Possible opponent revealed for PPV; Ryback makes bold claim

In a follow-up to my article yesterday on who WWE Champion CM Punk might face at the upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view in about 2 weeks, some possible spoilers about who Punk will choose to face at the PPV have surfaced. WWE CEO Vince McMahon laid out an ultimatum on Monday Night RAW, stating Punk either had to defend the title against John Cena or Ryback at the event, or Vince himself would make the choice. While Punk has not made an official choice yet, there are two pieces of evidence that likely point to Cena getting the nod.

First, at house show (non-televised event) in Jonesboro, Arkansas last night, Punk cut a promo in front of the live crowd, stating that he would be facing Cena at HIAC. While some might immediately take this as Punk/Cena being official, you have to consider that WWE often “tests the water”, so-to-speak, at these house shows to see what works. While Cena/Punk is the more likely of the two matches to happen, this is not an official decision, and the official decision will not be made until Monday night.

In more evidence that will fuel the potential Cena/Punk match, Cena took to his Twitter account, telling his followers that he will be ready to go for the upcoming event. Cena stated the following on his official account on the popular microblogging site:

Just finished four hours of physical therapy. If @CMPunk (the official Twitter account of CM Punk) chooses me @wwe (official WWE account) ill be ready for #hellinacell

Again, Cena has not been medically cleared as of today to compete at Hell in a Cell, but if he is progressing as well as he claims, this match seems even more likely to occur.

Speaking of Hell in a Cell, Ryback, the other possible opponent for Punk at the PPV, made some very interesting remarks regarding the constant comparisons to former World Champion Goldberg since debuting with WWE earlier this year (under the new gimmick, at least). Ryback did an interview with WWE Magazine, saying “people are misinformed” in regards to the comparisons. He went a little further in-depth, stating the following in the same interview:

People see a big guy with a shaved head who’s intense, and they draw those comparisons. I will say this: Goldberg did this for the money. He was never a fan of wrestling. I do this because I have a passion for it, and that’s the biggest difference between Goldberg and me. I’m not here to make five million dollars and then walk away. I’m here for life. And, I firmly believe that I’m much better than he was in the ring. He was great, and I was a fan of his when I was younger. But I feel I’m a better athlete and wrestler than Goldberg ever was, and people are going to see that over time.

Regardless of your opinion of the man, he makes excellent points. Goldberg was never a fan of wrestling, and really only got into it because he saw how much money could be made, not to mention it was his chance to really become a star athlete and a potential role model. Goldberg himself has stated this on numerous occasions, so Ryback isn’t lying. While the in-ring talent comparisons are debatable, Goldberg was never the best performer in the ring, which is part of why he worked short squash matches during his career (a way to hide his weaknesses and focus on his strengths, much like numerous other “big man” wrestlers). There is a reason he was referred to as “Greenberg” during his career, after all.