WWE Money in the Bank 2012 Results: CM Punk Defeats Daniel Bryan

The success for CM Punk continued at the 2012 Money in the Bank pay-per-view, as he beat No. 1 contender Daniel Bryan to retain the WWE title.

Bryan and Punk had been involved in an amazing feud that also involved AJ—this match's special guest referee—but this looks like the end of the road for this storyline.

With SummerSlam the next PPV on the calendar and the 1,000th edition of Raw approaching, the WWE wants to have CM Punk as its champion heading into its second-biggest event of the year.

What It Means

With another win, Punk is entering rarefied air with his current title reign. While many fans will complain that it is getting stale and that Punk should have put Bryan over during their feud, this proves that WWE is buying into the idea of the former Ring of Honor star being the face of their company.

If John Cena truly is next at SummerSlam, the WWE has done a great job building Punk up as an equal to the real face of the company. When Punk hits the ring, you can tell he is over with the crowd as much as Sheamus and almost as much as Cena himself.

With the WWE loving what it's getting from Punk and the last six months of title matches, there is no reason to believe that Cena will take the gold anytime soon.

What’s Next?

There had been rumors about Punk feuding Cena starting at SummerSlam, and that could very well be the case now that Bryan is likely moving away from the WWE title chase.

For Bryan, this will be the kind of fresh start that will test how really over he is.

Without Punk or Sheamus to carry the face load, the WWE must find a feud that highlights his strengths and allows him to remain on the championship fringe.

What happens to Daniel Bryan after this match is more important to the future of the WWE than what happens to Punk. The WWE cannot let the momentum Bryan has created go to waste.

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