CM Punk vs Ryback at Battleground - October 6, 2013
Paul Heyman can truthfully claim he pinned CM Punk with both hands tied behind his back at Night of Champions, and that is a fact The Best in the World must barely be able to stomach. At WWE Battleground, a furious Punk will look to dismantle the Superstar responsible for that humiliation when he faces Ryback. In The Human Wrecking Ball’s corner will be none other than the man he has sworn to protect, Heyman.
It was nearly a year ago that Punk — with the WWE Title around his waist and Heyman in his ear — became the first Superstar to stall The Human Wrecking Ball’s meteoric rise at WWE Hell in a Cell. Since that devastating setback, Ryback has rejected the WWE Universe and transformed into the ultimate bully, an abusive juggernaut who picks fights with men half his size.
At Night of Champions, Ryback scored long-awaited revenge against Punk when he not only interrupted The Second City Saint’s demolition of Heyman, but even set up the managerial mastermind for an upset win. The monstrous Ryback justified his actions by alleging — ironically, some critics say — that Punk had bullied Heyman.
So furious was Punk over his Night of Champions loss that he shunned the bright lights of Raw and SmackDown for a full week, opting instead to brood privately. When The Best in the World finally broke his silence before his hometown of Chicago on the Sept. 23 Raw, his blind rage proved detrimental: As Punk pursued a scooter-bound Heyman, he fell victim to a two-on-one beat down by Ryback and Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel.
newest obstacle? On the flip side, what type of insight will Heyman provide to his savior, and how will his time-tested strategy complement Ryback’s brutish offense? The answers to all these questions will be known Oct.
