10 Reasons WWE's CM Punk Is More Valuable Than John Cena

They say that no single star can make or break a wrestling company.

Even though that's true, there's no doubt that the WWE would be in a lot more trouble if it lost its top four assets: Randy Orton, John Cena, CM Punk and Sheamus.

While others may be better in certain areas, these four guys are the MVPs of the WWE, and it would be a huge blow if any of them left the company for whatever reason.

You could make your case for any of these superstars being the MVP of the company, but I give the slight nod to Punk over Cena.

And here are 10 reasons why.

10. CM Punk Opened the Doors for Non-Traditonal Champions

Without the success that CM Punk had in 2011, the WWE would probably be a lot different than it is today.

We may never have seen Zack Ryder win the United States Championship or Daniel Bryan win the World Heavyweight Championship, because until Punk exploded on the scene last year, these types of wrestlers never really even got a second look.

I'm talking, of course, about guys who do not fit the stereotypical WWE mold and who are incredibly popular on the Internet.

It was Punk's ever-increasing popularity and subsequent success throughout last summer and into the fall that helped open the doors for non-traditional champions.

No one ever really expected to see Ryder holding a singles titles by the end of 2012 or for Bryan to ever win a world title in the WWE.

But since Punk has done so well whenever he's been given a chance, the WWE has been much more willing to give similar opportunities to other stars.

9. CM Punk Is Better on the Mic

John Cena is great on the microphone, especially when he's not making poop jokes or talking about overcoming the odds for the 1,600th time.

While Cena may be great, though, CM Punk is nothing short of phenomenal.

Punk finally has someone to rival him on the microphone now that Chris Jericho is back in the WWE, but for the last year-and-a-half, no one has even come close to Punk when it comes to cutting promos.

He can be serious, funny and dramatic. He can cut a two-minute promo and kill it, or he can cut a 10-plus minute one and do the same.

I won't take away from Cena, who I view as the No. 3 mic worker in the WWE (behind Punk and Jericho). But no one is as consistently good as Punk.

I honestly can't remember ever seeing the guy cut a bad promo.

8. CM Punk Appeals to a Wider Fanbase

Contrary to popular belief, not all of John Cena's fans are women and children.

But there is some merit to claims that the largest portion of his fans consists of females and the little kids in the crowd.

CM Punk, on the other hand, appeals to a much wider fanbase.

He is liked by the women and kids as well, but thanks to his rebellious spirit, he is also wildly popular among the demographic that hates Cena the most: males aged 18-34.

Quite simply, Punk's popularity extends to almost all demographics, while Cena's is relegated mainly to the ones who love his campy humor and "never give up" attitude.

7. The Fans Are Sick of John Cena, but Not of CM Punk

This statement isn't all encompassing, but for the most part, the fans are sick of John Cena but not of CM Punk.

Although Punk won his first World Heavyweight Championship back in 2008, it wasn't until 2011 that he really started to be treated like a top star, making his way into main event slots on TV, getting a chance to cut unforgettable promos, etc.

As we know, that just hasn't been the case for Cena.

Since winning his first WWE Championship way back in 2005, Cena has been shoved down our throats and mercilessly pushed as the face of the company.

That was fine...for a few years.

But the fans have become incredibly sick of Cena, his tired act and the fact that he's in the spotlight basically all year long no matter what the circumstances are.

Until the fans get sick of Punk as well, he'll always be more valuable than Cena to the WWE.

6. CM Punk Doesn't Have to Be Protected Like John Cena Does

No one in the WWE is protected like John Cena is.

Not Sheamus, not Randy Orton and not even CM Punk.

I'm sitting here trying to figure out the last time that Cena lost in 100 percent-clean fashion, and I honestly can't do it.

He didn't even put Punk over clean at Money in the Bank or SummerSlam in 2011, and as evidenced by his double count-out finish with Kane at Sunday's Royal Rumble, he still can't lose a match without some sort of shady finish.

This isn't Cena's fault at all. It's 100 percent the fault of Vince McMahon and the creative team.

