WWE Summer Slam 2011: The CM Punk "Buy In"

For weeks now CM Punk has been complaining about the system. He claims that it's unfair and that guys in the locker room are being fired for no good reason other than the creative team doesn't have anything for them.

Punk says that great wrestlers who aren't cutting it as superstars are being let while guys like Cena just keep winning titles. According to Punk, the company is run by a bully and that the new guy in charge—Triple H—is just as bad. 

Punk claims to be the voice of those who have been wrongly let go and for the people who watch and demand a better product. He wants us to know how guys like Luke Gallows, Chris Masters and Vladamir Kozlov were done wrong and guys like Colt Cabana were never given a chance.

He wants us to buy in to all this, yet once again Punk doesn't practice what he preaches.

When Punk was running the Straight Edge Society he had his followers Luke Gallows and Serena and any of the others who would 'volunteer' from the crowd shave their heads. They did so to show their allegiance and to symbolically shed their old lives to join Punk's straight edge lifestyle. Yet there he stood, with a long mane of jet black hair. He claimed his hair was pure and unsoiled unlike the hair of his new followers.

This story line eventually led to a match where Punk had his head shaved. In true WWE formula, this led to him wearing a mask after being embarrassed that we had all seen him with a shaved head.

Do we remember this CM Punk?

This is the same CM Punk that sat down Indian style and spouted his truth to the crowd and when he announced he was leaving the crowd cheered. They sang a good-bye song and applauded the fact that they would no longer have to deal with CM Punk.

He then went on to mock Cena, call The Rock Dwayne and call Triple H a moron. Then the crowd applauded his "honesty" and cheered his name enough to make the rafters shake.

Then comes the public contract signing, where he makes twitter explode more than "Tie-Gate" while he talked about wanting a jet, his picture on cups, magazines and even ice cream bars. But why was the rebellious Punk asking for such things in his contract? Why would he be so selfish when he could have negotiated with the WWE to hire Colt Cabana and rehire Luke Gallows?

Where was his voice for the people then?

We know how the story goes. Punk gets slapped, insists he's going to just leave and does—sort of. Then he lights up twitter, shows up at Comic-Con and confronts Triple H and gets his picture taken by TMZ. He never really leaves the spotlight and inevitably he comes back to the WWE.

Apparently he has resigned with Triple H. Punk has more money, more perks and gets the main event at Summer Slam. His t-shirt is on massive back order from WWE, you can get one on E-Bay for $167, he has a new song and he's been given mic time and matches every week.

He wasn't out to help anyone else. He didn't give up one of his 15 minute speeches to let Chris Masters and Kozlov have a match. No, it was all about him.

In one of the greatest Monday Night Raw promos Punk referred to John Cena as the New York Yankees. Punk said Cena's the franchise, the money built champion and he claims that he hates him for that. But when you see what Punk's asked for and accepted it's clear that he doesn't hate John Cena, he wants to be John Cena. He wants his face wherever Cena's is, on cups, posters, movies and of course on ice cream bars. 

CM Punk hasn't sold out by wanting these things, he's bought in. He wants to sit at the adult table and enjoy all it has to serve up. He's also not hiding it, in fact he announces it every time he comes to the ring with his new song, "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour. The term a "cult of personality" refers to when an individual uses mass media, propaganda or other methods to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise.

So who's the cult, Cena or Punk?

The lyrics say, "I sell the things you need to be, I'm the smiling face on your TV, I'm the cult of personality, I exploit you, still you love me, I tell you one and one makes three."

Sounds like Punk to me.

He won the title, left and made us want him back. Then he came back and now he's more powerful than ever.

This Sunday at Summer Slam will begin a long fantastic feud between Punk and Cena, rivaling the feud of Cena and the now retired Edge. It could take the two all the way to Wrestlemania and could involve The Rock and rumored Stone Cold Steve Austin as part of this story line.

Is this a passing of the torch, Rock to Cena, Austin to Punk? Will it be finally decided at Summer Slam or will both men walk out still champions?

The next Pay Per View is the Night of Champions, so it will probably play into having two champions and letting the feud continue.

You can read more by John Kindelan here on Bleacher, check out my slide show on who was stripped of the title previously here. You can also head over to The BOOM Page and check out more pop culture goodness.