Summerslam - WWE's biggest night of the year.

Summerslam is essentially a one-match card – the entirte build-up has been Punk vs Cena. Nothing else matters – Orton’s facing Christian for 102nd time this year, Mark Henry faces Sheamus for some reason, and I’m certain there must be other matches too.

However, let’s face it – Cena vs Punk is the most important match WWE have put on in the past 5 years.

Why? Because the winner, and method of victory will tell us everything we need to know about WWE, and what their plans are for the foreseeable future.

It’s a grand statement, but certainly one that I think needs to be said.

Over the past 5 years, let’s have a look at WWE’s track record in creating and keeping true main event talent:

Jack Swagger – a 3 month run, never really allowed to look competitive. Is great in-ring, but now little more than a mid-card joke.

Dolph Ziggler – a run with Edge in which he was over-shadowed by Vickie Guerrero, and made to look out of his depth.

The Miz – still can’t buy a clean win over Cena, Orton or any kind of main event face on PPV.

Del Rio – see the Miz.

CM Punk – 3 short runs, jobbed out to Undertaker to lose his title despite all the excellent work with Jeff Hardy, then all the Straight Edge Society work is dumped all over by the Big Show. Recently had a ridiculous PPV losing run of something like 16 losses in 17 PPV's.

Jeff Hardy – hit the big time, then left, then arrested, now overweight, and so off the radar even TNA aren’t using him. And quite rightly too.

Christian and R-Truth – both veterans, both nearly 40. Neither will be established talent for years to come. Even though R-Truth is the most entertaining he’s ever been.

Kofi Kingston – hopes were raised in a blistering angle with Orton. Hopes were dashed with the following matches.

Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase – if WWE had the stones to put one or both over Orton at Mania 26, they could have been huge. As it is, they were booked to look out of their depth, and again, it’s taken Cody a good 18 months to look like he’s going to be troubling a mid-card title, never mind the big one.

Wade Barrett – winner of NXT season 1, then overshadowed and crushed by John ‘No Sell Superman’ Cena.

Sheamus – see the Miz and Alberto Del Rio.

This is without even considering the likes of Vladimir Kozlov, Bobby Lashley, Rob Van Dam, John Morrison...

Put very bluntly: if Cena wins this match on Sunday clean, it just shows WWE do not have the courage to make Cena look bad, or the know-how to build their next genuine superstar. If Triple H is involved in fudging a decision one way or the other, the accusation will be that Triple H is yet again getting involved in such things in the interests of self-promotion, to the detriment of the business, he's the worst thing in wrestling since Vince Russo, etc, etc.

However, if Punk wins clean…

I am 99.9% sure there will not be a clean finish. Triple H as referee and not getting involved? I just cant see it.

It wont harm Punk if he loses via a screwy finish, it will harm him if he loses clean. It seems too obvious that the signs point towards HHH screwing Punk though.

There is talk of Punk vs HHH at Survivor Series, but that is a long way off so for HHH to screw Punk this Sunday they'd have to drag that out for a long time until they face off at Survivor Series.

I really dont know what to expect to be honest, but it is by far THE biggest match of the year so far.

I think its another example of good booking by the WWE.

MitB none of us could predict what the outcome would be, and I think its the same story for Summerslam. Theres potential for it to go so many ways that you cant pinpoint exactly what you think will happen.

If Punk wins clean, then I dont know what will happen. Cena wins clean, and we go back to the monotony of the past 5 years. Punk wins, and the landscape changes big time.

Biggest night? Maybe.

Only 4 matches announced as it stands,leaving til smackdown to announce others 2 days before the event isn't great.

The only match I care about is punk v cena.

Very good article.

To WWE's credit, their PPV main event is indeed very hard to call for the second month running.

WWE wants to move away from Cena-Punk to Triple H-Punk. I think the big question is who turns heel, Triple H or Punk, or both? (they could become allies against who later break up and feud with each other).

There is also the small factor of Alberto Del Rio holding the briefcase, and WWE wanting to put the title on him by the time they tour Mexico in October.

I've got a sneaky suspicion that Del Rio might cash in and win the title at Summerslam. I think Monday's loss to Punk was a) a red herring and b) a set up for Punk to claim he deserves the title.

However, I also have a sneaky suspicion that Triple H is turning heel.

One final factor is The Miz, who vowed on Raw to steal the show despite not being in a Summerslam match.

My best (and slightly wild) guess is that Miz gets involved, Triple H and Punk have some kind of miscommunication, and Cena takes advantage and beats Punk. Miz and Triple H attack Cena, Triple H calls down Del Rio to the ring, and Del Rio cashes in and wins the belt while Miz stops Punk getting involved.

Triple H, Miz and Del Rio then beat down both Cena and Punk, turning Punk officially babyface and Triple H heel.

They could explain that Miz was promised a title shot in exchange for helping Del Rio, creating two uneasy alliances; Cena and Punk vs Miz and Del Rio, with Cena, Punk and Miz all wanting the title.

Triple H could say that he was tired of the recent bickering and wanted a good corporate champion, and Del Rio fitted the bill.

Going forward, there would be the tease of an eventual Miz face turn, and WWE could build towards Triple H's return to the ring to face Punk.

This seems to me the logical way to move on from Punk-Cena, turn Triple H heel if that is the plan, and also get Miz and Del Rio back into the main event mix.

I think punk and trips are in cohoots. I think triple h will screw cena!

