WWE SummerSlam 2011: A CM Punk and John Cena History Lesson

Sunday marks the first time there has been an Undisputed WWE Championship match since Brock Lesnar defeated The Rock to become, at 25-years-old, the youngest WWE Champion ever at SummerSlam in 2002.

2002 was a big year for both competitors in Sunday's title match. John Cena debuted in the WWE, and CM Punk debuted in Ring of Honor.

This will not be a history lesson the way you might think it is. Instead, we'll look back at both competitor's past performances at SummerSlam, leading up to Sunday.

SummerSlam 2004

Cena debuted in the WWE in 2002, but didn't compete at SummerSlam until 2004. 

In the first match of a "Best of 5 Series", with Booker T for the United States Championship, Cena won by pinning Booker after an FU, now (painfully) known as an attitude adjustment.

SummerSlam 2005

2005 was Cena's breakout year with the WWE. He was the runner-up to Batista in the Royal Rumble match, then he won a tournament to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship. At Wrestlemania 21, Cena defeated JBL to win his 1st WWE Championship.

During the 2005 draft lottery in June, Cena was drafted from SmackDown to RAW, where he almost immediately began a feud with Chris Jericho and RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff, who nearly went crazy trying to take the WWE Championship away from Cena, but never completed the task.

At SummerSlam, Cena survived being locked in Jericho's finisher, The Walls of Jericho, and managed to pin Jericho after an FU to retain the WWE Championship.

SummerSlam 2006

As Cena's near meteoric rise continued in 2006, Punk debuted in the WWE on ECW; he was not on the SumerSlam card.

Cena entered SummerSlam as the challenger to WWE Champion Edge. The stipulation for the match was that if Edge, in addition to being pinned or submitted, was counted out or disqualified, Cena would win the WWE Championship.

During the match, Edge illegally used brass knuckles behind the referee's back and punched Cena in the back of the head, knocking him out cold. Edge then got rid of the evidence and pinned Cena, retaining the WWE Championship.

SummerSlam 2007

SummerSlam 2007 was the first SummerSlam where both Cena and Punk competed.

Punk wrestled first against ECW Champion John Morrison. Morrison countered a "Frankensteiner" (grabbing the opponent by their head with your legs and flipping them into the air) attempt by putting Punk into a pin, where he illegally used the ropes for extra leverage, winning the match and retaining the ECW Championship.

Cena wrestled in the main event against Randy Orton for the WWE Championship. Cena was able to kick out Orton's finisher, the RKO, and pinned Orton after an FU to retain the title.

SummerSlam 2008

SummerSlam 2008 marked the first SummerSlam for John Cena where he was not involved in a championship match. He faced Batista in the co-main event of the evening. Batista defeated Cena after countering a top rope leg drop into a powerbomb, then hitting Cena with his finisher, the Batista Bomb.

Earlier in the evening, Punk faced JBL for the World Heavyweight Championship. Despite JBL having the upper hand for much of the match, Punk ultimately hit JBL with a GTS (Go To Sleep), to retain the title.

SummerSlam 2009

SummerSlam 2009 saw both Punk and Cena compete in championship matches, with Cena facing Randy Orton for the WWE Championship and Punk facing Jeff Hardy for the World Heavyweight Championship.

In the earlier match,  Orton tried three times to get himself disqualified, counted out, and a victory illegally using the ropes for leverage, but was stopped every time. After a "fan" interfered in the match, Orton hit Cena with his patented RKO and pinned him to retain the title.

In the main event of the evening, a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, Punk beat Hardy in a hellacious match, winning back the championship Hardy had won from Punk a month earlier.

SummerSlam 2010

At SummerSlam 2010, Punk teamed up with the Straight Edge Society to take on the Big Show, while Cena teamed up with six other superstars to take on The Nexus.

The earlier match of the evening saw Punk, along with Luke Gallows and Joey Mercury, lose to The World's Largest Athlete when Punk walked out on his teammates.

In the main event of the evening, Cena, along with Edge, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart, Daniel Bryan, R-Truth, and John Morrison defeated The Nexus in a 7-on-7 elimination match.

SummerSlam 2011

Which brings us to this Sunday. The biggest WWE Championship match in recent memory. What will this epic match bring?

Will Punk or Cena walk out of the Staples Center the undisputed champion? Will special guest referee Triple H call the match right down the middle? Will there be any outside interference? Will Alberto Del Rio cash in Money in the Bank?

Tune in Sunday to find out!

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