The Wrestling Bard 09.20.08: CM Punked

Larry: Aaron, that’s the comment section.

Aaron: The what now?

Larry: The comments section. It’s where the readers of 411 post their thoughts on events in wrestling or on the writers themselves.

Aaron: Wait a minute…so you’re telling me that actual wrestling fans write that section?

Larry: Yep.

Aaron: Wow…I thought it was my old school mates getting on my article to point out how lame wrestling was. I had no idea that wrestling fans hated wrestling so much.

Larry: You get used to it after awhile.

Aaron: Yeah, that’s easy for you to say. There’s a guy here that thinks I rip off all your stuff.

Larry: Why not steal from the best?

Aaron: Yeah. I always thought that GOOZLE was public domain. I mean, it’s in Wikipedia and everything. It’s not like I say “Numerous Purchases” or anything like that. But whatever. I’m sure after I work here for several years, people will love me too.

Larry: Dude, do you read the comments section of my columns? The guy saying you rip me off is the only person who actually enjoys my opinion.

Aaron: Wow…I think I have more fans…

Larry: Hey Aaron?

Aaron: Yeah Boss?

Larry: SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH AND WRITE THE COLUMN!

Right…sorry for that random phone call.

After the exhaustive effort that I went through to bring several Dream Matches (such as Sting against the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels against the Rock) to life instead of simply stating, “Man, I wish I could see that,” I’m ready to tackle a subject that has been the object of IWC-bashing in the last few months. Because what would the IWC be without people complaining? The subject, as you probably know by reading the blurb outside the article (granted, I have plenty of loyal readers that either love or hate me so much that they will click on the article to post their appropriate response) is the World Heavyweight Championship reign of CM Punk.

Others have done a fine job at looking towards the future booking plans of Punk, and most agree that it’s leading up to a huge blow-off match with Randy Orton. If it were up to me, I’d have that build slowly up until Wrestlemania. With the title RAW title scene crowded with current champion Chris Jericho, Batista, Shawn Michaels, and Cena (who will return before ‘Mania), I can’t help but feel it would be best to have those two face each other in Houston. I’m not saying they shouldn’t face each other before that, but if the WWE is smart, the blow-off to the feud will happen at the biggest show of the year.

What I intend to do here is too look at the overall effect CM Punk’s title reign will have on the wrestling business, specifically three specific groups: CM Punk, ROH, and TNA. Then, I’ll cap off the article with a look at the best Ring of Honor match in its short history, which of course involves CM Punk.

How Does CM Punk’s World Title Reign Affect: CM Punk?

WWE took a risk when they let CM Punk defeat Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship. After sketchy at best booking made CM Punk something of a punch line in the months leading up to his shocking title reign, putting the World Title on a man who lost as often as he won was a big gamble. Add in the fact that CM Punk is smaller than the average WWE Superstar and that he is covered in tattoos, and one might start to wonder if Punk’s title reign was a result of the supposed Dartboard Booking of the WWE. He just really doesn’t fit the typical mold for a WWE Champion.

What does CM Punk have going for him? Well, first of all, he’s straight-edge, which means that he won’t be investigated for steroids and he won’t pull an RVD. Second, he’s an amazing worker that can drag anybody to a passable match. Punk also has a rabid cult following of fans that has followed him since his days in ROH, IWA: MS, and other independent promotions. Most smart fans like the guy, which is something that the WWE’s golden boy John Cena will likely never be able to say about himself. Lastly, he’s absolutely brilliant on the mic. Punk was better than any independent worker on the mic the entire time he was in the Indies. If Punk is allowed to talk, allowed to wrestle, and allowed to win, he can become as popular as anyone else.

Did CM Punk’s reign do anything for him? Besides cementing his place in the upper card when many thought he would be drifting into obscurity, it really didn’t do much. He was booked as a guy who was overmatched by everyone. No one could question his heart or his work ethic, but when you are on the same show as Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Batista, Chris Jericho, JBL, Kane, Rey Mysterio, and John Cena, it’s going to be a little hard to hold onto your championship. CM Punk’s world title reign was far from the abortion that Rey Mysterio’s was, but it certainly could have been better. The best thing about his title reign is that he can say he was never beaten for it. Punk still has momentum from the title victory, but ultimately, it will be up to Punk and the powers that be if it will have any long-term positive effect on someone who can be a huge investment.

