Hate to say it but Punk's run has been a bust

[ThatKidBlackHippy]

Lol @ dudes saying Punk's earlier runs were mainly forgettable. Dude is CONSISTENTLY over his entire career in the WWE. Since day 1.

 

[Metta World Movement]

He's better than slightly above average on the mic, but even that description you just wrote puts him above 99% of the WWE roster

That's IT, though

Being one of the best on the roster does NOT = being Austin/Rock status, though. It also doesn't equal their consistent popularity with fans. You gotta have that 'it' factor, that thing that makes people care about you regardless of how you're being booked. He doesn't have it...and that's what his stans don't seem to understand.

I remember R=G used to use the phrase "mediocrity has become acceptable". Even though I wouldn't call Punk mediocre based on his actual wrestling skills, I still think it fits here because dudes were (and still are) overrating the fukk outta him and acting like Punk was gonna have a Hogan/Austin/Rock type run, just because the fans cheered for him (y'know, kinda like how they usually cheer for Santino). Punk was never THAT over. The only time he ever got serious pops was in his hometown, and the few months after that worked shoot (and his return). Without a good storyline behind him, dude is 'meh' status.

 

[Rarely-Wrong Liggins]

Punk fans are sensitive as fukk. Good grief.

 

[Rain]

Being one of the best on the roster does NOT = being Austin/Rock status, though. It also doesn't equal their consistent popularity with fans. You gotta have that 'it' factor, that thing that makes people care about you regardless of how you're being booked. He doesn't have it...and that's what his stans don't seem to understand.

I remember R=G used to use the phrase "mediocrity has become acceptable". Even though I wouldn't call Punk mediocre based on his actual wrestling skills, I still think it fits here because dudes were (and still are) overrating the fukk outta him and acting like Punk was gonna have a Hogan/Austin/Rock type run, just because the fans cheered for him (y'know, kinda like how they usually cheer for Santino). Punk was never THAT over. The only time he ever got serious pops was in his hometown, and the few months after that worked shoot (and his return). Without a good storyline behind him, dude is 'meh' status.

Dudes were giddy as hell when Punk dropped that shoot. Meanwhile a few of us were just like . It was good, but the main problem a lot of us predicted was that he was gonna run the gimmick into the ground. And sure enough he did. Nobody cares to hear about all that "inside" shyt every week. It got old quick.

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

I wouldnt say its a Miz level bust but its not one of the best runs of the past few years

main eventing against kevin nash sure didn't help

 

[TrueEpic08]

The only reason why Punk got such a boost in popularity was because of the hype over that 'shoot' promo. There were several other wrestlers who would've gotten the same response if they were in his spot that night (e.g. Christian or Ziggler)

This in particular is just fukking wrong on every level.

Ziggler has the WWE look if not the superstar push. He's also been with the WWE forever and has been repackaged 87,000 times in an attempt to make something of him. As good as Ziggler is, it'd just have been weird coming from him.

Christian is (despite his TNA run and his history of being held back for no good reason) basically a WWE lifer, so it'd have seemed weird coming from him as well.

Punk had the history as a non-WWE guy (both in look and in his travels as a big name on the indy circuit), as well as something that everybody misses when analyzing this: The promo style to pull it off. Another reason why Ziggler, Christian and others (including Punk's closest analogue here, Daniel Bryan) is because they don't have the promo style or the promo voice to pull off such an enraged yet measured and thought out promo. Punk has the perfect voice for something like that.

Also, on the Punk/H/Nash debacle, a big reason why it didn't work is the reason why almost all Triple H feuds suck: He sold nothing. Punk's promos and H's responses were booked and structured in such a way as to make Punk look like a whiny, thoughtless smark type going up against the measured, logical machine of the WWE rather than a fed-up cog in the machine who wants to change the machine itself to make it work better.

I dare anyone to get over in the face of that.

 

[Rarely-Wrong Liggins]

Dudes were giddy as hell when Punk dropped that shoot. Meanwhile a few of us were just like . It was good, but the main problem a lot of us predicted was that he was gonna run the gimmick into the ground. And sure enough he did. Nobody cares to hear about all that "inside" shyt every week. It got old quick.

I said that shooting on Cena, HHH, and the WWE had a short shelf life and it was still up in the air whether could carry forward that momentum once he wasn't reading Observer reports live on air. Then, just as now, I was called a contrarian troll and was just going against the grain. Looks like the grain changed direction.

