WWE Hell in a Cell 2012: CM Punk (c) VS Ryback [WWE Championship]

[XXJJ]

If Punk faces Ryback then Ryback has to win. They are still establishing Ryback as a dominant force. If Ryback loses in his first big ppv match they risk killing some of his momentum. Look what happened to Nexus after loosing to Team Cena.

Ryback's booking should not be very different from Lesnar or Goldberg. He needs to stay dominant for a while. Then after a while when he is 100% over he can slowy start loosing some matches. Still be a force but not as dominant.

Ryback beating Punk and ending Punk's lengthy title reign makes more sense than Punk losing the title to Rock. Thats what should happen at Survior Series or Royal Rumble. A little like Batista ending Triple H's run at WM.

Punk picking an injured Cena over Ryback as his HIAC opponent makes sense. Its a very heelish move by Punk and Cena has a built in excuse to lose the match and it wont make him look bad.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Punk has more to lose by far. Ryback isn't even a star, he has no business potentially facing Punk in the first place. If Ryback loses it means nothing. If Punk loses, the WWE Championship means nothing.

I disagree. It would of kill Punk's momentum as he is WWE reigning champion but Ryback is a rising star. Ryback has his momentum as undefeated and he is very high in the eyes of WWE as the future maineventer so he has something to lose after all. He is not yet ready(Batista was way over and established before he beat HHH, Ryback was just starting to get over) but he has a lot to lose also. But, in this case, Punk has more to lose.

 

[mr.perfect88]

TBH I see Cena vs Punk. It'll be nice to see a Ryback heel turn(thats not going to happend) or a Brock Lesnar return. Maybe have Brock help Punk out until he takes intrest in the title. Maybe have Brock vs Punk at TLC with a Heyman screw job attempt. I'd like to see Brock vs Rock, with the Rock winning the title. Afterwards having a double elimination between Cena and Punk causing a 3 way match at Mania. Ryback should get the IC title and be the modern day "Ultimate Goldberg Warrior" setting up IC vs WWE champ at SummerSlam. Allowing Ryback to start his legendary career.

 

[HBsam31]

I think it will be Punk vs Cena with Punk retaining. I like other have said, see Punk playing the respect card all the way up to the Rumble where he will face the Rock. If Punk did face Ryback I still think Punk will retain. Ryback will have to lose at some point, and he won't lose any steam if he has to take a loss to Punk. Of the two I would prefer to see Punk vs Cena and have a clear cut winner in the feud, hopefully Punk.

 

[TheCookieMonster]

Punk needs to refuse to choose, demanding respect, so Vince chooses Cena to face Punk at HIAC. Match begins. Cena is still injured so about 10 minutes into the match Ryback rips one of the cell walls off and lays out Punk and Cena. Punk crawls over and pins Cena. He retains title then goes after Ryback. Cena is so badly injured that he is written off until he is fully recovered. Ryback and Punk is then built up for Survivor series where Punk wins by DQ after The Rock or Brock Lesnar attack him. Preferably Lesnar, which would set up Punk v Lesnar v Ryback v Cena at TLC in a Fatal 4 Way TLC match. Lesnar will win but will lose to Rock at Royal Rumble. Punk reclaims title at Elimination Chamber and faces Rock, Lesnar or Austin at WrestleMania. He will win and become face again. Starting another long title run.

 

[thebarber]

I clearly see Punk picking both guys, and this match will be a three way Hell in a Cell match. This way, Cena does not have to do all of the work himself, three guys can carry the load more. Punk states that the only way to get respect is to beat both guys. Of course, I see Ryback costing Cena the match, and Punk picks up the cowardly win and Team Heyman gets a massive henchman on their side. CM Punk retains, Ryback gets the best possible rub he could, without getting pinned or submitted, Cena can then be either entered into a feud with a heel Ryback, or Survivor Series may see Team Heyman with Punk and Ryback and maybe Lesnar and onme other joining the team by SS, and Team Cena, where of course he will enlist the help of the guy who beat him at Mania, The Rock, plus two others. Punk will hold the title through until Royal Rumble at the earliest, I then see Punk winning Elimination Chamber to get his title rematch at Mania

 

[Mustang Sally]

I clearly see Punk picking both guys, and this match will be a three way Hell in a Cell match.

