WWE: How CM Punk and a Creative Spark Is Getting WWE Back to Its Former Glory

What a difference a few months can make in professional wrestling. The world's biggest pro wrestling organization finally has some direction, things are finally shaking up, and we're moving away from the drab Wrestlemania hangover thanks to a fresh face at the forefront of Monday Night RAW, and some creative inspiration that could be booked straight through to Wrestlemania.

Rewind to a few months ago and it seemed WWE was burnt out. After all the hype surrounding The Rock's big return, WWE staggered through months of uninspired programming. Lacklustre main-event feuds were surrounded by inconsequential filler to get through RAW's two hour time slot.

You weren't excited to see what happens next, and no matter how many lame gimmicks WWE threw at us, it was clear as day that the entire company was suffering creatively, and lacking in any long-term direction.

But here we are still reeling from the fallout from a game-changing Money in the Bank PPV and everything that has happened these past few months has been quickly forgotten in the wake of monumental creative changes.

CM Punk has gone from forgotten heel to the hottest face in wrestling, and Triple H has replaced Vince McMahon as the new authority figure in WWE. And now, WWE is sexy and exciting once again. I actually want to tune in next week, I want to see how the stories develop.

CM Punk has initiated a culture change in WWE's booking. In interviews, Punk has stated that he can't stand how superstars can just go out and do the same thing, week after week, and then just call it a night.

Sure, the kids just want to see their favourites win every week, but the people who are actually spending the money on this industry want something with a little more substance.

CM Punk is committed to making the character and storylines interesting and engaging, so you're not just watching the same routines every week.

And finally it seems like WWE is taking this cue and rewarding people who are committed to making the story-lines better, and keeping things fresh.

I'm talking about guys like The Miz, R-Truth, and Zack Ryder. It also means pushing guys who don't change things up enough to be more creative, both in the ring and in character.

For example, take a guy like Evan Bourne. Now, the man is one of my favourite wrestlers in the business. He has incredible in-ring talent, far more than he has shown in WWE. But every time you see him on RAW these days, it's more or less the same thing.

He'll do a few kicks, go for his Shooting Star Press right away, miss it, then quickly be dispatched. I know he hasn't exactly been put into the greatest position to succeed, but you have to stand up for your position.

Ask for more mic time, ask for longer ring time. Do something to stand out. If you're not buying into that mentality, there are plenty of guys to take your spot.

Once you get everyone buying into the main story-lines, then you get a booking situation I like to call the trickle-down approach, and that's what makes the shows fun to watch, not just for the first and last segments, but from beginning to end.

Look at this past RAW for example. R-Truth and The Miz had an excellent segment backstage, where R-Truth made a very legitimate point that Triple H disrespected everyone in that tournament to crown a new WWE Champion by immediately giving John Cena a free title shot.

This ties in to the main story of RAW, the WWE Championship situation and Triple H's handling of it. When you have a series of angles that all go back to the main story on RAW, people care about what happens in other angles because the results play a role in the outcome of the main angle.

Triple H, like CM Punk, seems committed to getting this angle over by appearing frequently on TV, on not only RAW but Smackdown as well. If this angle just had Trips appearing for major developments, like with Vince McMahon, it wouldn't be nearly as effective as making everything seem important.

If the people involved in the angle don't seem like they care, why should the audience? Triple H is recognized and beloved by the audience, and if he takes an angle seriously, then so will the audience. That's why Triple H is just the man to be the ultimate authority figure in WWE.

So in case you haven't noticed, I've absolutely loved RAW and Smackdown for this past little while. Tons of cool stuff is going on I haven't even mentioned, like Sheamus' push, Daniel Bryan gearing up to main-event Wrestlemania, Alberto Del Rio and his briefcase, Dolph Ziggler and Alex Riley having a feud, Zack Ryder as assistant GM on Smackdown, etc.

Sure there may have been a few things I might've changed, but the segments have been fresh, tense, and memorable and the matches have been competitive and fun.

Hopefully WWE keeps the ball rolling all the way to Wrestlemania, so these story lines can be brought to a satisfying revolution (I'll probably right an article on how I would handle that at a later date).

Not an easy task, but WWE is certainly on the right track with the seeds being sown now and hopefully things will continue to be entertaining in the world of WWE.