WWE Monday Night Raw Preview: CM Punk and John Cena Prepare to Unify WWE Titles

Tonight on Monday Night Raw, WWE Champions CM Punk and John Cena gear up for their main event clash at SummerSlam this Sunday, which will determine the undisputed WWE Champion.

With CM Punk's sudden return to the WWE after leaving the company with the WWE Championship, the WWE Universe found itself in a unique situation, as John Cena had become the new WWE Champion in Punk's absence.

With Living Colour's "Cult of Personality" as his new entrance track, CM Punk returned with his WWE Championship, as well as with the attitude that has made him a hit with fans over the past month.  Wearing the wildly popular "Best in the Word" shirt from that fateful night in Chicago at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Punk asserted that he was in fact the true champion, and is, just as his shirt says, the best wrestler in the world.

John Cena, of course, has a legitimate claim to his WWE Championship as well.  Two weeks ago Rey Mysterio defeated The Miz to win the WWE Championship tournament that was held to crown a new champion.  That night, COO Triple H determined that John Cena would wrestle Rey in the main event, as he deserved his rematch after losing the title at Money in the Bank.  After a solid showing by both men, John Cena won the match and the title, only to have CM Punk make his return during his celebration.

After a great deal of speculation regarding what the WWE would do with this odd situation, Triple H made his decision last week on Raw, but not before both Punk and Cena voiced their concerns.  The COO determined that the two champions would face each other in a title unification bout in the main event of SummerSlam to solve the two champion issue, as well as to give the two men an encore of their heated match at Money in the Bank.

What will take place tonight on the SummerSlam Raw go-home show is anyone's guess.  I expect that CM Punk will cut one or two of his great promos, and yes, I do expect them to be great.

There's a ton of pressure on CM Punk to perform during this push, as he's not exactly what the WWE brass considers champion material.  Not only is Punk trying to prove that his image won't be an issue in regards to being a popular champion, but he's also looking to silence those who doubt his drawing ability.  Punk's greatest weapon in this fight is the microphone, so expect him to slow it down to make sure that he comes across as best he can tonight.

From Cena, I expect the squeaky-clean shtick to roll on, but the WWE has been exploring some options with him lately, as seen with Cena's recent attitude towards authority figures.  His respect for CM Punk won't go away, though, and when it comes to how he'll handle whatever Punk throws at him, I'm expecting the same "You're going to have to take it from me," stance he's had with Punk since Money in the Bank.

The big question is, can tonight's show sell the fans on the SummerSlam pay-per-view?  We all know the WWE's history of dropping the ball, but I think if there are any superstars that can knock this one out of the park, they're CM Punk and John Cena.  With as good as Money in the Bank was, the rematch between these two sells itself. What I'm really curious about is whether they can sell the rest of the card.