CM Punk vs. The Shield Opens Up Exciting Possibilities for Both Sides

What a difference a year can make, especially in the WWE.

This past January, CM Punk was still the WWE champion. His last interaction with The Shield came before the Royal Rumble, where he requested that they not interfere in his match against The Rock.  Both sides would not cross paths for 11 months.

CM Punk and The Shield never squared off against each other in a big pay-per-view match. However, recent events are evidently forcing these two sides to collide.

Punk teamed with Daniel Bryan in a handicap match against The Shield on the November 11 edition of Raw. It ended in a no-contest, as the Wyatt Family intervened. Punk and Bryan have crossed paths with The Shield ever since.

They fought each other on Raw’s November 18 main event, which also featured the Usos, the Rhodes Brothers and the Wyatt Family. The following week, The Shield ambushed Punk, laying him out in the middle of the ring.

CM Punk and The Shield facing each other opens up exciting possibilities for both sides.

The team of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and United States Champion Dean Ambrose excels in six-man tag matches. They haven’t had one dull or bad match in that category.

It would make sense to position these two together, as it would open doors for both sides. The one takeaway is Punk’s partner Bryan, who has fought The Shield since their debut last year.

Punk never faced any of them, at least on the main stage. The only one he’s done battle with is Ambrose at a Florida Championship Wrestling house show. That match took place October 21, 2011, where Punk defeated Ambrose with the GTS.

Punk also spoke highly on Rollins in his Best In The World DVD, where Punk revealed he helped trained Rollins back when he went under the alias “Tyler Black.” They also interacted on NXT, with Punk as the WWE champion and Rollins the NXT champion last year.

While both would provide great matches in almost any category, the guy everyone seems to be watching is Reigns.

The big Samoan is showing signs of possibly being the WWE’s future, and officials have taken notice. Rumors swirled of Reigns’ big push after his dominant performance of Survivor Series, where he eliminated four wrestlers and transported his team to victory as the sole survivor.

Reigns never interacted with Punk with the exception of this past month, when he took part against Punk in separate tag matches. He also has never been tested with an opponent of Punk’s caliber. It would be a huge test for The Shield’s muscle to go one-on-one with Punk, if he gets the chance. Clearly, this is an opportunity the WWE shouldn’t pass up on.

Case in point goes to how they’ve worked with top talent in singles matches. Each one told a different case with Daniel Bryan and others throughout the past year. Punk and The Shield can put on amazing matches regardless of what criteria. The question is not how, but when.

CM Punk vs. The Shield will open exciting new possibilities for both sides. Punk will have new enemies to fight, not to mention familiar faces in Ambrose and Rollins. Plus, he could put on quite a display against Reigns as well.

For The Shield, this is their chance to break out as singles wrestlers. Reigns will get that push and sooner than later, should probably face Punk. The same goes for Rollins and Ambrose. It’s time for The Shield to take off the gloves in single competition.

Punk provides that fresh matchup for each wrestler. Honestly, now that the confrontations and interactions have been teased, it’s time to let both sides loose and get on with the show.