Will CM Punk Lose His Title Due to the Shield Interference?

After their onslaught on the People’s Champion during the latest edition of Monday Night Raw, the team of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns—better known as the Shield—have been banned from interfering with the WWE Championship match between current champion CM Punk and his challenger the Rock at this Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.

The announcement was made on Tuesday via a WWE.com update on a supposed injury the Rock had.

According to the WWE.com update, “Mr. McMahon has added a new stipulation to Sunday’s WWE Championship Match: If The Shield interfere in this bout, Punk will be stripped of his title.”

Ever since the Shield’s debut on November 8, 2012 during the Survivor Series pay-per-view, Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns have been instrumental in allowing the 400-plus-days champion CM Punk to retain his title. Could the Shield once again join Punk in the ring?

With the Rock expected to win the WWE title against CM Punk this weekend, the Shield’s intervention at the Royal Rumble could set up the perfect scenario where Punk can both drop the strap and seem like a strong champion.

If Punk was to lose his title to the Rock as a result of a disqualification—on account of the latest stipulation on their match—he could set up a rematch claiming that he was “robbed” of his title.

It remains to be seen whether the Shield will have a presence this Sunday, but if CM Punk is to lose his title, what better way than to do so because of outside interference.

Who Could Help CM Punk Retain the WWE Championship?

For the last few weeks, the internet wrestling community has talked about reports that WWE Champion CM Punk is going to drop the title to the Rock at the Royal Rumble this Sunday.

Leaked DVD previews (like one reported on WWEDVDNews.com) and backstage reports are supporting this, but I’m not convinced at all.

Sure, it would be considered good business if Rock won because he can do the media runs carrying the championship on television while promoting whatever movie is coming out next. And yes, we saw Vince McMahon announce that Punk would be stripped of the championship if the Shield gets involved.

So Punk cannot get the benefit of outside interference, right?

What about someone like Brad Maddox returning to the picture? Maybe a star in NXT? Or maybe someone unexpected in John Cena?

Have we forgotten that he did help Punk retain the championship against Ryback at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view back in October?

There was also the backstage segment last Monday on Raw where we saw Maddox walk up to Paul Heyman, who hinted at what could be a potential partnership. Consider if you will the situation where the Shield comes out but remains in the crowd, which causes a distraction leading to Maddox taking the Rock out to set up the win for Punk.

Now there was a WWE.com report that Maddox and his personal cameraman were attacked at the SmackDown tapings.

The Royal Rumble could be the perfect time for John Cena to turn heel.

I haven’t read the spoilers for Friday’s show, so I don’t know if it involved Heyman, Punk or the WWE Championship.

But maybe we’ll see someone else get involved.

While the Shield members were banned from ringside, why couldn’t we see a new member debut and officially join the group after the Royal Rumble?

This could be a great opportunity to help the newest heel faction grow and bring up another potential star out of the NXT roster. My top pick for that would be Kassius Ohno, the former Chris Hero of independent wrestling fame.

Ohno could be a good heel for the company and has great technical skills in the ring. He also has ties with current Shield members Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose in different independent promotions (i.e. CZW and Ring of Honor).

Outside of that, many fans are expecting Randy Orton to turn heel soon. But maybe we’ll see the swerve from the creative team that makes John Cena a heel.

While thinking of people that would possible names that could get involved in the title match, it would make sense if Cena cost the Rock the WWE Championship. We remember Cena kind of took the heel role during the promos towards the Rock leading up to last year’s WrestleMania.

So far, he’s been focused on the Royal Rumble match and has not really been in any championship picture for a while now.

Now these are all ideas and I couldn’t tell you what the creative staff at the Stamford, Conn. office is plotting.

But I try to expect the unexpected, especially around this time in the pro wrestling season.

I’ll admit I’m in the camp that supports Punk holding the championship as he faces off with the Undertaker in a streak vs. streak match.

As for the Rock and Cena rumored for a second-in-a-lifetime main event, let them have it.

We’ve seen the Undertaker face Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania in back to back years, as well as Triple H the last two.

