How Well Will CM Punk's 'Best in the World' DVD/Blu-Ray Sell?

"Don't let these tattoos fool you.  I'm straight edge.  I'm a man of great discipline.  I don't drink.  I don't smoke.  I don't do drugs.  My addiction is wrestling.  My obsession is competition. Discipline.  My name is CM Punk."

On Independence Day 2006, the United States welcomed a 27-year-old wrestler who was wise beyond his years into their homes on live national television. 

CM Punk was a new face in WWE's resurrection of ECW—a rookie who was looking to light up the ring and make a name for himself.  For a select group of people who watched ECW every week, Punk was already a household name. 

Despite being the newest member of the WWE roster, Punk was already a world-traveled wrestler, having studied styles from around the globe since he first taped up his wrists.

Six years ago, nobody could have predicted the type of career that the former Second City Saint would build for himself. 

A career retrospective would fill up a weeks' worth of columns on Bleacher Report, so WWE has done the work for us.  In two weeks, CM Punk: Best in the World will be available on Blu-Ray and DVD, looking at the life and times of the WWE Champion. 

Early reviews have been nothing short of rave, with Jim Ross tweeting that it was "amazingly honest...compelling" and it "made [him] happy to be a wrestling guy."  B/R's own review by David Bixenspan called it a "must-buy."  Punk himself said it was "surreal" in an interview with The Sun. 

Will all of this translate into a big hit for WWE Home Video?  My gut says yes.

WWE's documentary videos are a different beast than simply putting a pay-per-view out for the mass market to purchase.  There is footage to shoot, interviews to conduct, specific content that needs to be included and, in some cases, sought out and found. 

A lot more effort goes into a production on the scale of CM Punk's story, and the target audience will already be scrutinizing it before it even becomes available for release.

I'm talking, of course, about people like myself who have been following CM Punk since the days before he signed the deal with WWE (which became the centerpiece of his final storyline in Ring of Honor). 

Rabid Punk fans demand the same sort of respect for the champ which he himself asks of everyone else.  After seeing the trailer, it looks as if we have no reason to worry.

So, we have an excellent story to hear about CM Punk.  Why should we spend money on the DVD when Netflix may end up streaming the documentary soon after its release? 

This is what the WWE did with the fantastic Stone Cole Steve Austin: The Bottom Line On The Most Popular Superstar of All Time, released in November of last year, and also with The Rock: The Epic Journey of Dwayne Johnson.  Should we really fork over more money for a physical copy of Best in the World?

The list of exclusives on the DVD set (and even more on the Blu-ray) should answer that question for you.  While a number of big releases wind up on Netflix, one thing you will not find there are any of the extra features on the supplemental discs. 

The story of Punk is something no fan of his will want to miss, and not being able to see the full matches that CM Punk himself chose to be included in his first career-spanning home video would detract from the experience

Furthermore, those who have been fans of Punk likely have an increasing collection of wrestling DVDs on their shelves, whether they be WWE releases or stuff they have acquired from the independent scene. 

These people may already have their copy pre-ordered and will be contributing to the sales figures that WWE will surely mention to their stockholders.

This is not about numbers, however.  This is about the story of a man who demanded that things be done his way and would never settle for anything less.  I hope a lot of people go out of their way to purchase and support the "surreal" story of CM Punk—one of the most incredible and unlikely journeys throughout the world of professional wrestling.