels highlights Raw as the build towards Taboo Tuesday continues. But Raw kicks off with Mick Foley, who comes out without playing to the crowd.

"In my career, I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of," begins Foley, "I tried to kill ECW by making Tommy Dreamer go to WCW ... I tried to cripple Sting ... I put on the Dude Love tights and sold my soul to Vince McMahon ... so when I get the chance to redeem myself, dammit, I feel I owe it to my kids and my wife and to everyone who ever bought a ticket to see some doughy kid from Long Island live out his dream to be a pro wrestler to take that opportunity. And that's what I did last week. I went back there, I sucked it up and I tried to apologize to Ric Flair. And when he wouldn't listen, I tried to show him I'm sorry for what happened by saving him from getting his ass beat by CM Punk. And then ... well ..." Foley gestures to the TitanTron, where footage of the misunderstanding from the closing moments of Raw the previous week rolls. When the footage finishes, Foley shakes his head. "See, I wanna believe that this was a misunderstanding. It's not like Triple H was there telling you it was me; you saw me, with the chair, and you got everything all scrambled. So I wanna believe that you've seen the footage sometime in the past week, or maybe someone told you what happened, and that you're regretful. So, I'm asking you, Ric, I'm hoping you'll join me here in the ring, and we can clear the air once and for all and put this all behind us."

The music of Ric Flair hits, but the sixteen-time world champ fails to come out. "Come on, Ric, we're both grown men, we both made mistakes. I'm out here admitting mine. The WWE needs us to fight together, not fight each other."

A second cueing of the music brings out the Nature Boy, dressed in a classic Armani suit. But, in marked contrast to only a couple weeks prior, Flair's entrance is greeted with hostility, and his casual, slow sauntering to the ring doesn't inspire any faith that he's here to mend fences. For the first few moments, as the two icons of the industry stand in the ring, Flair regards Foley with a gaze that screams out an air of smug superiority; then, Flair breaks it by grudgingly pulling out a hand and offering it to shake. Foley extends his hand in return, but before he can grasp Flair's, the Nature Boy's other hand comes out of his pocket and connects on Foley's jaw with a crushing, brass knuckles-assisted haymaker. Foley crumples to the mat, out before his head hits. Flair slides out as the crowd unleashes the full force of their hostility; he searches under the ring for something, and pulls out something which makes both the announcers and the audience gasp in unison: a barbed-wire-covered baseball bat.

Flair slides back inside and picks up the microphone, yelling at the prone body of Foley in trademark staccato Flair style. "You think I trust a damn thing you do or say, Mick Foley? Do you think I'm that big a fool? You're a liar, you're a piece of crap, and you are a disgrace to this business!" Flair drops the microphone, raises the bat like an executioner's axe and swings down, connecting with Foley's back. Foley comes to immediately, clutching at his back; Flair pounces, shoving Foley onto his back and pushing the barbed-wire against Foley's forehead, screaming all the while. "Is this wrestling? Is this what you call wrestling? You, you're sick! You're an insult! You make me sick!" Flair jumps to his feet, raises the bat again and brings it down into Foley's midsection. He tries for a third blow, but officials storm the ring, led by Triple H and Arn Anderson, who pull Flair away so the rest can protect Foley or check on him. Triple H and Arn get in Flair's face, demanding an explanation; when Flair won't give one, besides frothing at the mouth over Arn's shoulder, his longtime friend slaps him across the face. Flair responds by kicking Triple H in the groin and sucker-punching Arn. Officials keep Flair from getting to Foley, and reinforcements help drag Flair away.

Following the Flair/Foley fight, Eric Bischoff announces that, stemming from the fight last week and the intertwining histories of everyone involved, CM Punk's Intercontinental Title defense at Taboo Tuesday will be a fatal-four-way, pitting him against Matt Hardy, Ric Flair and Mick Foley; fans will be able to vote on the match stipulation, with Falls Count Anywhere, Steel Cage or Elimination as the options. Shortly thereafter the news is broken, Matt Hardy appears via satellite from the hospital, and Jim Ross asks him about his feelings on facing not one but three opponents.

"Eric, let me tell you something: Matt Hardy will not die," he says, sitting on the gurney, looking ready to check out. "They can throw whoever they want at me. Mick Foley, Ric Flair, I don't care who it is. I came back to the WWE to revenge a wrong, and since I came back, it seems everyone wants to do me wrong, so I'm just gonna have to--"

Hardy's sentence gets cut short as the janitor in the background, who had been mopping the floors, swings his mop and breaks it over the back of Hardy's head. The janitor whips the hat and wig aside, revealing himself to be Homicide, then grabs Hardy and drags him off the gurney by the hair. "Where's your boy, Jimmy?" Homicide yells into Hardy's face. "He ain't savin' yo' ass now, ya bitch!" Homicide shoves Hardy head-first into the mop bucket over and over, fighting against Hardy until hospital security burst into the room and haul away Homicide in handcuffs.

Moments later, the door to Vince McMahon's office bursts open as James Gibson, bandaged from his brawl with the Rottweilers over the weekend, comes into the ring like a tornado. Vince looks up from his paperwork long enough to register who has entered his office, then returns to work. "I don't believe we have any business, Mr. Gibson," says Vince.

"The hell we don't! You hire Matt Hardy, he's got no friends, no family around to protect him, and he's gotta fend off psychopaths like Edge and Homicide. I can't keep my promise to him to have his back if I can't be there for him everywhere. Here and Ring Of Honor."

