Ummmm, wow.
Pardon me, but that's the only reaction I can come up with to CM Punk's promo at the end of last night's Raw, which was either the greatest worked shoot ever or the biggest kayfabe-breaking moment since the Montreal Screwjob.
Of course, 90 percent of the people reading this know that Punk's contract doesn't expire on July 17. It actually expires in September, which means that it was probably the former.
Then again, there's still a lot we don't know.
Has Punk re-signed? Is he going to re-sign? Will he stay with the company for a few months after his deal runs out?
I'm not sure, and you likely aren't either.
So, we can only guess what will happen when Punk meets Cena in the ring at Money in the Bank.
In fact, here are 10 possible outcomes of the Punk/Cena match, listed in order from least likely to most likely.
10) "The Chicago Screwjob" - You should all know the story of the Montreal Screwjob by now, when Bret Hart was leaving the company and was, as the name implies, screwed out of the WWE Championship in his home country.
Well, CM Punk's WWE title match against Cena takes place in Punk's hometown of Chicago, and many fans are speculating that we'll see something similar happen at Money in the Bank.
I personally give that about a 5 percent chance of happening, because Punk's already been involved in a "Screwjob" angle with The Undertaker and I seriously doubt the WWE would want to put the heat that'll come with that type of finish on its top babyface (Cena).
Cena would get booed out of the building, and that's too risky unless the creative team is planning on turning him heel. Obviously, that's not gonna happen, though.
So, even though a "Chicago Screwjob" isn't completely out of the realm of possibilities, I'm willing to bet that the WWE will go in a different direction.
9) Double Countout - Having any pay-per-view main event end in a double countout, especially one with the hype of this match, would be pretty weak to say the least.
But if CM Punk is staying with the WWE through SummerSlam or even past that, the creative team will likely be looking for a way to extend this feud without Punk or John Cena picking up a loss at Money in the Bank.
One way to do that is by having a very competitive match that ends when Punk hits a high-impact move on Cena (or vice versa) on the outside and neither wrestler is able to answer the 10 count, resulting in a double countout.
Like most, I'd be fuming if I paid for the PPV and got that as a finish. But I also wouldn't be completely surprised by it.
8) The "Christian" Finish - At WWE Capitol Punishment, Randy Orton defeated Christian in the World Heavyweight Championship match, but the finish was definitely tainted.
Christian's leg was clearly under the ropes when the ref counted the 1-2-3, and he had a legitimate reason to get a rematch at some point down the road.
On last Friday's Smackdown, that's exactly what happened, as Christian gained yet another title opportunity after getting the victory in the show's main event.
I could certainly see something similar happening in the Punk/Cena match at Money in the Bank, with Punk getting pinned and losing the match even though his feet were under the ropes or his shoulder was off the canvas.
That way, Punk can get a rematch for Cena's WWE Championship at SummerSlam.
7) Punk Wins by Disqualification - There are a number of ways in which Punk could beat Cena due to disqualification, but here are the two I see as the most likely.
One, it's clear that Punk is about to lose the match, and the members of the new Nexus run to the ring and hit Punk to get Cena disqualified.
Or two, a heel like R-Truth or Alberto Del Rio is irate over losing the Money in the Bank match and decides to take it out on Cena. To do so, he intentionally hits Punk to give him the DQ win, and more importantly, give Cena the loss.
We all know that Cena is a Goody Two Shoes and doesn't like to escape with the title like that, so he'll likely give Punk another WWE Championship Match.
Of course, that bout would then take place at SummerSlam, and could be Punk's farewell match or one that sees the start of a long WWE title reign if he's staying.
6) Cena Wins and Someone Cashes in the MITB Briefcase to Win the WWE Title - Given the circumstance surrounding this match--the fact that it involves Cena and is in Punk's hometown of Chicago--I think it's likely that it will be the last bout on the card.
So, at that point, Raw's Money in the Bank match will have already taken place, and a Raw star will have the briefcase with the guaranteed title shot.
And just like Kane did last year, we could see someone cash the briefcase in on the same night that they won it.
If that's the case, maybe seeing Cena lose his WWE Championship to an upcoming heel would wipe the sour taste out of the mouths of an arena full of disappointed Chicagoans.
5) Punk Wins Straight Up with the GTS - Imagine seeing John Cena lose clean in a WWE Championship match on pay-per-view.
Hard to imagine, huh?
But if Punk hasn't re-signed and is still debating whether he will, then putting him over Cena in that fashion would be a huge statement from the WWE about its commitment to Punk's character.
And if Punk hasn't re-signed and is indeed leaving the company, this would be a good way of saying, "Come back at anytime, Punk. The door is always open."
4) Cena Wins by Disqualification After Interference from New Nexus - As you know, Punk has stated that July 17 will be his last night in the company.
Well, what if this scenario takes place at Money in the Bank?
Cena is in control of the match, and the new Nexus runs down to the ring, interferes (by attacking Cena) and costs Punk his chance at winning the title.
Punk then dissolves the new Nexus for essentially "ending his career," and Cena, being the gracious man that he is, offers Punk another opportunity to win the WWE Championship at SummerSlam, which Punk naturally accepts.
3) Punk Beats Cena, but Someone Cashes in to Win the WWE Championship - The more I think about this, the more I can see it happening.
Punk beats Cena some way or another to win his first-ever WWE Championship, and the crowd goes crazy as their hometown hero holds up his title.
Then, out of nowhere, Raw's Money in the Bank briefcase winner (take your pick as to who it is) runs down to the ring, attacks Punk from behind with the briefcase, knocks him woozy and then cashes in to beat Punk and become WWE Champion.
That would open up all kinds of storyline possibilities, whether Punk's staying with the company. planning to return down the road or neither.
2) Cena Wins Clean in Super Cena Fashion - If Punk is indeed leaving the WWE (and especially if contract negotiations haven't been going well), I wouldn't be remotely surprised to see him get completely buried upon his exit.
And if you want to see how that can be done, then just go back and watch Cena's WWE Championship match against R-Truth at Capitol Punishment.
Truth was in control the entire match, but in true "Super Cena" fashion, Cena was able to muster up a magical comeback and beat Truth, even though he only got about 90 seconds of offense in throughout the entire bout.
Now, is the WWE really going to do that to Punk? I'm not sure.
But you and I both know that Cena almost always wins clean, and those wins often come when John Cena turns into "Super Cena.'
So, again, I'm not going to be totally shocked if that's what happens at Money in the Bank.
1) Punk Wins Thanks to Interference from New Nexus - Since it's well-known that Punk's contract actually expires in September, I'm of the belief that Punk will be around at least until SummerSlam.
If I'm right with that prediction, I think that means that WWE officials will give Punk a run with the WWE Championship to try and coax him to stay with the company.
They can do that a number of different ways, but most of them involve Punk winning the title either at Money in the Bank or SummerSlam.
If Vince McMahon really wants to show that he has faith in Punk, however, he'll put the strap on Punk at the next pay-per-view by having him get a tainted victory. Then, Punk will beat Cena in a rematch at SummerSlam.
And if/when that happens, I don't think re-signing Punk will be a problem anymore.