HitmanOwl wrote:I think punk and trips are in cohoots. I think triple h will screw cena!

That is another real possibility. They aren't turning Cena and I don't get the impression they are fully behind Punk as a face.

How come EVERYTIME, Cena is in a match with special guest ref, everyone always say he will get screwed, yet it never happens.

This is the thing -

Ive always been under the impression that Punk's contract expires in November. Storylines implied it expired July 17th.

Although storylines imply Punk 're-signed', i've not read a single internet report confirming that Punk has legit signed a new contract.

Therefore am i right in assuming his contract is still due to expire in November? Surely the dirtsheets would have announced it if Punk had indeed legit re-signed?

Mr H wrote:This is the thing -

Ive always been under the impression that Punk's contract expires in November. Storylines implied it expired July 17th.

Although storylines imply Punk 're-signed', i've not read a single internet report confirming that Punk has legit signed a new contract.

Therefore am i right in assuming his contract is still due to expire in November? Surely the dirtsheets would have announced it if Punk had indeed legit re-signed?

I think that the November ending to his contract may have been a ruse to fool the dirt sheet reading smarks into thinking that there was some jeopardy behind the pre-MITB storyline.

I'm sure I read somewhere on news sites that he has genuinly signed a new contract, which I heard before MitB, I seem to remember that nobody knew the actual ins and outs of the contract like it's length, but I may have imagined that.

I still can't believe that WWE would build up CM Punk in the way they have if his contract was still expiring. It wouldn't make any sense.

invincibleILeak (CL-6WF) wrote:I'm sure I read somewhere on news sites that he has genuinly signed a new contract, which I heard before MitB, I seem to remember that nobody knew the actual ins and outs of the contract like it's length, but I may have imagined that.

I still can't believe that WWE would build up CM Punk in the way they have if his contract was still expiring. It wouldn't make any sense.

Jeff Hardy?

DemonicTruthSpeaker wrote:

invincibleILeak (CL-6WF) wrote:I'm sure I read somewhere on news sites that he has genuinly signed a new contract, which I heard before MitB, I seem to remember that nobody knew the actual ins and outs of the contract like it's length, but I may have imagined that.

I still can't believe that WWE would build up CM Punk in the way they have if his contract was still expiring. It wouldn't make any sense.

Jeff Hardy?

I don't think his push has been as huge as Punk's who has been almost a free reign on the mic and has been the main guy in the biggest feud WWE has promoted for years.

Will there be a Chat box open for Summerslam ?

I dont think anyone can be certain that Punk has actually signed a new contract. Usually the dirtsheets would announce it, i read PW Torch, Wrestlezone, NoDq, and not one of them have confirmed that Punk has legit signed a new contract. Its only been announced in storyline terms on Raw. Just seems a bit strange to me.

Mr H wrote:I dont think anyone can be certain that Punk has actually signed a new contract. Usually the dirtsheets would announce it, i read PW Torch, Wrestlezone, NoDq, and not one of them have confirmed that Punk has legit signed a new contract. Its only been announced in storyline terms on Raw. Just seems a bit strange to me.

In the same way none of them are talking about it being close to expiring either, so I assume they must have just taken it for granted and I assumed that it has been signed.

invincibleILeak (CL-6WF) wrote:

DemonicTruthSpeaker wrote:

invincibleILeak (CL-6WF) wrote:I'm sure I read somewhere on news sites that he has genuinly signed a new contract, which I heard before MitB, I seem to remember that nobody knew the actual ins and outs of the contract like it's length, but I may have imagined that.

I still can't believe that WWE would build up CM Punk in the way they have if his contract was still expiring. It wouldn't make any sense.

Jeff Hardy?

I don't think his push has been as huge as Punk's who has been almost a free reign on the mic and has been the main guy in the biggest feud WWE has promoted for years.

He was the hottest guy in US wrestling by some distance. He won the world title three times in the last 6 months of his contract. Much more of a sustained push than one awesome promo and one world title...

Anyone think Undertaker will return again ?

I dont know how he will fit into anything but for the last 3 years he has returned right ?

Ive been thinking a taker return myself, he has last 3 now, 2 unannounced.

Possibly with his biker persona aswell.

I have a feeling the usos will win the tag titles to.

Regardless of whether it is a screwy finish or not, do you think that the Cena v Punk match will be as good or better than there MITB match?

I would like to think so, but with HHH being there I don't feel the match will flow as well as you will always be thinking "whats trips gonna do?"

Well supposedly they're being given a lot more time than they did at Money in the Bank, so they might put on a better match, but I think a big part of the reason the match was so good was because the build up was so interesting, and it was almost a shock at how well Cena performed, as well as the huge aspect of the brilliant Chicago crowd, I just don't think they are going to get anywhere close to recreating that.

I agree that Triple H may distract us from the match as well, which is a shame, as we know Cena and Punk have great chemistry.

If cena loses wwe is a disgrace

Punk/Cena do have great chemistry but I think it'll be near on impossible to match up to their match in Chicago so I'm all for Hunter's involvement, this way they preserve their match at MitB and can take this one down a different path

it wont be has bad as last match

pauline1981 wrote:If cena loses wwe is a disgrace

Whats it got to do with the WWE if Cena can't get the job done?

cena will win if punk dont cheat

So whats that got to do with the WWE? Punk didn't cheat last time and won that made him the bestest

cena let him win

Welcome back, Pauline.....