"And what am I supposed to do about it, hmm? Hire you? Give you a job, just because Matt Hardy isn't enough of a man to handle his own problems?" Vince comes around the desk and looks down on the smaller Gibson, who shows not a sign of intimidation. "This isn't a charity, Mr. Gibson. I don't hand out jobs to every simpleton who can stumble through my door and ask for one. This is a wrestling company."

Without missing a beat, Gibson retorts with: "Then let me earn a job."

Vince chuckles. "And how do you propose that?"

"Matt Hardy was just attacked by a man who does not work for this organization. He's a criminal, a loose cannon--he just tried to murder Matt. If he isn't stopped, what's to say he doesn't go after someone else, just to make a name for himself? Maybe he goes after John Cena next. Or Kurt Angle. Or Triple H."

Vince stews for a minute, a snarl frozen on his lips. "I'll tell you what, Mr. Gibson; let me make a phone call. If everything goes as I expect, this is what I will offer you: if you can wrestle, and defeat, this thug Homicide at Taboo Tuesday, I will hire you on as a member of the Raw roster. And we will let the fans choose the stipulation: a regular match, a submission match, a parking lot brawl. Fair enough?" Vince doesn't wait for Gibson to answer. "Good. Get out."

As if the big tag match wasn't big enough, right before it begins, the bombshell is dropped that the main event of Taboo Tuesday will be a triple threat WWE Championship match, pitting John Cena against Kurt Angle a third participant selected by viewers--either Triple H, Shawn Michaels or Edge. The two people who don't get the title shot will be partnered against the Tag Team Champions in a Tag Title match that same evening.

Bischoff and Jerry Lawler speculate on the tensions that might exist now on the team of Triple H and Michaels as they come out to the ring. Edge and Punk come out together, cocky as if they just won the Super Bowl. When the bell rings, neither man's bravado falters in the face of the two former world champs. In fact, for the first several minutes, Edge and Punk dominate not through chicanery, but through wrestling with something to prove: that they can hang with living legends like Triple H and Michaels. Before long before the long-time veterans are able to take control, but surprisingly, nobody manages to solely dictate the pace, which frustrates Michaels and Triple H more then it does Edge and Punk.

As the contest reaches the twenty-minute mark, cameras catch numerous superstars watching on monitors backstage, including Cena and Angle. As the match stretches towards an astonishing thirty minutes, it becomes obvious that it will come down to a matter of timing and that one crucial mistake for either team to fold in on itself. Ric Flair provides that mistake, as he comes down and makes a beeline for Punk. Triple H drops down to stop him, giving Edge and Punk the opening to double-team Michaels. A spear by Edge puts Michaels on his back for the three-count; when the bell rings, Triple H's attention is drawn back to the ring, which Flair uses to shove him head-first into the ringpost, then slide into the ring and go after Punk. Flair gets one brass-knuckle punch on Punk, sending his eyes rolling into the back of his head, before Foley, looking like someone who got thrown through a plate-glass window, stumbles down the ramp, steel chair in hand. Edge cuts Flair in half with a spear as Foley slides in. Edge eyes Foley and, when Foley points to Flair and says "Get out", Edge wastes no time in doing so, taking Punk with him. Foley watches Edge and Punk leave, then turns to Flair and starts to lay waste to Flair's leg. After a few whacks, Foley adds insult to injury and slaps on a figure-four leg lock. When Triple H comes to, he starts to pull Foley off Flair, but gets interrupted by Sweet Chin Music from Shawn Michaels. Raw fades to black as Shawn stands over Triple H, seething with anger, while Foley, having let go of the hold, does the same thing over Flair.

Oct. 24, '05: WWE Raw:

A Raw very heavy on wrestling kicks off the final week before Taboo Tuesday, featuring CM Punk in a non-title match against a mystery opponent chosen by Mick Foley, the in-ring return of Matt Hardy, and the collision of all three candidates for the triple threat match at Taboo Tuesday as Edge wrestles Shawn Michaels with Triple H as the special referee.

As Hardy makes his way to the ring to open Raw, he is stopped backstage by Jonathan Coachman, Vince McMahon's assistant. "Matt, Matt, hold on!" Coachman catches up and puts a hand on Hardy's shoulder. "Mr. McMahon wanted me to tell you a couple things. He spoke to the Commissioner of Ring Of Honor, and they came to a deal; your friend, James Gibson, will wrestle Homicide at Taboo Tuesday for a WWE contract, if you will go to the next Ring Of Honor event this weekend and face Homicide."

Hardy nods his approval. "I'll be there."

"Good. Oh, and Matt? Just so you know, Mr. McMahon also decided that he's not entirely sure you deserve an Intercontinental Title shot based on losing to CM Punk in another promotion, so if you want to wrestle CM Punk at Taboo Tuesday, you have to defeat your opponent tonight." Coachman starts to walk away, then stops, turns and smiles. "Oh, wait. Did I say 'opponent'? I meant opponents. Good luck."

The opponents turn out to be three: Shelton Benjamin, Big Show and Carlito. And with the rules being one-pinfall-to-win, Hardy has to not only overcome nearly a month's worth of ring rust, but three opponents--one of whom towers over them all at seven feet and five hundred pounds--all looking to get their Taboo Tuesday ticket punched at the same time. And it is Big Show who ends up dominating the match, swatting away the other three wrestlers like mosquitos. It isn't until Benjamin and Hardy work together that Show finally shows some weakness. But once Hardy shows signs of making the comeback, Edge comes flying from the back, intent on ruining Hardy's chances.

