WWE SummerSlam, Los Angeles, CA
Request via Ko-fi. This was my first big show really back as a wrestling fan after some years out of the loop, just casually watching. I’ve never truly stopped, and never will. Eight years later, still around again. Punk had been with Paul Heyman during his WWE championship run, but then Heyman turned on Punk at Money in the Bank, and brought back Brock Lesnar to deal with the problem.
This pre-dates the run of “Lesnar vs Workrate Guys” from 2017-19, notably the Styles, Bryan, and Balor matches. And Punk wasn’t that kind of “workrate guy,” anyway. So this is definitely a different style of match. This is Punk, a guy who against the odds made it to the very top of WWE (or close to the very top, depending on how you’re looking at it), taking on the sort of opponent he really hasn’t had to deal with. Lesnar is a special, unique force of nature. This is far beyond the Rybacks or Kanes or even Undertakers. It’s just a different thing with Brock.
This is no DQ, which in one way favors Lesnar, but it’s kinda the same way Lesnar is just a huge favorite in the first place. No DQ gives Punk the chance to legally use weapons and kick nutsacks and whatever else, at least. So realistically it raises ol’ CM’s chances. And Lawler gets around to saying that, too, which means Jerald is the only true analyst here.
Early stuff is Punk trying to fight but Lesnar just physically dominating him. Punk rocks him with a high knee, though, and then knocks him out to the floor with another one. Punk knows it has to be all or nothing, so he takes off with a tope suicida, which connects.
That’s the tone of things early, and it’s a somewhat surprising start where Punk just hurls himself around at Lesnar and keeps having success doing so. Punk is building sincere confidence here, but he gets distracted by Heyman and winds up blindsided by Lesnar. He should know better, but now that he’s a babyface he’s pretty stupid. It’s wrestling science.
Lesnar just absolutely LAUNCHES Punk over the Spanish commentary desk, and then over the English desk, and then he takes a bit of wood and puts it on Punk’s back and just stomps on it like a motherfucker.
“Guys, CM Punk had a flurry early, but it’s all done. It’s done,” Michael Cole notes, just as Lesnar overheads Punk in a belly-to-belly on the floor. It’s not subtle, but it’s also not cartoonish the way Cole notes the change in vibe.
Back in the ring, Punk tries to jump in with some leg kicks, but Lesnar clobbers him down with a lariat. Lesnar talking shit over a downed Punk, stepping on his hand just because he can, just because he’s a fucking bully. And you have to note the size of Lesnar here. When he’s not fucking around with UFC testing protocols, he is an absurd legitimate beast of a person. When he is, he is merely an outlandish freak of nature.
Brock works a bearhug, Punk keeps trying to fight his way out, and he does eventually manage. And as soon as he puts Lesnar down to a knee with some kicks, Punk goes up top — but he’s caught, just tossed overhead again.
Also worth noting Punk was probably a legit 205-220 or so (announced at 2018) here and while he’s not at the lean ass 170 he was for UFC, doing that weight cut a few years back and laying off weights in general means he’s definitely much bigger here than he was on Saturday against Darby Allin.
Punk keeps desperately throwing what he can, when he can at Lesnar, and gets him up for the GTS, but Lesnar blocks going over for the knee, and grabs the Kimura. Punk can’t do much about this, especially when Lesnar drags it to the mat. But Punk DOES manage to counter, and has a cross armbreaker. Lesnar turns over and Punk has a triangle, with Lesnar considering tapping before he deadlifts Punk and bombs him down.
But Punk holds on to the triangle. And then he gets VIOLENTLY power bombed out of it. The crowd are super into this match at this point, both have done their jobs to a high end degree and delivered what they’re good at, Punk even stepping up his game, I think, to make his charge at winning this thing even more believable.
And you can see the crowd support for Punk, along with the fact that the guy just won’t fuck off and die, does get into Lesnar’s head. He wanders out to grab a chair from ringside, but Punk flies down onto him. Punk lands on Lesnar, but the chair does still jam Punk in the ribs, so nobody really wins there.
Punk does get to use the chair, but Lesnar gets it — and Punk goes low as soon as Brock raises the chair high for a swing. Punk flies with the elbow again, this time using the chair for some added damage.
Heyman gets involved again as a distraction, but winds up being choked by his tie while Lesnar is trying to F5 Punk. That fucks up Lesnar, and Punk hits the GTS for a two count that Heyman breaks up. But that means Heyman is now in the ring and right there. Lesnar’s down and rocked. Heyman tries running away, and does a good enough job for Punk the idiot to walk into the F5. But Punk counters mid-air with a DDT for another LONG two count.
Anaconda Vise while Punk talks shit to Heyman on the outside, eyes on him so Heyman can’t surprise with a run-in. But of course he does come in with a chair, and Punk is there to cut him off. Finally, Heyman eats a straight right hand to the nose, and Punk puts the Vise on Heyman, who taps, but of course now Lesnar has the chair and just CRACKS Punk.
F5 on the chair. Lesnar wins.
This is a great, great match, one of the best of either man’s career. It’s maybe a bit over-complicated with the Heyman stuff for some folks’ liking, but I don’t mind all that, and I think Paul plays a useful role here as an inspiration for both good and bad on either side, a motviation, an agitator, a distraction, and just an all-around nuisance. Punk is given a TON in this match and a chance to look like he absolutely can beat Brock Lesnar straight up; not easy, but he can do it if everything goes right and he can survive. So the toughness is proven, he can survive the Brock onslaughts, but then it’s just that everything doesn’t quite go right. And you feel bad, because Punk just showed he’s still up there with anyone for real, including mercenary lunatics so far out of UFC testing that they’re rocking up to the SummerSlam at like 320.
Tape Machines Are Rolling 
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