WWE: Why CM Punk Will Beat John Cena at SummerSlam

Although just about everyone and their dog saw it coming, Triple H made the announcement on RAW last night that CM Punk and John Cena would face each other in a WWE championship unification match at "SummerSlam."

Even though Cena has no true claim to the title, since Punk technically has 30 days to defend it before being stripped, Triple H asserted that both men have legitimate gripes for being champion.

The WWE Universe agreed and 54 percent of voters claimed Cena was the true champion in a clearly rigged WWE.com poll. None of that matters now, however, as Cena obviously would have gotten his rematch at "SummerSlam," whether he was a paper champion or not.

While most of the more cynical wrestling fans think a Cena win at "SummerSlam" is inevitable, I think there’s a great case to be made for why Punk will come out of Los Angeles as the undisputed WWE champion.

The WWE seems to be infatuated with putting the title on Cena (as evidenced by the fact that he has held the WWE Championship 45 percent of the time since his first title win in 2005).

If ever there was a time when it was safe to put the title on somebody else, though, it’s now. CM Punk is undoubtedly the most talked about figure in wrestling today and perhaps the most talked about wrestler over the past few years.

Punk has garnered an incredible amount of mainstream media attention. Not only was he mentioned on the talk shows of ESPN personalities Jim Rome and Colin Cowherd following his promo last month, but he has also appeared on Bill Simmons’ ESPN podcast and Jimmy Kimmel Live. For the first time in a long time, the WWE may actually have a better option than Cena.

One of the main complaints that wrestling fans have had over the past few years is that WWE has failed to produce new stars. Outside of Cena and Randy Orton, the WWE sorely lacks bona fide stars. Guys like Rey Mysterio and The Miz certainly border on that status, but they aren’t viewed as perennial contenders, like Cena and Orton.

With Punk’s popularity rapidly growing, the WWE has an incredible opportunity to cement him as one of the company’s prime-time players. This type of thing doesn’t present itself too often, so I have to believe that the WWE is ready and willing to pounce on the red-hot reaction Punk has been receiving over the past month or so.

Punk is quickly developing into a new-age “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, sans the beer bashes, of course. Like Austin, Punk entered this angle as a heel, but his cavalier attitude and anti-establishment actions have endeared him to the fans. I don’t want to say Punk was pandering to the fans last night, but he was certainly acknowledging them more than he has since he was a full-on face.

Putting Punk’s face on the current Mt. Rushmore of WWE superstars doesn’t mean that he has to do a complete face turn, though. He would be best served to remain a tweener, just like Austin was. Austin wasn’t exactly a typical role-model face like Cena or Hulk Hogan. Like Punk, he employed heel tactics much of the time, but the fans still loved it.

Allowing Cena to go over Punk and win the title for the umpteenth time simply wouldn’t accomplish anything.

After such a golden storyline between Punk and Cena, that outcome would be nothing more than a vote of confidence for the status quo. To be quite honest, while the WWE is unquestionably the most successful wrestling company in the world, the status quo hasn’t been too kind in terms of ratings and pay-per-view buys.

As the face of the company, I have to believe that Cena has a huge amount of pull backstage. It’s extremely difficult to get to that position without being in the ears of the powers that be—at least a little bit.

With that said, even Cena has to see that Punk needs the win at "SummerSlam" in order to legitimize himself as a champion and to improve the product as a whole.

Punk reportedly has an increased amount of creative control in his own right, thanks to his new multi-year contract. I highly doubt the WWE would cut the honeymoon short and force Punk to lose to Cena. I also doubt that Punk would be willing to relinquish the title so quickly, especially when his revamped character is coming together so well.

If there’s any doubt regarding how much clout Punk now possesses in the company, consider the fact that Beth Phoenix won the No. 1 contender Divas Battle Royal last night. This may not seem like much, but seeing as Beth is Punk’s girlfriend, there has to be some sort of a connection.

I can’t even remember the last time Beth had a singles match on RAW—the extent of her usage has been wrestling on "Superstars" and singing with the Great Khali at "WrestleMania." Punk obviously has something to do with Beth’s sudden push, and I’m sure he’ll have something to say about his own push.

As great as a clean win over Cena at "SummerSlam" would be, I highly doubt that the WWE brass would allow that to happen. At the very least, there needs to be an outcome that makes both men look strong in the end. One way to do that would be for The Rock to somehow get involved.

As most wrestling fans know, The Rock has teased his return for "Survivor Series," however he hasn’t made any mention of "SummerSlam."

Having The Rock appear at "SummerSlam" would be a great surprise for the fans and it would make perfect sense. As a Hollywood actor, L.A. is The Rock’s stomping grounds and I’m sure he would be more than willing to appear.

A fair way to end the match would be for The Rock to interfere while the referee is unconscious. The Rock could Rock Bottom Punk and make it seem as though he is helping Cena keep the title until "WrestleMania." Then, just before he leaves the ring, he could Rock Bottom Cena as well, leaving both men prone in the ring.

Just as the referee comes to, Punk could begin stirring and drape his arm over Cena and gain the victory. This would ensure that both men are on an even playing field, but it wouldn’t make Cena look weak in the least. It would also be a logical way of reintroducing The Rock and furthering his feud with Cena.

As worrisome as it is to consider that the WWE might take the easy way out and give the title to Cena, I’m cautiously optimistic at this point.

Vince McMahon is a shrewd businessman and I think he recognizes an opportunity to make money when he sees it. Cena winning at "SummerSlam" wouldn’t change anything, but Punk winning could very well help propel the WWE to unseen heights.