The stakes were high at WWE Night of Champions. Mark Henry was gunning for his first World Heavyweight Championship, Alberto Del Rio looked to make his first successful pay-per-view title defense, and most importantly, Triple H looked to remain WWE COO in his match with the rebellious CM Punk. Who would come out on top during a wild night in Buffalo?
On a night with six title matches, it was the card's lone non-title bout that headlined the show as Triple H put his position as WWE's Chief Operating Officer on the line in a one-fall, no disqualification bout with former WWE Champion CM Punk.
CM Punk entered the ring with his new shirt, black with a picture of a WWE ice cream bar with his likeness on it. Triple H came to the ring with his signature water-spitting entrance only to have Punk attack him before he could even turn around. It was on from there as the two proceeded to brawl around the ringside area. Within 90 seconds they spill over the English announce table. Triple H goes for a Pedigree but Punk counters with a GTS attempt but Triple H escapes and Punk heads into the ring where the brawling continues.
They don't last long in the ring, though, as the brawling spills back out to the floor and then into the crowd. The two go back and forth as they go through the crowd and back up to the set, where Triple H hit a big slingshot that sent Punk into an LED board. Triple H goes for the Pedigree but Punk backdrops him over the same LED board and then comes down on him. Then he throws two sandbags at him.
They head back to the ring and Punk grabs a chair from under it. He wedges it between the ropes in the corner but Triple H takes over and chucks Punk into the chair and he flies to the outside. Now Triple H comes in with a huge chop block. He puts Punk in the ring and his legs around the post and smashes the knee with a chair against the post. Triple H goes over and starts clearing out the Spanish announce table. He grabs a monitor and goes to hit Punk with it but eats a kick instead and ends up sprawled out on the table. Punk goes back into the ring, heads to the top rope and crushes Triple H and the table with an elbow drop. Both men down now.
Both men crawl into the ring and The Miz and R-Truth come running to the ring and start beating up both men. They put the boots to them and then Miz hits Triple H with a Skull-Crushing Finale and Punk gets a Paydirt. They put Punk on top of Triple H for the cover and referee Scott Armstrong looks at them and finally makes the count and Triple H kicks out at two. Now Miz gets in Armstrong's face and shoves him. Miz takes a swing at him but Armstrong blocks it and socks him. Truth hits Armstrong from behind and then Miz and Truth beat him down. Now here comes John Laurinaitis. As he walks to the ring, Triple H and Punk get up and beat up Miz and Truth and then Triple H hits Punk with the Pedigree. A new referee comes down but Laurinaitis stops him and tells him to check on Armstrong. While Triple H yells at Laurinaitis, Punk hits GTS but Truth breaks up the count, pulling Punk outside. Punk responds with a GTS on him.
Punk goes to the top and comes down but Triple H kicks him and hits the Pedigree. Into the cover but Punk kicks out at two. Now Laurinaitis is on his phone and is texting someone, apparently. And out through the crowd comes Kevin Nash. He socks Punk and Triple H. He puts Triple H into the corner and starts drilling him. He pulls him out and goes for the Jackknife but Punk stops him and he wants a piece of Nash. Nash, though, fends him off and knees him in the gut and hits the Jackknife on him.
Nash goes to the outside and drills Triple H. He clears off the announce table but turns around right into a shot from Triple H's trusty sledgehammer. Triple H gets back in the ring as Punk staggers to his feet. Boot, Pedigree, fin.