WWE SummerSlam 2011: Why CM Punk Is the Biggest Loser at This Year's Event

The push of CM Punk that began shortly before the Money in the Bank pay-per-view event, and ran throughout the month of August, has been responsible for a renewed interest in professional wrestling.

Fans in all corners of the globe have been intrigued by the weekly exploits of the self-proclaimed "Voice of the Voiceless." Punk's newest t-shirt is the hottest selling non-Cena merchandise the company has had in years, and media outlets have been clamoring for the opportunity to feature the outspoken star on their programs.

At the just-concluded SummerSlam event, WWE may have very well killed any momentum CM Punk and the company had gained over the course of the summer months.

The John Cena-CM Punk showdown at SummerSlam did not disappoint in terms of in-ring product. While not on the level of their Money in the Bank contest, the match was as dramatic as one would hope for and often left fans in wonder as to which Superstar would leave the show the undisputed WWE Champion.

It was the conclusion of the contest, as well as the events that followed, that may very well have brought the most compelling story WWE had in quite some time to a crashing halt.

The fact that CM Punk, who would ultimately be leaving the event title-less, could not be allowed a clean victory over John Cena to at least have SOMETHING to brag about come Monday night, is evidence of a complete and utter fumble on the part of whoever was responsible for the booking of the match.

More so than the return of Kevin Nash, the cashing in of the Money in the Bank contract by Alberto Del Rio, or the involvement of Triple H in the match, the way in which Punk was forced to celebrate a tainted win, then be thoroughly demolished by Nash and beaten by Del Rio really only serves to make Punk look like that much more of a fluke.

The fall-out of the SummerSlam main event will ultimately include John Cena petitioning for and, somehow receiving, a WWE Championship match against Del Rio. Triple H will confront Kevin Nash and fans will be forced to re-live 2003 (and the late '90s, for that matter) all over again.

Meanwhile, the hottest commodity the professional wrestling industry has had in nearly a decade will be coming off a performance that saw him look like an idiot while celebrating a tainted victory over John Cena, saw him tossed aside like a piece of garbage to initiate the latest Nash-Triple H story, and saw him, his momentum, and his push sacrificed so that Del Rio could hold WWE gold when the company returns to Mexico in a few weeks.

CM Punk will likely remain a focal point on WWE television. Unfortunately for Punk, his ability to captivate audiences through his verbal skills will be forced to sustain a push the writing team has neglected in favor of "playing "The Game."