wrestling / Columns

CM Punk: Following A Dream

September 16, 2016 | Posted by RSarnecky
CM Punk’s CM Punk WWE - Batista CM Punk’s Booker

One is looked at as a beast, the other is looked at as a bust. This is the perception of Brock Lesnar and CM Punk. Both became huge superstars in World Wrestling Entertainment. Both abruptly left the company. Both found their way to fulfilling a goal of performing in the octagon for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. However, that is where the comparisons stop.

THE BEAST


When Brock Lesnar joined the UFC, there was a wave of excitement. Both wasn’t looked at as a freak show attraction that Dana White was sending out into the lion’s den. Instead, people were seriously interested to see how well the “Next Big Thing” would perform in the land of world class mixed martial artist. While he didn’t have the MMA background that all of the top UFC stars had at the time, he was still a legitimate athlete. After all, you don’t become an NCAA Division I wrestling champion by pure accident. You have to be one hell of an athlete to win at that level. Sure, the MMA hardcore fans hated to see a “fake” WWE wrestler invade their turf, and ignored his legitimate wrestling background. They were foolish to doubt Lesnar, because wrestling is one of the many disciplines that an MMA fighter needs to have in their arsenal to be successful. Even though Brock Lesnar lost his first UFC fight to Frank Mir, he dominated the match and proved that he would become a force in the heavyweight division. Brock Lesnar is a huge man. He has size, power, and unbelievable quickness for a heavyweight. We know how his story went. He dominated the division until diviticulitis beat him down. Combined with the disease, a stacked heavyweight division for a relative newcomer to the sport exposed Lesnar’s weaknesses. Like a smart worker in the old territory days, Lesnar got a before his star power diminished.

When he returned to the WWE, Brock was a much bigger star than when he left the federation. Even though he was gone from the UFC since 2011, the UFC fighter in him never left. He returned for a “one time only” fight against Mark Hunt at UFC 200. Fans were intrigued once again at the thought of “The Beast” in the octagon. They knew of his past reputation, but wondered how he would fair against a UFC fighter after 4 and a half years off and closing in on 39 years of age. He didn’t disappoint. Despite (or in spite of, depending on your take) the later USADA positive test results that came out, Lesnar dominated Mark Hunt to prove that he is still one of the greatest athletes of our time.

A HILL TO CLIMB


When CM Punk left the WWE abruptly in January 2014, most fans expected that CM Punk would return. Maybe not in a few months, but most felt that he would definitely be back by next year’s WrestleMania XXXI event. However, in December of 2014, CM Punk shocked the world. He announced that he had signed, not back with the WWE as an interview with Colt Cabana seemed to indicated that he was forever done with that company, but with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Unlike when Brock Lesnar entered the MMA fray, CM Punk’s announcement was met with skepticism and a lot of doubt. Unlike Brock Lesnar, CM Punk had zero athletic background. Apparently, he was training in MMA for a while. However, there’s a huge difference in training in mixed martial arts as a form of fitness and training in MMA to fight in the #1 mixed martial arts promotion in the world. When you consider that Punk was starting from ground zero when it comes to having any mixed martial arts training at the tender age of 35 years old, it came as no surprise that CM Punk’s foray into the UFC was considered a very steep hill for the straight edge superstar to climb.

While seeing Punk did draw some curiosity from the fans, it was never at the same level as what was experienced when Brock Lesnar joined the UFC. One reason was the difference in the legitimate athletic ability between the two. Brock was a world class championship amateur wrestler at one time. CM Punk was one of the best performers in a “worked” sport. Don’t get me wrong, you do have to have some athletic genes in your body to be a professional wrestler at a high level. I see it every day with my brother. CM Punk was a freak of nature in this sense. He didn’t seem to have athletic gifts that you would think a performer would have, but damn was he good. Some may even argue that for a period of time CM Punk was the best professional wrestler in the WWE, if not the entire industry from an overall standpoint. Another difference between the two was the timing of their announcements that they would enter the octagon for the UFC. CM Punk made his announcement in December 2014, and didn’t fight until September 2016. That’s nearly two years of “sitting on the sidelines.” You know what they say, out of sight, out of mind. Too much time went by between Punk’s announcement and his first fight that there wasn’t the same kind of buzz that Lesnar had for his debut. When Lesnar announced that he would fight for the UFC, he told the world in October 2007, and was fighting Frank Mir in February 2008. CM Punk’s inexperience wasn’t the entire reason for his two-year delay before having his first fight. In October of last year, CM Punk suffered a shoulder injury that put him on the shelf. In February of this year, he underwent surgery of a herniated disc in his back that held off his training even further. Punk didn’t appear to be superhuman like Brock Lesnar. Instead, he appeared to be a 37-year old man who was breaking down due to years of destroying his body in the squared circle as a professional wrestler. A final reason for the lack of faith in Punk’s venture heading into his debut in UFC had to do with the four-part series that documented CM Punk’s training from day one until the present day. The show was supposed to show the viewer how far CM Punk came as a mixed martial artist. Instead, it exposed the fact that Punk was not ready for primetime.