Effect: Neutral.
What CM Punk Should Do: Now that Punk no longer has the target on his back, he doesn’t need to worry about being constantly undersized and out-popped. He’s shown us that he has the heart to be a World Champion, but honestly, historically speaking, first world title reigns don’t do so well (ask Triple H, Kane, Randy Orton, Big Show, Mick Foley or Chris Jericho. Even Ric Flair’s first title reign, by his own admission, was average at best). There’s a huge difference between being a one-time champion and a two-time champion. Punk now has a feud with Randy Orton, and this gives him opponents he will likely beat (Rhodes, DiBiase, and Manu), and it will give him a chance to showcase his mic skills like never before. If WWE is smart, then this upcoming feud with the Legend Killer will do more for CM Punk’s career than his first World Title reign. Many have called that title reign a “test run” of sorts. Punk has shown that he can handle being a top level talent. Chances are, CM Punk will be a world champion again before the decade is done, and I would expect it to be a much better run at the top.

How Does CM Punk’s World Title Reign Affect: Ring of Honor?

More than anyone else in wrestling, Ring of Honor (and independent promotions in general) got the best deal out of CM Punk’s World Title Victory. ROH can now say that one of their top stars, a pure athlete that doesn’t fit the mold, reached the very top of the biggest company in wrestling. This title victory is the third one that raised the stock of the ROH World Title. When former ROH Champion Takeshi Morishima won the GHC Heavyweight Championship, it was a huge boost in prestige for ROH and its championship. When Samoa Joe finally won the TNA Championship, it was another notch in the belt. Now that a former ROH Champion has made it to the very top of the business, it’s hard to argue that the ROH World Championship isn’t one of the most prestigious and most coveted titles in the world.

CM Punk is an ambassador of Indy wrestling. Like I said, he doesn’t fit the WWE mold and by all means he should be feuding over the U.S. Title instead of wrestling for the World Title. He’s small, he’s straight-edge, he’s skinny, his style is out-there, and his look is weird. But somehow, Punk’s talent and charisma was enough for WWE to risk putting the Championship on him. I think a lot of independent wrestlers (like Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli) have been fearful that they would never be a success on the “big stage” of the WWE. Danielson is the best in-ring worker in the world right now. Have WWE teach him how to do a promo, get him some flashier ring gear, and allow him to win, and the American Dragon could be the star that he deserves to be. If he has any doubts that he wouldn’t at least have a chance in WWE, than he needs to look at CM Punk, and even Evan Bourne, formally Matt Sydal. These men are proof that wrestlers on the independent scene can make it in the “sports entertainment” world of WWE.

In a way, ROH fans can use CM Punk’s title reign as a big “F you” to people who say that Indy wrestlers are a bunch of small-time no-talent jabronis who wrestle in the Indies because they can’t cut it on a national level. It sure didn’t stop CM Punk. Maybe, perhaps, we followers of ROH and other independents know what we are talking about. Do some of us exaggerate the facts a bit? Yeah. But for every ROH fan that says that every main event in ROH is ****+, there’s a WWE fan that asks if Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker at No Way Out ’06 was the first ****** match. Take what the ROH worshipers say with a grain of salt, that’s for sure, but the fact that CM Punk is a former World Champion and will likely hold it again leans credence to our opinions.

