Rankings for Power 25: September 3, 2011

"Going into his WWE Championship Match with Alberto Del Rio at Night of Champions, John Cena picked up impressive victories on both Raw and SmackDown. Is a 10th WWE Title reign in his near future?"

"Going into his WWE Championship Match with Alberto Del Rio at Night of Champions, John Cena picked up impressive victories on both Raw and SmackDown. Is a 10th WWE Title reign in his near future?"
But Ricardo Rodriguez informed Cena he’d have to wait until Night of Champions for the honor of being in the ring with him. Putting a punctuation mark on Rodriguez’s statements, Cena dropped him to the canvas.
Next, Wade Barrett emerged to talk smack about his upcoming match with Cena. But, the Cenation leader got in the last word: “Get this through your head … you have made my life miserable and I owe you some payback."
John Cena def. Wade Barrett

Just as he and Henry began to size up Cena as a punching bag, Sheamus flew into the ring to thwart his SmackDown adversaries, who reluctantly fled the squared circle.
With The World’s Strongest (and possibly scariest) Man inducting more Superstars in his “Hall of Pain,” punishment was sure to be doled out. Although Henry did not disappoint, his overwhelming strength would not be enough.
Cena managed to lead his team across the finish line by pinning former World Heavyweight Champion Christian.

"He might not have felt like a winner as Raw went off the air, but John Cena's pinfall victory over CM Punk puts The Cenation Commander-in-Chief next in line to challenge Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship. But after Del Rio's post-match assault, is Cena at 100 percent?"

Destiny’s a funny thing. At SummerSlam, it seemed as though either John 
Both staking claim for the No. 1 contendership to Del Rio’s title following the controversial conclusion of their SummerSlam confrontation, Cena and Punk battled on Raw for the right to vie for the WWE Title at Night of Champions. The Cenation leader defeated The Straight Edge Superstar largely due to a distraction by the massive Kevin Nash – a figure that has cast a dark shadow over the WWE Championship landscape since his debut at The Biggest Event of the Summer.
To ensure the crowning of an Undisputed WWE 
As Punk brushed aside his misgivings about the circumstances of his momentous Undisputed WWE Championship victory to celebrate with his legions of fans at Los Angeles’ STAPLES Center, a hulking figure made his way through the crowd and charged the ring. With his 7-foot frame and raven-black hair and beard, the behemoth was instantly recognizable as Nash, unseen in WWE since his surprise appearance in the 2011 Royal Rumble Match. The veteran grappler and former WWE Champion viciously battered Punk before hoisting The Straight Edge Superstar high into the air and sending him crashing to the canvas with a ring-shaking Jackknife Powerbomb.
Watching this carnage unfold from the locker room area, Del Rio knew that it was time to strike. Becoming the ninth Superstar to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on a vulnerable champion to attain a World Title, The Mexican Aristocrat further punished Punk with his signature enziguri to win his first WWE Championship.
The following night on Raw, Triple H apologized for his questionable officiating while Nash led many to believe that the controversial conclusion of SummerSlam – from the three-count to Del Rio’s cash-in – was masterminded by The Cerebral Assassin himself. As the two longtime Kliq cohorts’ opposing stories whipped the WWE Universe into a speculative frenzy, a fired-up Cena kept Del Rio in his sights and issued a stern warning: “You are not a champion: You’re a target.”
Now that the 11-time World Champion is the new No. 1 contender, is Alberto Del Rio’s destiny about to be derailed? Additionally, will Triple H or “Big Sexy” once again play a role in shaping the future of the WWE Championship? To find out, tune in to Night of Champions, Sept. 18, only on pay-per-view.

As The Game reminded them, it’s not they who decide when their rematch clauses get invoked – it’s Triple H himself. The COO then announced that former WWE Champions Punk and Cena must face off in the night’s main event, with the winner earning a title match against The Mexican Aristocrat at Night of Champions in four weeks.
John Cena Def. CM Punk
An already tangled web of deceit surrounding the WWE Championship has grown into a snarled jungle of falsehoods, half-truths and backstabbing. As John Cena and CM Punk clashed for the opportunity to face WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio at Night of Champions, The Mexican Aristocrat and Mr. John Laurinitais added to the intrigue by sitting at ringside to observe the match.
Once the bell sounded, Punk and Cena continued their animosity unabated, both colliding with and countering each other. And then another curious thread was woven into the already contentious tapestry. Kevin Nash emerged inside the arena, distracting The Second City Savior and allowing The Cenation Commander-in-Chief the victory.
Interesting. Especially since Mr. John Laurinitais had informed Triple H that Nash, his longtime friend, had been in a car accident while driving to the airport prompting The Game to leave the show in Laurinitais’ hands.
The tumultuous turn of events prompted more questions than answers. For instance, did Mr. John Laurinitais really receive a phone call informing him Nash had been in a car accident, or did he just want to get Triple H out of the arena? And is the current WWE Champion, Alberto Del Rio, mixed up in the deceptions?

