WWE SummerSlam 2012: CM Punk Still Won't Be the Main Event

Poor CM Punk.

He’s been striving all year long to be the main event. He demands “respect” and for every show to end with its focus on the WWE Champion.

When it comes to pay-per-views, the only time CM Punk has ended the show in his almost 10-month reign was at TLC last December.

Even as the champion of the company, Punk is accustomed to taking the back seat to John Cena.

At WrestleMania, Punk’s match with Chris Jericho was overshadowed by Cena and The Rock. At No Way Out, it was Cena and the Big Show.

Heck, at Over the Limit, Cena and John Laurinaitis stole the main-event spot away from Punk and Daniel Bryan.

It doesn’t matter who Cena faces, he always gets the main event. Except, things are shaping up differently for SummerSlam.

Finally, Punk has been gifted a match with Cena in his current reign, but this time around even that won’t skyrocket him to the main event.

No, this time around the main event goes to the part-timers: Triple H and Brock Lesnar.

Just like Raw ended with Lesnar and The Game last week, so too will SummerSlam. It is the headlining match, with Lesnar as the event’s poster boy.

Even Cena gets shunned this time.

Triple H may be the heir to the company who runs the show backstage, but is that really a free ticket to insert himself into SummerSlam’s main event when he rarely even appears on television?

Lesnar and Triple H may help garner publicity, but does that mean year-round workers like Punk and Cena should take a back seat?

SummerSlam is the pay-per-view where Cena finally doesn’t rob Punk of a main event, yet someone else manages to do it.

Does the WWE really not value CM Punk or the WWE Championship enough to make it the main event?

Punk sure is right when he demands respect, not just for himself, but for the WWE title.