The title says it all and, honestly, it's a little sad.
The "Straight-Edge Extremist" has earned his spot at the top of the Raw mountain. He's over with the fans. He's one of the better performers in the company despite imposed limitations to his moveset and a penchant to be a bit sloppy.
So why is he getting the Rey Mysterio treatment?
(Before I go any further, let me clarify. The way Mysterio was treated as champion—completely dominated and made to look very weak—is exactly the way Punk has been made to look. Two dusty finishes over a top star on Raw shows this.)
Maybe he's really not that over with the crowd, after all. He was openly booed at the Great American Bash in his title match with Batista. Maybe the fans are tired of his straight-edge gimmick.
Another reason could be that the WWE is still stuck in it's "ideal physique" mode; looking for big, muscle-bound idiots with no personality or in-ring skills. When you really think about it, only a handful of guys have truly "made it" without having "the look."
Chris Jericho, though he may never return to the top of the mountain, was the biggest star in the WWF at one time, going over legends like Steve Austin and The Rock.
Shawn Michaels' undeniable charisma and in-ring bravado helped catapult him to "Icon" status.
Rey Mysterio has been the catalyst behind WWE's Latino fan population and is incredibly over despite the fact that he's been the same guy with the same gimmick and the same matches since 1995.
So why is Punk being buried? Who knows anymore. Why make a guy champion when you have no intention of making him credible?
I sincerely hope this leads to a much-needed heel turn. Otherwise, it's just a waste of time and talent.
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2 months ago
I think Eddy Guerrero also had a lot to do with the growth of the WWE's Latino fanbase.
I talso hink the WWE is going to make CM Punk look stronger as time goes on. I think he will slowly get over by surviving challenge after challenge, like Kurt Angle did in 2000.
2 months ago
Jeff,
I certainly hope so as far as Punk is concerned.
And while Eddy helped make wrestling popular with Latino's, he hasn't had quite the impact that Rey has had in his tenure with the WWE. By the time Rey showed up, Eddy was just starting to get his life back on track and receiving a push with Los Guerrero's. I think that Rey's babyface appeal has done more than Eddy, though again taking nothing away from Latino Heat.
2 months ago
Im huge fan of CMPunk and I think they could have made Punk look a lot worse than they have so far. I was actaully dreading it, but Im not 'hating' the way he's being treated so far (Although I do hope it improves) I just wonder why for at least two weeks in a row his promos were relegated to wwe.com instead of on WWE television when he's the champion?! He can be great on the mic, they just need to let him speak more! That said, theres a lot of things 'they' need to do with their shows these days!
Paps
2 months ago
I think that for now, they are trying to find someone different as the champion. For a while, it has been either HHH, Cena, JBL, or someone else. Now that HHH has moved to Smackdown and Batista is back on Raw, they have thrown him into the mix. Maybe the writers think the crowd wants to see a champion that actually has to defend his title week after week and has to "prove" his worth. I will say that I think that as time goes on, he will either become a stronger champion or become a strong heel after losing his title.
2 months ago
L.J. Thank you friend, for putting my thoughts down for Me!
2 months ago
Punk isn't exactly doing anything with his "straight-edge gimmick". Maybe if he was given a bit more opportunity to show some personality instead of the bog-standard stuff he's been dishing out he'd get a better reaction. Having him in a Face/Face feud as his first series of defences doesn't exactly help much.
Rather than Cena turning heel (since it's about 18 months overdue now and has seriously jumped the shark) a decent heel turn for Punk might be a better move - he can follow up this feud with something against Michaels.
from 2 months ago
You're preaching to the choir. I think a heel turn is what Punk has been needing all along.
2 months ago
i still dont see what all the hype is about with this guy. i dont think he is as good as the wwe makes him out to be. i hate his "im better than you b/c i dont do drugs/drink" character. i think he would be a great fit for the IC title (but i love Kofi, hes so fun to watch) I just dont think he is world champion material.
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