So WWE isn’t afraid to repeat a main event. I just feel with all of this build for CM Punk’s championship reign, it wouldn’t feel right for it to end anywhere else than the grandest stage of them all.

WWE CM Punk Vs. Ryback – First Raw 2013

There were rumors circulating that the promotion wanted to make sure Ryback got one more crack at the WWE championship before the Royal Rumble, making up for the match he didn’t get at the TLC pay-per-view (PPV) because of CM Punk’s untimely injury.

Now it appears there’s a date for that match and it’s Jan. 7, 2013, on the very first episode of Monday Night Raw of the new year. Not only that but on the Christmas Eve episode of Raw, Ryback reveals he wants it to be a tables, ladders, and chairs match.

This is interesting for a number of reasons. For starters, Punk was taken off the holiday house show tour because he needed more time to heal. Having him come back to a match type like that against a wrestler like Ryback seems risky, especially considering the stakes.

After all, it’s just a few weeks away from the Rumble and Punk’s planned match with The Rock.

TLC makes sense however it allows for interference on Punk’s behalf; and it’ll be a ladder match, meaning Ryback can lose without being pinned. It works, keeps the title on Punk, and leaves open the run in possibility to get Ryback into a feud elsewhere and out of the immediate title picture.

“The Great One” is also back the first episode of Raw, on Jan. 7 in Tampa, Florida. That sets up easy for Punk to beat Ryback and Rock to make his presence felt immediately after, or any other number of scenarios that ultimately results in some sort of interaction with Rock and Punk.

That should be fun, but this is WWE we could see some serious screw ups.

How far can CM Punk go in WWE History

 

It is now more than a year since CM Punk defeated Alberto Del Rio for the WWE title, and in that time frame, there may never have been a WWE champion who has been as critiqued, criticized, cheered, booed and misunderstood in some instances than the current titleholder.

As an ECW champion once, the world heavyweight champion three times and the WWE champion twice, Punk has cemented himself as one of the greatest champions in this company, but it is this current reign as champion which has really defined him as a top wrestler in the WWE.

From the time he dropped his famous “shoot interview” until now, we as fans have loved and hated him like no other wrestler, ever.

This includes John Cena, Hulk Hogan and any other wrestler who has grown tired on the WWE Universe as a champion and a longtime solution to title reigns when there have been other competent performers who could have carried the flagship.

CM Punk is a true enigma, a hero to some with his words and his style, a villain to others with his attitude and his appearance. He is the antithesis of Cena and The Rock and a small resemblance to the beginnings of Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Punk represents many great wrestlers all rolled into one.

Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and even Harley Race can all be seen in Phillip Jack Brooks. He transcends the decades and brings the show of past years to the fans. And when he’s “on” and performing like he does, there are few others who can sell a match like it is the greatest thing ever created.

Watch matches with Cena, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz and R-Truth from 18 months ago, and you see a man who helped his opponents get over in the business. He is a true performer, who broke the stereotype that Vince McManhon created, insisting the world champion must be a “big hulking wrestler.”

His words stung, his demeanor was sullen and he has bitched and whined and complained and it all made sense because we all bought into his character. His legacy is cemented in the fact that he can command attention like Austin or Jericho or Michaels or any other WWE Superstar of the past.

And fans are either cheering him or booing him. There is no “in the middle” with him like Cena who is the Tim Tebow of his generation.

Punk is as much an important part of the new “era” of wrestling as Degeneration X, Mr. McMahon, Steve Austin and the “Montreal Screw Job” is to the business. That has to do with the growth of Punk’s character and the direction this company is moving. While writers are still in “PG” mode, the degree to which writers are “pushing the envelope” means we will see Punk push the edge as well.

This can only help cement his legacy even more, which is a good thing for the WWE.

Does CM Punk Deserves to Face The Rock at WrestleMania

CM Punk has held the WWE Championship for 379 consecutive days as of this writing, a feat that has placed him firmly in the record books.

He has held nearly every major championship in WWE and worked some of the biggest names in the business including the Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Randy Orton and of course, John Cena. But he has one opponent left to face and one mountain left to climb.

The time has come for CM Punk to face The Rock in the main event of WrestleMania.

