WWE TLC 2011: CM Punk Should Forge New Path to Change Wrestling

It's time for CM Punk to switch up his act. Not that it's not still entertaining or admirable at times, but rather that it could use some freshening up.

And what better time for said revamping than at Tables, Ladders and Chairs?

Once heralded as a force for change in the WWE, the reigning champion has since seen his hipster-ish shtick of paying homage to stars of wrestling's past lose much of its luster, especially as it's since been largely co-opted by the sport as a whole.

Where once Punk had hoped to usher in a new era in which wrestlers of his ilk would become more the norm than the exception, now it appears as though he has instead adopted the mainstream as his own, growing more comfortable with the status quo just as it grew more comfortable with him.

The WWE, as a whole, seems to have taken a shining to Punk's penchant for nostalgia, as evidenced by the recent parade of old stalwarts like Mick Foley, Tony Atlas and Lita at the Slammy's and the return of The Rock to the ring after a seven-year hiatus.

Punk has almost single-handedly plunged the WWE deep into its own past. Now, it's up to him to drag it, kicking and screaming, back to the future.

That's not to say Punk should quit poking fun and making reference to the likes of Johnny Ace, "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Eddie Guerrero when he's in the limelight. So much of Punk's meteoric rise in popularity stems from his own love and knowledge of wrestling and how his legions of fans have connected with his geekiness in that regard.

In a way, Punk has become the WWE equivalent of "FUBU," and there's nothing wrong with that. 

Rather, he should seek to tone down his historical focus a bit, at least enough to allow for the opportunity to mock his current adversaries more prominently. That way, Punk can become a heel to the present and the future as much as he has to figures of the past. Such a shift would serve to incite new rivalries with other wrestlers to drive the drama forward instead of backward.

Otherwise, Punk risks becoming a part of the very same past that he so often promotes all too soon, thereby squandering so much of the potential that has made him the star he is today.

Follow @J0shMart1n