I can see that happening, and it would ease the expectations of how Ryback would perform in a one-on-one match against Punk. Personally, I don't think Ryback works well enough to make it believable against a technician like Punk, so a 3-way would treat us to the curious sight of Cena and Punk working together to overcome the monster so they can ultimately deal with each other. Meanwhile, Ryback would be throwing his clotheslines and other assorted strength moves while being knocked away from the action several times in the match. We'd wind up seeing a lot of Cena vs Punk, with Ryback probably making a crucial lunge at the end that takes Cena out and allows Punk to retain.

But if the match is Punk vs. Cena, I see John's frustrations continuing as Punk finds a way to come out on top, even after seemingly being dethroned, as in their last PPV match. Down the road, Cena will win the title, but the company seems to be having too much fun having him pursue it.....might as well keep it going.

If the contest is Punk vs Ryback, I truly can't see the big guy winning the title at this early juncture in his career.

 

[RicSpade]

I know if they let the WWE universe choose they want Ryback, only because a match between the two would be something unique something fresh in the WWE but here is the problem I see. If its Ryback that means CM Punk is caught between a rock and a hard place because they wanted Punk to be champ going into Royal Rumble to face The Rock also they want him to reach that 365 day mark being the first year long champ in a long long time. There is no possible way to have Ryback lose without hurting his credibility at this point. If he has Brock come in and help Punk he still looks weak because Ryback has taken on Two Men, Big Men, IC champ, etc. and the streak ends. If Ryback is in a triple threat hell in a cell with Cena just to help make the match better with an injured Cena they can claim Ryback never has been pinned in WWE, but that won't change the fact its a loss and it would still leave Punk to possibly have to face Ryback in November.

The problem with Cena at this point is they have been bashing the match between Cena and Punk up to this point JBL said it best Punk has beaten Cena 4 times now, why the hell would he want to face him again? It reminds me of the famous Hollywood Hogan Warrior Promo where Warrior said I want you Hogan at Halloween Havoc and you have never beaten me. Ok why would people want to see a match that happened already where Hogan lost? It brought down the credibility of the match.

Cena is doing his best to look strong, but at this point putting them in one more match is beating a dead horse. We seen it, theres not much more you can do its like having Cena and Orton going in 5 consecutive ppv matches, it happened its been done its time to move on.

so IMO its either Ryback wins the title becomes unstoppable but lose the opportunity of Rock vs Punk for the title., CM Punk wins against Ryback and Ryback's monster becomes less credible, or we get a lack of PPV buys and they take the safe route and have the rematch of the rematch of the rematch, and hopefully lets Punk move on to Punk vs. Rock at the Rumble.

 

[TJWWE]

I think this is the first time in quite a while where we don't know what the answer will be.

You can have Punk vs Cena (again) but depending on his injury, this match may happen and it will have some build up to it.

Then you have Ryback who was the replacement for Cena for HITC but with the injury of Cena up in the air, it could be Ryback vs Punk.

Or you have option 3, which is Punk vs Cena vs Ryback. Next monday on RAW, in the final segment, Punk hasn't made up his mind, Ryback and Cena hit the ring, Mcmahon appears on the screen and demands Punk to make up his mind, Punk doesn't know which to choose so Vince says he'll face BOTH for the title at HITC inside the Cell.

I would personally like to see the triple threat match inside the HITC. For this, if Cena's injury is still not 100%, you can have Punk and Ryback doing most of the match with Cena getting moves in here and there that won't make him look weak in the match. This would also be a good rub for Ryback as he can say that he main evented a PPV for the title against 2 of the most popular and characters in the WWE. I think Punk would retain, then at Survivor, have an 'All or Nothing' match against Cena. Cena wins, he wins the title but if Punk wins, Cena can NEVER have a WWE Championship match when Punk is the champion. That way, you can have someone face punk at the next PPV or have Cena win.

 

[Alex_U]

Up until the fan incident, I expected Punk to walk out of hell in a cell WWE Champion. But is Punks number 343? With the article that stated Vince was furious with the exchange between Punk and the "fan" I would expect For him to drop the title at Hell in the cell. What do you think?

 

[Mitch Henessey]

It's interesting twist for Punk's opponent at HIAC, and both men should produce satisfying results.

Cena VS Punk would provide the better match up. Both men have produced a few five star classics in the past, and their characters are polar opposites of each other. The company man VS the rebel always provides an engaging storyline, and Punk's full blown heel turn adds more intrigue for the potential match-up.

