The Summer of Punk, back in 2011 was a sort of a mini-boom for the promotion. The aftermath to the much-hyped WrestleMania 27 elicited much backlash as Cena, who had just won the title from Miz and Morrison in a triple threat match seemed destined to hold onto the title for a year, as a means to make his showdown with The Rock at the next WrestleMania even bigger. After the burst of excitement and nostalgia brought on by the Rock, things were back to square one with Cena as the champion, reigning for the foreseeable future.
Then, at the end of a largely uneventful episode of RAW, CM Punk sat down on the ramp and threw the wrestling world off its axis. The upcoming PPV, Money in the Bank 2011 was one of the most anticipated events in quite some time and by the end of the critically acclaimed main event between John Cena and CM Punk, the self-anointed “Voice of the Voiceless” blew a kiss to a worried Vince McMahon at ringside, and then left the company, with the cherished title on his shoulder.
Indeed, the Summer of Punk was well thought out and booked appropriately but only up till a certain point because as soon as Triple H and Kevin Nash became a part of the storyline, the once-promising angle festered into a mess. The plot was simple enough; Triple H and CM Punk would try to recreate the magic of Vince McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin but after a confusing loss to Triple H at Night of Champions, CM Punk was pretty much out of the picture and, Triple H was the focal point in the coming months. The authority itself was the babyface and the angle was doomed from that point on.
Why Did Raw Go On Strike In 2011?
Meanwhile, The Miz and R-Truth, the two top heels of the company at that time, began attacking random superstars and complained of a conspiracy to keep them out of the main event picture. This culminated at the Hell in a Cell PPV, where the two interfered in the main event between John Cena, Alberto Del Rio, and CM Punk, beating up all three competitors until security escorted the two out of the arena. Triple H was now portrayed as a distraught authority figure, trying to put on a show for the beloved fans and that is when the burial ground was prepared.
The next episode of RAW was when Triple H had his greatest hour. Due to the danger posed by a grand total of two superstars, the rest of the roster found the WWE no longer safe to work. Therefore, the roster, minus a few chosen ones, gave Triple H a vote of no confidence and walked out on the COO of the company. The ring announcers and commentators soon followed and Triple H was left alone in the middle of the ring as the entire workforce deserted him.
The crowd then proceeded to rain a chorus of boos on the roster as they left the arena. The entire roster was now a heel while Triple H, who was supposed to be the roadblock in the revolution of change that CM Punk had promised, was the face in the entire ordeal. The COO remained in the ring with a small smirk on his face, no selling the severity of the situation. That was merely a flesh wound.
The big pay-off occurred in the next episode of RAW. The show went live on air, starting off with a view of an empty backstage area until Triple H came onto the camera and the crowd erupted with cheers for the hero of the show. Apparently, the camera and audio equipment personnel were still around and so Triple H came to his signature music and a ton of camera cuts, befitting the top face of the company.
The stage belonged to Triple H and the man spent the next 15 minutes burying his entire roster without mercy. The stupidity of the angle was apparent when even Triple H poked fun and lashed out at the roster for being afraid to work against the threat of two superstars. Simply put, Triple H was the courageous one for having the gall to show up to work despite the obvious threat, while the protesting wrestlers were cowards and losers, as well the bad guys, who had walked out on not just Triple H but the WWE Universe.
Triple H ended his painful promo by claiming that a broomstick would give him a better match than the folks outside the arena. The crowd cheered every word and Triple H maintained a condescending attitude throughout the segment as if he was not bothered in the least by the group of losers outside the arena. This group, for the record, included the World Heavyweight Champion, Mark Henry, and Women’s champion, Beth Phoenix. John Cena and Sheamus then came out to commend Triple H and so did CM Punk. After all that had happened between the two, CM Punk sided with Triple H and after the three superstars joined in the burial of the roster; the walk-out angle proceeded no further. Vince McMahon returned to relieve Triple H of his duties and everything was back to normal.
The Most Overlooked Burial of all Time?
The aftermath to this horrific conclusion was even worse as Triple H feuded with Kevin Nash, in the year 2011 while the so very dangerous duo of the Miz and R-Truth lost to John Cena and The Rock in a borderline squash match at Survivor Series of that year.
The opening segment of the RAW in question is regarded as something memorable but in actuality, RAW 10/10/11 was the date of one of the biggest burials in the history of the company. Aside from a select few, every superstar on the roster was reduced to a cowardly and selfish heel that walked out on the WWE Universe, just so Triple H could outdo himself by burying the entire roster and be cheered while doing so.