CM Punk Defeats The Undertaker at Breaking Point
The Phenom is Cheated Out of a Win Against the Straightedge Champion
In a surprising (or maybe not so surprising, depending on one’s level of cynicism) upset, when Undertaker was first deemed to have won his submission match against CM Punk, Smackdown general manager Teddy Long came out to interrupt Undertaker’s victory celebration. He announced that Undertaker was not allowed to use the Hell’s Gate move, which Vickie Guerrero had banned during her time as Smackdown General Manager in 2008.
Montreal Incident Revisited
The fans as well as Undertaker believed that the Phenom had won when he made Punk tap out to his Hell’s Gate submission move. But when Theodore Long restarted the match due to Undertaker’s “illegal” hold, he made himself a heel as well as reinforced that they are willing to exploit the controversial history of title matches in Montreal.
The Montreal incident (known by a ruder word to most fans) of 1997 was when Bret Hart defended his World title against Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series. The referee, Earl Hebner, rang the bell when Michaels had Hart in Hart’s finisher, the Sharpshooter, although Hart hadn’t tapped out. Hart, who apparently hadn’t known that he was going to lose the title, especially in such a fashion, appeared to be furious with WWE owner Vince McMahon.
WWE Exploiting its Own History
In this case, however, Smackdown’s General Manager appears to be the villain. When Long ordered the match to restart, Punk soon after gripped the Undertaker with his Anaconda Vise submission hold, and the referee rang the bell, although Undertaker had clearly not tapped out. Punk slinked away from the ring with his World title, beaming in triumph, as the Undertaker stood flabbergasted in the ring.
Looking at the match through a non-kayfabe standpoint, such an ending accomplished a few things. One, it allowed Undertaker to maintain that he has never tapped out, thus showing how tough and strong he is. Two, it allows WWE to exploit its history, as it’s fond of doing, although this time Undertaker was most likely aware of the ending, and three, it allows for another match between Taker and Punk at the next pay-per-view.
Punk vs. Taker at Hell in a Cell
Although it has not been officially announced yet, more than likely the Phenom will again face CM Punk for his World title at Hell in a Cell on October 4th. Undertaker has more of a reputation with these matches, and has won many of them. Thus it may be more satisfying to fans to see Taker win in “his” kind of match, rather than in a submission match, with which Undertaker is not usually associated.
A feud between the Undertaker and CM Punk is not something that should be finished within a couple of months. They are both excellent wrestlers and performers, and a classic fan favorite vs. huge heel run will likely be entertaining for as long as its duration. Although the ending of their match at Breaking Point has no doubt angered many, it nevertheless cemented Undertaker as a man who will never submit.
CM Punk in the Ring
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