But the fact remains that Cena is protected so much that it hurts the WWE product, while Punk doesn't need the Cena treatment, because his character is not superman like Cena's is.

Since Punk does not have to destroy everyone in his path like Cena does, I'll take Punk any day of the week.

5. CM Punk Is a Fresher Face in the Main Event Scene

John Cena is like a box of cereal that's been left opened for a week: stale.

He's been a consistent force in the main event and world title scenes for seven years now, and he lost his freshness there way back around 2008.

But CM Punk's run in the main event scene has just begun.

Though he had brief runs in the world title picture in 2008 and 2009, it wasn't really until after WrestleMania 27 in 2011 that he became a bona fide main eventer.

Punk hasn't even been in his current position for a year yet, meaning that Cena's got about six years on him at the moment.

In other words, Punk is like a box of cereal that's remained closed: He's fresh.

4. CM Punk Moves More Merchandise

If none of my other arguments convince you, then just know this: CM Punk is literally more valuable to the WWE than John Cena when it comes to merchandise sales.

From WrestleZone.com:

"

WrestleZone has confirmed that an internal memo sent to WWE staffers this week listed the top 10 merchandise sellers, and John Cena has been replaced for the first time in several years as the number one seller.

The new number one?

CM Punk.

According to the memo, Punk is the number one merchandise selling WWE Superstar both on WWE Shop Zone and at the live events. The only time Cena was not number one was when The Rock returned to WWE Monday Night Raw, and his t-shirts sold a record number on ShopZone.

According to a key source in WWE, two of Punk's shirts have already eclipsed the Rock's one-day sales record. 'Punk's merchandise is hot,' our source told us, 'no one has dethroned Cena in over 5 years, and Punk's numbers are way above anything or anyone else.'

"

Cena is still selling merchandise like hotcakes, but all it takes is a look around the crowd at a WWE event to see that Punk is doing the same.

Punk has become ridiculously popular over the last six months or so, and if he passed up Cena in terms of merchandise sales way back in October, then I have no doubt that he's still ahead of him.

The hatred for Cena has never been higher, while the love for Punk has never been greater.

3. CM Punk Thrives as Both a Heel and a Baby Face

As evidenced by John Cena's early years in the WWE, he can play a heel and play it really well.

But he has been a baby face for nearly a decade now, playing the same character week in and week out. The only thing that's changed about him is the bright colors he wears.

CM Punk, on the other hand, has had an incredible character evolution since making his way to ECW in 2006.

He started out as a Straight Edge baby face, evolved into a Straight Edge heel in 2009, became the leader of two cult-like stables (The Straight Edge Society and the New Nexus), started getting cheered as a rebellious tweener and then settled into his current baby face character that is insanely over with the crowd.

That's a lot of character development in less than a three-year span, a span during which Cena did not change whatsoever.

Punk should be applauded for his ability to get several different characters over and for doing so in a very short time frame.

2. CM Punk Is the Better Pure Wrestler

John Cena doesn't deserve all the heat he gets for being a "bad wrestler."

He's not a bad wrestler whatsoever; he's a lot better than anyone gives him credit for, and in fact, he can probably outwrestle a majority of the WWE roster.

That being said, he is not as good as CM Punk is in the ring.

Punk truly is "the best wrestler in the world," as evidenced by some of the fantastic matches he's had over the last few years, such as his match against Jeff Hardy at SummerSlam in 2009, that match you're looking at with Dolph Ziggler or his bout with Daniel Bryan on Monday's Raw.

While Cena is good, I don't think he can consistently deliver great matches with a wide variety of opponents like Punk can.

I think Punk will prove that with the more time he spends at the top of the WWE.

1. CM Punk Is the Total Package

John Cena is as close to the total package as you're going to get, but he's no CM Punk.

Why? Because Punk is the most complete wrestler walking the face of the Earth right now.

He's got a unique look, a great gimmick, the ability to play heel or face, incredible mic skills, the best acting ability in the WWE and some amazing skills in the ring.

There is no one area in which Punk struggles or is even just okay. He is well above average or great at just about everything that he does.

And that's a rare type of superstar who only comes around once in a decade.