WWE TLC 2011: CM Punk Needs to Shine in Main Event

CM Punk is getting his chance to headline a WWE pay-per-view all by himself. He has been in main events this year, but each time it was against John Cena or Triple H, two of the biggest names in the company today. But TLC is Punk's chance to prove what he can do on his own. 

I know that The Miz and Alberto Del Rio are also in the match, but this show is going to be a litmus test to see how well Punk can carry himself as champion and as a main event star that fans are going to pay to see. 

This is Punk's show to prove what he can do. We all know that he can wrestle, and he is content to be "just a wrestler."

As he said after Survivor Series, that's all he has wanted to do since he was a kid. He didn't grow up wanting to be a "sports entertainer," or any other lame catchphrases WWE can come up with. 

That is all well and good, and I want to see more pure wrestlers in WWE, but this is a company that is based around politics and who is going to bring the company the most mainstream attention. 

Punk was bringing the company that kind of attention back in June after that worked shoot promo that had everyone buzzing, but because his return in August was handled so poorly he went back to being just another guy in WWE. 

But now he has a chance to headline a pay-per-view on his own, and there is no Cena, no Triple H, no Rock there to support him. He is the drawing card for this show, and that means he has to carry the company on his shoulders. 

At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, this is the most important night in Punk's career. If he shines, the company will know that he can be trusted to main event more pay-per-views without the usual cast of characters there to back him up. 

We know that the buy rate for the show is going to be bad since it is just one week before Christmas, people want to save money on gifts, and the build for the show as a whole was abysmal, so you can't judge Punk on that factor. 

What we do have to be on the lookout for is Punk's ability to carry himself as a star in a main event. He has some experience in that department already, but this is the first time that he has to carry the burden on his own. 

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