7 Ups & 4 Downs from WWE Raw (9 June - Results & Review)

2. Punk, Cena To Run It Back

If there’s anyone on the roster who can get the most out of John Cena in this dismal final run, it’s one of his best rivals – and no, we’re not talking about “best rivals” as defined by WWE when they hype Cena versus Randy Orton.

CM Punk came out Monday night to kick off a rekindling of their longstanding rivalry with a series of callbacks to some of their best moments. Punk wasted little time by asking WWE Champion Cena if he was comfortable - during his infamous “pipebomb” promo, Punk made reference to Cena being as uncomfortable as possible after having been put through a table - and it continued from there.

Throughout the promo, Punk noted the role reversal with Cena, the former Boy Scout, now being the one trying to ruin wrestling, and the counter-culture rabble-rouser Punk seemingly defending the establishment. He referenced the “spoke on a wheel” (another pipebomb callback) and used the Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees analogy he used back in 2011.

But this wasn’t just a greatest hits promo from Punk. The Second City Saint suggested that Cena knew what he’s been doing is wrong and how the title has corrupted him. Punk pointed out that the title corrupted him in 2012, and that was why he never listed winning the title as a top priority when he returned. However, he said he might have to “become the monster to stop a monster.”

This was a fantastic promo from CM Punk that also utilized Cena’s countdown of his limited number of dates to add urgency to the situation. It masked the physical, in-ring concerns mentioned earlier. And it gave hope that maybe Punk can draw out some passable work from Cena at Night of Champions.