WWE Survivor Series 2011: 10 Things You Must Know About CM Punk-Alberto Del Rio

Survivor Series may be headlined by The Rock's first match in roughly seven years, but it also features a potentially great matchup for the WWE Championship.

Alberto Del Rio will put his strap on the line against CM Punk in the first-ever pay-per-view singles match between the two men, unless you count Del Rio's 10-second "cash-in match" on Punk at SummerSlam.

But I really don't.

Though Punk and Del Rio have faced each other a couple of times on Monday Night Raw in recent months as well, the stakes will be much higher on Sunday when the WWE title is on the line.

As we head into the huge showdown between Punk and Del Rio, let's take a look at 10 things you need to know about the upcoming encounter between two of the WWE's top stars. 

10. Del Rio Lost His Only Career Survivor Series Match

Alberto Del Rio hasn't even been on the main roster for a year and a half, so as you might expect, he's only got one Survivor Series appearance under his belt.

It wasn't a pretty one, either.

Del Rio captained a five-man team at least year's pay-per-view against a squad led by Rey Mysterio, and ADR was the first wrestler from his team to be eliminated after he was deemed unable to continue following a big knockout punch from The Big Show.

Perhaps Del Rio will fare better this time around, but last year's Survivor Series definitely wasn't his pay-per-view.

9. Del Rio's First WWE Title Defense on PPV in a Non-Gimmick Match of This Reign

During his current reign, Alberto Del Rio has not defended his WWE Championship on pay-per-view in a bout that wasn't a gimmick match.

At Hell in a Cell, he faced CM Punk and John Cena in the first-ever Triple Threat Hell in a Cell match, and at Vengeance, he faced Cena in a Last Man Standing match.

Weird, huh?

I don't think I can ever recall a WWE champion having his first two major title defenses come in gimmick matches, because those usually happen as blow-off bouts.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the WWE has too many gimmick PPVs. Just a hunch.

8. Neither Guy Can Afford to Lose

Think about it.

Alberto Del Rio lost at Night of Champions, and his wins at Hell in a Cell and Vengeance were far from squeaky clean. CM Punk also hasn't won a pay-per-view match since SummerSlam way back in August.

Thus, both guys need to win at Survivor Series. Badly.

Punk can't continue to lose on PPV if he's going to be a top star for the long term, and Del Rio can't have another joke of a title reign if WWE officials want us to take him seriously.

I know that this puts the creative team in a pickle, but neither guy can really afford to lose.

7. Neither Has Wrestled for WWE or World Heavyweight Title at Survivor Series

Although CM Punk wrestled in a Triple Threat match for the ECW Championship in 2007, he has never competed for the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series.

Neither has Alberto Del Rio.

Both guys are being given huge opportunities to compete for the WWE's most coveted prize on the 25th anniversary of one of its biggest pay-per-views.

Punk and Del Rio have to rise to the occasion and prove that the decision to have them face off on Sunday was a good one. 

6. CM Punk Has Not Won at Survivor Series Since 2007

CM Punk won his first two Survivor Series matches in 2006 and 2007, but it's been all downhill since then.

After beating both The Miz and John Morrison in a Triple Threat match for the ECW Championship in 2007, he's gone 0-for-2, with both losses coming in traditional five-on-five matches.

Is this just a coincidence or something that's worth paying attention to? Who knows.

But, one thing's for sure: Punk has not won a Survivor Series match in four years, and that trend could certainly continue when Punk faces Alberto Del Rio in 2011.

5. Alberto Del Rio Has Won 2 Straight PPV Matches, but Both Wins Were Dirty

Surprise, surprise—Alberto Del Rio has actually won two straight pay-per-view matches, both for the WWE Championship.

But don't praise the creative team just yet.

Del Rio's win at Hell in a Cell came only after he blasted CM Punk in the skull with a lead pipe, and his victory at Vengeance was tainted because he needed the help of Ricardo Rodriguez, The Miz, R-Truth and the moronic referee to do so.

So, yeah, ADR has shockingly won two WWE title matches in a row. But it's not like he's been booked incredibly strong in the process.

More often than not, he's looked like a coward.

4. The First WWE Title Match at the PPV Without HHH, Orton or Cena Since 2004

In every year since 2005, the WWE Championship match at Survivor Series has involved John Cena, Triple H, Randy Orton or two of those three wrestlers.

Not this year.

For the first time in seven years, neither Orton nor Cena nor Triple H will be competing for the WWE title at the pay-per-view.

So, needless to say, Sunday will be a huge test for both Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk. They need to prove that a WWE Championship match at Survivor Series doesn't always have to involve one of those three aforementioned guys to be successful.

The good news: I think they will.

3. Del Rio's Only Singles Victory Against Punk Came When He Cashed in

CM Punk just might have Alberto Del Rio's number.

Well, at least in singles matches, he might.

Excluding ADR's cash-in "match" against Punk—which hardly even qualifies as a match—Del Rio has never beaten Punk in a singles bout. Punk defeated Del Rio in both of their legitimate singles matches on Monday Night Raw (one on Aug. 8 and one on Sept. 26).

Of course, this could mean nothing. But it could also mean something.

Del Rio will be looking to pick up his first real victory over Punk at Survivor Series.

2. CM Punk Has Lost 4 Consecutive Pay-Per-View Matches

Remember when CM Punk went on that ridiculously long pay-per-view losing streak that lasted roughly a year?

Well, he's on another one.

Since beating John Cena for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam, Punk has lost at each of the last three pay-per-views. Throw in Punk's cash-in loss to Alberto Del Rio at SummerSlam, and that brings his PPV losing streak to four straight matches.

Yeah, that's a big load of B.S., if you ask me.

I'm not sure if the WWE is trying to build up some baby face sympathy for Punk (which is ridiculous) or what, but whatever the company is doing with this losing streak just needs to stop.  

1. The WWE Champion Has Retained His Title All but 1 Year Since 2003

Aside from Edge defeating Triple H (who was WWE champion at the time) and Vladimir Kozlov in a Triple Threat match in 2008, the same man who walked into Survivor Series with the WWE title has walked out with it every year since 2003.

That's a pretty crazy stat.

It seems like the WWE brass simply doesn't like having the WWE title swap hands at Survivor Series, so if history tells us anything, it's that Alberto Del Rio will retain his title inside Madison Square Garden.