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It’s no coincidence that CM Punk is at the heart of these last three PPVs being must-see. He’s a different kind of character that builds interest in his PPV matches like no one else in the last few years, but it’s his in-ring performances that have me feeling like I’d be foolish not to see his next big match. This upcoming bout with Triple H is something I nearly wrote a column about - suggesting it should headline Wrestlemania. I applaud the WWE for doing match at N.O.C. that could have been on a Mania card. Trips is one of the best of all-time and showed at Mania 27 that he can still tell a helluva story in the ring, even if it was against an aging veteran whose body is breaking down. In three weeks, when he steps into the ring with a hungry, motivated wrestler coming off two straight matches at the 4-5 star level (by the account of most critics), I am quite excited to see what Trips can do. This is a good opportunity for both men, in terms of work rate. Punk can only help himself with a great match against the heir apparent to Vince McMahon. Triple H can only further his legacy. What has me the most intrigued is the booking of the finish. The IWC is already nervous for Punk. To me, that makes the whole presentation that much more entertaining. I will be on the edge of my seat as the finish draws near, much the same way that I was during the Cena vs. Punk match in Chicago. We all want Punk to succeed. He talks of change and he brings something different to the table that none of us want to see buried. Considering that Trips might have the worst reputation amongst the IWC of anyone not named John Cena, particularly for his so-called “burials” of talent in the past, I think he’s the perfect opponent for Punk. The emotions that these two will draw from the smarks will boost the profile of the match. With every false finish that Triple H gains on Punk, the smarks will gasp. For every near fall that Punk scores on Trips, the energy amongst the smarks will reach a fever pitch. When they go into the finish, it will keep everyone guessing…and, no matter who wins, that will be the match that people will be talking about after the show. Matches like Trips-Punk also tend to elevate an entire PPV. Punk and Trips will be expected to earn MOTN honors, but you’ve got two of the top three wrestlers in the company not named CM Punk in the other two biggest matches. Orton is on fire; he’ll be motivated to get more out of Mark Henry. Cena is also red hot right now and he’ll want to get the most that he can out of the very game Alberto Del Rio. The game of one-upmanship amongst top stars is what you expect at a PPV. My expectations for Night of Champions, thanks to Triple H vs. CM Punk, just rocketed up several notches…
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