At least for now, the torch has officially been passed.

When CM Punk defends his WWE Championship belt at Hell in a Cell on October 28, it won't be against John Cena.

From WWE's official Twitter account:

Yes, you read that right. CM Punk will enter the cage with Ryback in just under two weeks with the biggest prize in the business on the line.

When it became time for Punk to sign the title contract on Monday Night Raw, Vince McMahon was getting ready to decide between Cena and Ryback for his opponent when the Cenation Leader stepped in.

With the main goal of crushing Punk in mind, Cena decided to step aside and let Ryback, who defeated Dolph Ziggler and David Otunga earlier in the night, have a shot at the title.

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After signing the contract, Ryback proceeded to slam Punk's head into the table and then gave him a Shell Shocked.

Boom. End of show. 

This is certainly a peculiar turn of events. 

You would think that Punk, who has held onto the belt for almost a year (he won the title at last year's Survivor Series), would lose one of these days. But is Ryback, aka The Human Wrecking Ball, aka the King of Squash, really the best man to take over as champ?

If he did, it would signify an incredibly quick journey to the top for the behemoth of a man. 

Nonetheless, the intrigue surrounding this newest turn of events in the WWE world will surely have fans tuning in simply to see where the creative team will go from here.