But Edge never gets the opportunity, as from out of the crowd, James Gibson leaps over the railing and tackles Edge before he can get into the ring. Gibson wraps up Edge's legs in the Trailer Hitch, as, inside the ring, Show roars back and levels Benjamin and Carlito with chokeslams. But Hardy fights off the chokeslam by kicking Show in the ribs as he's brought up for the killer finisher; when Show drops him, clutching his chest, Hardy snaps off a Twist Of Fate and punctuates it with a top rope leg drop for the three-count. On the way out of the ring, Hardy stops by where Edge is laying, standing aside Gibson, laughing. Microphone in hand, Hardy says; "If you want revenge, come to Ring Of Honor's 'This Means War' this weekend."

When CM Punk gets to the ring for his match against Mick Foley's hand-picked mystery opponent, he grabs a microphone. "So ... come on, Mick. Let's get this over with. I have to get back to my strict regimen of training so I can beat your fat, old, crippled ass this Sunday. I'm trying your training methods: sitting on the couch, watching Young & The Restless, eating gallons of ice cream all day."

Foley steps out onto the stage, waving to the receptive crowd. "I want you to know, CM Punk, that I'm taking our match at Taboo Tuesday very seriously; I'm eating frozen yogurt!" This gets a chuckle from the crowd, and a scowl from CM Punk, who twirls his finger in the "move on" gesture. "Listen, Punk, I was wondering ... would you be willing, tonight, to, say, change the rules a bit? Say, perhaps, make it no-disqualifications?"

"You know, Mick, you shouldn't announce you're gonna run in on my match ahead of time. Kinda ruins the element of surprise."

"Oh, no, I'm not gonna run in. I think this guy can take care of himself. He was just curious if you'd like to go no-DQ. To liven it up."

"Fine, sure, whatever, just get on with it?"

"Good. We're both glad you said yes. He'll be much more in his element, because, CM Punk, your opponent is the man who took a caning from The Sandman and asked for more ... he's the guy who beat the living hell out of Raven for two years ..." The crowd, seeing where Foley is going, explodes so loudly, Foley has to shout to be heard. "He was the heart, soul and spirit of ECW, and he gave you your first beer ... The Innovator Of Violence, Tommy Dreamer!"

Wearing an old-school "E C F'n W" shirt, and pushing a shopping cart full of weaponry, ECW's stalwart hero, Tommy Dreamer, steps through the curtain. Punk protests that he was tricked, but it's too late; Dreamer slides in the ring, the bell rings, and Dreamer waffles Punk in the head with a cooking sheet. From Dreamer's corner, Foley cheers on his old ECW colleague as Dreamer unloads the cart on Punk. The crowd shows a particular bloodlust as Dreamer unloads on the mouthy champion, chanting for Dreamer to "hit him again" when he uses a Singapore cane upside Punk's head. But as he picks up Punk to do so, Punk manages to drop Dreamer with a shot to the balls. The breather allows Punk time to roll outside and shake out the cobwebs; when he comes back, he brings two steel chairs with him, opening both and positioning them together. Punk puts Dreamer through the two chairs with a belly-to-back suplex, the quickly collapses one of the chairs, and nails the Devil Lock DDT on it for a three-count. Though visibily in pain from the beating, Punk manages to give Foley the finger as he leaves, while Foley checks on his friend.

In the back, Ric Flair and Triple H watch on monitors; Flair shakes his head. "The minute that tub of crap, that sick joke gets out of the ring, I'm going down there," says Flair through gritted teeth.

"Ric, I know you've been edgy lately. I know Mick's been getting to you. I'm willing to overlook that kick in the boys last week. But, really ... let it go. Mick's trying to let this wound heal, and you keep pouring salt in it."

Flair's eyes go so wide, they look like moons. "Is this what I've taught you? That when your enemies decide to give up, you just let it go? You grew up idolizing me and the Horsemen, and this is how you act?" Flair steps up to Triple H and catches him off-guard with a stinging slap in the face. "Overlook that," he snaps, then leaves the room.

When Raw comes back from commercial, Flair is in the ring, all by himself. "Did I just see what I think I saw? What I just saw makes me ashamed to even be standing in this ring, because, by God, this is a wrestling ring! Chairs and Singapore canes and stop-signs and cookie sheets aren't, whoo!, wrestling!" Flair rips off his sport coat, throws it on the ground and drops an elbow on it. "Whoo! That's a wrestling move! I didn't put on sixty-minute matches with Ricky Steamboat all across this country so you could drag out some idiot with a steel chair and call him a wrestler, Mick Foley! I didn't fight guys like Kerry Von Erich and Lex Luger and Dusty Rhodes so you could jump off cages! CM Punk may need the taste slapped out of his mouth, but at least he wrestles! You, you're a joke, a fat joke that nobody wants to see! And it makes me goddamn sick to my stomach to think that I have to share a ring with--hell, being in the same business as that sick excuse for a--"

Flair ends his own tirade when his eye catches sight of his friend, Roddy Piper, coming to the ring. Piper puts a hand on Flair's shoulder as he tries to adopt a soothing tone of voice. "Ric, calm down. If there's someone who knows something about losing it, it's me, and brother, you're around the moon! I accepted Mick Foley's apology; the guy called me two weeks ago and said he was sorry. If I can forgive him, why can't you? Let it go, man!"

"I will not let it go!" Flair screams, his face turning as red as a stoplight. "That son of a bitch makes a mockery of this sport, of this company, of this business! I will not have him pissing all over this company! Over my legacy! I won't! I won't!"

