At WrestleMania 25, CM Punk shocked the world by becoming the first Superstar in WWE history to win two consecutive Money in the Bank matches. The fans expressed slight disappointment that the winner of the 2009 would not be someone fresh and new but in many ways, the repeat win was the company's way of apologizing to the Chicago native, who saw his first championship reign descend into mediocrity before being stripped of the strap during an injury angle. At Extreme Rules in 2009, Punk defeated Umaga in a Leather Strap match and then sat back and watched as both the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships were defended later in the evening. Batista defeated Randy Orton to win the WWE title in a steel cage match but it was the Ladder match between Jeff Hardy and Edge for the other major title that caught the Straight Edge Superstar's eye. In that match, Hardy and Edge destroyed one another physically, wearing one another down with brutal ladder shots. Hardy would scale the ladder and win the match and as he celebrated what should have been a storybook ending to a rough six-month period, Punk's music played and he made his way to the ring to cash in his guaranteed title opportunity. With Hardy in no condition to present much of a fight, Punk easily defeated him with GTS to capture his second World Heavyweight title. The win would be the emphasis for a heel turn that would see Punk become the most hated villain in WWE by the time SummerSlam rolled around in August.
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.
