CM Punk – The Pipe Bomb That Changed The WWE Universe

When Money in the Bank arrived it was in CM Punk‘s hometown of Chicago, and the crowd couldn’t have been more on his side. WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jerry “The King” Lawler put it best when he said “The only way I can describe it, is if Bears were in the SuperBowl, and the SuperBowl was here in Chicago.” As hyped as everyone was for the showdown, and as much as we all wanted Punk would beat Cena and take down the WWE machine, there wasn’t much confidence that he was actually going to win. Everything WWE had done over the past 7 years implied that Cena would be going over the hottest act in wrestling, just like he did to Wade Barrett and The Nexus. The fact that Cena would be fired if he lost, just made it more obvious to us “smart” fans the he would win. When it was main event time, the crowd was bursting with anticipation. They were already chanting “CM Punk” at the top of their lungs, but somehow managed to get even louder when his music hit. On the flip side, when John Cena came out, the boos were louder than ever. The second the bell rang, the two men put on a classic. Sometimes, the build up to a match can be so epic that the match itself can’t live up to expectations. Sting vs. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan at Starrcade 1997 and Triple H vs Randy Orton at WrestleMania 25 immediately come to mind. This match didn’t have that problem. For as much heat as John Cena gets (most of which is deserved), he’s always been a pretty good worker, and CM Punk was “The Best in The World,” so the ingredients for a great match were there. The climax came when Mr. McMahon sent John Laurinaitis down to ringside to “screw” Punk. Cena had locked him in his STF submission and Laurinaitis was instructed to ring the bell and end the match, similar to the ending of the Montreal Screwjob. However, before Laurinaitis reached the time keeper’s area, Cena broke the hold and laid him out. After telling Mr. McMahon that they were going to do things “his way,” Cena slid back in the ring and got hit by CM Punk‘s GTS (Go To Sleep) finisher. Normally, seeing that would tell your brain the match was over, but this was “Super Cena,” and that bastard kicked out of everything. 1…2…and what seemed like an eternity before finally…3. To the shock of every wrestling fan in the world, CM Punk was the new WWE Champion. Mr. McMahon would call for Alberto Del Rio to cash in his newly won Money in the Bank contract, but Punk kicked him in the head before the match could start, then made an escape through the crowd, blowing McMahon a kiss before departing with the WWE Championship.