To be honest, I have long held the opinion that Rocky will square off against Cena, in a rematch from this year’s Mania.  Though Vince McMahon had advertised WrestleMania 28’s epic showdown as “once in a lifetime,” I for one was not convinced that would actually be the case.

After all, this is WWE we’re talking about here, where anything can happen, right?

Rock vs. Cena at WrestleMania 28 was a huge moneymaker for WWE, and was the biggest WWE pay-per-view of all time.  Why would any promoter, especially McMahon, stop with just one match?

Why not cash in one more time?  Certainly every issue between Rocky and John could not have been resolved with just one bout, why not give fans another great WWE moment?

A win over Rocky would vindicate John from this year’s loss and would once again reestablish him as the undisputed top dog of WWE.  No doubt about it, that was definitely my train of thought when considering what the main event of WrestleMania 29 should be.

But after the way recent storylines have played out on Raw the past month or so, I have really changed my mind on this one.  Why?

Because of the two Superstars, I believe that CM Punk is the one headed in the right direction for a prime spot against the People’s Champion on the grandest stage of them all.

Punk is the champ.  Period.  He has defeated every opponent placed in front of him, consistently turned in one great match after another, and done it all while still being as effective on the microphone as he was since he first entered the business.  And with the addition of Paul Heyman by his side, Punk is stronger than ever before.

He is at the pulse of the company, the featured attraction on Monday Night Raw.  As the champion, Punk holds the richest prize in the industry and has become the biggest heel on WWE programming.

Though Ryback has put him to the test, Punk always finds a way to come out on top and despite any criticism he receives due to ratings, the fact is that WWE has showed a real commitment to keeping Punk at the top.

Add to this the jabs that both Rocky and Punk have thrown at each other via Twitter over the past few months, and you have a brewing rivalry that I believe will not end at the Royal Rumble.

CM Punk Can’t Lose To Ryback, Thats The Bottom Line Because The Rock Said So?

Now apparently the latest news coming out about CM Punk is that  Vince McMahon has only been supportive of CM Punk keeping the WWE Title for so long is because of The Rock wanted him to?

Now lets think about that for a second, Mr McMahon being told what to do by The Rock, I doubt even the great one would get away with that however on the other hand The Rock brought McMahon ‘the millions’ last year  at WM and I’m not talking about the fans.

McMahon was said to be very supportive of CM Punk holding on to the title at Survivor Series because he’s worried if the title gets put on someone different, The Rock might have an issue with it.

I’m sorry ‘might’ I think McMahon would have a pretty strong idea, I know he’s getting on a bit but come on!

CM Punk vs. Rock at Royal Rumble has been teased since the summer and is something The Rock agreed to do. Vince reportedly doesn’t want to upset The Rock by changing things last minute regarding the creative plans for 2013.

So in conclusion, there is no chance that Ryback will get the belt… Unless Vince wants picks his Ryback push over annoying The Rock? and ill be honest here, I wouldn’t put it past him.

The only thing that stops be believing this match is pointless is the fact that it is so obviously pointless.

Why CM Punk Is Going To Lose The WWE Championship

I believe CM Punk is not going to hold his WWE Championship much longer.

CM Punk is on his way to surpassing John Cena’s 380 consecutive days as WWE Champion, which will place CM Punk as sixth, yes sixth, all time on the longest WWE Championship reigns, bumping Cena to seventh. CM Punk will surpass Cena on Wednesday, December 5 on Main Event. After he passes Cena, he’s essentially finished passing people on the WWE Title reign list. Pedro Morales is fifth, at 1,027 days.

There simply is absolutely no possibility of CM Punk holding the championship until Friday, September 12, 2014. So, after passing Cena, there would be no one left to pass on that list within reason, meaning WWE can afford to take the title off of him without leaving anyone left for Punk to catch on the longest reigns list. The number of days, at that point, simply won’t matter anymore.

Speaking of the length of CM Punk’s title reign, I want everyone to remember the number 434.  That’s the day of his title reign on which he will defend his WWE Championship against the Rock at the Royal Rumble. It is also, I believe, the number that we will see on the lists of longest WWE Championship reigns. That’s right. I predict that Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, part-timer and movie star, will win the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. It makes perfect sense. After all, the WWE is most interested in making a lot of money.