As far as popularity goes, Ryback is white-hot right now. Live crowds are really starting to get into his character, and the audience exploded, when he attacked Punk on Raw. Facing Punk at HIAC for the title will give Ryback a nice test run in the main event. Plus, this could be the perfect way to give Cena a break for a while. I don't think any of us expect Ryback to walk away the title. He's still not ready yet, but the dominant monster VS the cowardly heel sounds like a fun match. I could picture Punk taking some sort of shortcut, or he could pick up the win with Heyman's help, and he'll walk out of the Cell with another shit-eating grin.

Whether it's Ryback or Cena, I still expect Punk to escape with the title at HIAC. I fully expect Punk to be the WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble, and a main event PPV loss would really kill his momentum right now.

 

[tvcolosi]

I have a thought here. If Cena cannot go at HIAC, and its Punk vs Ryback, you cannot give the belt too Ryback. I also think its too soon to break his streak. So what do they do, can't DQ or count out its Hell in a Cell.

My idea, have them be pretty even match for 20-25 minutes back and forth. then have Ryback take control for a few minutes and right before he's about too win, I think we could see Paul E. run too the back and bring with him Brock Lesnar. Then rip the door off and beat on Ryback for a while then Punk recovers and they double team him for a bit. Bring out one armed Cena with a lead pipe. I think there have been 1 or 2 "No Contests" in HIAC history.

This can lead too Ryback vs Cena vs Punk at Survivor Series which could have so many possible finishes... Cena beats Ryback so Punk wasn't pinned, Punk pins Cena gets his 1 year reign and protect Ryback. Or Fatal 4-Way with Brock.
(heard a Brock/Rock WM29 rumor, which I hate,so have them at the Rumble. This way Punk, Ryback and Cena are all in the Rumble. Unlike last year that had no stars in the rumble match)

Maybe Tag Team TLC Match in December..
I know there are rumors that Brock only has a few dates left on his deal, but with Vinces recent action I think he would pony up big dollars if he thinks Brock will pop the ratings again.

What do you guys think of this idea?
and what do you think will happen if Punk faces Ryback?

 

[mikde_]

I've seen similar ideas like this mentioned on many sites and I really cannot see Brock returning anytime soon and certainly not in a angle involving punk. WWE are doing all they can to make Punk the legit #1 heel in the company and bringing Brock in to the equation will just overshadow punk. That's the last thing they want to do with a Rock/Punk and possible Taker/Punk angle on the horizon.

 

[Boourns]

(This is assuming Cena can't be the challenger...)

They could have Ryback wail on CM Punk for about 25 minutes with little offensive from the champ until he hits a low blow and then for some real heel heat flees the arena. Imagine how much heat CM Punk would get if he ran out of the PPV without finishing it? I think it would play off the recent Ring of Honor controversy well too. They probably couldn't do it though because Punk would have to be stripped of the title the next night I would imagine so they'll probably end up having Cena accidentally cost Ryback the win perhaps by running in and hitting Ryback with the lead pipe by accident or if he's special guest referee his arm could give way mid two count and then Punk could switch a pin in to an Anconda Vice for a submission win. They're not concrete ideas but, my general thinking is that they will end up having Cena cost Ryback because it seems like the sort of thing creative would do. I get the Brock Lesnar interference angles that a lot of people keep putting forward though. They could also throw in a curve-ball and have McMahon turn heel and help Punk win or Ryback turn heel (very unlikely) or have a random guy interfere like a returning Mark Henry or Christian or maybe someone like Wade Barrett who isn't doing much. But, I'd bet me a sawbuck on Cena costing Ryback this one.

 

[sheldonator90]

I'm unsure if they'll go for Cena seeing as he won't be 100%, but Ryback isn't ready for the title picture. It's an interesting one

One idea could be that he faces Ryback, as previously seen Ryback dominates, looks like he'll win the title, then out comes Brock Lesnar, takes out Ryback but all the time Ryback matching him punch for punch, Eventually it ends up Lesnar doing enough so that Punk wins, then we have a situation with potentially a new 'Corporation' (Vince McMahon, Cena, Ryback plus whoever else) against the 'NWO' (Heyman, Punk, Lesnar etc) heading into Survivor Series

I'm not saying it'll be the Corporation vs the NWO, they're just examples of the two styles of groups

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The WWE is kind of in a tough situation here in which there's potential trouble in the long run.

If they go with John Cena, they run the risk of Cena doing further damage to his elbow in what's bound to be a very physical match. As a result, Cena's entire future could then be called into question, especially his ability to participate at WrestleMania. Sure WM is still many months off, but Cena's a big money maker for WWE so it'll be something of a risk unless Cena really is healing up extremely well.

