CM Punk Vs. Ryback: Part IV

CM Punk retained the WWE Championship against Ryback at Hell in a Cell. He retained the title against Ryback and John Cena at Survivor Series. He was supposed to defend it against Ryback at TLC, but an injury ruined that. And now, that match will be happening on Raw next week.

With The Rock getting his title shot in just a few weeks, the WWE would have liked for CM Punk to go into that match with the title. Even though I was for Ryback winning the title a few months ago, I never felt he would be the one to actually defend against The Rock. The Rock only comes back to wrestle rarely. He should be going against stars that are already established, like CM Punk or Randy Orton. Ryback is still in the process of being developed. I pictured a scenario of Ryback winning the title, but then CM Punk regaining it in time to face The Rock.

How will CM Punk's injury impact things? Getting passed Ryback is only one thing. In a TLC match, the WWE can find a cheap way to keep the title on Punk, especially with everything currently going on. But will Punk be ready to put on a good match with The Rock? As I just said, The Rock only wrestles on rare occasions. When you get him in the ring, you have to try to put on a good match. A match that lasts only a minute at the Royal Rumble may be criticized by many fans, regardless of the outcome. People have been anticipating this match since CM Punk attacked The Rock on Raw months ago. Then again, how fitting would it be for Punk's long title run to end in seconds? That kind of story is not unheard of. Nevertheless, I think going for a good match would be best here.

Does that mean Ryback should win the title and face The Rock? He is healthy. I don't know if he will be able to put on a great match. The time for him to win the WWE Championship has gone by. In the coming months, going after the World's Heavyweight Championship would be better. And yet, he is in that position to win the title and possibly face The Rock, which would be the biggest match in Ryback's career. I don't think it is going to happen.

If I had to predict, I would say CM Punk retains here. How will his match with The Rock go? That will depend on what happens after Ryback is out of the picture. The promos alone should make a feud between CM Punk and The Rock worth it.