The Piledriver Report 07.14.11: Examining the CM Punk Angle

Before I begin this week’s column, I would like to apologize to those who have been looking for my column over the last three weeks. The last two weeks of June represented the final two weeks of the quarter for the company that I work for. That’s one of our busiest times of the year. I was working fourteen hour days, so I didn’t have time to write. Last week, I was on vacation, and just needed to unwind after the hectic couple of weeks. With that being said, I am sorry for those of you who were looking for my column during that time. Thanks for understanding.

THE PROMO TO END ALL PROMOS

Since I have been away the last few weeks, it’s nice to see that nothing major has happened in the wrestling world lately- NOT!!!! Two weeks ago, CM Punk cut a promo at the end of RAW that set the industry on its ear. Every so often, there is a moment that happens in wrestling where a light bulb goes off, and you know that you just witnessed something historic. Sometimes, it comes in the form of a match. For those people old enough, you probably remember where you were when Hulk Hogan defeated the Iron Sheik to capture his first WWF World championship. Another instance where you knew a match was more than a match was the Shawn Michaels/Bret Hart 1997 Survivor Series Screwjob. I remember watching that match live, and at the end just knowing that something bigger than a simple title change just took place.

Sometimes, it not a match that makes you realize that you realize that you just witnessed something historic, something that is about to turn the industry on its proverbial ear. The night that Hulk Hogan turned heel in World Championship Wrestling, and delivered his promo regarding a “new world organization” of wrestling that was taking over. After watching that promo, you knew that the industry would never be the same. Another example was following Steve Austin’s victory over Jake Roberts in the 1996 King of the Ring finals. In his acceptance speech, Steve Austin uttered the most famous lines of his career.

“Talk about your some talk about your John 3:16. Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass.” Those two little sentences helped spark the “Attitude Era.” While Austin’s star was already starting to rise in the WWF, that promo helped to catapult him to the level that he eventually reached. Not to mention the cash cow that was created in the form of “Austin 3:16” t-shirts.

It’s been a long time since there was a game changing moment that this industry had given the fans. However, CM Punk’s promo two weeks ago just may have been the that one moment that the fans will recall years from now as the catalyst of the next wrestling boom for the industry.

Why was CM Punk’s promo so effective? Just go on any wrestling website, message board, or newsletter, and you will notice a pattern. Ever complaint that the fans have regarding the WWE, CM Punk brought to light in his three big promos that he delivered over the last two weeks. John Cena is being shoved down our throats. Check. Talented wrestlers being let go because the WWE doesn’t see their true talents. Covered. Resentment by the wrestlers of The Rock being put into next year’s WrestleMania main event without busting his ass all year. Punk covered that. He even brought up being one of Paul Heyman’s “boys.” He talked about the lack of a push and marketing that he gets, despite him being one of the best in the world. Watch the opening of RAW, he’s not even in the beginning intro.

Punk even talked about things that are taboo in the WWE. Things that you can’t talk about. Such as what will happen to the company when Vince passes away. He also used “forbidden” words, like “wrestler” and “wrestling.” On this past Monday night, he threw in a quick “what a maneuver,” which poked fun at Vince’s announcing skill when a wrestler would hit a move that McMahon never heard of (he would blurt out “What a maneuver!”).

NOBODY HOTTER THAN PUNK

Punk is super-hot right now. All of his merchandise sold out during this past Monday Night RAW. The Good Humor company has been besieged with e-mails and tweets from wrestling fans regarding the whereabouts of the WWE’s Ice Cream bars. What other performer has that kind of power? John Cena sells a boat load of merchandise, and The Rock called him “Fruity Pebbles.” However, I don’t recall hearing about a massive shortage of Fred Flintstone’s cereal because people were going nuts wanting the breakfast treat.

CM Punk is finally on the verge of superstardom. Most of the fans always liked Punk, yet he was never given the ball by the WWE for the long haul. What makes this latest push any different than the other angles that Punk has been a part of? I think it’s because the fans can truly relate to CM Punk. Remember when Steve Austin’s career took off? What was the main reason why everybody, wrestling fans, casual fans, and even non-fans, took notice? One of the main reasons was that they could relate to Steve Austin. Everybody who has worked a nine to five job, has dreamed of telling their boss off at one time or another. Steve Austin was doing this on a nightly basis throughout most of the “Attitude Era.” The fans were able to live vicariously through Austin’s actions.

CM Punk is in that rarified air right now. The fans can relate to CM Punk. Lately, CM Punk has been cutting promos about how discouraged he is working for the WWE. He is frustrated with the direction that the company has taken, he’s sick of his talented friends being released because “Vince doesn’t know how to market stars in 2011,” and he is tired of constantly being passed over while other people get the main event slots. Who can’t relate to the notion of busting your ass, but not being given the credit that you see fit? It happens all of the time in corporate American. Being relatable is the main reason why Punk is so over right now. Don’t believe it? How many times over the last two and a half weeks were you nodding your head along with every major point that CM Punk was making in his promos? You believe in Punk because he has been saying the exact thing that most wrestling fans have been thinking about when it comes to the WWE. In his latest promo, Punk called himself “the voice of the voiceless.” He is right on the money with that statement, because he is truly speaking for the little man, whose voice normally goes unheard.