If they go with Ryback, they run the risk of possibly killing Ryback's very recently gained momentum. In a HIAC match, there has to be a winner. There's no DQ, no count out and basically no rules other than you have to pin or make your opponent submit inside the ring. Ryback isn't ready to be WWE Champion and CM Punk is the other big gun WWE has right now. There are talks of WWE possibly having Punk face The Undertaker for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. In any case, I'm certain WWE has a high profile match planned for Punk so having him lose the title to Ryback could weaken his stock. As I said earlier, Ryback is unproven. He's yet to wrestle a match on WWE television to last 5 minutes, he's yet to have anything resembling a feud. In short, he's really untested. He's got momentum right now, but it might not last. Like Miz said, fans can be pretty fickle. If Ryback loses in what would be his first real test, against the WWE Champion no less, it could ultimately hurt Ryback in the long run as well.

There are reports that Punk faced Ryback at a house show a few days ago. The match got positive feedback and was said to be a strong back & forth match with Punk ultimately hitting a low blow on Ryback to get the DQ. At the house show, he got on the mic and said that he was going to face John Cena at HIAC. Ryback then hit Punk with his finisher to send the crowd home happy.

If Punk does pick Cena tomorrow night, I expect that Vince will make a match between Punk & Ryback anyhow for Raw tomorrow night or for the go home Raw before HIAC. If such a match happens, it'll probably have something of a similar ending to their house show match. WWE will ultimately keep both of them looking strong without really either of them looking like they've got the other truly where they want them and Punk will do something to get disqualified.

 

[Mustang Sally]

In any case, I'm certain WWE has a high profile match planned for Punk so having him lose the title to Ryback could weaken his stock.

Yes, it would. Fortunately, the world of pro wrestling has many ways to let Ryback appear as a credible opponent while allowing Punk to keep his title. Disqualifications, count-outs and outside interference are always factors that allow the champion to escape with his belt and the challenger to present as a man who remains a dangerous threat to eventually dethrone him.

Already, Punk has shown his cowardly side in refusing to engage Ryback. He still might choose the big man as an opponent because of his continued refusal to fight Cena again. All this plays into reality: I don't know what WWE planned to do when it appeared Cena would be physically ready to fight at this PPV, but the fact is that he's not ready and the decision to eliminate him as Punk's opponent has presumably been made for the company.

In typical WWE fashion, Cena may play a role in this even if Ryback is the opponent. Without extensive physical involvement, Cena might be the outside factor that causes Punk to get disqualified against Ryback. Or, as we know, Punk is quite capable of providing the tainted ending by himself.

On one hand, I think they want to keep the title around Punk's waist. Cena doesn't suffer for this: he's John Cena. Ryback will be okay, too: he just finished beating up Jinder Mahal several times...... he has room to grow before management needs to consider fitting him for a title belt.

In either case, I believe those looking for a clean ending to a Punk-Ryback match are going to be disappointed this time around. It doesn't matter who wins or loses; it's only a minor PPV. As long as no one is pinned or submitted, the promise for a future showdown lives on.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

I don't mind either way, but I'm a big fan of Ryback, so placed my chips in his corner.

CM Punk vs. John Cena has happened so many times now, but is still consistently entertaining, it's the best match pro-wrestling can have today, based off the money It'd make, interest level and even quality of entertainment. That being said, John Cena's recent injury is a blow and having him perform in a Hell in a Cell match may not be the best of ideas, sure they could formulate it so the physicality level isn't so high, but we've seen so many bad falls during HIAC matches, is it really worth the risk?

Ryback seems to have gained a lot of speed, very fast. I love how they're building him around CM Punk, the more heat Punk draws, the more Ryback's pops grow due to him constantly stopping Punk in his tracks. They've built Ryback as this unstoppable force and with Punk's reign always being lauded as magnificent, the idea of placing the unstoppable force against the unbeatable champion makes for a good match on paper. Live reports from their inaugural meeting Thursday night were good too, Ryback knows how to wrestle, contrary to idiotic belief.

I don't mind either way, but for the benefit of Cena and even Ryback, gonna choose Ryback.

 

[marston]

All i know is that Cena/Punk feud is not going to end with a "draw". That's just sad.

If they want ryback to get in sort of a "Goldberg streak" things, then it will be Cena, simply because if ryback wins the title, it means he has to lose it too.

And if you look at the statistics, is Punk going to choose the beat up broken man with 1 arm, or the beast that stands for "feed me more" and top-condition and ready to roll?

