WWE SummerSlam 2011: 5 Things to Know About the CM Punk vs. John Cena Match

Sunday Night's SummerSlam Main Event between John Cena and CM Punk marks the 1st Undisputed Championship Match since Brock Lesnar defeated The Rock in the Main Event at SummerSlam in 2002. 

Since then, 16 men have had 38 separate reigns as WWE Champion. 9 of those reigns have been from one man, John Cena.

Often criticized for his only fans being women and children, Cena comes in to this match less than a month removed from nearly being fired by Vince McMahon for failure to defeat Punk at Money in the Bank, before Triple H returned and fired McMahon, taking over the day to day operations of the WWE.

Punk, portrayed as the heel in all of this, comes in as the growing fan favorite, after spending the 3 weeks leading up to Money in the Bank shooting his mouth off on all things WWE, cutting controversial promos that garnered mainstream attention from, among other places, ESPN.

Here are 5 things to keep in mind before Sunday's epic match:

Number 1: Triple H Is the Special Guest Referee

The newly-installed Chief Operating Officer announced himself this past Monday on RAW that he was the Special Guest Referee for the Title Match on Sunday.

How will Triple H, who has had brilliant runs as both a heel and a babyface, call this match? Will he call it down the middle? Will he favor Punk or Cena? Will Cena's actions on RAW, where he struck Triple H while attempting to hit Punk play any factor in the match and its aftermath?

"The Game" is one to look out for come Sunday

Number 2: Cena Is Not "The Golden Boy" When It Comes to Summerslam

Often criticized for being over pushed and being made champion so many times to sell more merchandise to the PG-friendly crowd, Cena has not been so perfect when it comes to SummerSlam. 

In 7 appearances at The Biggest Party of the Summer, Cena is just 4-3, and 1-2 in 3 matches since 2008. The last time he won a singles match at the event was in 2007, when he defeated Randy Orton.

A loss on Sunday for Cena is not completely out of the question.

Number 3: Punk Has Won Championship Matches at SummerSlam Too

For everyone who says Cena wins every time he's in a championship match, his history at SummerSlam alone would prove that wrong. In 4 Championship matches at the event, Cena is just 2-2.

For everyone who says Punk went forever without winning a PPV Match, he's managed to win at SummerSlam. In 3 Championship Matches, Punk is 2-1, and has won his last 2.

Number 4: The Colt Cabana Factor

For WWE fans who first started following the company in March of 2009, here's who Colt Cabana is:

Colt Cabana, real name Scott Colton, has been wrestling since 2002. He was trained alongside CM Punk, with who he remains great friends. Cabana wrestled alongside Punk in Ring of Honor for several years, before Punk moved on to the WWE in late 2005, debuting on television the following July.

Cabana stayed with Ring of Hinor until 2007, when he too was signed by the WWE and sent to their developmental territory. He debuted in the "bigs" in August 2008 as Scotty Goldman. After then spending five months off of TV, he returned in February of 2009, only to be eliminated first in a Battle Royal.  He was released from his contract two weeks later.

During a promo last month on RAW, Punk "broke the fourth wall" when he waved directly into the camera and said "Hi, Colt Cabana" in the middle of what is now a famous promo, where he took on essentially every important person in the WWE.

Last week, Cabana wrestled in an un-televised match before SmackDown, creating rumors that he may return, and SummerSlam would provide a great arena in which to do so.

Number 5: The Alberto Del Rio Factor

The 2011 Royal Rumble winner, the new "Mr. Money in the Bank" (one of them, anyway) is the biggest wild card in all of this.

Early creative plans for this event called for a championship match between the WWE's biggest star, Cena, and its fastest rising star, Del Rio.

The possibility of this match happening seemed dead until Del Rio won the RAW Money in the Bank Ladder Match at the Money in the Bank Pay-per-view last month, the same night Punk defeated Cena for the WWE Championship. After Punk had won, Del Rio was called out by Vince McMahon to try and cash in the briefcase, but Punk kicked Del Rio in the head and walked out with the title.

Will Del Rio try cashing in again, no matter who wins the match? Will the third time be the charm?

Tune in Sunday to find out!

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