WWE: Why Chris Jericho's Latest Actions Will Only Help CM Punk's Character

On the April 2 edition of Raw, the first post-Wrestlemania telecast from WWE, Chris Jericho insulted and humiliated WWE Champion CM Punk by dousing him in Jack Daniels, then breaking a bottle over his head.

Over the past few weeks, it has become apparent that Jericho has gotten into Punk's head. For months, really since last July, CM Punk has been fireproof. No matter how many times people present a challenge to Punk, no matter how many times they attempted to tear him down, Punk always got the last word in, either on the microphone or in the ring.

One of the most dominant WWE Champions in recent history, Punk has been a fighting champion, defeating every challenger put in front of him. He has dropped dozens of his so-called "pipe bombs" since rising to the top of the company during the "Summer of Punk" and has become one of WWE's most popular performers.

When Chris Jericho returned earlier this year, Punk brushed him off. To Punk, Jericho was a little more than another challenger to his title. Unlike Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, The Miz, John Cena and Triple H, however, Jericho did not try to exchange insults with Punk. Instead, he played mind games with him. He got into Punk's head by insulting his family. On the final Raw before WrestleMania, it became clear that the comments about the WWE Champion's father, sister and mother had gotten to him when he unleashed his fury on Christian.

At WrestleMania, Punk resisted the temptation to get himself disqualified and, instead, out-wrestled Jericho and retained the WWE title on the biggest stage in the sport. The loss pushed Jericho to continue his mind games, as the whole WWE Universe saw just 24 hours later.

The story works because fans have seen CM Punk at the top of the world for the last 10 months. No one has been able to out-wit him. Few have been able to beat him between the ropes. But now, for the first time, Chris Jericho has used his well-thought-out insults to manipulate Punk into losing his cool.

As a result, Punk has shown a vulnerability that was not there before. The fans feel a sympathy for him they had no reason to feel in the past. It adds a layer to the Punk character, as does the rage he has expressed both on Raw and at times during the WrestleMania title match.

It is inevitable that, should the Punk character not have evolved, fans would have grown bored with him and, likely, turned on him just as they did John Cena. Instead, the program with Chris Jericho has allowed CM Punk to remain fresh and to continue to connect with the audience in new ways.