Count all those together, and there you have your answer... JOHN CENAAA :l

Pretty old school, but if you put the Cena hate aside, and take a look at Punk-Cena history, you'll see that this can be one hell of a match..

 

[I am Mr. Excitement]

We mine as well talk about Punk vs RyBack since it's going to happen at Hell In A Cell. Now that the match is official here is what i think will happen. It popped into my head once Ryback signed the contract. Ryback and Punk will put on a decent match until close to the end of the match Brock Lesnar's music will hit. He busts down the cell door and destroys Ryback thus Punk winning the match. Setting up either Cena vs Punk the final encounter- iron man match, no holds-barred etc. And Ryback vs Brock Lesnar or, Punk/Lesnar vs Cena/RyBack at Survivor Series of course.

 

[Wolf Pac]

I can't see the WWE putting the title on Ryback this early in his career and they shouldn't - he's not estabilished enough and ready for it, but I can't see them making Ryback lose either and they shouldn't, so I'm calling a DQ win here for Ryback, where Punk will either pelt Ryback with the WWE Championship, getting himself DQ'd to retain the belt or Lesnar will interfere on his behalf and help him take out Ryback, causing the DQ and that will set up Punk/Lesnar vs. Cena/Ryback or Triple H/Ryback if Cena can't make it back by then, at Survivor Series. Or for a third option, and this option would see Ryback losing - with the recent referee storyline that occured after Night Of Champions, we see some kind of swerve with the referee (Brad Maddox), where he'll help Punk escape with the title and it'll be revealed that Brad was in cahoots with Heyman & Punk all along. The referee swerve would be a believable way to have Ryback lose & end his streak, and it would be much better than the way Kevin Nash ended Goldberg's streak.

 

[HBsam31]

WIth it now being Punk/Ryback, I had the same thought as a poster above that said Lesner could come out and interfere costing Ryback the match. I just can't see them putting the belt on Ryback this soon, but after tonight I am not so sure. The x factor being the Rock waiting for the champion at RR. The Rock is a tailor made opponent for Punk with the whole respect angle going on. I wouldn't completely rule out Ryback winning the belt, but my pick is Punk holds onto the belt with some outside interference.

 

[Xombi_woof]

I'm reasonably sure Punk is keeping the belt. I'm just not sure how they'll be able to have Ryback lose the match without losing momentum. Without a change in rules, the HiaC is no-DQ, so a dusty finish is out. The only ways that come to mind are:

1) The make the match a triple threat, allowing Punk to pin Cena, while still not counting as a loss to Ryback.

2) After a severe beating, Punk escapes the cell and just walks off, leading to a no-contest.

Or 3) A ref botches a call after Ryback "pins" Punk, leading to a reversal, similar to the Cena/Punk match recently.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I still don't see WWE putting the title on Ryback and I'm sure there'll be some sort of interference that will ultimately cost Ryback the match. At the same time, I think WWE needs it to come about in a way that doesn't make CM Punk look ineffectually weak against Ryback.

It's true that WWE could go for the shocker and give the title to Ryback. After all, they did go that route with Sheamus a few years back. Unlike Ryback, however, Sheamus was someone that'd been tested against significant opponents on a regular basis for about a year over on the ECW brand.

As I've said, Ryback isn't ready to be WWE Champion. He's only now really started to gain solid momentum and interest among most fans. After all, now the cheers heavily outweigh the Goldberg chants rather than the other way around, as it was only about a month ago. Right now, with WWE taking a pounding in the ratings, Punk, alongside Cena, is the most consistently big draw in the WWE. As I said, Ryback is only just starting to get over so I just don't see WWE doing anything to derail Punk's momentum. He's too valuable at this point in time.

I will say, however, that the fact of not really knowing for a really strong certainty what the outcome will be here does add a little something to the match. It should be a good, physical match regardless of what happens

 

[THE Great GAMMA]

It being Hell in a Cell unless there is a major swerve ie Camera-man in the Cell is actually Brock Lesner (Taker vs Batista 2007) or something the results in HIAC are usually clean victories/losses.

If Punk wins clean it would kill Ryback’s momentum (see Cena vs Bobby Lashley). If Ryback wins it would kill Punk’s credibility (his whole respect thing revolves around him being champion).

I hope that creative can find a way to keep the belt on Punk by still keeping Ryback’s momentum.

Jack Hammer is right Ryback isn’t ready for a top title.