CM Punk: Monday Night RAW's Savior?

CM Punk. The Straight Edge Superstar. Recently revealed to be the new leader of Nexus, Punk has once again been thrust into the limelight as one of the top heels in the WWE. It is a role that he is very comfortable in, one that completely suits his character and could not have come at a better time for Monday Night RAW.

For me, Monday Night RAW has become very stale, and tends to follow a now all too familiar formula.

-Nexus runs over everyone in their way, usually John Cena, who, against all odds, always battles back, much to the cheers and love from his countless throngs of prepubescent fans.

-Randy Orton cuts a painfully robotic promo, void of charisma, which usually begins with him staring to the left of the camera, and ends with him promising to kick someone in the skull.

-Santino Marella does his comedy routine in the ring, and gets some laughs. Winning matches his character has no business winning, Santino is also loved by the crowd.

-The divas get into the ring and attempt to have a match. Usually resembling a gory car crash happening in slow motion, the few that actually can work are overshadowed by the ones who can’t, and thankfully the matches are over in six minutes or less.

-Michael Cole kisses the feet of The Miz, whose character spends most of his time on the program attempting to convince anyone within ear shot that he deserves the WWE Title. A lot of fans agree with him. I’m not sure why.

-The “anonymous” General Manager once again supposedly makes some stupid match, as fans everywhere reach for their remotes, causing a once interesting angle to become more irrelevant with each passing week.

-John Cena, against all odds, battles back, much to the cheers and love from his countless throngs of prepubescent fans. What can I say? He does that a lot.

Now, before anyone out there assumes this is a personal indictment against the WWE’s flagship show, let me assure you that it’s not.

Okay, maybe it is.

But, that is not to say that there isn’t at least one bright spot or two on the program. There is. And his name is CM Punk.

Punk is not a typical heel. He doesn’t scream, stick his chest out or use unnecessary violence to get his point across. Instead his character is more subtle, more calculating; Less bravado and more wicked smile, along with a healthy dose of psychological warfare. Punk’s demeanor is one part Jake Roberts and one part Arn Anderson, with just a hint of Roddy Piper.

Punk’s in ring skills put him on par with some of the best wrestlers the company has ever seen. His timing and ability to tell a story in the ring has matured greatly over the years, and his new role as leader, perhaps mentor, to the young men in Nexus, is perfect for him.

To be honest, I was not always this high on Punk. I was not very familiar with his work before he signed with WWE, and really wasn’t impressed by what I saw after he started with the company. I remember thinking that the buzz on him was good, was I missing something that everyone else seemed to see?

Truth is, I just didn’t see anything about him that made me believe he was anything special. He was a good worker, but not a great worker. His straight edge gimmick to me, was obviously just a gimmick, and the Anaconda Vise was a hard sell. After all, why didn’t his opponent just use his free hand to poke Punk in the eyes to make him break the hold?

But the longer he stayed, the better he became. As his character was fleshed out a bit, the more of his personality began to show, and one day I suddenly realized, hey, this guy is good. And he’s got a future in main events.

CM Punk’s feud with Jeff Hardy took his WWE career to the next level, with the two men exchanging the World Heavyweight Championship three times in 2009. Again, Punk was in his element, using his straight edge lifestyle as ammunition against Hardy’s well publicized drug use and legal problems. Punk versus Hardy made for some exciting matches, some of the best of each man’s career.

Punk’s character took the logical next step, when his holier than thou attitude caused him to develop a God complex, and he soon became the twisted leader of his own faction, The Straight Edge Society.

By this point, CM Punk had definitely come into his own, establishing himself as a true talent, more than proving that he belonged with the company. He has carved out his own niche in WWE, and he is very good at what he does.

Punk’s work on commentary for RAW breathed new life into the soundtrack of the program. I for one have never been much for three men at the table, but when the other two are Cole and Jerry Lawler, Punk’s fresh take and humorous rants are a welcome distraction. Once again, CM Punk has found another outlet for his character to shine.

RAW needs something new, something fresh, to make the show interesting again. The focus has been on Cena and Orton for so long that a third option has got to happen eventually. Utilizing CM Punk to his fullest potential may be just the spark that lights the fuse.

Of course, if it’s going to happen, it does need to happen now. After all, when Triple H returns, whether he’s heel or baby, it’s his show again, and there will be little room for anyone else besides him and the aforementioned Cena and Orton. For me, that is an all too predictable formula that needs a new element. Perhaps CM Punk is the straight edge solution.