Wrestling: Will There Ever Be Another Anti-Hero in WWE Like CM Punk?

When CM Punk left Chicago Sunday night with the WWE title in tow, he not only won the battle but won the war with Vince McMahon, John Cena and the WWE Universe.

Talk about having your say and taking what you desire at the same time.

Forget the shoots, forget the interviews and forget the promos. Forget the confrontations with McMahon and Cena; forget that for a month Punk became the most powerful man in wrestling, and to be honest, he still is now that McMahon has been “fired” from his role in the company. Add to this that John Cena is no longer the champion, there was a title tournament to determine a new WWE Heavyweight title holder and you have more drama right now on RAW than anything that is going on in Parliament with Rupert Murdoch.

The Anti-Hero is the one person that no matter how good or bad he is, the fans accept and want to see him on a nightly basis. Sure, Cena is the money maker and Randy Orton is the face of Smackdown, but someone like CM Punk is unpredictable and alienates the fans, the company and the establishment.

And of course, he has some of the best microphone skills you have ever seen on television and can cut a promo so sharp that you'd swear you were being cut right through your flat screen.

Right now, there isn’t a single wrestler on the roster for both RAW and Smackdown that can take that lead role and run with it. They would not dare take Orton and change him right now, he is too hot. Cena could take a heel turn and see what happens, but it would not have the same explosion as Punk or someone who looks sinister or completely “dark” in terms of character.

Christian could be an option, but it would have to be something that is worked on. His character is too in touch with fans and his “peeps,” as they are, would not accept him in this capacity. They have a hard time accepting him as a heel right now since he is the champion and, as he chased Orton for the title, he still had beloved fans who cheered him more than the former champion.

R-Truth may work. He already has the “Angry Black Man” thing going for him. He is animated and his promos are pretty good (yes, they need a little work). But he already claims he is held down by the establishment and that makes for great theater. He could use the angle more and find himself in a rivalry with the new champion or restart his feud with John Morrison when he returns from injury.

Others like Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus, Mark Henry and the like just don’t cut it. Frankly, the closest thing to a CM Punk/Stone Cold Steve Austin right now would be Mr. Anderson from TNA, but I don’t see him making a move back up north.

Gunner from TNA would work because of his loner mentality and his rising star.

The only other name I can see that would work, and if it happens it would work well, is Chris Jericho; someone who can rile a crowd, wrestle with the best of them, fight the establishment and has some of the best microphone skills in the business. But Jericho has stated he does not see himself coming back to the WWE anytime soon.

So until Triple H and WWE creative team can get it together and find us another heel to love, it is going to take some time to make us believe CM Punk is gone for good.

Until then, we can only hope the next anti-hero can stir our emotions like the ones that were played with for more than a month. And for the wrestling community, provided us with some really great drama.