I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt that this past Monday's Raw was...odd, especially the ending. Sure, you could see some direction for the big picture, but it felt too removed from the greatness of the previous few weeks with CM Punk owning the show. Obviously Vince McMahon refusing to mention Punk by name had a point as far as encouraging chants and what not, but the closing angle with Triple H taking over the company felt disconnected from what had been going on.
Well, today's angle at the San Diego Comic-Con with Punk confronting Triple H (during the WWE/Mattel panel that also included Rey Mysterio, Bret Hart, and Raw writer Brian Gewirtz) put the show into perspective. It was just a piece of the puzzle. Triple H, with his new regime, wants to get Punk back, and is (at least claiming to be) willing to talk to him. Punk wants to enjoy himself take time off, but also clearly establish that he's the real champion, and if there are going to be any title matches, then the challenge should come to Chicago. Studio wrestling is unfortunately dead, but maybe Punk can revive it in the Colt Cabana Podcast Studio(...apartment).
WWE has a clear plan that they're working with Punk on. They're thinking outside the box. They're being patient. The only question (besides the disconnect of keeping Gewirtz on the panel when they were shooting an angle where pro wrestling is a legitimate competition) is how long they can go without mentioning Punk on TV. Could the Triple H angles this week be a sign that he will be taking the opposite approach of Mr. McMahon (as in the character) about mentioning Punk as part of the on-screen regime change?