WWE: Why CM Punk's Title Run Has Been a Definite Success

Throughout the course of 2011, the WWE Championship changed hands a total of eight times. It's common for a title to be exchanged a number of times during a one-year period, but eight times seemed a bit excessive, especially since most of the reigns were vastly unnecessary.

Thankfully, CM Punk was able to reclaim the prestigious prize at last year's Survivor Series event against Alberto Del Rio. Punk has maintained possession of the title ever since that point in time, thus becoming one of the longest-reigning WWE Champions in history.

As best described by Punk on the subsequent edition of Raw, there was no more playing "hot potato" with the WWE Championship. He boldly proclaimed he'd be holding onto that belt for a long, long time, and since then, he has stayed true to his word.

Since November, Punk has successfully defended his WWE Championship against the likes of Alberto Del Rio, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, Daniel Bryan, Kane and, most recently, John Cena. That's a pretty lengthy list of challengers, which just goes to show how great a champion Punk has proved himself to be.

Not only that, but take a look at the variety of stipulations he's managed to survive while champ. Punk has emerged victorious in an Elimination Chamber, TLC match, No Holds Barred match and Street Fight with his title still intact around his waist.

Of course, the one major flaw with Punk's illustrious title reign is the fact that he hasn't headlined one pay-per-view since the start of 2012. Never before has the WWE Championship (and the World Heavyweight Championship, for that matter) been this overlooked by management.

While he may not have closed every event this year, the Straightedge Savior has continued to steal the show with every match he competes in. His various title bouts with Bryan, Jericho and Ziggler have been some of the best we've seen in a long time, thus not making the title a complete afterthought.

Unlike some long-lasting title holders, Punk defends his strap on a regular basis and abides by the 30-day rule (which doesn't seem to exist anymore, but still). Hardly any of the storylines Cena has participated in this year have been intriguing, while Punk's under-card classics have had me interested and emotionally invested all year long.

CM Punk has shown numerous times in the past that the WWE Championship and its storied history actually means something to him, not treating it as nothing more than a prop to carry around (see: Santino Marella). Despite that fact that management may not treat it as such, it's important that Punk takes pride in being the champion and acting as the image of the company.

Prior to Punk's heel turn on Raw 1000, many speculated that the Second City Saint was merely a traditional corporate champion and they were growing bored of seeing him with the strap. While that might be true to an extent, it definitely beats having Cena or Orton as champion for the hundredth time and have people consistently complain about that.

Regardless of whether he's dropping "pipebombs" every week or not, Punk is still unique and is not like any other champion who preceded him. Unlike those aforementioned names, Punk is still a fresh face and has a handful of never-been-done-before rivalries waiting for him as WWE Champion.

Now that Punk has reverted back to his rebellious persona, the WWE title has received even more attention because of it. The former Ring of Honor star is claiming that he (along with the WWE title) should be the focus of the show, which is 100 percent true.

With the Voice of the Voiceless now using the lack of focus on the WWE Championship as an angle, this spells only good things for the title as well as CM Punk going forward. Sadly, his recent rival is John Cena, which means he might be dropping the belt to the Cenation leader sooner rather than later, but I'm hopeful he'll hold the title till the Royal Rumble.

Speaking of Cena, he's held the title a total of 10 times since 2005, with only a few of those reigns being somewhat credible. Quality is certainly better than quantity, which is the theory that Punk has proven over the last eight months.

The only other people to hold the title longer than Punk in the last decade include Cena and JBL, whose reigns were both lengthy, but not all that memorable. For as long as Cena held the title, the inevitable outcome was always predictable, with him successfully retaining the title, while JBL used dirty tactics in almost every match he competed in while champ.

Other champs in recent memory such as The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Batista, Triple H, Edge and Jeff Hardy were all fine champs, but none of them were as interesting as champion as CM Punk, whose lengthy reign has been well-deserved.

The outcome of his title defenses are almost always in doubt, as I've usually predicted his opponent to capture the title. Nonetheless, Punk always finds a way to shock the world and walk out with the WWE Championship held high above his head.

Has CM Punk brought "change" to the WWE as he once said he would while champion? That's arguable, but he definitely has made the belt interesting again for the first time in years.

Face or heel, champion or challenger, CM Punk has undoubtedly made an impact in the WWE title scene over the last year. There's no arguing that Punk's recent reign as WWE Champion has been a definite success, so I credit WWE for having enough faith in him for carrying the company for as long as he has.

Given the amount of prestige that Punk has brought back to the championship, I'm confident he'll continue that trend in the coming months as we quickly progress his highly anticipated title defense against The Rock at Royal Rumble in January.

Thanks for reading, Bleachers, and be sure to drop a comment below with your thoughts on CM Punk's WWE Championship reign thus far. As always, your criticism and overall feedback on my latest piece is welcomed and greatly appreciated.

GSM out.

Visit my website at Next Era Wrestling, as well as listen to my SAVE US GSM radio show every Thursday at 10/9c for more of my thoughts and writings, along with WWE/TNA news, reviews, recaps and more.

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