So, for those of you just tuning in, CM Punk has had the title for quite a while now. So when Punk’s injury resulted in discussion of Punk having to give up his title, it caused great concern. See there is a payoff that few championship matches have, that of beating a long term champion. Remember when Cody Rhodes brought prestige back to the Intercontinental Championship (while he had it?) the length of time that he held the title played a very large factor in that. For the past year, whether intentionally or not, you’ve been building up to the eventual defeat of a yearlong champion and that is the kind of buildup that comes along very rarely. So while I can give up a Punk match at TLC if necessarily, please find some way to make sure that when the time comes, Pun loses that title in a match.
Loses to the Rock (at Royal Rumble): This is currently everyone’s “most likely” scenario. After all, the Rock has all but come out and stated that he will be Champion again at some point and a Rumble to Mania run would be a nice quick one so he can be in and out to get back to his movie making job.
Why it would be great: I never really thought that The Rock was NEVER going to return to the WWE. Some day, when it benefited him the most, he would get back in the ring, most likely to promote whatever latest movie. And so the 1-3 times a year that Rock shows up, and more or less minimal actual ring work, is disappointing but I can’t pretends it’s unexpected. But if the guy were champion, even for that short time, then he would actually be on TV. Like, frequently. That is what I never believed I would see again. The Rock, in full character, as a central part of a WWE storyline where he frequently appears and is, you know, involved.
Why it would be terrible: The Rock beat Hulk Hogan. The Rock beat Stone Cold. The Rock beat John Cena. As much as my ten year old self would love to see the Rock wear the championship again, we don’t need an unbeatable character like the Rock to show up once a year to continue to prove that nobody on the current active roster is as good as him (We already have the Undertaker for that) And at the end of the day, if this is the outcome we are given, it just puts Punk as the new name on the list of guys that just aren’t quite as good as The Rock.
Fights the Undertaker at Mania: If Internet rumors are to be believed; this would be Taker’s pick for an opponent at Mania. And if other rumors are to be believed, the current plan will result in Punk being in the final match of the night, something that a Taker vs. Punk match could quite possibly be.
Imagine the stage for this one. At this point Punk would have had to beaten the Rock, and adding that to names like Jericho and Cena, Punk can very much spout claims that nobody can beat him. Queue the gong and Taker interrupts the promo with his return, putting his streak at WrestleMania on the line in an effort to end Punk’s title reign. It’s one of the only stipulations that I could foresee where Taker’s 21-0 victory next year isn’t already a forgone conclusion, not to mention the buildup to this match could rival that of either one of Taker’s matches with Shawn Michaels. The one problem that you have here is if your willing to take the swerve and let Punk end the streak, the you quite simply have had him beaten the entire roster. In order to have the next person to feud with Punk seem credible, you would have to bring somebody in. Which brings us to…
Bring somebody in to take the belt: This is essentially the idea that was behind Cena beating Lesnar at Extreme Rules earlier this year. Because Cena had lost to the Rock at Mania, and WWE needed the crowd back on Cena’s side quickly, Cena needed to be seen beating somebody. But not any old mid-carder would do, it needed to be somebody on level with the Rock. If you really have Punk make it through the Rock, and through his WrestleMania opponent (whoever it ends up being) the you’ve got the genuine problem that there is really nobody left on the show to challenge Punk. So it’s time to bring somebody in. Lets get this one out of the way real quick as say that everyone’s favorite result would be Stone Cold coming back to succeed where all others failed. And adding a title shot to everyone’s current dream match would make it all the more fantastic. But the problem that occurs here is the same one where Taker beats Punk. If Stone Cold wins, then Stone Cold is champion. And how can you reasonably get the belt off of Stone Cold? Maybe have the Rock beat him.