Without warning, Piper loses it; his face flushes with color as he advances on Flair, sending him backing into a corner. "Who the hell do you think you are, Ric? This ain't your company! This ain't the NWA or WCW, Ric! Wake up and smell the new century, baby! You're a dinosaur, just like me! You're an old man, just like me, just like Mick Foley! You're just the only who won't step outta the ring, and you're calling Mick Foley the glory whore! Did you forget, old man, that WarGames, the sickest spectacle this industry has ever seen, was made for your Horsemen?" Piper cocks his head from side to side, glaring at Flair. "Am I getting through to you?"

After staring at Flair for a few more seconds--who stares back as blankly as a statue--Piper shakes his head and starts to walk away. Flair rushes out from the corner, clocking Piper in the back of the head, then sets to stomping at Piper's artificial hip. After a few kicks, Flair quickly grabs the leg and cinches in a figure-four. He doesn't let go until officials physically untangle Flair's legs from Piper's. Arn Anderson hauls Flair to his feet and starts to berate his old friend until Flair slaps Anderson. When Anderson's head whips back, the look in his eyes is nothing short of murderous; Flair recognizes it, but has no time to beg for mercy before Anderson clocks him in the jaw. When Flair staggers back, Anderson reaches out, grabs him by the wrist, whips him into the ropes, and, with officials watching, slackjawed, plants Flair on the mat with a textbook Double-A Spinebuster. Officials quickly move to keep Anderson off Flair, but Anderson himself backs off, dropping to the arena floor to help Piper to the back.

With his friend going nuts, tensions running high between himself and Shawn Michaels, and Edge seemingly targeting him as a stepping stone, Triple H's attention is obviously not on officiating as he enters the ring for his refereeing duties in the Edge/Michaels match. Edge, meanwhile, enters the match with a hobble, and a tendency to look over his shoulder for an ambush from Matt Hardy or James Gibson. Only Michaels comes in fresh and focused.

As the match progresses, Triple H's troubled mind is manifest in his actions; he leans back in the corner, not making any attempts to break up disqualifiable offenses, and taking his time in going down to make counts. Both Michaels and Edge lodge protests in the way of yelling and getting in Triple H's face, which Triple H all but ignores. The only time Triple H makes anything more then the minimum-necessary movement is to take a steel chair away from Edge, which gets him another dressing-down. Triple H at first ignores Edge's rant, but then Edge shoves him. When Triple H perks up and snarls, Edge does it again, daring Triple H to take action; he does, in the form of a kick in the gut and a Pedigree. Michaels, now on his feet, makes the cover, but Triple H refuses to count; Michaels starts to mouth off, and this time, Triple H doesn't even wait to be physically provoked before breaking out the Pedigree. Triple H eyes them both, shrugs and walks off, leaving the match a no contest and the two men he is up against in the fan voting unconscious.

Oct. 29, '05: Ring Of Honor's "This Means War":

The day after Raw, Ring Of Honor's website posts a special announcement: in addition to Homicide vs. Matt Hardy and CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe in a no-time-limit-there-must-be-a-winner match, two huge matches are announced for This Means War. The contentious pairing of Bryan Danielson and Colt Cabana team up against the ROH Tag Team Champions Sal Rinauro and Tony Mamaluke with the titles on the line, and, in a stunning inter-promotional grudge match, James Gibson faces off the WWE's Edge.

The first of the four marquee matches to occur is the ROH Tag Title match, where, if there is any partisanship on the part of fans in the ongoing debate over who between Colt Cabana and Bryan Danielson deserves a title shot, it never manifests. Everyone cheers on the two beloved superstars in their bid to win the tag titles, and though they show no signs of friendship, they work well as a team, keeping up with Mamaluke and Rinauro. And with size and experience on their side, the Cabana/Danielson dominates much of the match, until the two egos finally collide over trying to score the winning pinfall. As they interrupt one another's attempts to get the victory, Mamaluke and Rinauro are able to collect themselves and put up a fight that rocks the erstwhile number-one contenders on their heels. It isn't until Mamaluke goes for a high-risk maneuver and comes up empty that the momentum switches back. With Cabana brawling with Rinauro on the outside, Danielson is able to capitalize and slaps on Cattle Mutilation for a quick tap-out, capturing the tag titles for his team. Cabana joins his teammate, and now co-champion, in the ring, and has to physically rip one of the belts from Danielson's hand to claim it. The crowd celebrates the victory, and while both men look happy to have won, they don't acknowledge one another in their celebration.

Homicide comes to the ring for his showdown with Matt Hardy with Julius Smokes and Ricky Reyes in tow. While everyone knows that where one Rottweiler runs, the others follow, it is still a clear sign that Homicide has no intention of stepping into this showdown with honor. So when Matt Hardy steps through the curtain for their showdown and looks behind him, the crowd realizes that Hardy expected the very same and has brought back-up. For Hardy, his back-up comes in the form of James Gibson and, in a total surprise to everyone, Tommy Dreamer, armed with his familiar cane. Homicide's face twists into a mask of rage as Hardy comes to the ring, flanked by his reinforcements, his obvious plan of a gang attack now flushed down the toilet. Homicide shows his disdain for Hardy when the ref orders them together for the customary hand-shaking, and Homicide spits in Hardy's face. Hardy responds by clocking Homicide with a wild haymaker, and from there, the "match" progresses, although any resemblance to a wrestling match is passing at best. Sensing that trying to keep the two within in the confines of anything like rules is pointless, the ref gives Homicide and Hardy plenty of leeway as they try to mangle, maim and cripple each other with just about everything they can find laying around, or slid into the ring by the corner teams.

