WWE Survivor Series: Will CM Punk Get a Real WWE Championship Reign?

CM Punk once said that he wanted to make WWE fun again.  The change that he wanted to facilitate may not have spread company wide the way we had hoped, but I have to say that I believe he’s right on track.

I have not had this much fun watching a WWE Superstar since Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Like Austin, every time Punk opens his mouth, you can sense the anticipation in the crowd. What is he going to say?  What “pipe bomb” is he going to drop this week and who is he going to drop it on?

Punk’s current work on the mic is the best of his career and he is the hottest personality in the business.  Some Superstars speak lines that seem to have been rehearsed for hours prior to Raw going live on the air, with a forced intensity that does not seem real.

Punk, on the other hand, just smiles, opens his mouth, and blows you away.  It’s what he does and right now, no one does it better.

When a guy is this good, the next concern is his ring work.  With CM Punk, there is no such concern.

Punk is arguably the best worker in WWE right now.  He is very good in the ring and can have a great match with anyone in the locker room.  

His old school mat wrestling style is highlighted by athletic ability and a martial arts edge that separate him from everyone else.  He may not be the biggest dog in the fight, but when he gets in the ring, he looks as though he can legitimately beat anyone.  He’s like Dean Malenko with tattoos and mic skills.

Punk is entertaining and fully capable in the ring.  More importantly, fans care about him, and want to see him.  What do you do with a guy like that?

You put the championship on him.  It only makes sense.  

The belt is the top prize, and it should be put on the top performer who has the most buzz.  That's just common sense.

But, as we all know, the WWE Title currently belongs to Alberto Del Rio, who is either extremely underrated, or overrated, depending on who you believe.  

He looks good physically, has a great smile, and a villainous spark in his eyes that makes him a good heel.

That’s about it.

I’m not sure why I am not very high on him.  After all, he is a good example of a classic heel, a guy who is bad for the sake of being bad.  He’s good in the role of the Mexican aristocrat, and his ring work is very solid.  On paper, Del Rio is the perfect WWE Champion.

But he just does not seem to have the "wow" factor, the one intangible that only the best of the business possess.  

In other words, he is no CM Punk.

Yes, perhaps it is a bit unfair, especially considering the run that Punk has been on since his monumental rant on Raw that totally revitalized his WWE career.  Who could hope to measure up to what he has done since that night?

But the fact is when that belt was placed on Del Rio, it was a statement made by WWE.  He is considered the right guy at the right time.  While he may end up as nothing more than a transitional champion, he is nevertheless seen as the one who should be at the top of the championship heap.

Of course, that all could change at Survivor Series, when Punk and Del Rio face off for the title.  The hype surrounding the pay-per-view has been building for the past couple of weeks, and this match is one that is highly anticipated, to say the least.

Why?  Because many fans fully expect Punk to recapture the gold and take his rightful place as the company’s top star.  

The fact is, when it comes to WWE, what fans expect and what they are actually given is not often the same thing.

In the WWE environment, a wrestler does not have to be the champ in order to be the top guy.  The Rock, Triple H, The Undertaker, the aforementioned Stone Cold, all of these men have been considered the top draw at any given time and did not necessarily need the championship to get over.

Is Punk in the same boat?  Is he meant to be the outspoken rebel who plays by his own rules,   entertains the fans, and is always just shy of having the company’s top prize?  Does he even need it to be successful?

If he does indeed go over for the belt at Survivor Series, will he get a real reign this time?  Or will we once again see the conspiracy rear its ugly head, costing Punk the top spot like before?

Many fans say that without a legitimate and lengthy run as WWE Champion that CM Punk is not getting the respect he deserves.  Anything less than a win at Survivor Series is considered a disappointment by some.

But at this point, I do not believe that it matters if Punk has the title or not.  He is still the comeback wrestler of the year, and he has never looked better that he does right now.  

Punk has made WWE fun again.  Well, at least his little corner of it. And for me, that’s enough for now.