PUNK’S LEGACY


After watching the docu-series, last Saturday night’s result should have come as no surprise to anyone. Punk was completely dominated, and easily discarded by relative unknown, Mickey Gall. Unlike Brock Lesnar, Punk’s performance isn’t one that professional wrestling fans will be gloating about. At least when Brock Lesnar lost his first UFC fight, he dominated Frank Mir throughout the entire fight, and only lost because he fell into an ankle lock. CM Punk did so badly that afterwards, Dana White said that CM Punk’s next fight should be outside of the UFC. That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement from the face of the largest MMA promotion in the world. Despite Punk’s poor performance, he really should be commended. Punk did something very few people get to do. He had a dream, and he went for it. Sure, he didn’t win, and looked bad in the loss, but that’s not the point. He had the guts to go out there in front of thousands in the arena, and hundreds of thousands (if not a million) watching from home. He followed the adage of go big, or go home. I have a saying that it’s better to embarrass yourself than have someone do it for you. Some may feel that Punk embarrassed himself. I don’t look at it that way. He took a chance, and it didn’t work out. The point is that he took the gamble. When he is 70 years old, he will not have to look back at his life and think “what if I tried the UFC.” He accomplished his goal. Some may think that he could have crossed MMA off his bucket list by fighting in a smaller promotion. However, that’s not Punk’s style. He seems to like proving the critics wrong. Were the doubters right about Punk not being a viable fighter in the UFC? Yes, and no. He proved that he wasn’t ready for the big stage, but he also proved that he had the drive and determination to at least give it a try.

This is Phil Brooks a.k.a CM Punk’s true legacy. He has the determination to try to prove the doubters wrong, even if that means that he fails in his quest to become the UFC fighter that he wants. He has the same legacy with his wrestling career. Unlike his fight on Saturday, Punk was extremely successful in professional wrestling. However, he had the same doubters in his wrestling career as he did in MMA. He didn’t have the right look. He didn’t work the right style. Punk would never succeed in the WWE. Yet, despite all of the obstacles that the WWE threw in his way, CM Punk for a time out sold John Cena in merchandise. He may not have main evented WrestleMania, but that’s more a blemish on the WWE than on anything negative regarding CM Punk’s career.

CM Punk’s wrestling legacy will be that he overcame the odds to perform on the biggest stage. Regardless of how the WWE lacked faith in him, Punk still succeeded in the industry. CM Punk’s impact in the WWE can be seen today. Just look at some of the performers on the WWE roster. Guys like Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Sami Zayne, Cesaro, Finn Balor all owe a bit of gratitude to CM Punk. The two top champions in the company AJ Styles and Kevin Owens would have never been signed, or at the very least would have been relegated to the mid-cards of the WWE. Instead, they are the standard bearers for the company. CM Punk proved that a “skinny fat” performer from Ring of Honor, who doesn’t have the WWE look can be a success. He, along with Daniel Bryan, have proved that you can get over as a top talent in the land of the WWE without being 6 feet 5 inches, and look like you fell off the pages of a Muscle & Fitness magazine. He proved that if you have a dream, with hard work, you can reach your goals. He may not have wrestled in the main event of a WrestleMania, or proved to be a fighter worthy of fighting in the UFC. However, he should be an inspiration to us all. If you have a dream, don’t let the naysayers stop you. Even if you fail, you still succeeded by trying. And that is CM Punk’s greatest legacy of all.

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