WWE: Has the Red Hot John Cena, CM Punk Angle Permanently Cooled Off?

So, John Cena is the new WWE Champion.

Just give me a sec here.

It’s been a couple of days now, and while it has sunk in many ways, it’s still a little surreal to me. I am not sure why, though.

After all, the minute Rey Mysterio had his hand raised, I had only one response, one statement, that I said aloud to no one in particular.

“Wonder how long it will be until Cena gets it back.”

Then it was announced that John would be facing Rey for the belt at the end of the program. Once again, I had only one thought that I declared, aloud, to no one in particular.

“John will get it back tonight. It’s over.”

I have said in the past that anytime the belt is not around Cena’s waist, it is just being kept warm until the inevitable moment he would get it back again. This is the one time that I really hoped I was wrong.

Don’t flip out on me here, I am not “hating” on John, it’s nothing personal. I just thought, considering the hype around a certain tattooed Chicago Made Punk, that perhaps WWE creative would be going a different route with this one.

All that hype, all the work, all the publicity, that went into the Cena/Punk Money in the Bank main event and the crazy successful events that followed have all seemingly been tossed out the window. Why?

Because, John is the man. Period.

For all the fans who love to point out that John Cena doesn’t draw like some of the other historic WWE Champions in years past, I can only say, to all of you in particular; get over it. No one cares.

For everyone who hates his PG presentation, the way in which he is portrayed as the ultimate boy scout, I have only one piece of advice. Let it go. That’s life.

So while everyone now takes a moment to furiously type some heated comments in my direction, let me say that that there’s no need. I understand. The truth is, it frustrates me too.

It frustrates me, because with CM Punk we finally had a new direction. Here is a guy that does not look like your typical WWE worker. He’s in shape but not cut and massive.

He’s not very big on catchphrases or fixed on any one particular look. He’s not overly produced and does not appear to be phony in either his demeanor nor his approach to his character.

To put it another way, he was not created by Vince McMahon.

I suppose that’s the point, though. No one would ever expect a guy like Punk to ever wear the WWE Title, to be the face of the company, because he just does not seem to fit the role. He still looks like an independent wrestler, despite how established he is in WWE.

When I look at Punk, I see a guy who is being used for everything he is not. His talents and abilities are not the focus, it is what he doesn’t have that everyone is talking about. He doesn’t have star potential.

When he showed up on Monday night, he got a pop. It was decent, a respectable reaction considering no one knew it was going to be him. It was OK.

But for the guy who supposedly turned the company on its ear by “leaving” with their number one championship in hand, thumbing his nose at Cena the dynasty and the McMahon family who loves that dynasty? It was pathetic.

The roof absolutely should have been blown off the building. The pop should have rivaled Stone Cold’s, in terms of immediate reaction and the irresistible urge of fans to see what he was going to do after entering the ring.

But instead, it was just OK. And, that is probably not going to be good enough.

This is not over, by any means, but I wonder what WWE’s reaction to what they heard on Monday night was. Will the lack of excitement on the fans’ part be translated as waning interest in the angle?

Knowing that Punk was doing virtually nothing in the months leading up to this monster push, does the company have that much faith in him to begin with? Will they panic and end this whole thing before it really has a chance to be fully fleshed out and wrapped up?

His heat upon supposedly leaving the company was with Vince McMahon, and that of course is apparently over now. So, the only guy left would be the one who would be presented with the second WWE Championship.

Rey was honestly probably not the most likely choice to wear the belt, but it would have worked. He and Punk have feuded before, and in the short term it would have been enough for them to have a winner take all match.

But instead we get the guy that Punk finally beat, the one who he outsmarted and took the WWE Title from. At this point, Punk should have more of a problem with Triple H than he would with John Cena.

After all, Hunter allowed the new belt to be decided on RAW, and then gave the shot to Cena after Rey won. So, why exactly does Cena have this spot against Punk once again?

Because he’s John Cena, and he’s the man. Haven’t you been listening?

All sarcasm aside, I will say that while there is still time and opportunity to set this storyline ablaze once again, for me it has been extinguished almost the point of dying out. It had such momentum, such promise.

And now it feels as though it’s back to business as usual, with Cena once again at the top of the heap.

Call it griping, call it unwarranted criticism, call it what you will. It is not my intention to run this angle into the ground, merely to understand what may happen next, and why.

Here’s hoping that the fuse will be lit again. It was too good to burn out this soon.