By Will Pruett

Wednesday, October 10 - 12:05 P.M. (CT)

I couldn’t resist. I heard about Vince McMahon vs. C.M. Punk via Twitter while I was at work and I simply could not resist. I drove home and couldn’t wait to fire up the DVR to watch Raw.

Sure, I fast forwarded through silly dancing, squash matches, anything involving Larry King or his wife, and many other (possibly) important things. What didn’t I skip? Anything involving Vince McMahon, Paul Heyman, or C.M. Punk. Those were the segments that mattered and those were the segments that delivered.

From the “State of the WWE Address” that was never completed to the main event, my anticipation grew. Jim Ross giving McMahon a pep talk was amazing (although the references to Jerry Lawler’s heart attack were unnecessary). Paul Heyman’s fear of McMahon’s retaliation told a unique story of a heel with a conscience and fear of authority. Finally, Punk’s confidence and enthusiasm going into the match was exhilarating. I didn’t know what I would see, but I knew it would be good.

What it turned into was (basically) a perfect television main event. It’s hard to think of a match on television in the last few years that has been as exciting, as dynamic, and as enthralling as McMahon vs. Punk was. The crowd played into it perfectly. Punk sold himself masterfully as the maniacal and cocky villain. McMahon was the sympathetic promoter standing up for himself. It was old school wrestling with a new school twist.

This match will be a top contender for match of the year from me. I would probably place it above any of the Punk vs. Daniel Bryan matches we’ve seen. It was that well done. It will most likely win the honor of television match of the year.

The entire story that was told, right down to the entrance of Ryback as the arena shook with anticipation, was some of the best wrestling story-telling I can remember.

This was the magic of sports entertainment. This was everything I want wrestling to be. I’m not talking about blood and kendo sticks. I’m talking about logical stories exciting crowds and me at home on my couch. It’s hard to think of a moment I enjoyed more this year than Ryback’s music hitting in the middle of Punk vs. McMahon. It’s hard to think of a match that was constructed better for television.

In the end, this segment pumped up fans for one thing, delivered a compelling chapter to that story, and pointed towards next week with Punk’s choice between John Cena and Ryback. Wrestling is rarely this good. These moments are why I watch.

Kudos to Vince McMahon, C.M. Punk, Ryback, John Cena, Jim Ross, Michael Cole, and JBL. Their performances in the main event of Monday’s Raw were brilliant.

I don’t care what rating this segment does. I don’t care about “Punk selling to an old man.” I don’t care if someone thinks this “ruined” everything. This was a beautiful display of professional wrestling at its best.

Did you love Punk vs. McMahon as much as I did? Did you hate it? I want to hear from you! Feel free to email me at itswilltime@gmail.com or to hit me up on Twitter at twitter.com/itswilltime. Am I way off, or do I actually make sense? Let me know!

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