In 2012, WWE champion CM Punk entered the AllState Arena in his hometown of Chicago for a heated Street Fight against Chris Jericho. Y2J had repeatedly targeted Punk's father and sister in very personal promos. He had also assaulted Punk and dumped beer all over the Straight Edge Superstar, further infuriating the champion. It was against that background that they took to the ring for the much-anticipated championship bout. Punk and Jericho delivered a very hard-hitting match that played up the personal nature of the feud as well as the violent stipulation. At one point, Jericho involved Punk's sister into the ordeal, badmouthing her as he beat on her brother. She responded with a hard slap that drew a sizable pop from the Chicago crowd. Punk delivered a top rope elbow drop from the ring, onto Jericho and through the Spanish announce table in what was the spot of the night while both competitor utilized a kendo stick throughout the match. It was a turnbuckle exposed by Jericho earlier in the bout, however, that came back to haunt the first undisputed champion in WWE history. Punk sent Jericho into it, then deliver Go To Sleep to pickup the pinfall victory. The win would end the program between Punk and Jericho and send the Best in the World into a series of title defenses against Daniel Bryan. Jericho would hang around WWE until August. The best match of their feud, the Street Fight between Punk and Jericho was everything it needed to be and more, leading to a great post-match celebration involving Punk and his family and friends at ringside.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
