Breaking Down What CM Punk's Shocking Win At "Money In The Bank" Means

Photo Courtesy Of WWE.com

CM Punk turned the WWE Universe completely upside down Sunday night when he defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship at Money In The Bank.

Yes, the same CM Punk who has threatened for weeks with some of the most brilliant promos we’ve seen in some time that he would leave the company and take the WWE belt with him, a la Ric Flair circa 1991.

Punk’s victory caps off an impressive three-week run that really catered towards the “smart marks,” highlighted by his “shoot” promo on Monday Night Raw June 27.

So, the $64,000 question is what happens next?

The stipulation added in the WWE Championship match was John Cena had to defeat CM Punk or he would be “fired” from the company (for the second time in eight months).

With Cena already booked in the WrestleMania 28 main event, we all know the uber babyface isn’t going anywhere.

Cena’s last firing lasted only 22 days and this one could be even shorter considering SummerSlam, one of the WWE’s marquee pay-per-views, is right around the corner. It wouldn’t surprise me if Cena was rehired on Monday Night Raw as part of a last-ditched effort to recapture the title from CM Punk.

As for the new WWE champion, the brand-new CM Punk t-shirt should have been a dead giveaway that both sides worked out worked out a new contract. CM Punk’s expiring contract wouldn’t have been such a major part of the storyline if he were indeed walking away following Money In The Bank.

Vince McMahon learned his lesson with Bret Hart in 1997 that you don’t want to roll the dice with a disgruntled superstar that has one foot out the door during the main event of a pay-per-view.

During his now infamous promo, CM Punk hinted at taking the WWE championship with him and defending it in Ring of Honor or New Japan Pro Wrestling. We’ve seen McMahon work out cross-promotion deals with ECW during the mid-1990s — could we see the same with ROH?

ROH isn’t considered a direct competitor to the WWE. It would be a win-win for both brands as ROH would benefit from the extra publicity and the WWE would earn respect from the hardcore wrestling community.

While it wasn’t mentioned during the broadcast, ROH star Colt Cabana had a front row seat at the Allstate Arena to see his friend CM Punk. After getting a mention on Raw and camera time Sunday night, the return of Cabana to the WWE might be part of the storyline surrounding CM Punk resigning with the company.

Regardless of what shakes out, Monday Night Raw could be one for the ages.