Dr. K's Waiting Room

The Build-Up:
At Extreme Rules 2011, John Cena captured his eighth Heavyweight Championship, drawing the ire of an embittered CM Punk, who was understandably frustrated after being shafted in favour of part-time stars like the Rock. After becoming the number one contender, CM Punk cost Cena a tables match and left him lying in the ring as he delivered his infamous “pipe bomb” promo. In an aggravated rant, Punk criticised Cena and vowed to quit World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and return to the independent scene with it. Although CM Punk was suspended for this, Cena demanded he be reinstated and even agreed to be fired if he failed to retain the title, leading WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to reluctantly bow to CM Punk’s laundry list of demands to ensure his match would be iron clad.

The Match:
To say CM Punk was popular at this time would be an understatement. CM Punk was a beloved icon of the independent scene even before debuting in the WWE and had a vocal fanbase throughout his first stint there. His iconic pipe bomb promo only cemented him as a celebrated, alternative icon so he would’ve received a raucous reception on his night regardless, especially as people had long since tired of John Cena. However, this match took place in CM Punk’s hometown, so the reception was positively electric prior to his entrance and during the match, with chants of “CM Punk! CM Punk!” and spiteful boos for the champion rocking the Allstate Arena. Though clearly energised by the wild crowd, who promised to “riot” if he lost, CM Punk calmly sat in the ring and beckoned Cena to join him, only for the champion to be showered with boos and appear less jovial than usual since he was in “enemy territory”. After a hesitant feeling out process, the two exchanged headlocks and takedowns, though Cena wisely dodged a roundhouse kick and escaped an Anaconda Vice to apply an arm lock. Despite the crowd jeering him, Cena kept CM Punk grounded and then knocked him down with a shoulder block, drawing a mocking applause from the challenger. Cena answered back with a headlock to keep things on the mat but ate a hip toss and a dropkick when CM Punk fought back and ended up trapped in a headlock courtesy of the upstart challenger. CM Punk continued to mock Cena with a shoulder block before the two slickly avoided each other’s finishing moves, leading CM Punk to target Cena’s left leg with a few kicks and stomp on him in a corner. Cena countered with a running bulldog to score the first near fall and then briefly grounded CM Punk with another headlock before flooring him with a stiff clothesline for another two count.

CM Punk got his first near fall off a back suplex counter to a headlock but was forced into a corner when he teased a piledriver and almost got pinned off a fisherman’s suplex. CM Punk avoided an Attitude Adjustment and got a two count off a DDT, then applied a leg vice around Cena’s neck to regroup that Cena muscled out of, only to be tossed outside. CM Punk dropped a knee across Cena’s neck as he lay sprawled over the apron then rolled the champion into the ring for a near fall, but hit a ring post when Cena dodged a corner charge. CM Punk kicked off a Sharpshooter attempt and went back to the headlock to increase the pressure on Cena’s neck, though the champion fought back with some strikes before being glanced by a top rope crossbody that saw both awkwardly tumble into a pinning predicament. Cena shook it off and suplexed CM Punk out of the ring for another near fall, then hit another fisherman’s suplex and scored with an elbow drop, showing frustration when CM Punk kicked out. Cena then hit a flipping slam…thing…kind of like a modified Emerald Fusion…for another two count before the match descended into a slugfest that ended with Cena applying an abdominal stretch. Though CM Punk fought out of it with a hip toss, both men collided with a double clothesline, leading Cena to hit his signature shoulder blocks and try for the Protobomb, which he only hit after being caught in a roll-up and dodging a kick in the corner. The crowd exploded when CM Punk kicked Cena in the head when he went for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, sending Cena outside so the challenger could fly in with a torpedo-like dive. CM Punk then tried to capitalise on his comeback with a springboard crossbody, only to eat the canvas when Cena rolled out of the way.