Last year’s WrestleMania was the most profitable ever for WWE. Why then would Vince McMahon be shy to produce Rock vs. Cena Part 2 for the WWE Championship. That match gives Vince exactly what he craves: mainstream media attention.

Hardcore fans may salivate over CM Punk vs. the Rock, or Punk vs. Undertaker, or Punk vs. whoever. The fact is, the Rock vs. John Cena Part 2 for the WWE Championship will drive an enormous buy rate.

The Rock will be promoting G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Fast and Furious 6, two huge movie releases, with the WWE Title over his shoulder. He’ll be on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, interviewed on the Red carpet, TMZ, Entertainment Tonight, you name it and he’ll be on it. That will be at the exact same time he and John Cena (who will win the Royal Rumble) are building up for what is sure to be billed as “The Biggest Rematch in WrestleMania History.”  The casual fan and mainstream buy rate will be huge. Vince simply won’t pass up the opportunity for free mainstream publicity.

Unfortunately, that brings me back to the number 434. I, myself, will be upset to see this happen, since I am a big Punk fan, but it just makes financial sense for WWE to do it. Again, don’t mistake my prediction for desire. I want CM Punk to have his WrestleMania Moment, and by that I mean a win in the closing match where he wins/retains the WWE Championship. He’s an excellent wrestler who deserves his moment, but I doubt this will be the WrestleMania.

Don’t worry fellow CM Punk fans. Punk will be feuding with Stone Cold Steve Austin at some point, and WWE could easily put the title right back on Punk at Extreme Rules in May of 2013, letting Punk hold the title for another long title run, possibly leading to a main event match at WrestleMania 30.

There are lots of possibilities, but Punk as Champion at WrestleMania XXIX isn’t one of them. Expect to see CM Punk lose the title to the Rock at the Royal Rumble, ending his reign at 434 days.  But hey, that’s still two months away.  And as Jerry “the King” Lawler used to say “anything can happen in the World Wrestling Federation!”

Cena Vs Rock Part 1 Pics:

Ryback Should Not Face Punk at TLC

Ryback, the one WWE’s creative seem intent on pushing to the moon, has already lost in two consecutive pay-per-view main events. While these defeats were by no means in a clean manner, the match cards for both Hell in a Cell and Survivor Series read as nothing other than a loss to current WWE Champion CM Punk.

Ryback has managed to get over as a top face remarkably quickly. It is plausible to suggest that he needs to start picking up pay-per-view victories again to maintain his soaring momentum, rather than being continually outwitted by Punk, Heyman and company.

Following the Nov 19 edition of Monday Night Raw, it became apparent that creative intended to continue the feud between Ryback and the WWE Champion. The feud would culminate at TLC, with the winner going on to face The Rock at Royal Rumble.

There is one problem with this: There is only one winner.

Is any invested fan expected to believe that Punk will drop the belt at the last hurdle with “The People’s Champ” waiting in the wings?

Moreover, would a Ryback victory lead to a triple-threat match at January’s top-four pay-per-view?

After all, Punk would surely deserve a rematch following a 400-plus day stint with the WWE Championship. The problem remains that fans by now know that the Royal Rumble main event will feature Punk defending against The Rock (Punk confirmed this at thanksgiving)

Rather than having Punk beat Ryback in tainted fashion once more, creative could book their champion for a clean win over an upper mid-card/main-event face. An ideal pick is someone like Randy Orton, who has no real involvement in any meaningful feud at the moment. Furthermore, the crowd support that Orton receives is arguably second only to John Cena. It would likely be unaffected by a clean loss at the final pay-per-view event of the year.

Ultimately, whomever CM Punk faces on Dec 16, fans can bet their houses on his retention of the title in one way or another.

So why waste the opportunity by having him defeat Ryback on a third pay-per-view in a row?

It would make more sense to have Ryback become involved in some type of a handicap match with the NXT invaders, with Punk defending his title against a well-established face. That would allow the champion to gain momentum going into his feud with The Rock.

