CM Punk’s failure at being the top guy in WWE – notwithstanding the monster push – seems to be the undercurrent amidst all the excitement leading up to MITB 2012. (This seems to be the most exciting MITB ever. I mean John Cena is going to climb the fudging ladder! But that’s not what this blog is about.)
This is about Punk not drawing, Punk not main-eventing, and Punk being a ‘hype’ bomb that didn’t kill anyone!
The only time I was floored by the presence of any wrestler was way back in 2002 when I first set my eyes on Brock Lesnar. I had returned to watching Wrestling after a 2-year absence – purely for old times’ sake – and was nodding off through an extremely boring SmackDown when I was jolted from my slumber by ‘something’ that I later soliloquized as “The man who looks like someone who could beat anyone, including The Big Show!”
[adinserter block=”2″]So I completely understand and second the “casual viewer argument”: ‘Punk doesn’t look like the guy who can beat anyone’. He may be the best wrestler in the world, but that’s not enough to be a champion.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
So here is why Punk was never destined for greatness (and why he must lose at MITB 2012.)
PUNK WAS NOT BUILT ENOUGH
There was not a single thing that went right for Punk; including MITB 2011. It was all too sudden. One fine RAW, he was talking on the mic, dropping ‘pipe bombs’ as though he was a genuine threat to John Cena, a man who he has never been able to beat convincingly under the right circumstances. Forget Cena, Punk wasn’t even winning comprehensively against any of the other top guys!
But, yes! We all enjoyed MITB 2011 and went berserk. We even threw back Cena’s T shirt (Twice!!!).
But that was because MITB 2011 was a gimmick angle. Nobody was thinking long term there. It was a flash. Punk was good for that. But a wrestler’s longevity is all about the feud. And Punk wasn’t good for a top level feud – just not threatening enough – and hasn’t had a worthy feud since he took on the Big Boy Scout.
PUNK CAME BACK TOO SOON
We all know this. They killed the goose right there! Rey Mysterio vs. John Cena should have happened at Summer Slam as a genuine main event. You can’t say, ‘hey this is Summer Slam; the big four. Need Punk here. He’s hot now. We can’t hold him back till ‘Night of Champions.’ (Well, if they had done that, for once the name ‘Night of Champions’ would have been truly justified.) There was even scope for a “Would Punk Re-sign?” angle.
Instead WWE made Del Rio cash in, let Cena beat Punk on RAW and go after the title leaving Punk to fight authority figures.
AUTHORITY FIGURES!
What better idea than Authority Figures for the New Age Steve Austin! But when you pit Punk against an “I won’t job to Punk” Helmsley – do I need to complete this sentence?
As for John Laurinaitis, he was coming across as a misunderstood official. Even when he started showing his true colors, all Punk would do was just fume and seethe and drop silly Pipe Bombs. Where were the GTSs when they were needed? He did it once on the year end show and what a rush it gave! Water under the bridge….
KEVIN NASH
Nash destroyed Punk and all he ever did in return was talk on the mic with a smirk. Is it any surprise that Punk failed to go over? I am not saying Punk should have returned the favor – Punk is a small man – Nash shouldn’t have been introduced into the Punk storyline at all! But as we learnt later, the original plan was to push Hemsley. Vocare Ad Regnum – married into the royal family!
NEW AGE AUSTIN
When Austin was rising through the ranks, there were no half measures. It was a pure monster push. Bret, Michaels, Taker; every single top guy had to job. Punk couldn’t have been pushed that way – again, small wrestler – but even then someone should have taken a back seat for Punk. No one did. Not HHH, not Laurinaitis (he benefited rather), not Nash; the only man who ever really jobbed was Cena. But then Cena soon started riding on the sympathy wave and went straight to the top, thanks to WrestleMania.
FEUDS
What followed were some of the worst feuds we had ever witnessed – Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho (No one can come a third time Chris!) and Mark Henry (this one especially looked like filler).
What probably saved Punk was the feud against Daniel Bryan. But then we had already seen this during the Champion Vs Champion farce in between. And now Bryan is doing exactly what Punk was supposed to do. Entertain!
PUNK TURNED FACE!
It’s all about merchandise sales, isn’t it? Kids should buy CM Punk action figures, clocks and ice cream bars. (I can almost hear Vince McMahon saying: ‘CM Punk, you are f….aced!’) The man was supposed to be oozing with heel charisma even if he wasn’t supposed to be a heel!
FUTURE
So is there any hope for CM Punk?
I would say lots!
But, Firstly, Punk needs to rediscover his lost edge. He was, a year back, a multidimensional wrestler. Now he is just a part of the goon show. The only way out is to lose to Bryan. That would kill the monotony of the current reign. Besides, being a ‘hunter’ would give him a lot of aggression.