But when Smokes brings out a bottle of Clorox, Hardy's back-up circle the ring and physically go after the Rottweilers. Gibson catches Reyes and they trade chops. As Homicide prepares to splash bleach in Hardy's face again, Dreamer slides into the ring behind him and introduces the Singapore cane to the back of the Notorious 1-8-7's head. Julius Smokes comes in and hits a low blow from behind, dropping Dreamer. From there, the match disintegrates entirely, as all six men end up brawling throughout the arena, and the ref is forced to throw out the match as a no-contest. But the fighting doesn't stop until, one by one, Hardy's group leaves the Rottweilers beaten. The final Rottweiler to fall comes for Homicide, who falls off the bleachers, through a previously set-up table, after being blasted in the head with five rapid-fire cane shots from Dreamer. Though the crowd is full of ROH loyalists, the vile attacks by the Rottweilers are enough to make the fans cheer for Hardy and his friends as they decimate Ring Of Honor's most dangerous stable.

Unfortunately, having gotten a thorough workout (and his fair share of lumps) in the fight with the Rottweilers leaves James Gibson weakened when Edge comes out for his grudge match. And though Gibson will be fighting for a WWE contract in a couple days, the crowd backs him all the way as he mounts a valiant stand against the obnoxious and universally hated Edge. Unfortunately, having fought with the Rottweilers not long before proves to be the difference-maker, as exploits Gibson's state to score a pinfall after a spear. After the match, Edge grabs a microphone and launches into a short but memorable diatribe on Matt Hardy.

"Matt ... you need to rethink your choice to keep screwing with me. You don't have the best record in making good choices. Hooking up with Lita bit you in the ass. Having this jobber-for-life be a soldier in your war ain't exactly paying dividends. You think buddying up to Mick Foley and his old, decrepit friends is gonna save your ass? By the time I'm done with you, Matt, I'll make you question ever coming back to wrestling ... and whether or not you'll be able to handle the physical therapy you'll need to learn to walk again!"

Samoa Joe and CM Punk approach the ring with a solemnity befitting the epic feeling that surrounds the main event. The ring announcer reinforces what everyone in the building already knows: there will be no time limit, and in the event of a disqualification or a count-out, the match will be restarted. The champ and the challenger meet in the middle of the ring, scant millimeters between them as the ref asks them to shake hands; neither brings up a hand, and after several long moments of waiting, the ref just signals for the bell.

The second the bell rings, Joe lays into Punk, cycling through every form of strike in his arsenal. Punk is left reeling, with no avenue of escape, as Joe follows him out of the ring, through the crowd, and back again, peppering Punk with every conceivable punch, kick, chop or strike known to man. But Punk manages to stop Joe's onslaught when, on the outside, Punk deftly avoids a strike, and drop-toe-holds Joe into the ringpost. From there, once Punk catches his breath, he begins a methodical break-down of Joe's strengths, going after the legs to eliminate the kicks and to destroy his vertical base. But the larger and stronger Joe proves a difficult tree to fell, and, despite having a bum wheel, brings the fight right back to Punk with an intensity seen in none of their prior encounters, not even the most recent. An attempt by Joe to get the submission on the Kokina Clutch, as well as Punk going for the Anaconda Vice, happen about twenty minutes in, but neither man shows even a hint of being ready to throw in the towel. Fans are left stunned, however, when, after forty minutes, Joe and Punk are both able to hit impact finishers (the Island Driver and Devil Lock DDT, respectively), and both only lead to two-counts--and barely two-counts at that. So astounded at the will to win is the audience that, when Joe gets Punk in another Kokina Clutch, the crowd actually chants "Please don't tap", not out of preference for Punk, but as a staunch denial of the idea that such an amazing match could be over.

But it doesn't end, and, in fact, passes the sixty minute mark--the time limit of their previous matches--with both men, worn down and beaten, refusing to lose and no sign of stopping. After every variant on a suplex, every finisher in their arsenals (many several times), and an uncountable number of strikes, Punk and Joe, exhausted, fall back into their corners, unable to catch their breath, and beaten beyond comprehension. When they catch the eye of the other, somehow, they find enough in the tank to rush at each other, unleashing with thoroughly unscientific punches out of frustration. Punk brings an end to the fist-fight by jamming a thumb in the Samoan's eye, then starts laying in more kicks on Joe's severely weakened knee. Joe manages to push off Punk and comes at him with a Yakuza kick, but Punk catches the leg, drapes it over his shoulder and sits down, snapping it in a Stunner-like move. With Joe down on the ground, Punk crosses Joe's legs, and slaps on a combination STF-Dragon Sleeper. With his legs immobilized and tied up, and the nearest rope several feet away, Joe is left trying to find a way out of the move on his own. But every second he stays in the hold brings him a second closer to passing out, and before he can figure out a counter, Joe's eyes roll back. The ref checks Joe's arm three times; when the arm hits the mat for the third time, the epic, nearly 70-minute encounter comes to an end, with Punk having finally defeated, via knockout, his most difficult challenger. The crowd claps out of respect, and labels it the match of the year, but nobody is happy with the result.

Least of all, Jim Cornette, who comes out as the ref helps Punk to his feet and hands him the belt. "CM Punk! Congratulations!" exclaims Cornette. "I didn't think you could do it, but by gum, you beat Samoa Joe! Good for you! Not good for us here in Ring Of Honor, and that's why I'm out here right now! See, my boss wants you to know who your next opponent will be. Now, our next show will be in Detroit on November the 4th, but see, CM Punk, you'll be defending before that." Punk looks at Cornette as if he's speaking Latin; Cornette smiles like he's just swallowed the canary. "The owner has given me special authorization--no, in fact, he ordered me to do this, because he's just as tired of your BS as I am. Your next title defense will be at WWE's Taboo Tuesday against Matt Hardy, Mick Foley and Ric Flair!"

