Wrestling Post #1138
by modestinus
CM Punk has made something of a name for himself in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) since he cut his famous “quasi-shoot” (i.e., quasi-realistic) promo (i.e., ranting monologue) in July 2011 where he, among other things, “broke the barrier” by speaking candidly about WWE, its owner Vince McMahon, and the future (or lack thereof) of pro-wrestling. Since then he has been handed the ball so-to-speak and is, for better or worse, the lead man in the company — sort of. Due to sliding ratings and the general ineptitude of WWE bookers (i.e., the guys who write the stories), the company is struggling to regain its former glory. So naturally they turn to their greatest export, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, to come back and face CM Punk for the WWE Championship this Sunday at the Royal Rumble. That’s all fine and good, but let us never lose sight of the fact that before his rise to fame, CM Punk was one of the best talkers and grapplers on the wrestling indie circuit.
For proof of the former point, I give you this brief promo he cut years ago on Raven. For those who followed pro-wrestling in the 1990s, Raven was one of the more unique creations of the now-defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling. A “grunge” figure who used his real-life bouts with depression, drugs, and booze to advance an image of a counterculture heel (bad guy) that couldn’t be beat. In his declining days in the sport, he turned to Punk’s home promotion, Ring of Honor, for one last big run. CM Punk proved to be the perfect foil: a legit straightedge wrestler who made a name for himself with the tagline, “Straightedge means I’m better than you!” Tell that to a crowd of 500 dudes with their 7th beer in their hands and you have the makings of a riot.
In my view, this is Punk’s greatest promo. Short and to the point, and with enough autobiographical angst to sell the rage to even the most jaded wrestling fan.
Enjoy.
This is how you make yourself immune from elitist charges. Well played. But come one, Johnny Polo? Please. He is the very embodiment of grunge/punk in the 90s. He is the Silverchair to Nirvana. Did nobody really predate this move. Wrestling is always a step or two behind, isn’t it? The cold war lasted two years longer in wrestling (and in Rocky films) than it did in the news.
But it does predate the reincarnation of Sting, so maybe there’s something there.
Thanks for this. Sadly.
If I recall correctly, Raven made his debut in 1994 — not 1998 (which he would have had it been WWE he came into). The Johnny Polo thing was so 1992, so kudos to Scott Levy for keeping with the times.
You miss the the original thrust of his introduction: His boyhood friendship with Tommy Dreamer, the hunky guy who got the girls and left Raven holding the bag all of those years.
What made Raven work was his conviction, and before Brian Pillman or Steve Austin made the whole “legit badass” thing work, he was making a go of it in the indies. Moreover, Raven cut some amazing promos in his day and almost got ECW thrown off the air with his infamous “crucifixion” angle with the Sandman. So I think you’re wrong. The guy was ahead of his time, and not even WWE dared to touch a lot of what he was selling when they repackaged it in the late 1990s.
Mod, I will submit to your superior historical knowledge in this area. I retract my previous misinformed statement.
The amount of talent in WWE right now is impressive as is their reliance on indy stars. Antonio Cesaro is their US champion, the Shield is a major storyline, and Daniel Bryan is one half of the tag team champions. Granted, Bryan has gotten over with a cheap, silly catchphrase, but he is over with the crowd, which is what matters most. A note on Cesaro: he recently performed about as impressive a feat of strength as one can perform in modern pro-wrestling by hitting his finisher on the Great Khali- now that’s how you get a heel over.
Now, CM Punk is an interesting case. He is able to get heat by insulting hometowns and legends like Ric Flair, but, in general, fans want to cheer him. Take his recent mic work against the Rock. His remark that the Rock’s “arms are just too short to box with God” didn’t register as arrogance (just check the online reaction to it) and neither has his repetition that he’s the best in the world. Most fans seem to genuinely enjoy watching him perform. It’s similar to the problem Jericho had in his recent heel runs. When the bell rings, wrestling fans want to see him win.
It looks like the WWE might be returning to its usual formula, however, come this Sunday. If the Rock wins (and he’s expected to), in all likelihood he’ll be facing Cena at Mania. I never thought I’d hope for John Cena to win a match.
By the by Modestinus, have you been introduced to the glory that is Botchamania?
Punk dropping the strap to Rock is an absurd outcome, so of course the WWE will go along with it. Rumor has it that it’ll be Punk/Undertaker at WM. That’s all fine and good, but wouldn’t that match mean exponentially more if it was for the belt? I mean, there you could have Punk — longest reigning champ of the modern era — putting his belt up against Taker, whose Wrestlemania streak — let’s be honest — trumps the importance of any title in the company. Still, Belt vs. Streak, especially given Punk’s longevity as champ, adds a lot more intrigue to the match than if it was just Punk/Taker. After Michaels and HHH lost two years in a row (each), who really looks like a threat? But if you throw Punk holding on to his own streak into the mix, then you have genuine interest as to whether or not Punk goes over. After the whole 20-0 thing, I couldn’t care less if Undertaker loses now. But if he’s going to lose, I think putting over CM Punk — a guy the company seems to have invested heavily in — makes sense.
I agree with you about Taker and Punk in a Belt vs Streak match. It would not only be a great way to sell PPV buys, but it would almost certainly be a great match. Taker and Punk had a feud a few years back where Punk got a couple of wins, so he could promote himself as a guy who has proven he can best Taker in the right circumstances. If Punk isn’t trying to maintain his own streak when he collides with Taker, the match loses a lot of its appeal. Then it’s just a foregone conclusion that Taker will win. If Punk were to still be champion when he faced Taker- having survived the very best of the present WWE roster- it would make it seem possible for Taker’s streak to end.
Having Cena face the Rock again at Mania seems almost inevitable. But there are some problems with having Rock win the belt this Sunday. Presumably, the 30 man royal rumble match will be the last match of the show. So, if the Rock defeats Punk and becomes champion earlier in the night, won’t it be fairly obvious that Cena will win the rumble? There’s not much drama in that. Of course, they could have Cena earn a title opportunity later and have a Smackdown star win. Nonetheless, having Rock as the champion would rob the upcoming elimination chamber match of much drama. It is highly unlikely that they’d have Rock win the belt this month only to lose it just before Mania. And if they decided to make the chamber match a sort of number one contender bout, there would also be no real suspense: with Rock as champion, everyone would expect and want to see him face Cena at Mania.
There’s also a storyline problem. For years now they’ve had former champions invoke a “rematch clause” to get a shot at the title again. When would Punk use such a challenge? Wouldn’t as big a match as Punk vs Rock II be wasted on an episode of Monday Night Raw? But if its a PPV match, why would Punk challenge at any time other than Mania?
Speaking of John Cena, I think this was the high water mark of his career: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeL0_tFI_I0&feature=share&list=PL30070312F41E9C35
Is that Daphne in the video?