Contrary to what one may think, this scenario won’t spoil the Cena – Punk storyline after the Big Boy Scout wins MITB. As a matter of fact, this will only spice things up and that is the second opening for Punk. Like it or not, Cena is still the top guy. Not just because WWE continues to push him, but because of his career. He is still relevant and the only guy who can make any other wrestler in the roster look main event! There, I said it! And I am a Cena hater!
Secondly, Punk should capitalize on the huge dearth of talent in the WWE. I don’t see anyone rising to Punk’s stature any time soon. Besides, all said and done, he is still very hot! Listen to the crowd during any of the SmackDown episodes.
[adinserter block=”1″]Thirdly, it would be a good idea for Punk to get himself ‘drafted’ to SmackDown and feud the likes of Orton, Del Rio (yes indeed!) and the up-and-coming Damien Sandow.
Lastly and most importantly, Punk needs to ask himself the question. “Do I feel lucky?”
Well do ya PUNK?
PS: By the way, Orton should turn heel. Fight, Win and defend the title against Sheamus, celebrate on SmackDown and pave way for Christian to come out and say “One More Chance!”
“If you want to understand wrestling, look at Hogan and Flair. The Big Pythonic Hogan can beat anyone and is a natural face. The small cocky Flair can’t win legitimately and is thus a heel. This is a universal principle.”
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Wow that's a lot of heat!
So let me set the record straight. If I have to list out my favorite wrestlers chronologically, they would be Bret Hart, Mick Foley, Brock Lesnar, Mr Anderson & CM Punk! Yes, CM Punk. So I am not a Punk-hater, but a Punkaholic.
But someone had to say it. How much ever great Punk might be in the ring and on the mic, things have just not been satisfactory. But am I saying other wrestlers – including Cena – have been doing great? Hell no!
Probably it’s not Punk’s fault that the WWE pulled the rug from under his feet. But unfortunately it reflects on him.
There is no question that Punk is arguably the best wrestler in the world right now. But there are millions who don’t look at the technical aspects of wrestling. Like Vince (McMahon), they like their champions to be the Ultimate Warriors and Rocks.
Also a champ's greatness is defined by a lot of other things as well. One of them is the unpredictability of his matches. Did we feel Ziggler was going to beat Punk? No! Did we feel Jericho was going to beat Punk? No! Did we feel Bryan was going to beat Punk? No! (Which is why I said, Punk must lose MITB 2012. It would have made him the hunter. Instead he is the hunted. That unfortunately puts Cena on top!) Again, probably not Punk's fault. But it reflects on him.
Also, if this is the second time we have been REALLY excited about a Punk match since MITB 2011, then there is something about Cena, isn’t there?
This isn't concerning Cm Punk I think Cena is the new Hulk Hogan look at Hogan about 1995 in Wcw he was resented by the fans cos they were sick and tired of him so he changed to Hollywood Hogan and that was better for him and I have to say Cena has to do this cos he is doing the same old shit that nobody wants to see anymore just like Hogan did
I can understand you not liking a wrestler, but to imply or blatlently say as a FACT that they aren't talented is a slap in the face. I mean, you say that Punk doesn't look like he could beat anyone, therefore he deserves to lose. To DANIEL BRYAN, who really looks unimposing. You say he's had a boring reign, but he's consistenly stolen the show with the BEST WRESTLING matches of the night. His problem isn't not being taken seriously by fans, it's not being taken seriously by management. I'm still tripping over the fact that an Indie guy has been this successful in the WWE, and CM Punk truly deserves this. Does Bryan? Abso-fucking-lutely! But his time will come. I'm sure very soon. But to say that the work Punk has been doing for the past year has been horrible is a slap in the face to true WRESTLING fans. I repeat, just because you don't like a wrestler, doesn't mean they aren't talented. Keep that in mind.
Ill jump in for a second. I appreciate the comment but I don't think Giri's opinion on Punk is a slap in the face to any "true" wrestling fan. It really is okay for people not to like Punk. Quite frankly, there are probably more people than you think that don't or he'd be moving ratings instead of losing viewers.
I always enjoy CM Punk, but maybe that's because I don't have something to compare him to. I had just recently started watching in summer 2010, the week after the NXT riot.
I'm trying to change this, with a massive archive binge. http://thevintagewrestler.blogspot.com/
Notice, every week Punk gets the mid-card match, and Cena gets main event? I don't think it's about who's bigger, it's about the timeslot. Notice this week Punk main evented, he drew MUCH more than Cena (in the mid-card). Plus, relive the feud with Nash/Punk. Punk was great on the mic, Nash didn't dominate him. His promo's sucked. The only one who beat Punk that you listed was Triple H, but he wasn't even supposed to face Punk, Kevin Nash was. And if you read, CM Punk was supposed to beat Nash.