Effect: Positive
What ROH Should Do: The first thing ROH needs to do is start preparing for ROH without Bryan Danielson. The American Dragon is too talented for people not to notice, and eventually, he is most likely headed to McMahon-land. What ROH needs to be doing is making sure that they have a firm foundation for when Dragon leaves. ROH survived the losses of AJ Styles, CM Punk, Christopher Daniels, Homicide, and Samoa Joe because they had Danielson, Austin Aries, Nigel McGuiness, Roderick Strong, and the Briscoes. But what will happen if Aries or McGuiness or Strong leaves for WWE or TNA? ROH needs to keep building stars that will be able to step in the next two or three years. Roderick Strong has deserved to be World Champion since at least late 2006, yet he hasn’t been given a shot at it. Tyler Black has been groomed to be a future ROH Champion, but what if WWE or TNA notices how talented and young Mr. Black is? Castagnoli could believably capture the title if need be. Chris Hero would be a good champion simply because of how over he is. Perhaps Go Shiozaki could use an ROH Title Run on his way up the NOAH ladder? Brent Albright and Erick Stevens are both future championship material, although Stevens would need a heel turn. Kevin Steen could be at that level in a few years. ROH has a lot of depth to their roster right NOW, but some of these guys need to reach a higher level so that in two-three years when Danielson has moved on, and possibly Aries, McGuiness, or the Briscoes as well, there will be people occupying the slots they fill now. ROH has done a very good job of this though, and this is just a polite reminder that they need to push some of their upper-mid-card guys into the upper-card, and start finding some new workers that can fill the upper-mid-card.

How Does CM Punk’s World Title Reign Affect: Total Nonstop Action Wrestling?

Pretty much since its inception, TNA has been THE place to go if you want to watch young, talented, Indy-style workers without buying DVDs. Over the years, the company has brought such notable Indy talents as Christopher Daniels, Alex Shelley, Abyss, Michael Shane, Chris Sabin, Frankie Kazarian, Homicide, Amazing Kong, Sonjay Dutt, Austin Aries and Low Ki into the mainstream. AJ Styles and Samoa Joe both held TNA’s top title at one point or another. While these workers usually take a backseat to established veterans and WWE cast-offs, it has been impossible to deny that TNA has been the best place to watch Indy-style wrestling. The aesthetics are a lot better than ROH, and the name value of the big stars makes it more accessible to casual fans. Not to mention they have a TV deal.

But now, we have an independent worker, in the same class as Daniels, Styles, and Joe who reached the top of the ladder in WWE. And he climbed faster than Samoa Joe, who many people say is his counterpart in TNA. Joe debuted in TNA in June 2005, and couldn’t win the belt until April of this year. CM Punk made his WWE debut in July 2006, and two years later was a World Champion. And fourteen months into his career he was the ECW Champion (the World Title Status of this belt is in question, but it means more than the IC and U.S. belts do). Punk has literally looked like a star his entire run. He’s had down times, but he has been constantly over with everyone for the last two years. WWE has proven that when they want to, they can book a young, talented Indy-style worker even more effectively than TNA.

TNA used to get a free pass on being the “new face of professional wrestling” because they had so much young, unknown talent in high profile positions. But now, CM Punk is a success story in the WWE. Evan Bourne and THE Brian Kendrick aren’t doing too shabby either. What will happen when and if WWE signs Bryan Danielson? TNA has been outdone in one of the few areas that they have consistently beaten WWE at: booking and showcasing young, unknown talent.

Effect: Negative
What TNA Should Do: TNA has usually had a myriad of problems, usually with the booking. No one will deny that TNA has one of the most talented rosters in wrestling. Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Christian Cage, Abyss, Amazing Kong, Booker T, Sting, LAX and the Motor City Machine Guns are some of the best workers in the world. Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, Petey Williams, Beer Money, Taylor Wilde, Jeff Jarrett and Rhino are all capable performers. But now, more than ever, TNA has been exposed as second rate. In April, they could claim that they have a world champion that never would have gotten the opportunity in WWE, because he doesn’t have the “look”. Now, they can’t really say that, because CM Punk didn’t have the “look” either. Would Joe have become as big a star in WWE as he is in TNA? One can only hypothesize, but CM Punk’s reign is a mark in favor of the answer being “Yes”. TNA needs to get Serious after Bound for Glory and start doing things right. AJ Styles can be a World Champion. Chris Daniels is too talented to remain a lower-card comedy act. The Motor City Machine Guns deserve a run with the tag team belts. If I remember correctly, many were in favor of Christian’s jump to TNA because there wasn’t a glass ceiling in TNA like there was in WWE. Three years later, and many people think that Christian Cage has gotten lost in the shuffle and should go back to WWE. I’m in that group. If Cage leaves, maybe it will be the catalyst for TNA to start being a watchable wrestling company again. I really, REALLY want TNA to succeed. But only the people at TNA can fix their problems, not us. Time will tell if TNA will “cross the line” to being one of the best wrestling companies on the planet. Here’s hoping.

