The first time I saw CM Punk was around 2006 when I saw one of his matches online with Samoa Joe from when they were in Ring of Honor. The match was amazing, and I remember later when WWE hired him they (ROH) were doing the storyline of him winning the ROH Heavyweight title and then turning on the fans. I have to say, I was really impressed with him as a heel, shatting on the fans who supported him for so long, and how he always felt that he was better than everyone else. He was one of those guys, who even then, I knew could be an amazing star on the “mainstream” wrestling show, but who I knew would most likely go unappreciated and underutilized. This feeling came partially because of what I saw happened to Christian, who ultimately became my favorite wrestler, and who, like CM Punk, was (and still is) one of the best performers the company had, yet because he didn’t fit a certain “image” or “blueprint,” he got overlooked, under-appreciated, and in many ways, shat on.
CM Punk is truly someone who worked his way up from the bottom. I still don’t quite understand why WWE felt it was necessary to send him to developmental when, if they had just paid a little attention to the amazing work he was doing in ROH (and if they had any common sense), they could have quickly come to realize that this was a performer who clearly has a good grasp of his character and his wrestling abilities. This was not someone who needed “training.”
But of course, CM Punk went with the “plans” (or rather, lack of) that the WWE had for him. He started at the bottom, and he worked his way up. I remember when the words “CM Punk is coming to ECW” aired on an episode of the “new” ECW (of course, what WWE did with ECW is another long, heated topic that can, and has been discussed elsewhere, everywhere). My first impressions were “Oh cool, but WWE is probably not going to utilize him properly.” I was more into TNA at this time, since my favorite wrestler was there being a main-eventer along with other reasons that TNA seemed far more appealing at the time (X-Division, X-Division, X-Division). Of course, since then TNA has become far less interesting.
This was the time period (2005-2006~) when I was really getting into wrestling. The athleticism and entertainment that you find in pro-wrestling quite simply cannot be found anywhere else. I spent many hours going through the old videos that were posted online of stars and events from the 80’s, the 90’s, and the early 2000’s. I didn’t want to be one of those confused, bandwagon fans who didn’t know what he was watching and who was incapable of appreciating the hard work, dedication, and talent many of these wrestlers continue to show. I am by no means a longtime fan, as I was one of those kids during the late 90’s who listened to all of the other kids repeat the Rock’s and Steve Austin’s catchphrases without really understanding why.
During his early years in WWE, I could tell that CM Punk was often brushed aside in favor of the other guys (Bobby Lashley comes to mind) who were “more in line” with what the company wanted. I honestly cannot remember one promo where CM Punk really sounded like CM Punk (and of course, most fans wouldn’t have been able to tell either way) prior his heel turn in the summer of 2009. I really feel that CM Punk is a natural heel, which is why I was really glad when they finally turned him. However, even then it seems like the WWE never got behind him, even when the fans did (whether they were booing him or cheering him). This is why I was not surprised when he wanted to leave the WWE during this past summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment