When you're watching basketball, football, or wrestling, you watch for those “wow” moments. They don't happen often but when they do, you know it when it's happening. And last night on Raw whenever CM Punk sat up on the stage and proceeded to run down the entire WWE company, I got goosebumps. I know that it wasn't a “real” shoot and everyone out there upset about that fact shouldn't bother watching wrestling in the first place. This is a soap opera that walks the thin line between real and fake and a lot of that is the problem that wrestling has in general these days, but that's a story for another day all together. CM Punk right now is the best in the world at walking that line. Even though you know it's scripted (I don't see them letting him go on for 6 minutes without doing something if it isn't planned that he's at least going to semi-shoot) CM Punk has played his character so well that in a setting where we don't believe, he makes us.
That's why if he ends up leaving it'll be one of the worst things to happen to wrestling in a long time. For those that don't watch, CM Punk's contract is up (rather conveniently) on July 17th, the same day CM Punk challenges John Cena for the WWE Championship in Punk's hometown of Chicago. Punk's running with the storyline of whenever he wins the title he's done with the WWE and he's taking their biggest title with him. It won't happen obviously, but even the idea of it makes for an intriguing event coming up. But with CM Punk taking some time off, I'm not sure who is going to take his place as the guy carrying Monday Night Raw.
Not since Chris Jericho leaving has a talent quite like CM Punk just decided to hang it up for at least a little while. But while we had see Chris Jericho in his prime throughout WCW and the WWE, CM Punk is still in his prime. He's only 32 years old and while in a lot of sports that would be late in a career, it isn't uncommon for a wrestler to keep going past 40 and in some cases, even further then that. I'm sure he isn't going to be gone for long and I'm sure that when he does return it'll be as big of a deal as deserves, but I can't help but just feel deflated knowing that the best thing going right now is hanging up the boots. Who else in the WWE right now is capable of the goosebump moment? No one else popped into my head and that's the saddest part of all. There's no off-season and everyone deserves a break and I hope CM Punk enjoys his. He has more then earned it. But I just hope he hurries back.
Too bad he most likely won't be in that match
ReplyDeleteHe definitely has earned it. No doubt about that. Hell, he earned with within his first couple of years at ROH even without the travel schedule. That's how could he's been through his career.
ReplyDeleteI was at the show on Monday in Vegas at the Thomas and Mack Center. The live audience left a lot of room for question on who was the heel and who was the face between Cena and Punk, which really made the work-shoot promo even more special to see in person.
I won't spoil next weeks Raw for those who don't want spoilers, but I will say that ratings will be up at least until the Monday after Money in the Bank. Part of me wants to believe they will actually let Punk take the title in some fashion or another. As I've said to you before in other settings, I think it would mandate that WWE does something different. They could get guys over without having to waste a title on them.
As I've also said to you, I want to believe that part of the deal with this was that down the road, ROH can push WWE, where as TNA can't. I don't think they are running with this angle the way they are to spite TNA, but to improve the business down the road. Can you imagine a wrestling world with WWE as the top dog and ROH as its closest competitor. It wouldn't be a split market, but Vince and Johnny Ace know that would be a better scenario than currently.
Maybe I'm nuts, but I think it's clear there is more to this angle and the course it's running than ratings for the next 3-4 weeks.
This is a quote from that video on Youtube, and I have no idea if it's true or not, but
ReplyDelete"Sources report that CM Punk’s entire promo at the end of RAW this week was improvised by Punk and not scripted. Nobody in the back knew what Punk was going to say until he said it live on RAW.
WWE officials told Punk to go out and say in his own words why he was leaving the company, why he wanted the WWE Title and why he wanted to leave with it in his possession. There was a discussion that when officials felt Punk was going too far, they would pull the plug on the segment and cut his mic."
Anyway, that's basically how I thought it was done, as well.
Forgot one thing: I can't remember where I read this, but I did read this:
They have worked out a deal where Punk with stay with WWE for a short period of time, give him a decent hiatus period, then request his return.
I'm sure he'll end up in the match whoever said that, it's a storyline much like how John Cena got "fired" last year only to show up on every show afterwards.
ReplyDeleteAs for you J-Nutt, I could buy the idea that he went out there with those instructions and just ended up going a little over the top. It's probably easy to get caught up in he moment. And if they thought ROH could push them to be the top wrestling company in the world they certainly wouldn't be giving them help, I still think it's just CM Punk mentioning his two favorite other promotions.
I doubt they are worried about RoH, as they have mentioned them in passing before, and promoted The Wrestler when Mickey Rourke was at WM(which featured RoH and R-Truth in a cameo). And I said that because word is he is only doing house shows, but that could change
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