Classic Match Review

In honor of CM Punk’s accomplishment, I’m going to review a true classic. Many, myself included, feel that it is the best match in Ring of Honor history. It’s the best match CM Punk has ever had. The match was so good that even Daze Meltzer gave it the full *****. Most importantly, it gives me a chance to try a new review style, instead of the old Scott Keith/Arnold Furious/Larry Csonka style play by play. Anybody who reads a ton of reviews, please give me your thoughts on the new presentation.

vs.
Ring of Honor World Championship Match: Samoa Joe © vs. CM Punk from Joe vs. Punk II on October 10, 2004 in Chicago Ridge, IL

CM Punk comes out first, to a hugely positive reaction from his hometown fans, and even has “Home” written on his wrist tape. “What time is it? IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME!” Good luck clobbering Samoa Joe. The fans chant “Welcome Home”, which has to be an incredible feeling. “Joe” chants start up and “The Champ is Here” plays throughout the arena, and the ROH World Champion Samoa Joe comes in. We skip to the ring introductions, and Punk gets streamer treatment and LOUD CM Punk chants. Joe gets about one/tenth of the streamers that Punk got, but it’s a credit to his popularity that the ROH fans will still cheer him against the hometown boy. The Code of Honor is followed without incident, although it is clear that they have no fear of each other.

The first several minutes is polite chain wrestling, but after that Joe tries to goad Punk into making it a fight. It’s mostly even with a slight edge to Joe, until Punk goes to a staple of his: the side headlock. Using a combination of said hold, his wits, and his quickness, Punk starts to control the match, and he keeps trying to have a clean wrestling match. Joe on the other hand spends a lot of his time trying to goad Punk into a striking match, but Punk will have none of it and keeps using the headlock. Things speed up a little as they do a Lynn-RVD like series of attacks and dodges, and Punk gets two off of an inside cradle, and Joe bails to the floor. Punk has gotten into Joe’s head, as he even kicks at the guardrail in frustration. Back inside we get a great exchange where they do some mat counters and Punk keeps applying a front facelock. Joe finally gets a decided advantage by goading Punk into a slapping exchange and hits a roundhouse kick to the head and Punk takes a powder. After regaining his composure, Punk makes sure to keep it a wrestling match. They run an extended Greco-Roman Knuckle Lock sequence where Punk gets an impressive monkey flip, and then snaps the arm of Joe ala Dean Malenko. Punk goes after the arm and gets a little more aggressive now that Joe has a kink in his armor. Punk goes deep into his bag of tricks with the ropewalk legdrop to the arm. Joe gets a little bit of offense in with some forearms, but Punk counters the Big Joe Combo and goes back to the side headlock. Punk starts doing arm wringers into side headlocks to work over both of the weak points at the same time, but Joe dives through the ropes and hits a backdrop on the floor. That only gets two, but it allows Joe to hit his Combo for two. Punk avoids the Facewash and shortly afterwards gets his own Facewash, which connects and gets two for Punk. Punk busts out a Koloff Knee Drop Driver as we approach half-time, and Joe has to get a foot on the ropes to escape.

