WWE Royal Rumble: Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown of CM Punk vs. the Rock

Over the past year, CM Punk has went from having one of the largest Internet fanbases to having one of the overall best fanbases, but for many, his act was starting to get repetitive. 

Well, to the surprise of many, and not so many, CM Punk did the right thing last night and turned heel by attacking The Rock.

Earlier in the show, it was announced that The Rock will be facing whoever is WWE champion at the Royal Rumble in January in a championship match. While that is still a good ways off, I doubt that we'll see a rematch between Cena and Rock, especially with the crowd heat Punk is able to generate as a heel.

With that said, I wanted to go ahead and take a look at the matchup between the two men even though nothing is set in stone, and the matchup is in no way a lock to happen.

So, here it is: The WWE head-to-toe breakdown of CM Punk and The Rock.

Striking

When it comes to throwing strikes, there shouldn't be any question that Punk will have the upper-hand.

With his barrage of slaps, elbows, knees and hard kicks, Punk holds an advantage over nearly every man in the WWE.

The Rock's durability will make it tough for Punk to finish him with a strike, but like many other Punk opponents, the striking advantage will play a major role in a Punk win.

Advantage: CM Punk 

Movesets

Just like striking, there is only a handful of wrestlers with movesets as deep and deadly as CM Punk.

The Rock has the ability to get hot and unload many impressive moves, and if he gets the chance to do so, Punk may definitely find himself in trouble.

But, if the match remains even throughout, I look for Punk to hold a significant advantage in having the better moveset in this matchup.

Advantage: CM Punk

Power

CM Punk has defeated many of the strongest superstars in the WWE, but nonetheless, he will still be at a disadvantage in the power department.

The Rock has incredible strength, and he even put it on display last night with his spinebuster on the Big Show on Raw 1000.

When facing a superstar who we've already said is a better striker and grappler, The Rock will have to use his size advantage to neutralize the technical wrestling skills of Punk.

Advantage: The Rock 

Speed

With all that said about the power of The Rock, the speed is the same story, just this time about CM Punk.

Though Punk is the better technical wrestler, Rock can use his power to offset, but Punk can use his superior speed advantage to neutralize the power of The Rock.

Advantage: CM Punk

Charisma

This one is the toughest to call due to the many ways you can look at it.

When breaking down a superstar's charisma, I mainly focus on the crowd's reaction; and whoever gets the best reaction, good or bad, is how I determine who holds the advantage.

When, "If ya smelllllll...," comes through the speakers at a WWE event, you can bet that you're going to hear one of the biggest pops of the night. The Rock is one of the most loved superstars of all time.

Though fans might be irritated that Rock only shows up on his own terms, it also keeps intact that surprise effect which makes fans go even more bananas when he makes his appearances.

CM Punk, on the other hand, plays one of the best heels in WWE history. I would almost give him the nod as the best, but it's hard to put him above the early-2000s version of Triple H.

Punk isn't one of the the annoying heels that you boo because you want him to stop, Punk makes you boo him because you know what he's saying is right, but you just don't want to agree.

The realism factor makes Punk downright amazing as a heel, and I've always thought, although Punk had a great run as a face, Punk does his best work as a heel.

Advantage: Push

History

The WWE is very unpredictable, but it's always an important factor to take a look back in time and see what history can suggest about this storyline and about this matchup.

If Punk vs. Rock happens at the Royal Rumble, that would mean Punk is WWE champion. More than likely he will lose the championship sometime between now and November, and then win it back just in time for January.

On The Rock's end, he will more than likely appear on one or two episodes of Monday Night Raw a couple weeks before the Royal Rumble to hype the match up a little bit, but the question is: Will The Rock stick around for two months all the way through WrestleMania, or will he take some more time off?

Advantage: CM Punk

Prediction

The Rock surprised many when he defeated John Cena at WrestleMania, because many fans saw it as the ultimate "torch-passing match," but it seems as if The Rock is still hungry for the spotlight and wants one more run at the WWE championship.

What kind of message is it that a man can show up only on major occasions, pick who and when he wants to fight, and then becomes WWE champion?

WWE gave The Rock his WrestleMania moment, but I don't think he will get a championship moment as well. 

The Rock will no doubt put up a fight, but in the end, the new era speed and striking ability of Punk will be too much for "The People's Champion" to overcome.

Prediction: CM Punk defeats The Rock by pinfall (GTS) at 11:39