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Comparing CM Punk’s Victory at Money in the Bank to Cubs-Cardinals

By Michael Whitlow

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Believe it or not, folks, the Chicago Cubs are four wins away from a World Series appearance. Coincidentally, one of their biggest celebrity fans had a similar underdog story four years ago, and the comparison is impeccable.

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On July 17, 2011, wrestling fans in Chicago were treated to the pay-per-view of the year for any promotion. The Money in the Bank pay-per-view was “for the hardcore fans”.

Not only did current Lucha Underground star and AAA Mega Champion Alberto Del Rio win Raw’s Money in the Bank ladder match, Daniel Bryan — the newer “hottest thing since Stone Cold Steve Austin” in WWE — climbed to top of the ladder and snagged SmackDown’s briefcase.

The main event of the evening was more for the fans than anything. With his contract dispute well-documented and the broadcast team at ringside announcing that he declined WWE’s latest contract offer, CM Punk entered the Allstate Arena like a god among mortals. When it comes to wrestling in the city of Chicago, there’s no one more beloved than CM Punk.

Speaking of beloved figures in Chicago, Monday night brought one of the biggest moments in Chicago sports history:

Sure, the Chicago Cubs have been to the National League Championship Series before. I don’t really need to go into detail about “The Steve Bartman Game“, do I? No? OK, good.

But, this Cubs team was built differently. This team wasn’t supposed to be here; at least not yet. This team — who mind you, started an entire infield in Game 4 on Monday born AFTER stadium lights were installed at Wrigley Field in 1988 — was supposed to be here next year.

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They went against the grain. The kids of the North Side of Chicago played loose and relaxed against Major League Baseball’s “gold standard”. They had fun and didn’t care what the critics said of them. They just played the game and had a blast doing it. The St. Louis Cardinals, the heavily favored opponent of the Cubs, are simply the Spurs of MLB, the hypothetical Patriots of the diamond, the Blackhawks of baseball … and yes, the John Cena of America’s Pastime.

So, what did the 2015 Chicago Cubs do in the face of the biggest adversity this young group of stars has faced? They beat their biggest out-of-town rival three times in four days to sit just four wins away from the organization’s first World Series appearance since 1945.

Not only did they dispatch themselves of the team that’s kicked them in the face repeatedly and won 11 World Series titles since 1926, they did at the The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field. From the moment the Cubs hit the field on Tuesday night, the crowd was into it. Every pitch, every hit, every defensive play made, Cubs fans couldn’t sit still.

Then, with the Cubs clinging to a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning after two timely home runs earlier in the game, one of those young kids set off a volcanic eruption inside the city of Chicago.

Kyle Schwarber, a 22-year-old catcher-turned-outfielder that was drafted just last year, clubbed a monstrous home run to give the Cubs a 6-4 lead and put the Cardinals to sleep for the season.

The Cubs would rack up the final six outs and the party began.

Doesn’t that sound like some other match of epic proportions that we sat and watched in awe about four years ago?

Think about it: CM Punk was already a three-time World Heavyweight Champion. But, outside of the city of Chicago (and a few others like myself), who really thought Punk was a legitimate superstar? It took a promo of a lifetime for CM Punk to finally receive the push he rightfully deserved in WWE; just like the Cubs shutting out the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road of the 2015 National League Wild Card Game. (Oh yeah, there was a common trend from that game, too.)

Then, when Punk got his chance — just like Kyle Schwarber did back in June when the Cubs had injury issues behind the plate — he took the ball and ran with it.

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The Punk-Cena match-up was the cliche’ of “the corporation’s face against the people’s face”, but the two made it work well. Cena challenged whether or not Punk had the guts to face him man-to-man, while Punk entertained us all and seemingly came out of nowhere to become the hottest trend on the planet. (I still never received my WWE Ice Cream Bars, Mr. McMahon.)

The so-called “Best Fans in Baseball” challenged the Cubs and their tortured fans of 100+ years. They knew they were MLB’s golden ticket. The Cubs didn’t show a glimpse of fear; just like Punk. He fought his way to this position and wanted to prove to everyone that he can take the throne and be “the man”.

What better place to prove you belong than in the city that made you who you are?

On this night, I was that tortured Cub fan of many years. I knew how good Punk really was, and I knew that this was his night. This was our night. This night was for everyone who rode with Punk through the ECW days (like I did) and before his time with WWE. This night was for Colt Cabana and Ace Steel — two of Punk’s best friends — who sat in the front row of ringside for Punk’s big night. Most importantly, this was for Punk, who worked his tail off to get to this very spot.

And when Killswitch Engage’s This Fire Burns blasted through the speakers at Allstate Arena and Punk declared that it was clobberin’ time, there was no way that he was leaving Chicago without the gold.

Similar to Schwarber’s moonshot on Tuesday night, when Punk put the mighty Cena to sleep and literally took home the gold, it was the done in the most perfect way possible.

The irony in comparing the 2015 Chicago Cubs to CM Punk is, well … guess who was in attendance for Game 4 on Tuesday night?

Why wouldn’t CM Punk be in attendance for the biggest game for the Cubs in the last 12 years? I mean, the night he won the title four years ago, he took a limo straight to his home in Chicago and partied with Cabana and Steel in the streets with a Cubs hat on.

Tuesday night was a tremendous feel-good sports moment for Chicago. Not only did the youthful Cubs advance to the NLCS, it was the first time a Chicago baseball team clinched a postseason series in Chicago since 1906. That was the year the White Sox — the Cubs’ arch-rivals to the South Side of the city — clinched a World Series title. (Note: That 1906 title won by the White Sox? They beat the Cubs to win it.)

Good luck to the winner of the other National League Division Series match-up between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. You might be in some trouble. The clobberin’ Cubs are for real.

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