Punk makes the mistake of going for a kick and that allows Joe to get a sick inverted STF (think AJ’s flipped Muta Deathlock), but Punk survives it. The tide turns as Joe avoids a crossbody and that allows him to catch his breath and take control, although he isn’t nearly as dominant as Punk was. Joe goes after the back that he stretched out with the STF, including a stalling vertical suplex for two and a sick Boston Crab. They start trading strikes, but Joe wins with a European Uppercut for a two count. Joe gets his Facewash in, and shows his frustration with Punk by arguing with referee Todd Sinclair, and gets two off a lazy cover following a headbutt. Joe keeps working Punk over with strikes but Punk goes aerial with a hurricane rana and a tope suicida. Punk then works over Joe with his own Olé Kicks into the guardrail, adding injury to insult. But Punk gets a little too confidant and tries a rana off the apron, so Joe gets the big swing into the guardrail. They trade strikes on the floor and Joe wins it, and returns the Olé Kick. A fan informs us that forty minutes have passed. Back inside, Punk headscissors Joe into turnbuckles, only to get caught by the STJoe and nearly pinned. Punk goes to the apron and Joe kicks him to the floor and connects with the Elbow Suicida, and that’s enough to make Jimmy Bower and Mark Nolte leave the announce booth. Joe DDTs Punk on the apron. Punk takes his time getting back to the apron, avoids a suplex and hits a basement dropkick, only to get caught with a spear, which gets another nearfall for the champ.

We are now into the last quarter and Joe misses a top rope splash. They trade strikes and Punk actually wins it with a leaping enzugiri and a series of step-over crescent kicks, but he gets caught with the snap powerslam, and Joe applies a cross armbreaker when Punk kicks out, but Punk gets the ropes. Punk escapes a powerbomb with a rana and gets two counts off of a yakuza kick, a neckbreaker out of the turnbuckle, and a rope-climb tornado DDT. Punk tries the Anaconda Vice, but Joe escapes that and clocks Punk with a lariat for a nearfall. Joe hits a press gutbuster, a kick to the face and a brainbuster, but Punk still kicks out at two. Joe tries another lariat, but Punk counters it into the Devil Lock DDT for two. Joe counters the Pepsi Twist into the powerbomb for two, and works the STF and the Crossface, but Punk gets a foot on the ropes. Punk gets a pair of nearfalls off of a sunset flip and the Shining Wizard. Joe even kicks out of a Pepsi Twist and Moonsault combination. They trade holds and Punk grabs a sleeper hold, but Joe counters with a neckdrop suplex, and they both hit clotheslines at the same time. Sinclair starts the count on both men but Punk is up, but Joe connects with a superplex after a long fight on the turnbuckles. Punk avoids the Muscle Buster, but Joe hits a Super Muscle Buster as time runs out. Punk gives the belt to Samoa Joe after the match.

Result: CM Punk and Samoa Joe battle to a sixty minute time limit draw. Samoa Joe retains the ROH World Championship.

What I Love About the Match: This match was truly amazing, and is the perfect showcase of CM Punk, Samoa Joe, and Ring of Honor. Punk was at the very top of his game, wrestling a very smart, psychologically sound, and remarkably subtle match. Joe was also in top form, but the match was really about CM Punk’s performance. It’s hard not to be impressed when two men go sixty minutes and the match never gets boring and the closest thing to a botch was a somewhat awkward hurricane rana. The match has gotten a ton of accolades, and it deserves every one.

What I Dislike About the Match: Nothing. I really have absolutely no complaints. One of the few truly perfect matches I’ve seen. The only thing missing is a winner, which prevents it from getting the *****+ rating that I reserve for the all-time classic matches. Still, it’s definitely in my top ten.

Match Rating: *****

This Week in Kudos
5) Kudos to Mike Tenay and Don West for shutting up during the major promos on TNA Impact. You made the show better by not talking.
4) Kudos to Jeff Hardy for not causing a scene during his little incident at the airport. It sounds like it was much adieu about nothing, but Jeff may have saved his job by being professional and not throwing a temper tantrum.
3) Kudos to Charlie and Jackie Haas for the birth of their new daughter. Maybe it’s just me, but I always smile when I hear about births. I mean really, what’s to complain about?
2) Kudos to WWE for booking Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho in a ladder match for No Mercy. Do I think this match will be the greatest ever? Absolutely not, but it has Match of the Year Candidate written all over it.
1) Kudos to Sonny Siaki for donating for his brother. I think I may have watched three of your matches and that’s not enough for me to have an opinion on your talent, but I now know that you are a good person. And good people are perhaps rarer than good workers, so I’ll take what I can get.