WWE: 7 Reasons Why John Cena & CM Punk Will Face Off Again

Although they have crossed paths a few times, John Cena and CM Punk have largely stayed away from each other in 2012.

That's a big change from 2011 when those two were involved in the biggest angle of the year and competed against each other on a number of pay-per-views throughout the year.

The longer that Cena and Punk have remained apart, however, the more it seems that the two are destined to meet again.

While we can never know what the creative team's mindset really is, things are shaping up in a way that leads me to believe that we will see Punk vs. Cena again in the not-do-distant future.

Here are seven reasons why John Cena and CM Punk will face off again...and why it will probably happen pretty soon.

7. Cena's Spot in His 1st Money in the Bank Match Almost Guarantees It

John Cena's major announcement on last week's Raw was that he would be entering his first-ever Money in the Bank match at this year's self-titled pay-per-view.

As soon as he made that announcement, my thought was this: I bet that means he's gonna win it.

We all know that the creative team loves to book Cena to "overcome the odds," and with the odds clearly stacked against him in this match (he's the only baby face in it), its almost a given that he will ultimately win it.

I just don't think that the WWE is going to put Cena in his first MITB match ever if the plan wasn't ultimately for him to win it and then go on to successfully cash it in.

Of course, if Cena wins that briefcase later this month, he'll have the opportunity to cash it in on the WWE Champion at any time.

Chances are that that WWE Champion will still be CM Punk, and thus, we'll get Cena cashing in on Punk at some point, likely later this summer.

This scenario certainly isn't a given, but I think most of us can agree that it's pretty damn likely.

6. A Lack of Fresh Challengers for Punk

Not that John Cena is an overly fresh challenger for CM Punk (they faced each other in the Hell in a Cell main event in October 2011), but he's actually fresher than most.

Punk has faced a number of challengers during his current WWE title reign, including Mark Henry, The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler and Chris Jericho.

So, what's that mean? Well, it means that there aren't a ton of fresh potential WWE title challengers for Punk.

There are certainly some—Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes come to mind—but since there aren't many either, that indicates to me that there's a good chance that Punk's next challenger will be someone who he's already feuded with.

Why not Cena?

As I mentioned before, Cena doesn't really fit the definition of a new, fresh opponent, but neither does Ziggler, Del Rio or a boatload of others.

And if anyone's going to get another crack at the WWE title, you have to think that there's a good chance that it will be "The Champ."

5. A Lot Has Changed Since Money in the Bank 2011

I've seen a lot of wrestling fans complain about the potential for another feud between John Cena and CM Punk because we've already seen it before.

While that may be true, things have changed a lot since then.

Sure, it was still Cena vs. Punk last year. But that feud came at the start of Punk's rise to the top of the WWE when he was just transitioning into a baby face after a lengthy heel run.

Now, though, Cena is still the No. 1 baby face in the company while Punk appears to be firmly entrenched as its No. 2.

Another Punk/Cena feud would involve the same two names, but it would be much different (for better or for worse) than it was just 12 months ago.

Both Punk and Cena's characters have changed since then, and so has the overall landscape of the WWE.

Yeah, it's technically the same feud on the surface. But dig a little deeper, and you'll realize that it really isn't.

The WWE probably realizes that, too, and as a result, will be ready and willing to have Cena and Punk feud again.

4. Their Last 2 Singles Matches Were Epic

The last two singles match between CM Punk and John Cena took place at Money in the Bank and SummerSlam in 2011, respectively.

What do both of those matches have in common? They were epic.

The MITB match was a five-star encounter that was the best match of the year, while the SummerSlam match was only a notch below it and probably one of the top three or four bouts of 2011 as well.

A lot of that had to do with the circumstances surrounding those matches, but regardless, the success of Parts 1 and 2 of Cena vs. Punk makes the WWE much more likely to have Part 3.

We all know that the WWE loves to repeat history, and Cena vs. Punk was so awesome last year that it's almost too tempting to pass up this year.

Those two matches were two of the most—if not the single most—unforgettable matches in the careers of both Cena and Punk, and it's clear that these two have some amazing chemistry.

Thus, at least in my view, it's a matter of when, not if, the WWE will want to recreate that magic we got in 2011.

3. They're the Top 2 Stars in the WWE

When Randy Orton and John Cena were established as the top two stars in the WWE from 2007 to 2010, how many times did they face off in some form or another?

More times than I care to count, that's for sure.

They faced each other in a boatload of matches, including a number of PPV ones, during a rivalry that spanned across a roughly four-year period.

Now, fast forward to 2012, when Cena and CM Punk are the clear-cut top two stars in the company.

Do you really think that those two matches in 2011 are all we're gonna get from those two while they're at their peak? 

No chance in hell.

Much like Orton vs. Cena, I have no doubt that Cena vs. Punk will be a rivalry that—although not continuous—will span across a few years as they juggle to see who is the true No. 1 star in the WWE.

It makes sense for a number of reasons, and it's an easy story to tell. 

Like with The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, there can only be one man at the top.

2. It's the Rumored Plan for SummerSlam

I'm not just pulling rumors of another potential feud between John Cena and CM Punk out of nowhere.

In fact, it's the rumored plan for this year's SummerSlam pay-per-view, according to F4Wonline.com (via WrestlingInc.com).

How exactly we'd get there is anyone's guess, but it wouldn't be even remotely shocking to see Cena give fair warning and cash in on Punk at next month's PPV or something along those lines.

Of course, these plans can and likely will change, but given the way that the WWE's current story lines are shaping up, it remains a strong possibility that Cena vs. Punk is going to happen soon.

Despite the "odds being against him," Cena is the logical choice to win the WWE title Money in the Bank match while it looks like Punk may not lose the belt to Daniel Bryan.

If both of those things happen, then Punk vs. Cena at SummerSlam seems like a given, especially when you consider that it would be a celebration of their one-year anniversary of their epic match from last year.

1. Cena's Lengthy Absence from the WWE Title Scene

The WWE's claim that John Cena hasn't been in the WWE title picture for a year is pretty ridiculous, especially because Cena last competed for the belt in October 2011, which actually makes it about a nine-month absence.

But even if Cena hasn't been away from the WWE Championship for a year, it's been a substantial absence, nonetheless.

Since 2006, Cena hasn't really stayed away from the WWE (or World) title from more than a few months. That was until the last nine-month span, when feuds with The Rock and Kane kept him pretty busy.

So, being that the face of the WWE has been away from its biggest prize for "so long," it's almost inevitable that his absence won't last much longer.

I'm sure everyone in the WWE is freaking out, saying, "Oh my gosh! Cena hasn't challenged for the WWE title since October? This has to change!"

OK, maybe not. But you get the point.

Cena has been away from the WWE title for an extended period, and CM Punk is currently holding it.

It shouldn't take a genius to figure out what's gonna happen next.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him onTwitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions on Formspring.