Although Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle, CM Punk clumsily flipped out of the Attitude Adjustment and scored a two count off a roundhouse kick. Though Cena avoided the Go to Sleep and hit a gutwrench slam, CM Punk still kicked out, avoided another Attitude Adjustment, and clocked Cena’s jaw with some knee strikes. CM Punk finally (if awkwardly) hit his springboard crossbody for a near fall, then laid in some martial arts kicks before being trapped in the STF. Somehow, CM Punk reached the ropes to break the hold and landed another devastating kick to the back of Cena’s head for a near fall. Frustrated, CM Punk went for a top-rope crossbody and was caught in the Attitude Adjustment…only for CM Punk to counter with the Go to Sleep, which Cena then countered into another STF! This time, Cena dragged CM Punk to the middle of the ring, but CM Punk rolled through into a hammerlock. Cena powered up and finally hit the Attitude Adjustment, only to be left aghast when CM Punk kicked out at two! When Cena went for his top-rope diving leg drop thing, CM Punk countered into a sit-down powerbomb for a near fall but was too close to the ropes when he went for the Go to Sleep, allowing Cena to hit that diving leg drop…for a two count. Amazed, Cena hit another Attitude Adjustment for another near fall that got him so riled up that he argued with the referee before desperately trying for the avalanche Attitude Adjustment. CM Punk frantically fought out of it, however, and hit a top-rope hurricanrana but barely caught Cena with the Go to Sleep, which also knocked the champion outside. Thanks to a distraction by Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis, CM Punk got caught in another STF. However, when McMahon tried to recreate the “Montreal Screwjob” (…again…) by calling for the bell, Cena decked Laurinaitis and threatened Vince before walking right into another Go to Sleep. This saw CM Punk take the win and even fend off Mr. Money in the Bank Alberto Del Rio’s desperate attempt to steal the belt back before escaping victorious through the riotous crowd.

The Aftermath:
There’s a reason this match is so lauded. It really did have everything, in terms of drama and personal stakes. The lines between fiction and reality were nicely blurred, especially with all the talk of CM Punk vowing to take the WWE Championship to the indies in defiance. While Cena’s in-ring limitations were clear to see, he played his part perfectly, being overwhelmed by the crowd’s vitriol and stunned by CM Punk’s resolve, while CM Punk looked scrappy and determined to finally get his due. WWE played into the storyline immediately following this match, allowing CM Punk to be seen with the captured belt outside of the company. Undeterred, McMahon immediately set up an eight-man tournament to crown a new WWE Champion but interrupted the tournament to fire Cena out of spite, leading to Chief Operating Officer Triple H to remove McMahon from power. Although Rey Mysterio won the tournament, he immediately dropped the belt to John Cena, leading CM Punk to return to the WWE barely two weeks after his big exit, insulted at the attempt to replace him. Cena and Punk fought again to determine the undisputed WWE Champion at the 2011 SummerSlam, with CM Punk again taking the win (despite Cena’s foot being under the rope). Sadly, CM Punk’s celebration was short-lived as Kevin Nash made a surprise return and hit him with a Jackknife Powerbomb, allowing Del Rio to successful cash-in his Money in the Bank contract. CM Punk’s momentum was therefore derailed with a bizarre rivalry with Nash and Triple H, though he kicked off a momentous 434-day WWE Championship reign the following November. As for Cena, he also traded WWE Championship wins with Del Rio and had rivalries with Kane and Brock Lesnar while building towards his “Once in a Lifetime” confrontation with the Rock at WrestleMania XXVII.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

Do you consider this one of the greatest matches of CM Punk’s storied career? Were you invested in the seemingly industry-changing match? Did you expect CM Punk to win? Were you disappointed that CM Punk returned to the WWE so soon after his big win? What are some of your favourite matches between CM Punk and John Cena? Who’s your favourite winner of the Money in the Bank ladder match? Whatever you think about this iconic main event, share your thoughts below, check out my other wrestling reviews, and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other Money in the Bank matches you’d like to see me cover.