IS IT A GOOD TIME TO WALK AWAY?

Despite being such a hot commodity right now, CM Punk seems to be ready to walk away, even if it is just for a short period of time. According to reports, Punk has been very good with his money, and will not be hurting if he takes an extended leave of absence. The big question to ask is whether right now is a good time to leave the WWE. There is an old saying that states “timing is everything.” That saying is especially true when it comes to the professional wrestling industry. Think back at every moment where someone became a huge star in this business. Looking back, you will notice that timing played an important role in every big movement in the industry. A prime example would be Paul Heyman’s Extreme Championship Wrestling. That promotion came along at just the right time. In the mid-to-late nineties, the industry needed ECW. They needed a promotion to come along that would cater to the forgotten masses. They needed a counter-culture revolutionary wrestling organization that would shake things up a bit. ECW worked for a few years in the late nineties. Would it have worked in a different era? Probably not, because the late nineties was the right place and the right time for ECW. The WWF catered to kids. WCW, which used to be geared towards the hardcore audience, was starting to go the “kid’s” route as well. The fans needed an alternative, and ECW gave the fans that.

This leads us back to CM Punk. Punk talked about being the best wrestler in the world. He talked about not getting the respect from the company. He talked about being the man who should be carrying the company. Now is the time for Punk to take the ball and run with it. The fans and this angle have put him on that main event level that Punk claims he should have been at all along. If Punk leaves, what will happen when he finally returns? Will his absence make the fans’ hearts grow fonder, or will it be out of sight, out of mind? Right now, the WWE would be forced to push him to the moon if he stayed. After all, it doesn’t make good business sense to put your hottest commodity on the back burner. However, if he leaves, even for a little while, will Punk’s heat go from being a fire to becoming just a spark. If Punk leaves, there is a good chance that he will have just walked out on the biggest career opportunity of his life. While I understand that Punk needs some time off for rest and relaxation, I fear that when he comes back, he will go from “the hottest property in the business today,” and go right back to being an upper mid-card talent. Hopefully, I am wrong.

SURVIVOR SERIES SCREWJOB: PART TWO

Watching this angle unfold, I can’t help but get a feeling of deja vu. I know I’ve heard this story before. A wrestler, who’s leaving the company, has a World title match at a pay per view on his final night with the organization. Vince McMahon needs that wrestler to lose, because he fears that he will take the WWE World title to another wrestling promotion. Where oh where have I seen this story play out before?

Oh, that’s right, it was in November of 1997. Bret Hart was the WWF World Champion, and was set to leave for WCW after the Survivor Series. Bret was refusing to job to Shawn Michaels, but Vince wanted him to. Mr. McMahon couldn’t bear the fact that his World Champion would show up on WCW television with the WWF World title belt in hand. He had reason to worry. After all, Medusa Micelli showed up on Nitro with the WWF Women’s belt, and tossed it in the garbage can on live TV. Vince couldn’t have the same thing happen twice. Thus, the plan and execution of thee Survivor Series Screwjob came into effect.

It funny to think about the “screwjob” today. The World title is devalued so greatly that when I recently watched the Bret Hart documentary “Wrestling with Shadows,” I was left wondering that people that became fans of the business today would laugh at the notion of Bret not wanting to drop the belt on the way out. The World title doesn’t mean what it did fourteen years ago. Today, I don’t think anybody would care if a Survivor Series Screwjob happened. However, in 1997 it became one of the biggest stories in the history of wrestling. It’s a story that still captivates people today.

Here we are fourteen years later, in a land where championship belts in professional wrestling have very little value. So, what is the hottest angle in wrestling today? A storyline that has a lot of resemblances to the situation that surrounded the 1997 Survivor Series. WOW!

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

With less than a week to go before the Money in the Bank pay per view, the big question that remains unanswered is “What will happen Sunday night?” There are several rumors going around right now. One has it that CM Punk wins the title thanks to Colt Cabana, who said he will be in the front row for the match. It was suggested that Vince would try to screw Punk, but Cabana would hop the railing to ensure that didn’t happen. Another suggestion gave the same scenario, but had Bret Hart prevent a Screwjob redox from happening.

My favorite suggestion came from “Figure Four Weekly’s” Bryan Alvarez. He suggested that Punk would win the belt, and then Vince would call out the SmackDown! Money in the Bank winner to cash the briefcase in against Punk. CM Punk would beat him, and then Vince would make the RAW Money in the Bank winner cash in the briefcase. This time, the Money in the Bank winner would beat Punk, and take the belt. This would make Punk look stronger, as he beat two wrestlers before succumbing to a third performer. It would allow John Cena to avoid being “fired,” because Punk doesn’t leave the pay per view with Vince’s title. It also puts a third wrestler in that main event level.

Over the years, I have lost a lot of faith in the WWE product. Even when they present something magical, something that you think will help the company turn the corner, the very next week, they do something to screw it up. In this CM Punk storyline, I’ve been waiting for the other ball to drop. However, it hasn’t yet. With no more TV (as SmackDown! was taped) until the pay per view, the WWE did this angle perfectly. Of course, that means that they could still screw it up at the pay per view. With my WWE trust issues still not completely healed, I believe that the WWE will do the wrong thing. That would be having CM Punk job cleanly to John Cena, and everyone goes home disappointed.