Oct. 31, '05: WWE Raw:

The go-home Raw before Taboo Tuesday features three marquee matches, as well as a special announcement by Jonathan Coachman. Two of the matches serve as potential previews for Taboo Tuesday: a one-on-one, non-title meeting between CM Punk and Matt Hardy, and a six-man tag, pitting Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Edge against Kurt Angle, and the WWE Tag Team Champions, Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch.

But it is the third match that hits a raw nerve with everyone, and as Raw begins, Ric Flair visits Triple H warming up in his locker room to discuss it.

"Hunter," says Flair.

Triple H looks up and regards Flair with thinly veiled disgust. "What do you want, Ric?"

"I'm just makin' sure everything's okay between us. You know I got that match tonight with Piper, and, uh ... Arn's gonna be in Piper's corner. I wanted to ask if you're gonna come out with me."

Triple H stops his warm-up exercises and gets in Flair's face. "Let me make one thing straight, Ric: we are not 'okay'. I don't know what the hell's wrong with you these days. Mick Foley's done everything he can to make right and put the past behind him. Piper's done nothing but be a loyal friend to you, and so have me and double-A. You got CM Punk tomorrow, Ric, for two titles. That's what you wanted. That's how this all started, and you got what you want. Call it off with Piper, and make peace with Mick, and then we'll be cool. If you can't do that, then we have nothing more to talk about." Triple H turns away, putting an end to any arguments before Flair can give birth to them.

With that, Flair comes out alone for his match against his longtime friend, Roddy Piper. As the announcers bemoan the terrible situation, Piper comes down the ramp, with Ric Flair's best friend Arn Anderson by his side, hobbling thanks to the attack by Flair not so long ago. The hope of a Cinderella story, that Piper can overcome the injury and his artificial hip, is in the air--or even a last-minute reconciliation. But the hopes are dashed when Flair chop blocks Piper as he steps through the ropes, and sets to work on Piper's bad wheel like a shark smelling blood in the water. Methodically, Flair reduces Piper to a one-legged man, screaming in so much pain that, from the outside, Arn Anderson begs Piper to quit. But the resiliant Scotsman refuses to give up, even when Flair, after having dominated for 100% of the match, slaps on the figure-four. The ref is ready to call the match, despite Piper's steadfast refusal to tap, when Triple H explodes from the back and pulls Flair off Piper and starts to help Piper out of the ring. Triple H manages to get Piper out of the ring before Flair confronts him; Triple H pushes Piper off on Anderson and takes a stand against Flair. But they can do anything, CM Punk and Edge race out and ambush the two; Triple H gets thrown into the steel steps and split open, while Punk unloads his arsenal of kicks on Flair, pummelling him into unconsciousness.

Cameras quickly switch back to the back, where Jonathan Coachman is standing in the backstage interview area by himself. "I am actually glad that what we saw occur happened," says a smug Coachman, "because it gives me yet another example of the ineptitude that this show suffered during your administration, Eric Bischoff. This show has seen one brutal, heinous, nearly criminal attack after another, and what we just witnessed we only the latest situation to spiral out of control because of the atompshere you fostered. Well, that ends next week, ladies and gentlemen, because next week, Mr. McMahon will be here himself to personally restore the pride of the WWE's flagship show!"

Matt Hardy enters the ring for his showdown against CM Punk, his buddy James Gibson standing in the corner. CM Punk approaches the ring with caution, as the announcers discuss that not only is Punk facing a monumental challenge against three opponents tomorrow, but if he should get by that, Punk will have two defenses of his Ring Of Honor Championship on their shows this weekend, against none other then Hardy and Gibson. Having wrestled a few times already, the two know each other's tendencies and maneuvers, and thus begins a breathtaking display of counters and counters to counters as they try to outsmart each other without exposing a weakness. For ten hot minutes, the two put on a stunning clinic that has the crowd chanting for more; but with Gibson standing in the corner, arms crossed, and Hardy going move-for-move with him, Punk finds his concentration rattled. Punk manages to nail a crisp German suplex, but he wastes time jawjacking with Gibson, giving Hardy enough time to collect his wits. Hardy spins Punk around, surprises him with a Twist Of Fate and makes the cover for the three-count, giving hope that, perhaps as early as tomorrow, Punk's nightmarish parade of ego will be stopped.

Backstage, Todd Grisham introduces Mick Foley to the interview set and asks him his thoughts on coming back to fight for two titles in a fatal-four-way at Taboo Tuesday. Foley stares at Grisham for so uncomfortably long, Todd starts to slink away, fearful that Foley may be about to snap. Finally, Foley beckons him back with a gesture.

"You don't have to be afraid, Todd," says Foley calmly, though not reassuringly. "I just find it ... well, I don't know what kind of response you were hoping for. You see, I didn't want to wrestle CM Punk. I had every intention of finding someone else, someone young and hungry and someone who isn't retired with three kids at home, to do it. I sure as hell didn't expect to be ordered to wrestle, let alone in a fatal-four-way. And I sure as hell didn't think I'd get sucked down into the seventh circle of Hell with Ric Flair over something that, to be perfectly honest, Todd, I don't even remember what the hell we're fighting about anymore. All I know is, I didn't want any part of this. I had a plan, and it all came apart, and now, instead of staying at home, watching Taboo Tuesday with my kids on pay-per-view, I'm wrestling on it."

