9 Awesome WWE Matches From Criminally Short Title Reigns
3. CM Punk vs. John Cena (SummerSlam 2011)
WWE botched the 'Summer Of Punk' badly. When CM Punk walked out of Money In The Bank 2011 as WWE Champion, the storyline had so much potential. Things were ruined by crowning a 'second' champion before Punk's inevitable comeback for a return match with John Cena.
Arguably, the SummerSlam rematch between Punk and Cena was even better than Money In The Bank. The crowd weren't as hot, of course, but the in-ring fare was less reliant on partisan audience participation and this let things breathe. Through all that, it's true that Punk's 28-day run as champion deserved to be longer.
After beating Cena, he should have gone from strength to strength as WWE's top champion, but the writers couldn't resist booking Alberto Del Rio to cash in Money In The Bank and leave SummerSlam with the belt. Even Kevin Nash (of all people) became involved, hammering Punk before Del Rio's entrance.
The Punk vs. Cena match remains vital. The flurry of activity involving Triple H, Nash and Del Rio? Not so much.