CM Punk vs. Umaga in a Samoan Strap Match
We continue on through the year of 2009 as we hit the summer and going into this show, this random feud between Punk and Umaga continued on after Umaga got the surprising clean win back at Judgment Day. Obviously with Punk losing at the last PPV, you figured that he was due to get his win back against Umaga and it was also interesting with the stipulation that they picked for this show with the Samoan Strap match even though it was pretty much just a normal strap match called Samoan to seemingly give Umaga an edge. Given that this match did have a stipulation on it, you figured that Punk was going to win to bring an end to this feud though the question after this would be how much longer would it be until he cashed in his MITB contract as he did it around this time last year. On the flip side, if this was the end of the feud, you did wonder where Umaga would go after this if he would move up the card as a title contender or if he will be a fixture in the midcard as a gatekeeper heel for faces to move up.
On the 5/22 Smackdown, Punk defeated Chris Jericho by DQ when Umaga attacked him with a strap and he would speak for the first time as he challenged Punk to a strap match at the PPV, and on the 5/29 Smackdown Umaga lost a match to John Morrison by DQ when he assaulted him with the strap until Punk made the save and he hit Umaga with the briefcase twice before cutting a promo on the PPV. On the 6/5 Smackdown, Punk defeated Umaga clean in a straight match to build momentum for this match, and it was a bit strange they had Punk beat Umaga 2 nights before the PPV though now this in essence makes this match the rubber match and you figured for sure this would be the end of the feud.
Punk gets a big pop from the crowd while Umaga had solid heat as a heel, and the match would work like a normal strap match where the first man to touch all four corners in succession would win. The two men jockey for position with the strap to start as Umaga pulls Punk into him and Punk pounds on him, but Umaga shoves him away as Punk gets a kick and pounds on Umaga who shoves him into the corner. Punk catches him with a back elbow only for Umaga to hit a back elbow and he touches two buckles until Punk hits the running knee in the corner, but Umaga shoves him off a bulldog attempt only to miss a diving headbutt and Punk kicks at him twice before touching two buckles. Umaga uses the strap to whip Punk into the corner and he hits a Samoan drop as he whips Punk with the strap, and he kicks Punk to the mat and continues to whip him with the strap as he hits a headbutt and a jumping headbutt on Punk. Umaga rolls outside and drags Punk to the corner by the strap as he pulls him into the post and he rams the arm into the steps twice, and he hoists Punk up for a suplex and drops him on the top rope as he hits a superkick that knocks Punk to the floor. He touches two buckles as he drags Punk onto the apron only for Punk to get a kick in and he hits a springboard clothesline, and he tries to hoist Umaga onto his shoulders only for Umaga to slide off and he hits a spin kick on Punk. Punk avoids a charge in the corner as Umaga hits the post and Punk crotches him with the strap as Umaga rolls outside to regroup, and Punk uses the strap to pull Umaga into the post as Umaga rolls back into the ring and Punk hits a second running knee in the corner. He hits the running bulldog on Umaga and touches three buckles only for Umaga to pull him into a spinning slam, and he touches three buckles though Punk holds the ropes to prevent Umaga from touching the fourth and he pulls the top rope down as Umaga tumbles over the top to the floor. Punk touches three buckles only for Umaga to pull him to the mat and he knocks Punk down before going up top, but Punk uses the strap to slam Umaga to the mat and he touches three buckles as Umaga tries to keep him away from the fourth. He looks for the Samoan Spike only for Punk to hoist him on his shoulders and he hits the Go 2 Sleep before hitting the fourth buckle to win the match.
However, Punk’s night is not over as at the end of the night, Jeff Hardy would defeat Edge in a ladder match to become the new World Heavyweight Champion, and Jim Ross would attempt to interview Hardy only for Punk to come out and announce he is cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase. The match begins as Punk hoists Hardy onto his shoulders and hits the Go 2 Sleep though only gets two as Hardy nearly surprises him with a small package for a two count, and Hardy fights to his feet only for Punk to kick him in the head as he hoists him up and hits a second Go 2 Sleep which gets the three and Punk is the new World Heavyweight Champion to close out the show in a shocker.
The match itself was pretty good as both men worked hard and put on a solid strap match. These two men showed that they still had good chemistry though it didn’t seem like they used the strap to its fullest advantage at points, and they did play up the story well of whether Punk would be able to get Umaga around to touch the corners. Going in, you figured that Punk would win this match after Umaga won the match last month, but again with Punk winning their match on Smackdown 2 nights ago there was always a chance that Umaga could win though in the end Punk does get the win. But ultimately, this match is in essence forgotten as Punk ends up cashing in his briefcase at the end of the night and becomes World Heavyweight Champion, and that was a unique decision as he cashed in on a heel last year only to cash in on a face this year and we will see how that plays out. The crowd was into the match and popped for Punk when he beat Umaga, but they are left stunned when Punk defeated Hardy and there were even some boos as well. Punk gets the win over Umaga and also ends the night as World Heavyweight Champion, but his issues with Hardy are just getting started.
Final Grade: ***