"Well, since you mentioned him, what about Ric Flair? He has gone through a startling transformation in the past month or so, and he become quite the aggressor in your war with hi--"

"Todd, let's get one thing straight: the only person at war is Ric Flair. Whether he wants to accept it or not, I'm done with him. I'm trying to put our issues in the past and move on. Ric is the only one who keeps perpetuating this. He's got himself so worked up in a frenzy, he's alienating his friends. He's--no, you know what, Todd? I am not letting Ric Flair be the center of my life, even as a topic of discussion. I said I was putting him in the past, and I mean it. You have this as my solemn promise; I have no intentions of wrestling Ric Flair at Taboo Tuesday. If he comes near me, I'm getting away. My focus will be on CM Punk and CM Punk alone. And after Taboo Tuesday, I'm going home. I'm done. Win or lose, after tomorrow night, I'm done. I'm done with CM Punk, I'm done with Ric Flair, and I'm done with Raw." Foley turns and walks away, leaving Grisham and the audience shell-shocked.

The existing tensions in the six-man main event of Raw is made all the more difficult when WWE Champion John Cena comes down to ringside to watch the match, and his potential opponents, first-hand. Predictably, the team of Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Edge takes very little time to self-destruct, with Edge abandoning his teammates in after taking a pounding for the bout's opening minutes. Now a glorified handicap match, the former D-Generation X friends do their best to fend off the trio of Kurt Angle, Trevor Murdoch and Lance Cade. But when Angle comes around to attack Shawn Michaels as he stands on the apron, Triple H is left alone against the tag champs. However, with the ref busy trying to stop the double-teaming by Cade & Murdoch, Cena is able to interject himself, grabbing Angle and F-U'ing him through a nearby table. The assistance gives Michaels the time to slide in and help even the odds, fighting off Cade while Triple H nails Murdoch with a Pedigree for the victory. But Triple H gets no time to celebrate, as Edge, laying in wait in the corner, nearly takes The Game out of his boots with a spear.

As Edge backs away, Matt Hardy rushes out and blindsides Edge; the appearence of Hardy draws out CM Punk, which draws out Ric Flair, and pretty soon, everyone is either in the ring or at ringside, trading punches with whoever's at hand, providing viewers with the final visage of Raw in total chaos as it fades to black.

Nov. 1, '05: WWE Taboo Tuesday:

The WWE's annual internet-interactive pay-per-view kicks off with the cross-promotional special attraction of James Gibson, fighting not only for his friend but for a WWE contract, against Ring Of Honor representative (and borderline criminal thug) Homicide. Just before the participants are announced, the results are read for the match's stipulation: a straight match comes in last with 3% of the vote, and a Parking Lot Brawl gets 41% of the vote, with a Submission match winning with 56%. With that, Gibson comes out to a respectable amount of cheering, while Homicide--who comes through the crowd--is greeted like a chicken in a fox den.

Immediately, Gibson begins to wow the crowd with exceptional scientific skills, confounding Homicide. Many times in the opening minutes, Homicide has to squirm out of precarious situations, leaving the Rottweiler leader on the defensive. But while submissions-only obviously favors the more technical Gibson, the flipside of the stipulation is a lack of disqualifications, and that works in Homicide's favor. When given the first opportunity to do so, Homicide crosses this boundary and bludgeons Gibson in the head with the ring bell, turning the match into a bloody brawl in the blink of an eye.

However, Gibson surprises both the audience and Homicide and stands toe-to-toe with the Notorious 1-8-7 in the brawling department, showing no hesitation in using foreign objects to get the advantage. Homicide fights back by getting sicker and sicker, trying to strangle Gibson with cable and cripple him with innovative uses of steel chairs. But Gibson refuses to quit, and keeps making small but meaningful strikes at Homicide's legs, weaking them until Homicide tries to use a front-facelock to put Gibson on a turnbuckle; instead, Gibson kicks at Homicide's leg until it buckles. Then, Gibson picks up Homicide in the same suplex position and drops him, leg first, on an unfolded steel chair, bending the entire thing backwards as Homicide's weight crushes it. Gibson quickly capitalizes, using a second chair to Pillmanize Homicide's leg a couple times before applying the Trailer Hitch. Homicide fights, but the pain wins out, and he has no choice but to tap, giving Gibson the victory ... and a job.

WWE Tag Champions Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch enter the ring full of swagger, even though they have no clue as to their opponents. With the fate of not one but two matches hanging in the balance, everyone listens as Lilian Garcia announcers the results: Edge has 7% of the vote, and Triple H 46% of the vote, leaving Shawn Michaels with a narrow victory, and a berth in the main event against John Cena and Kurt Angle, at 47%. With that, Edge and Triple H, separately, come out for their opportunity to take the WWE Tag Championships.

From minute one, the outcome looks all but academic, as Triple H and Edge show nothing but unbridled contempt for each other, which Cade & Murdoch are able to exploit easily. Edge outright refuses to tag in, stranding his partner to double-teams and blatant cheating. Triple H spends several minutes on the defensive, scoring a few glancing blows, but nothing that swings the momentum, until he turns an attempted back body drop by Murdoch into a quick Pedigree. But the fatigue from the beating prevents Triple H from making the immediate tag. Edge climbs in and picks up Triple H, then kicks him in the gut and nails an implant DDT, puts Murdoch on Triple H and leaves. Confused, but duty-bound, the ref makes the count. When the ref's hand hits three, the crowd almost gasps in unison at the shocking upset. Murdoch and Cade celebrate like they've won a gold medal, but when Triple H comes to, he grabs a steel chair and hammers the tag champs into unconsciousness.

