WWE Survivor Series 2011: CM Punk's Second WWE Title Reign Will Be Epic

CM Punk has had his share of ups and downs in 2011, but he has clearly been the breakout star of the year. His upward momentum will only continue as we move into 2012, especially thanks to his WWE championship victory over Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series. 

Punk's first title reign was supposed to be the best storyline of the year. He defeated John Cena in a classic match at Money in the Bank and had just walked out of the company with the championship. When that happened, it opened up a world of possibilities. 

Instead, WWE brought Punk back after one week away and ruined any hope that the fans had of making this storyline memorable. The fans still cheered him because he was a refreshing change of pace from the usual stuff we see on television, but it was obvious that something was wrong. 

As the months moved on, and Punk kept losing matches, it appeared that his push had died just as fast as it started. 

But all that has changed in the last 48 hours. Punk had a good match with Del Rio at Survivor Series, started RAW with a terrific promo about bringing honor and prestige back to the championship, and followed all that up with a great match against Dolph Ziggler. 

Punk has a connection with the audience like very few wrestlers in WWE today. Zack Ryder might be the only one who comes close, but he is a comedy character that is over because of his Internet show and not anything that he has done in the ring. 

There are very few workers in WWE that can make the championship mean something. Punk has the attitude and mindset to do that; he cares about the company, the fans the titles, the product and wants to see all of them succeed. 

Even if Vince McMahon does not understand the allure of someone like Punk, he is starting to acknowledge how important he is by giving him another shot with the title and allowing him to say that he wants to bring the prestige back to the title. 

Punk's breakout year is going to have a fantastic finish and lead to even bigger things in 2012.