WWE Storyline of the Week: Chris Jericho Continues to Attack CM Punk's Family

The best in the world vs. the best in the world really has become just that: The best in the world. 

Although the WWE championship feud between CM Punk and Chris Jericho didn’t start off as hot as most fans thought it would, it has become the WWE’s best feud over the last couple of weeks. 

What began as a battle between two men both eager to prove that they could outwrestle anyone on the planet has turned into something much more personal. This isn’t just about what goes on in the ring anymore—it’s about an intense hatred that two men have for one another. 

Now at the center of this rivalry are Jericho’s verbal attacks on Punk’s family. Y2J started these assaults last week when he blasted Punk’s father for being an alcoholic and ripped Punk as well, claiming that the only reason Punk was straight edge was because it hides the fact that he wants to drink the same alcohol that ruined his father’s life. 

Once a feud centered around two egos, this became a feud centered around family. 

Jericho spent all last week doing anything that he could to get under Punk’s skin. He insulted Punk’s father, his pride, his integrity, his lifestyle, everything that makes Punk who he is today. 

Y2J took cheap shot after cheap shot, and up until last night’s Raw, Punk had been unable to respond. He was left speechless on last week’s Raw and wasn’t in attendance at last week’s Smackdown, so Jericho was able to say what he wanted without Punk’s rebuttal. 

But last night, Punk responded to Jericho’s childish behavior, and he delivered a heart-felt promo that received a big pop from the crowd. Instead of being the sarcastic anti-hero, as Jericho might call him, Punk seemed just like you and me: a normal person with fears and doubts. 

Punk seemed human, and for a moment, Jericho did, too, when he apologized to Punk via titantron for insulting Punk’s father and Punk himself. 

Or so we thought. 

In true heel fashion, Jericho proved that his apology was nothing more than a farce. Shortly after expressing how “sorry” he was, Jericho stopped talking about Punk’s father and started verbally attacking his sister, accusing her of being a drug addict. 

Again, Jericho brought a sense of realism to his feud. He wasn’t offending Punk by saying he was the better wrestler—he was offending Punk by trashing his family. 

More so than any other feud currently going on in the WWE, the beef between Punk and Jericho is something that almost all of us can relate to. We don’t know what it’s like to be a mega-star like The Rock or John Cena, and we don’t know what it’s like to be the last of a dying breed like Triple H and The Undertaker. 

But we do know what it’s like to defend our family, to fight for them, and that’s precisely what’s made this Jericho/Punk feud work so well. 

We feel for Punk, and we hate Jericho, and it’s those two factors that have made the ongoing beef between the best in the world the best storyline in the WWE.

Note: As part of the new WWE blog, I'll be asking all of the B/R wrestling readers for questions for a new mailbag that I will post on Fridays. It will be a slideshow featuring 10-20 questions and answers on a wide range of topics. You can submit questions either through Formspring orTwitter, and the best ones will be answered in the B/R mailbag.