By a vote of 50%-25%-25%, the fans vote for the WWE Intercontinental/Ring Of Honor World Championship fatal-four-way match to be decided under Falls Count Anywhere rules. Ric Flair waits like a dog salivating over a treat for Mick Foley to come out, but when he does, Foley keeps his distance as promised. Flair attacks Foley from behind, which prompts Matt Hardy to jump on Flair, while Punk squares off with Foley. Two referees are needed to track the four combatants as they travel and trade-off on one another, although whenever Flair tries to get near Foley, Foley manages to put either Hardy or Punk between them. Near-falls get counted almost everywhere imaginable, from the ring to the bleachers, to the stage and the back halls, and one (despite shrieking protests) in the Divas' locker room. And, as the match travels through the halls of the arena, anything handy--from pallates to dished on catering tables to the building itself--gets used in the four-way war, but despite the hellacious beatings and the copious amounts of blood being spilt, nobody will stay down for the three.

The climate changes when Punk, on the run from a steel pole-wielding Foley, heads into the parking garage. One by one, the other three competitors pour into the open area. Once everyone finds their way into the common area, the back doors on a nearby van burst open; from the van pour out The Rottweilers, who descend on Matt Hardy. Homicide jabs a fork into Hardy's head repeatedly, tearing flesh away from bone and spilling what looks like gallons of blood in the process. Foley, forgetting about the match, comes to Hardy's aid and manages to take down Ricky Reyes and Julius Smokes, but Homicide nails Foley with the fork right between the eyes. With Hardy down and out, Homicide jumps on Foley and starts jabbing at him, much to the delight of Flair, who acts like a cheerleader, screaming "Kill him! Fucking kill him!" at the top of his lungs. He doesn't even notice Punk behind him, and doesn't know, until he is told later, that Punk grabs him and throws him head-first into and through the window of a nearby car. Three seconds later, Punk is the winner; he shakes hands with Homicide as the rest of his gang puts the boots to the bloodied Flair, Foley and Hardy.

But the celebration is short-lived, as, from the darkness, three figures emerge swinging baseball bats. Smokes is left on the ground, clutching his ribcage, and Reyes is knocked unconscious, leaving Punk and Homicide to make a break for it on foot as they are chased off by Bryan Danielson, Colt Cabana and James Gibson. Gibson takes off, looking for medical personnel, while Cabana and Danielson take off in the other direction, chasing Homicide and Punk into the darkness of night.

Nov. 4, '05: Ring Of Honor's "Showdown In Motown":

In the three days between the chaotic events of WWE's Taboo Tuesday and Ring Of Honor's Showdown In Motown, CM Punk admits in an article on ROH's website that, in exchange for his assistance at Taboo Tuesday, he is granting Homicide an ROH World Title shot on December 3rd.

A day later, and obviously in retaliation, ROH Commissioner issues a statement:

"The actions taken by CM Punk and Homicide at WWE's Taboo Tuesday will be the last time the make Ring Of Honor look like fools. The match CM Punk has so graciously scheduled for himself at Ring Of Honor's December 3rd event has been changed to a triple threat match that will also include Steve Corino. As for this weekend, I have contacted WWE officials, and have gotten permission to book the following matches: for Showdown In Motown, WWE Superstar Tommy Dreamer has asked for a street fight against Homicide, and that will happen as well as James Gibson taking on Ricky Reyes. The following night, Homicide, you will team with WWE's Edge against Matt Hardy and a partner of his choosing, from either Ring Of Honor or WWE. I understand these matches may anger some wrestlers in Ring Of Honor, and may anger some fans as well; to the fans, I can only apologize and say I believe this is the best way to try and bring these problems to a close quickly. To the ROH wrestlers who don't like how I'm doing things, let me make one thing perfectly clear: I won't sit around and watch wrestlers try and rule the wrestling company. I am the authority figure in Ring Of Honor. If you don't like it, ply your trade elsewhere."

Thus, when Showdown In Motown finally begins, there is a mood of tension at the breaking point in the air. And it doesn't help matters that, before ring announcer Bobby Cruise can thank the crowd for attending, CM Punk strolls to the ring, looking as cocky as ever. He snatches the microphone out of Cruise's hand and shoos him away. The crowd breaks into a "Shut the fuck up!" chant; Punk lets the chant exhaust itself before finally speaking.

"I take this belt, this pawn shop piece of shit toy to places it's never been ..." The chant picks back up; Punk tries to talk over it, but the crowd is too loud, and he has to let the chant pass again. "I take this belt on pay-per-view ... I defend it against guys like ... well, okay, they're over the hill and probably incoherant with senility, but still, Ric Flair and Mick Foley ... I take this belt across the country ... I give it a higher profile then it will ever get here, and you guys boo me? Ring Of Honor has never had so much exposure. This company is on the tongues of every wrestling fan, from New York to New Zealand, from Sydney to Switzerland to Seattle to Siberia, all because of me. You owe me respect, if for nothing else then for dragging this two-bit, glorified group of yard-tards out of circus tents and fairgrounds and into international prominence!" The crowd disagrees, showing Punk nothing but disdain; Punk responds by shrugging. "I figured you ungrateful bastards would feel that way. Just as I know that, despite the fact it was on my back that James Gibson got a job in Stamford ... despite the fact that it was through me that guys like Samoa Joe and Alex Shelley were able to get jobs down in Orlando ... I know those guys hate me, even though I've given each and every one of them the opportunity of a lifetime. That's okay, though. See, the way I figure it is, I have busted my ass helping build this company from day one. I've bled, I had bee