How far can CM Punk go in WWE History

 

It is now more than a year since CM Punk defeated Alberto Del Rio for the WWE title, and in that time frame, there may never have been a WWE champion who has been as critiqued, criticized, cheered, booed and misunderstood in some instances than the current titleholder.

As an ECW champion once, the world heavyweight champion three times and the WWE champion twice, Punk has cemented himself as one of the greatest champions in this company, but it is this current reign as champion which has really defined him as a top wrestler in the WWE.

From the time he dropped his famous “shoot interview” until now, we as fans have loved and hated him like no other wrestler, ever.

This includes John Cena, Hulk Hogan and any other wrestler who has grown tired on the WWE Universe as a champion and a longtime solution to title reigns when there have been other competent performers who could have carried the flagship.

CM Punk is a true enigma, a hero to some with his words and his style, a villain to others with his attitude and his appearance. He is the antithesis of Cena and The Rock and a small resemblance to the beginnings of Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Punk represents many great wrestlers all rolled into one.

Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and even Harley Race can all be seen in Phillip Jack Brooks. He transcends the decades and brings the show of past years to the fans. And when he’s “on” and performing like he does, there are few others who can sell a match like it is the greatest thing ever created.

Watch matches with Cena, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz and R-Truth from 18 months ago, and you see a man who helped his opponents get over in the business. He is a true performer, who broke the stereotype that Vince McManhon created, insisting the world champion must be a “big hulking wrestler.”

His words stung, his demeanor was sullen and he has bitched and whined and complained and it all made sense because we all bought into his character. His legacy is cemented in the fact that he can command attention like Austin or Jericho or Michaels or any other WWE Superstar of the past.

And fans are either cheering him or booing him. There is no “in the middle” with him like Cena who is the Tim Tebow of his generation.

Punk is as much an important part of the new “era” of wrestling as Degeneration X, Mr. McMahon, Steve Austin and the “Montreal Screw Job” is to the business. That has to do with the growth of Punk’s character and the direction this company is moving. While writers are still in “PG” mode, the degree to which writers are “pushing the envelope” means we will see Punk push the edge as well.

This can only help cement his legacy even more, which is a good thing for the WWE.

Does CM Punk Deserves to Face The Rock at WrestleMania

CM Punk has held the WWE Championship for 379 consecutive days as of this writing, a feat that has placed him firmly in the record books.

He has held nearly every major championship in WWE and worked some of the biggest names in the business including the Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Randy Orton and of course, John Cena. But he has one opponent left to face and one mountain left to climb.

The time has come for CM Punk to face The Rock in the main event of WrestleMania.

To be honest, I have long held the opinion that Rocky will square off against Cena, in a rematch from this year’s Mania.  Though Vince McMahon had advertised WrestleMania 28’s epic showdown as “once in a lifetime,” I for one was not convinced that would actually be the case.

After all, this is WWE we’re talking about here, where anything can happen, right?

Rock vs. Cena at WrestleMania 28 was a huge moneymaker for WWE, and was the biggest WWE pay-per-view of all time.  Why would any promoter, especially McMahon, stop with just one match?

Why not cash in one more time?  Certainly every issue between Rocky and John could not have been resolved with just one bout, why not give fans another great WWE moment?

A win over Rocky would vindicate John from this year’s loss and would once again reestablish him as the undisputed top dog of WWE.  No doubt about it, that was definitely my train of thought when considering what the main event of WrestleMania 29 should be.

But after the way recent storylines have played out on Raw the past month or so, I have really changed my mind on this one.  Why?

Because of the two Superstars, I believe that CM Punk is the one headed in the right direction for a prime spot against the People’s Champion on the grandest stage of them all.

Punk is the champ.  Period.  He has defeated every opponent placed in front of him, consistently turned in one great match after another, and done it all while still being as effective on the microphone as he was since he first entered the business.  And with the addition of Paul Heyman by his side, Punk is stronger than ever before.

He is at the pulse of the company, the featured attraction on Monday Night Raw.  As the champion, Punk holds the richest prize in the industry and has become the biggest heel on WWE programming.

Though Ryback has put him to the test, Punk always finds a way to come out on top and despite any criticism he receives due to ratings, the fact is that WWE has showed a real commitment to keeping Punk at the top.

Add to this the jabs that both Rocky and Punk have thrown at each other via Twitter over the past few months, and you have a brewing rivalry that I believe will not end at the Royal Rumble.

Do the odds favor CM Punk at Survivor Series?

The rule of thumb regarding predictions for Triple Threat Matches with championship gold on the line is that the odds always favor the challengers. With two competitors simultaneously facing one titleholder, there are more ways for a contender to capitalize than there are for the reigning champion to come away with a victory.

Yet if recent history is any guide, WWE Champion CM Punk may not hesitate to test those odds.

That’s because The Straight Edge Superstar, who now must defend the WWE Title in a Triple Threat Match at Survivor Series 2012 against John Cena and Ryback, can call upon his successful experiences in three-sided bouts throughout the past year. Since claiming the championship at last year’s edition of Survivor Series, CM Punk has stepped into the ring for a Triple Threat Match at three different pay-per-views — WWE: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2011, No Way Out 2012 and The 25th Anniversary of SummerSlam — and ultimately left all three victorious.

Does that triumphant trend boost the WWE Champion’s chances of winning at Survivor Series as well? While the probable outcomes of a Triple Threat Match continue to put the challengers at an advantage, CM Punk’s track record certainly implies that he can handle himself when facing two Superstars at the same time.

At WWE: TLC 2011, the two-time WWE Champion escaped being handcuffed to a ring post and managed to put both Alberto Del Rio and The Miz away in his first pay-per-view title defense. He later directed the numbers in his favor at No Way Out 2012 by neutralizing one opponent, Daniel Bryan, with a chin-crunching Go to Sleep and later sealing the win by outlasting Kane.

The most valuable evidence of Punk’s resiliency resides in his most recent Triple Threat Match at SummerSlam, however. Moments after John Cena knocked out Big Show with a monumental Attitude Adjustment, Punk pushed Cena out of the ring and claimed the easy pinfall for himself. In mere moments, the Chicago-born competitor went from being the odd man out in the match to the one being declared the winner before a raucous STAPLES Center crowd.

One of Punk’s adversaries in that bout, John Cena, will hope for a different outcome at the upcoming pay-per-view in Indianapolis. Of course, the Cenation leader has not minced words in the past when describing the unpredictability of the three-sided clash’s outcome and the frustration it can create for the competitors.

“I hate any match that isn’t a traditional tag team match or a traditional singles match because anything can happen,” Cena said in a 2011 interview with WWE.com. “It’s truly one of those deals where it’s all about being in the right place at the right time.”

Will Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis prove to be the right place for Cena to reclaim the WWE Championship? Is the main event at Survivor Series the right time for Ryback’s rise to the top of WWE? Or can CM Punk come away with his record-setting WWE Title reign intact?

If neither Cena nor Ryback learn from CM Punk’s recent history with the Triple Threat Match, then the challengers may be doomed to see The Straight Edge Superstar repeat his results in the championship clash this Sunday.

CM Punk on the presidential election

WWE Champion CM Punk recently asked in an interview with Streetz Sportz Reportz to answer how the race for the U.S. presidency should end. CM Punk said that he couldn’t understand how anyone could vote for Mitt Romney, he added that he supported President Barack Obama for the next four years.

Well done Punk, you chose right 🙂