Work??? Shoot??? Who Cares!!! The Excellence Of CM Punk

Was it all a work?? Was it an actual shoot?? All I can say is WHO CARES!! Last Monday night on Raw was quite possibly the best ending to a Raw since the original Nexus storyline and the best promo that anyone has cut in quite a few years. It was more proof that if indeed CM Punk is leaving WWE as is indicated, then he will be sorely sorely missed and is quite possibly irreplaceable

When cutting his promo, he was the voice of the modern day wrestling fan who is not in the Cenation, the generation that had lived through the Attitude Era and the generation who wanted wrestling more than entertainment. People who can see through John Cena and his “5 moves of doom” ending to his matches. Love CM Punk or hate him, it cannot be argued that he is indeed the best in the WWE at this very moment and what was said in his promo was nothing more than what all wrestling fans have been wanting someone to say for a long time.

If indeed Punk does leave the WWE and go to Ring Of Honor or New Japan Pro Wrestling as was hinted in the promo, it just goes to show that the entire WWE superstars have a long way to go to be as effective on the microphone, its no doubt that WWE has world class wrestlers, it's just whether WWE allow them to showcase their skills in the ring rather than the usual 5 minute matches that we are accustomed too in the modern day WWE.

The only disappointment that I have with this whole situation is that we live in an age of social networking and spoiler alerts an since this Monday they also recorded Raw for next Monday so may people would have read an spoilers concerning this situation. I for one am one of the people who refuse to read any spoilers, if this was in the kayfabe era then this would be one of the biggest angles in history but because we live in a modern era where spoilers and news from backstage is leaked very easy, people aren't questioning how good the promo is, they are only questioning was it totally genuine or a scripted work, we need to all look past this and remember what a great 5 minutes of mic work it was and look forward to the Money In The Bank event and hopefully crown a new WWE Champion, even if only for an hour or so until Punk's contract “expires”.

Monday's Punk promo will go down as one of the best in history, work or shoot, I can only look forward to where this leads to.

Capitol Punishment Predictions

Now, in my opinion subject to a couple of matches, there has been no build up to this PPV in any way shape or form except for those Barrack Obama dreams that keep occurring, but looking at the card on paper, this has a real chance of being a real good event and possibly one of the best of the year so far. With it being the first Capitol Punishment, WWE is wanting to make an impact for this year and I think that Capitol Punishment could be as close to 5 star we may get for a while. Let me now go through the card and give my thoughts.

Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk

First impressions of when these guys went at it on Raw again was that they were short on stories after the draft and just decided to use one of the better Smackdown rivalries of last year. There isn't no real story to this match as such but nevertheless these two can always put on a good match as each style complements one another. I Would label this match also as a possible number one contenders match for the next PPV which is Money In The Bank and would be the possible WWE Title match at that event and the loser to go into the Raw ladder match. I am always saying Punk is in need of these big PPV wins and this is no exception, Punk is the future of Raw as in the Heels, he is the main heel in the WWE and the fact that he hasn't been given a title shot in a while is outrageous, so I'm pulling for Punk to win as it's well needed and deserved.

Alex Riley vs. The Miz

One of the matches I'm looking forward too and proof that the WWE can make a star very quickly in Alex Riley, long gone is the Varsity Villain gimmick (I hope) and now he seems to be this bitter and twisted guy frustrated at his mentor holding him down and using him to try and keep his WWE title when he held it. The chemistry with these guys is, no pun intended, awesome and the reactions Riley has been getting from the live crowds is nothing short of amazing. This match could be second best match of the night if they are given a good amount of time to work in the ring and showcase Alex Riley's talents to establish him as a future major player. Expect a good match, I can see both men winning, If Riley wins, I could see it by a small package and if Miz wins it would be a dirty win (i.e. Use of the tights, ropes or a chair). Very hard to predict this match but I'm going to say if your going to expect something, expect a Miz win, but expect that within 2 years, Alex Riley to be a major player in WWE.

Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio

An unusual pairing up to showcase how dominant Alberto Del Rio is and how he is the future of Raw and will be the challenger for the WWE Title at Summerslam, if you believe the rumours that is, and the only build up was Ricardo hitting Show with the car and then the returning Big Show on Raw sprinting down and beating on Ricardo as Alberto runs away, But the anger Show has shown on Smackdown against Mark Henry is rarely seen and, in my view, is missed and if he was like this on a weekly basis then Big Show would be dominating the entire WWE and would probably have every title in the WWE. Ultimately this match is here to build up Del Rio for Summerslam so its hard not to predict Del Rio for this match but it's also interesting to see how Del Rio is going to win this match cleanly so expect interference from both Kane and Ricardo Rodriguez but Alberto Del Rio will be the winner.

Intercontinental Championship Match Wade Barrett defends against Ezekiel Jackson

Now that The Corre are seemingly out of the picture, this should be a straight up one on one match, and one that could be entertaining and build up both men in the right way. I've thought for a while that Wade doesn't need the Intercontinental title, it's almost below him so to say as he was pushed so hard on Raw in the WWE title picture and originally I thought the move to Smackdown would push him right into World Heavyweight Title contention. I'm expecting us to see a new Intercontinental Champion in Ezekiel Jackson but Wade Barrett can be launched onto the next level as he is a proven main eventer and when you take away Sheamus and Christian from Smackdown, where are the major heels?? That is where Wade Barrett should be able to step up into that position.

United States Championship Kofi Kingston defends against Dolph Ziggler

Much like the Punk/Mysterio match there has been no real build up to this match but these guys have great chemistry and can keep a fast pace match and can blow the crowd away, a great match to open up the event. Both men are also at that point where you know that they can be contenders for the WWE Title and leaving the U.S. Title for some guys lower down on the Raw roster (#RyderOrRiot maybe???). I think that Dolph will win but I'd like to see both people get a chance at the WWE Title in the next year or so.

World Heavyweight Championship Randy Orton defends against Christian

The news of Randy Orton's concussion has tainted the view on the match, this should be the match of the night but now there is no guarantee that Orton will be allowed to wrestle. Being the third match that these two guys have had for the title so the natural reaction would be to Christian to win, yet when Undertaker and Kane met last year on 3 successive PPV's Kane went over every time. If Orton is cleared and 100% to go then it won't surprise me that they have Orton retain the title, I somehow believe that WWE does not have the faith in Christian as a World Champion and the man to carry a brand, no matter how much the WWE Universe want him to. If Orton is not cleared to wrestle then the belt will have to be forefitted, so would they do it in some sort of elimination match that could maybe include Sheamus, maybe a backstage attack on Orton causing Teddy Long to make an impromptu match. This can go so many ways so here is my breakdown:

If Orton is cleared to wrestle, Orton retains

If Orton is not cleared and the belt is vacated, Christian vs. Sheamus and Christian wins.

WWE Championship John Cena defends against R-Truth

Its amazing how one guy can go from being so stale to a major player but this is the power that WWE has by turning someone heel or face but by turning Truth heel was the best decision they have made all year because not only have you created a good heel but you have got a very entertaining guy on the mic and a great chance for the WWE marketing department to produce some “Little Jimmy” or “You Gonna Get Got” t-shirts for the Truth. Back to the match and besides Truth's mic work and the interaction at the end of last weeks Raw, there has been no real physicality for a build up but sometimes less is more in these ways. Over The Limit's I Quit match really only made Cena look stronger than he always was, before he was Super Cena, now he is Super Duper Incredible Cena so it's a hands down win for John Cena (as usual) but hopefully this isn't a squash and R-Truth can be made to look credible and strong in this match.

Well I am hoping for a real good card, I just hope that we aren't disappointed and we shall see what Happens on the Randy Orton front. Please leave me some feedback on either Twitter or Facebook also as it is all appreciated,