Background:
“John Cena, while you lay there, hopefully as uncomfortable as you possibly can be, I want you to listen to me.
I want you to digest this because before I leave in 3 weeks with your WWE Championship, I have a lot of things I want to get off my chest.”
Angry and disillusioned over his position within WWE, CM Punk sat at the top of the Raw entrance ramp on the 28th June 2011 and delivered one of the greatest, most shocking promos in the history of the business.
“I hate this idea that you’re the best. Because you’re not. I’m the best. I’m the best in the world. There’s one thing you’re better at than I am and that’s kissing Vince McMahon’s ass.”
His unexpected tirade would instantly raise his stock, making him an overnight sensation as fans struggled to determine whether his shoot was real or not.
“...and I’d like to think that maybe this company will better after Vince McMahon is dead.”
His words echoed many longtime fan’s concerns with the company’s direction and insipid booking.
“I am the best wrestler in the world.”
It took just five minutes to turn CM Punk into a believable contender for the mighty John Cena’s world title.
Following his victory over Alberto Del Rio and Rey Mysterio to become the number one contender for the WWE championship, Punk announced that his contract was coming to an end. Tired of constantly being overlooked by Vince and his cohorts, Punk proclaimed that he would leave the WWE with its richest prize after beating Cena on his final night, right in front of his Chicago hometown crowd.
Incensed by his unexpected ‘Pipebomb’ as it would come to be called, Punk was suspended by McMahon, but thanks to an impassioned plea courtesy of his title rival, the ‘Second City Saint’ was reinstated and offered a new, and considerably improved contract. He refused however, leaving a desperate Mr. McMahon to announce that if John Cena failed to defend his title, the face of the WWE’s contract would be terminated.
The Match:
The entrances told the story. Cheered by nearly 20,000 rabid hometown fans, CM Punk walked to the ring for the biggest match of his career. Conversely, and rather predictably John Cena faced the exact opposite. More than the opposite actually; the boos were remarkably louder and more hostile than a certain ‘Extreme’ reception the champion had faced a few years before.
Kicking off the contest with a series of head, neck and arm holds, Cena looked to test Punk’s self-proclaimed label as the best wrestler in the world. Punk may have lacked the strength and power of the champion, but was more than a match in the chain wrestling department. The two reset on multiple occasions but it was obvious that no one would win this battle with pure technique alone.
Changing the complexion of the match with a flurry of punches and kicks, Punk dragged the bout away from its grappling-heavy start and focused more on inflicting pain on his rival. Cena however proved just as tough in this area as the champion fought back with shots of his own, but Punk soon took control after a vicious diving knee from the top rope connected perfectly with the back of Cena’s neck.
Bouncing back with a series of suplexes and various slams, Cena kicked off his usual five moves sequence, but Punk showed excellent ring awareness as he countered his opponent’s patented ‘Five Knuckle Shuffle’ with a perfectly placed kick to the temple. It was clear that the first man to land their finishing move would break the deadlock, and after countless reversals and near falls, it was Cena who finally gained the upper hand after reversing a grounded kick attempt into his deadly 'STF' submission.
Crawling and clawing at the ropes, Punk would finally break the hold, but would find himself again trapped in the dreaded move shortly after another failed 'Go To Sleep' attempt. Trapped in the middle of the ring, things looked bleak for Punk, but the challenger showed remarkable resilience and ground skill as he miraculously reversed the hold into his own ‘Anaconda Vice’ hold. Mustering all his strength, Cena powered out of the move to deliver a huge ‘Attitude Adjustment’. After several attempts, the champion had finally connected with his most effective weapon, but it still wasn’t enough.
Having failed to put his opponent away Cena looked to end the match in the most devastating of fashion. Maneuvering the perched Punk onto his shoulders on the top rope, Cena attempted to deliver an elevated ‘AA’. Knowing that the move would almost certainly end his title chances, Punk hit Cena with everything he could and finally toppled his adversary after a wild series of elbows to the champion’s temple. With the momentum once again shifted, Punk hoisted Cena on his shoulders, and just as the champion had done shortly before, finally connected with his primary move...but instead of landing in the centre of the ring, Cena crashed through the ropes and dropped to the mat below.
Already anxious over the fate of the crown jewel of his long-standing organisation, Mr. McMahon finally made his entrance. Standing at the top of the aisle, the chairman and his stooge John Laurinaitis did their best to prematurely end the match with Punk suddenly caught in another 'STF' attempt, but Cena himself prevented Laurinaitis from calling for the bell, instead dropping the senior vice president of talent relations with a violent punch. Promising to end the fight the right way to his nervous employer, Cena would slide back into the ring...and right into another GTS!
Pin attempt! 1! 2! 3! Punk had done it. In his final night with WWE he had captured the company's top prize.
Winner and NEW champion: CM Punk
Livid, McMahon desperately turned to Alberto Del Rio, the new Money in the Bank contract holder, to quickly usurp the new, and soon to be ex-employee champion. But Punk avoided the ambush and, after blowing his shellshocked boss a goodbye kiss, made his exit through a sea of ecstatic supporters.
Aftermath:
Despite his promise to fire Cena from the WWE, Vince was unable to act on his threat. The following night on Raw, the chairman of the board was removed from his position of power by his son-in-law, Triple H who assumed day-to-day operations as the WWE’s new COO.
Initially fearing for his job, Cena would instead, and in a dramatic turn of events go on to win a newly created WWE title to replace the one Punk had taken with him. But Cena was deemed a mere paper champion by the fans. Many expected Punk to return, but this happened a little sooner than expected...
Returning after an absence of just two weeks, Punk returned to challenge his fellow champion, leading to an historic title unification rematch between the two rivals at SummerSlam.
But that’s another story.
Legacy:
In the space of just three months CM Punk completely morphed from rank outsider to believable champion. His constant high quality performances both in the ring and out endeared himself to the WWE’s primary audience and, despite an ill-advised feud with Triple H in the fall, he remained one of the company’s most popular superstars.
Seen by many as a modern-day answer to Stone Cold Steve Austin due to his rebellious nature and no-nonsense attitude, Punk would be rewarded for his work with an incredible 434 day reign as WWE champion. This reign remains almost unrivaled as the longest single reign since Hulk Hogan won his first world title back in 1984.
Things would unfortunately turn sour however with Punk unexpectedly leaving the company due to creative differences and health concerns in early 2014. Safe in the knowledge of his professional wrestling legacy, Punk retired from the sport soon afterwards and is currently training for his highly anticipated UFC debut.
As for the match itself, Punk and Cena’s efforts, combined with a raucous crowd and innovative buildup resulted in a unique instant classic. An odd, but completely welcome, hybrid of the WWE of today, the Attitude Era, and even some old school NWA. The match not only changed the way WWE plans its main events outside of WrestleMania, but also the way it incorprates insider information and real backstage politics and developments. Simply put, the match was a real game changer.
What did you think of John Cena vs. CM Punk? Leave your thoughts below!