 

[malbaker86]

Punk needs to grew back the beard and long hair and be a heel again

 

[Lucky Millionaire]

Being one of the best on the roster does NOT = being Austin/Rock status, though. It also doesn't equal their consistent popularity with fans. You gotta have that 'it' factor, that thing that makes people care about you regardless of how you're being booked. He doesn't have it...and that's what his stans don't seem to understand.

I remember R=G used to use the phrase "mediocrity has become acceptable". Even though I wouldn't call Punk mediocre based on his actual wrestling skills, I still think it fits here because dudes were (and still are) overrating the fukk outta him and acting like Punk was gonna have a Hogan/Austin/Rock type run, just because the fans cheered for him (y'know, kinda like how they usually cheer for Santino). Punk was never THAT over. The only time he ever got serious pops was in his hometown, and the few months after that worked shoot (and his return). Without a good storyline behind him, dude is 'meh' status.

No one said that
It had the potential to be a legit angle that gave Punk as well as most wrestlers something to do. While Punk is trolling with the WWE title, making appearances and cutting light promos about the situation (as well as getting outsiders to know who he is and shed some light on wrestling again, at least try to build the guy it only helps the company if Cena ever goes down) the tournament to crown a new WWE champion that happened on Raw could've been a MITB-Summerslam arc with midcarders (Ryder/Ziggler/Rhodes/Swagger) against top tiers (Cena/Orton/Sheamus/Mysterio) as the main event of each Raw until SS. With the right build, Mysterio vs Cena could've been a great main event for SS with each person fighting past others to fill the void the title left. At Summerslam Cena wins the title in a hard fought match w/ Mysterio then Punk comes back and voila main event for NOC has written itself. Punk/Cena II happens at NOC which is another opportunity for a B-level PPV to get some extra shine from the angle like MITB did.

This took two minutes to write. This could've been the best angle they had in a long time due to the potential of a new star (even if not Hogan/Austin/Rock level which no one even suggested that he'd get there in a month at least a co-main eventer w/ Cena) as well as giving the rest of the roster a goal/unified storyline (also shuts up the notion that certain guys who are good don't have anything to do like Rhodes currently since the tournament automatically puts them in the main story) and the other titles getting more love now that the main title is gone. Punk wanted to milk the angle while Creative didn't. I blame Punk partially for the way his runs turned out but IMO he isn't where most of the blame should lie. WWE was thinking short-term instead of long term and as a result this thread.

 

[ThatKidBlackHippy]

This in particular is just fukking wrong on every level.

Ziggler has the WWE look if not the superstar push. He's also been with the WWE forever and has been repackaged 87,000 times in an attempt to make something of him. As good as Ziggler is, it'd just have been weird coming from him.

Christian is (despite his TNA run and his history of being held back for no good reason) basically a WWE lifer, so it'd have seemed weird coming from him as well.

Punk had the history as a non-WWE guy (both in look and in his travels as a big name on the indy circuit), as well as something that everybody misses when analyzing this: The promo style to pull it off. Another reason why Ziggler, Christian and others (including Punk's closest analogue here, Daniel Bryan) is because they don't have the promo style or the promo voice to pull off such an enraged yet measured and thought out promo. Punk has the perfect voice for something like that.

Also, on the Punk/H/Nash debacle, a big reason why it didn't work is the reason why almost all Triple H feuds suck: He sold nothing. Punk's promos and H's responses were booked and structured in such a way as to make Punk look like a whiny, thoughtless smark type going up against the measured, logical machine of the WWE rather than a fed-up cog in the machine who wants to change the machine itself to make it work better.

I dare anyone to get over in the face of that.

C/S

You don't have to undermine the promo to criticize Punk.

 

[Ill Lou Malnati]

WWE champion for six months, has good matches, #2 face in the company. Yeah. A bust.

 

[Lucky Millionaire]

WWE champion for six months, has good matches, #2 face in the company. Yeah. A bust.

Exactly. He's a bust because of .1 differentials in ratings? fukk outta here.

 

[Ill Lou Malnati]

It's not like it's been an amazing run but if you're saying he's been a bust you're either ignorant or trolling.

 

[R=G]

Not a utter bust but they keep telling you Cena is the face of the company yet he's calling himself the best in the world which male fans are starting to accept Bryan as that in truth.

 

[The Push Man]

It's been alright, not great but the title has been presented as less important than whatever Cena is currently up to, the only time they book the champion like he means something is when it's him.