Having It Both Ways: Ways Cena Can Lose the Title and Not Get Fired

Can their clash at Money in the Bank end with Punk victorious and Cena still employed?
Photo Credit: WWE.com

The nadir for some of RAW on Monday was the end, where Vince McMahon laid down the stipulation for John Cena to be allowed to face CM Punk at Money in the Bank. If Cena allowed Punk to walk out of WWE with the Spinner Belt, he'd be fired. If it sounds familiar, well yeah, Cena had his job at stake in the Survivor Series main event, where if Wade Barrett didn't win the WWE Championship, he'd get shitcanned. Despite the fact that Randy Orton retained the title, Cena did not miss a single minute of run time. While I didn't have a problem with it at the time, in retrospect, it totally contributed to the total rushed feeling of the end of that angle.

So yeah, I can see where some skepticism would come in as to whether this is going to end up alright. I was caught up in the moment, so it didn't bother me then. It doesn't bother me now and won't bother me in the payoff unless it involves SuperCena decimating Punk. As with any intriguing scenario though, there are several great possibilities, and fantasy bookers everywhere have come up with scenarios. Two of my favorite have come from commenter Lucius/Havok816 of A1-Wrestling and Razor of Kick-Out!! However, both would involve Cena being gone from camera for a period of time. While I think Cena being out for a month or so wouldn't hurt, well, they were reluctant to do it in December, the deadest of the dead times for the company. Why would they do it in the build to SummerSlam?

However, there are ways that Cena can come out of this without his title but still with his job. I've got a bunch of scenarios that would fit the bill...

1. The Money in the Bank Winner Cashes in on CM Punk

This is the most obvious one, and it's the least creative one. Still, depending on who wins the briefcase, they could do worse than to crown a new Champion this way. I'm still not convinced that Cena/Rock SHOULD be for the title (it really doesn't need it), so Cena winning it back might not be a foregone conclusion.

2. CM Punk swerves the shit out of everyone, pulls out his extension and signs it of his own free will, preferably on top of the Spinner Belt

This would jibe with his tweets that mimicked his LiveJournal post, which ended in him signing his WWE developmental deal on top of the ROH World Championship. This is also my personal choice for an outcome, because it would mean a return match at SummerSlam most likely (Punk and Cena have PHENOMENAL chemistry in this blogger's view) and it would mean Punk's staying and is Champion. I don't feel like this needs more explanation.

3. Cena gets Punk to sign an extension as a way to keep his job

Here's the scenario. Punk wins the title, gets up holding the belt like the cat who ate the canary. He's strutting around, absorbing the adulation of his hometown crowd, ready to ride off into the sunset with his prize, going to the highest bidder. That is, until Cena, defeated, weary, broken, drags his body to the corner and calls for a microphone. He makes an impassioned plea for his job, letting Punk know that he did him a solid by putting his job on the line. Punk, being a man of honor and realizing that Cena did stand up for him after he basically ran The former Champ down for being an ass-kisser, returns the favor by signing an extension, sparing Cena's job. From there, he either turns face, or he continues the feud with Cena by kicking him in the face. Either one would do for me, as I don't care how Punk is presented, as long as he's there, y'know?

4. Punk and/or Cena somehow incapacitate Mr. McMahon before he can officially fire Cena

This one's multi-faceted. Basically, the end result is that McMahon gets put back into his coma due to a brutal beating before he can officially fire Cena. It might seem cheap in terms of semantics or whatnot, but it's also something WWE has pulled in the past. This would be the best option for them to keep Cena and still let Punk walk (triggering the story that Razor talked about on Episode 61 of Kick-Out!! Radio where they'd be without the WWE Championship for a month or more). The most intriguing iteration of this would be Punk and Cena teaming up. It would no doubt be the completion of Punk's major star turn, as he'd be aligned with Cena taking out the dastardly curmudgeon, Vince McMahon. A lot of things have changed in wrestling since 1997, but Vince McMahon's potential to be a proper villainous foil for ANYONE is one thing that's stayed the same.

5. Punk reveals himself the GM, re-hires Cena and holds the belt hostage for as long as he's on vacation

The more I think about it, the more I think this could be the best option. The scuttlebutt is that Punk definitely is leaving. I'm hesitant to believe it, because for one, the WWE could be working everyone though a GLAAD release and two, it's hard to believe that the career arc for Punk would be as such for a guy who's leaving, from him winning matches in the last two months to the big promo moment to the whole story devoted to him. That being said, if he does leave, allowing him to remain in the minds of the WWE fans as a remote GM voice wouldn't be the worst idea. Plus, it would allow for a lot of freedom to act within the time Punk's away as well as a ready-made story for his return.

Those are my five best options. Truthfully, my gut feeling, the one I've had all along actually, is that Punk is going to leave for a few months to a half-year and that we should be preparing for life without the best total performer in the business. And again, as long as he's not SuperCena'd into oblivion, I'm fine with it. However, it would be nice to have him sticking around, especially if he were the Champion.