WWE SummerSlam 2011 Results: What's Next for CM Punk?

Hello Folks!

CM Punk will officially go down in history as the first person to unify two WWE championships. The problem is, he won’t even have a chance to brag about it since Del Rio leapt in and stole it off him, by utilising his Money in the Bank contract.

This has annoyed me intensely, as Punk would have had a multitude of different directions his character could have pursued had he won the title. A continued feud with Cena, an alliance with Triple H and a feud with Kevin Nash are just three options that could have been considered.

However, this is no longer the case and Punk has been left out to dry, leaving a top notch angle to fizzle out yet again. I’m thinking of suing the WWE for unnecessary stress, brought on by their inability to stick with one storyline, and their seemingly unrelenting obsession with overbooking the end of pay-per-views.

Punk now only has two options in my opinion, both of which are as clichéd as James Bond saving the world and getting the girl.

His first option would be to whine and moan about how Kevin Nash screwed him out of the title and how Alberto Del Rio “owes” him a match up. The problem with this scenario is that we’ve already seen it all with Christian and Orton. Not to mention the fact that I view Punk as a very wise individual and if he was brought down to performing like a spoilt child I feel his image that he has created over the past two months would vanish quicker than a Kofi Kingston push. No-one wants to see this, least of all me.

His second option would be to start a full on feud with Kevin Nash. Now, I’m all for seeing Kevin Nash back in competition, but not with CM Punk. I can immediately think of two wrestlers that would fit this feud better than Punk any day of the week—Triple H and the Big Show.

Triple H, because he is the COO of the company and Kevin Nash turned up unannounced. However, if this were to happen, Punk would be lost in the mix as The Game and Big Daddy Cool feud above him, casting a shadow over his “high value” status he currently holds...or is that held now Del Rio has the title?

The reason for Big Show feuding with Diesel would be due to the stare down that happened at the Royal Rumble. However, I won’t spend any time on this as I don;t feel it would directly impact Punk’s storylines.

His feud with Cena cannot continue while neither superstar holds the WWE title. It was the title that gave the feud its power, as the balance of power and the status quo all depended on who won it at Money in the Bank. It was also integral to the storyline last night due to it being the first time in history that two current reigning WWE champions competed together to unify the titles. Now it has been stripped away, how do you continue the feud? Well, if you want it to still have depth then you can’t.

Cena’s foot was found to be on the rope, but what does this matter when Punk doesn’t hold the title. It just makes the whole main event of the night meaningless and pretty much shattered any decent storyline for CM Punk.

Some would argue that CM Punk can use the fact that he does not hold the title to his advantage, and therefore gain an even bigger following. It could also be argued that this now gives Punk the freedom to feud with whoever would create the best storyline from here.

A feud with Nash would seem the most likely to a casual wrestling fan, but as Nash is on a legends contract and is not going to be making full time appearances, I can’t see this happening.

A feud with Del Rio is also a likely scenario that is marred by the fact that Rey Mysterio is facing him tomorrow night.

Punk can’t possibly feud with The Game due to the fact that he called the match right down the middle and didn’t show any favouritism; despite missing Cena put his leg on the rope.

After reviewing the evidence of last night, and taking into account the hypothetical, I think it is fair to say that it is anyone’s guess as to which direction Punk’s character goes in from here.

I’d hate to see him buried now with all that is going on and I am foolishly going to put my faith in the WWE that they’ll keep him as one of the top dogs, but he needs a good storyline out of this to preserve his “best in the world” image.

What do you think will/should happen to Punk?

Do you think he will get lost in the chaos that will surely ensue in the aftermath of the pay-per-view?

Or do you think he will remain a strong character with a loud voice that projects over this chaos—not allowing the shadows of other superstars and feuds to bury him?

Please feel free to voice your opinion in the comments section below. I always try my best to reply to all comments.

Thanks for reading!

I’m a Dapper Dan man