After the June 27th edition of WWE’s flagship show Raw, the internet wrestling community was electrified by the strange promo that CM Punk cut on John Cena at the end of the show. In WWE, sports entertainment has focused significantly more on the entertainment aspect of pro wrestling and the sports aspect has been lost in the process. In a world where everyone knows the outcomes are predetermined, there isn’t much to get too excited about. Until...
CM Punk came on the WWE scene in 2006 during the WWE’s ECW show. Remarkably, after ECW was taken off the air, Punk did not just fade gently into the great goodnight that has claimed the careers of many potential superstars. Punk got sent off to Smackdown where he won three World Heavyweight Championships. He was later dealt to the Raw brand where he showed that he is not only a talented wrestler in the ring; he can hang with the best on commentary. Punk is the epitome of hard work and talent rising to the top and it’s interesting that he was able to overcome all the politics and influences that have sabotaged many a superstar’s career.
What I have always liked about Punk (in addition to his talent) is that he is the exact polar opposite of who Vince McMahon usually goes for. When even to this day we have over sized slugs who can barely move in the ring, much less put on an entertaining match, it’s obvious that the company puts far more emphasis on size and not as much on actual ability. Great Khali will continue to receive push after push, whereas Daniel Bryan can barely buy a storyline. Occasionally a superstar will become successful despite the office (i.e. Cody Rhodes awesome gimmick compared to Ted Dibiase’s frequent non-pushes) and this is what my opinion is on CM Punk.
Which is why it’s so shocking on the June 27th edition of Raw when Punk got on the ramp, sat down and told the truth. He claimed that Cena, The Rock, and even John Lauranitis were good at kissing the boss’s ass. He speculated that the company will be no better off when Vince is dead, because it will be Steph and Triple H who are in line to take over the “family business.” He began a story about the WWE’s much promoted Anti-Bullying campaign and that’s when the mic was cut off. The show abruptly went off the air with Punk screaming “I have been silenced” into the camera.
The big question about was this a work or shoot should have been answered the following week when Cena confronted Vince and got the match with Punk re-instated for the July 17th PPV “Money in the Bank.” Obviously WWE knew that Punk was going to do the promo and having the show go immediately to black was a nice touch and added a good amount of realism to the angle, which is built around Punk’s contract expiring and his threatening to leave WWE with their main belt. Obviously this would be a very embarrassing situation for WWE and is one of the key factors in the infamous “Montreal Screwjob” when Vince took the belt off Bret Hart because he feared he might take it to WCW. This situation is different and whether Punk has really re-signed his contract or not, it is doubtful he would actually leave with the belt.
Which brings us to the ultimate question: Does Punk deserve to win the WWE Championship?
And my answer is YES! The man spent a short amount of time in WWE’s developmental system, but this is a man who has paid his dues in the independent promotions and internationally. He doesn’t have the generic, cookie cutter look that the developmental wrestlers tend to have. And he’s talented in the ring. As champion we could be treated to many great potential main events (Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, The Miz, Kofi Kingston, Drew McIntyre, et al.) But the biggest plus to putting the belt on CM Punk is that he might draw back fans that left the WWE Universe because they were tired of having John Cena and Randy Orton shoved down their throats. Given time to develop with the belt, his reign could also draw in casual fans that are just looking for something new. But the main reason he deserves the title is simple…HE EARNED IT! Let us believe in the American Dream Mr. McMahon. Let us believe that a poor kid from Chicago can rise up to WWE Champion without looking like a body builder. Reward talent over complacency and bring in new fans.
With CM Punk, this is WWE’s chance to put the Wrestling back in WWE.
Does CM Punk Deserve to Win the WWE Championship? : Wrote by KC
Does he deserve it? Absolutely. Not even a question. He is a consistently good performer, has good mic skills and he sells tickets. He is an unconventional total package. People tune in to see what he will do and he has reached the place in his career where his name is a main event draw.
ReplyDeleteThe real question is...will he get it? They can't give it to him b/c (kayfabe) he leaves with the title and they have to (kayfabe) fire the roster's biggest face. They can't have him leave b/c the attention and ratings he's commanding with this 'rant/going off' angle.
As much as I like this angle, like the Nexus one, they've backed the story into a corner where no outcome it gonna satisfy any one. But in the tone of your article, based on ability, talent, charima, character (he's the biggest heel as of now), skill etc etc, he does deserve the title. There's lotsa other guys with more of one of those elements than him, (Daniel Bryan skill, Christian charisma) but none of them have enough of all those traits like Punk
Personally, the only outcome that would sustain my interest is a CM Punk win. Not because he deserves it, because in a story driven "sport" I don't know if anyone claim to deserve anything. I think the ones who deserve a CM Punk win are the fans who've been longing for a reason to watch, but haven't because they see they can't stand what they've been seeing every week.
ReplyDeleteWith a CM Punk win they can run a title hostage angle with Punk, as well as remove Cena for a time to build up a massive heel turn. Let's face it, folks don't watch because the product has been stale for years. With a Cena win, Punk leaves and...well...it's just business as usual.
As a fan that would like to come back to the product he grew up watching, I'm hoping for a Punk win. I see no upside with any other outcome.
Oh, and I don't see how any of this is anything other than a total work...so yeah.