After his train wreck of a World Heavyweight Championship run on Raw in 2008, CM Punk was sent packing to SmackDown via the 2009 WWE Draft in April. The change in scenery allowed Punk to get the spotlight he deserved instead of being overshadowed by top-tier talent such as John Cena, Batista, Shawn Michaels and others. His first adversary on Friday nights was Umaga who was coming off a long hiatus from WWE TV. The two clashed in their first ever one-on-one match at Judgement Day in Chicago where Umaga soundly defeated the then-Mr. Money in the Bank. Despite beating Punk, Umaga continued to set his sights on The Second City Saint in the weeks that followed, challenging him to a Samoan Strap match at Extreme Rules. Samoan or not, Strap matches are rarely ever any good, regardless of who's involved. It's a silly stipulation that crowds can get easily bored by if the action isn't intriguing enough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOjyBJ8ZmjY While the two had an interesting dynamic with Punk as the underdog and Umaga as the unstoppable force, it failed to translate into quality matches. Their Strap match went over like a fart in church and it's a shame because it was ultimately Umaga's final WWE match ever.
Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.