THQ announced consumers will have an opportunity to vote for legendary WWE Superstar The 
With both 
The collector’s edition is slated to feature a host of exclusive premium content themed around the winning cover Superstar, as well as include unique packaging. The winning cover Superstar and complete list of content is scheduled to be revealed in September.
WWE ’12 is currently in development for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system and Wii, with a scheduled release date of November 22, 2011 in North America.

in SAN DIEGO – Still reeling from the contentious conclusion of SummerSlam, the
Yet, 24 hours removed from a shocking series of events that resulted in Alberto Del Rio’s Money in the Bank-assisted WWE Championship victory, Raw was host to the newly minted champion’s first-ever title defense against longtime nemesis and 619 native Rey Mysterio.
Undisputed WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio def. Rey Mysterio
The Mexican Aristocrat wasn’t satisfied with simply pinning Mysterio and defending his new title. After putting down Rey-Rey for the three-count, Del Rio ruthlessly applied his tendon-snapping cross armbreaker submission hold.
If John Cena hadn’t charged the ring to chase off the arrogant aggressor, Del Rio would have no doubt broken Mysterio’s arm. The scheming Superstar fled to the entrance ramp with his personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez, but The Cenation Commander-in-Chief assured the dastardly titleholder that his days as Undisputed WWE Champion were numbered.
“You are not a champion,” Cena warned. “You’re a target.”

LOS ANGELES – WWE Chief Operating Officer and special guest referee Triple H guaranteed that an Undisputed WWE Champion would be crowned at SummerSlam. Yet, much to the surprise of the sold-out crowd packed inside the STAPLES Center, neither CM Punk nor John 
There were several near-falls in this competitive clash after both ring warriors punished one another with their signature maneuvers, but The Second City Savior ultimately nailed The Cenation Commander-in-Chief with a second Go to Sleep to pick up the pinfall victory – even though Cena’s foot was on the bottom rope. Apparently not noticing that Cena had broken the hold by reaching the ropes, The Game made the three-count.
As Punk celebrated his contentious victory in the aftermath of one of the most important bouts in WWE history, Triple H’s longtime friend Kevin Nash – unseen in a WWE ring since the 2011 Royal Rumble Match – stormed through the crowd and leveled the tattooed Superstar with a brutal Jackknife Powerbomb before making a hasty exit. Dazed, Punk was helpless as Alberto Del Rio seized his destiny by successfully cashing in his Money in the 
Del Rio wound up on the losing side of an explosive Six-Man Tag Team Match earlier in the night, but that defeat didn’t distract the moneyed Mexican from attaining the championship glory he has long felt destined for. Del Rio knew that following Nash’s assault, Punk would be unable to repel his cash-in attempt as he had done less than a month earlier at WWE Money in the Bank. With his well-timed enziguri, Del Rio not only sealed a WWE Championship victory, but used his Money in the Bank winnings to defeat the sole Superstar to parlay Money in the Bank victories into World Title wins two years in a row.
Following weeks of escalating animosity between Cena and Punk – two Superstars who couldn’t possibly be more different from one another in terms of in-ring style and personal ideals – the simultaneous WWE Title holders gave it their all as they vied to become the first-ever Undisputed WWE Champion at The Biggest Event of the Summer. In the end, The Straight Edge Superstar put the Cenation leader to bed with his patented GTS, emerging victorious just three weeks after his controversial return to Raw with the WWE Title in hand shook the WWE Universe to its core. This victory would similarly generate buzz throughout the WWE Universe, but for once, Punk wasn’t the catalyst. (READ MORE)
After both Cena and Punk voiced their disagreement with Triple H’s call, The Game’s Kliq cohort Nash – himself a former WWE Champion – charged the ring and made short work of The Second City Savior. The ambush left Punk vulnerable to Del Rio’s Money in the Bank cash-in, which made The Mexican Aristocrat the ninth “Mr. Money in the Bank” to use his title opportunity – which for one calendar year can be redeemed at the time and place of the winner’s choosing – to win a World Championship.
Del Rio’s devious but nevertheless legitimate Undisputed WWE Championship triumph is the latest success in an incredible landmark year for The Mexican Aristocrat, whose previous accomplishments included winning a grueling 40-Man Royal Rumble Match in January and besting seven elite Superstars in a high-risk Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match in July. Following those two remarkable accomplishments, it was only a matter of time before the egotistical Superstar captured WWE’s richest and most illustrious prize. But few could have anticipated the method by which Del Rio’s destiny would be fulfilled.
Was Triple H aware that the monstrous Big Daddy Cool was in attendance at the STAPLES Center? Which former WWE Champion will get a rematch against Del Rio: Cena or Punk? Was The Game truly calling this match down the middle? And what of Stephanie McMahon’s confrontation with Punk earlier in the night? Regardless, the circumstances behind Del Rio’s shocking Money in the Bank-assisted win will have a massive impact on Monday Night Raw in the weeks ahead. But, to steal a line from Del Rio himself, “you already know that.”