What do you think?

Will a third consecutive loss hurt Ryback’s stock, or does outside interference void any momentum loss?

Here is some Punk Ryback Shots:

CM Punk Confirms He Faces The Rock At The Royal Rumble

While serving as the Official Grand Marshal of McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago, WWE Champion CM Punk was interviewed by a WGN reporter, who noted hearing that Punk will be wrestling The Rock soon. “Yes,” Punk said in response. He was then asked to give a Thanksgiving message for his upcoming opponent.

“The Rock knows he’s going to get hurt. And afterwards he’s going to go back to making movies and I’m going to go back to doing what I do, which is hurting other people,” said Punk.

Though an encounter between the two has been teased since the summer, it had not been confirmed. On the 1000th episode of Raw, The Rock announced that would he would face the WWE Champion at Royal Rumble.

Here is the Video that you guys might have already seen relating to Lita and CM Punk dating (she was at the parade too, obvoiusly)

Here are the rest of the Pictures from the Parade again (Just in case you weren’t interested in CM Punks dating life):

CM Punk Vs. The Rock (WWE Championship) Will it happen?

The Rock announced that he has been officially awarded a WWE championship match at the 2013 Royal Rumble. The Royal Rumble doesn’t take place until January 27, 2013. Once again the WWE are announcing The Rock’s match months in advance which turned out to be a good thing when you look back at the WrestleMania 28.

CM Punk and The Rock had some words, with Punk insulting Rock for his limited schedule. The segment ended with Rock laying out Daniel Bryan.

Pictures of Cm Punk The Rock and-Daniel-Bryan-segment

Who knows who the WWE champion will be at the Royal Rumble? It could be Punk, it could be Cena, it could be anyone by the time we get to January 27. My hunch is that it won’t be John Cena. I can’t see Cena losing twice in a row to The Rock. Considering that The Rock is rarely around, I will be very unhappy if the WWE takes the belt off of Punk and puts it on him. I love The Rock and he is certainly one of the greatest of all time, but he simply is not around nearly enough to be considered for champion. With his win over Cena, The Rock can afford a high profile loss to the great CM Punk. I think we wind up with Punk vs. Rock at the Rumble with Rock winning and defending against Cena at WrestleMania.  I just hope that Punk can keep the belt till then.

Here is an interview with punk after 1000th episode
Gordon Holmes: At Raw 1000 you shocked the world when you made the Rock eat your knee. What inspired that sudden move?
CM Punk: I don’t think it was sudden at all. I’d been very vocal about the Rock coming back and cherry-picking the days he comes in. So, when he comes in I’m going to smack him in the face.
Holmes: And how did it feel to finally act out on that?
Punk: It felt very good. It felt like instead of talking that I was backing it up with action.
Holmes: For those who are unfamiliar with your complaints about the Rock, why exactly did you make that move?
Punk: I just think there are a lot of people who work their asses off here. I’m here 24/7, 365 days a year and he’s here like three days a year. So when he comes in here and tries to lay claim to our success and things people have worked hard to establish, it’s a little offensive.
Holmes: It has to be a big compliment career-wise to be the next guy in line to face this huge name. The guy’s had something like two matches in the last eight years.
Punk: We’ll I’m in line to face the huge name if I hold on till the Royal Rumble. The WWE’s like a minefield. Any guy can beat anyone on any given Sunday. So hopefully I’ll make it and I’ll prove to the Rock that you can’t just walk in and pick your days. There’s some tough bastards here.

Who Else Could Be Champion?

Plenty of guys could be. Daniel Bryan, Big Show, Cody Rhodes and many others could end up as WWE Champion. None, however, would make more sense than the current champion CM Punk. Also, why would Punk turn heel if not for this feud? The timing and attack on Rock makes him the only logical choice. CM Punk versus The Rock can and will happen. As a huge WWE fan, I look forward to it and expect it will be as epic as one might expect.

 

Just keep the belt on Punk when it is over, WWE. No part time champions should be allowed.

 

Here is a fan made promo of the events 🙂