Opinion: The Punk Legacy

Source - aroundtheoctagon.com

So the CM Punk MMA experiment is over. After a near two year build, the fight finally went down at UFC 203 in Cleveland, Ohio this past Saturday. As Cult of Personality rung out throughout the arena, Punk strode down to the cage, his demeanour far more relaxed than those of his coaches, whose facial expressions somewhat telegraphed the finish. Indeed, their worst fears were realised when Punk, keen to make an impression, naively rushed into the range of the young, but talented, Mickey Gall and was dominated and tapped out inside a round. Many delighted in the hubris of his fall; others commended the guts and desire he exhibited stepping inside the Octagon. Whether he fights again is debatable; head honcho Dana White suggested the UFC would not book such an attraction (although that was before the impressive PPV buys were reported!) and even Punk himself may reflect that he has lived his (most recent) dream and step away from the cage. So when the history books of MMA are written and pored over, CM Punk will likely be a footnote, an exercise in marketing celebrities in sports, a fable of the everyman who dreams too big. Pondering on this led me to debate his legacy in wrestling. How will he be remembered in this industry? And have his contributions to the field truly concluded?

First of all, I must confess, I do really like CM Punk. True, he did turn heel on this very website and there are rumours that even his best friend doesn’t care for him that much anymore. I find it disheartening that he says he hates wrestling now and given his reputation as a somewhat crotchety individual, I don’t think he is the celeb I’d love to meet and have a drink with (that’d be Austin because craft beer wins over Pepsi all day long). But I never needed CM Punk to be my friend; I needed him to be a character and personality that leapt out of the television and gave me memories for a lifetime. And that he did.

Second confession: I’ve seen, maybe, three ROH matches of CM Punk’s. I’ve got a two disc DVD set of the famed Summer of Punk but it’s hard to find time to watch it because, as you may have noticed, there is a lot of wrestling on the box these days. So it’s the eight year WWE run of 2006-14 that I have the most experience of, Eight years. A lot of the roster is afforded eight years to make their mark on the industry but many don’t manage to craft even eight moments of magic. Moments are what a career is about: a visual, a match, a promo, something that will make the highlight packages for years to come. Punk’s epic title reign has him in the history books; his match against Cena in Chicago in 2011 will always be remembered as an emotional night where the result mattered more than the performance; as of right now, he has had the Undertaker’s last great Wrestlemania match. His pipe bomb promo is a genuine Raw moment, a rare piece of modern wrestling already cherished as dearly as any angle from the Attitude Era. Just as we have fond childhood memories of Hart and Michaels, Austin and Rock, Punk has provided real moments for our adult selves to savour. His place in fan’s hearts is secure.

But CM Punk has transcended being just a great wrestler; CM Punk is now an idea. While the Yes movement dominated storylines, Punk’s post Royal Rumble walk out triggered a real crusade amongst the fanbase. His infamous podcast with Colt Cabana solidified this as he tore WWE a new everything: creative was mocked; Vince was castigated while Hunter was disrespected; Ryback and the fed’s doctor were outright savaged. Punk became the unofficial spokesman for the crowd who thought that wrestling just wasn’t as good as it used to be. For them, a new way of expressing themselves was born and it exists to this day. The mantra is still clear: if the match or promo isn’t good enough, chant CM Punk. If you don’t like the act or the way the booking is headed, shout out loud CM Punk. Maybe it’s because smart fans believe the urban legend that if you say his name often enough, he will actually appear or maybe his name is shorthand for rebellion. CM Punk is the harsh, uncompromising literary critic that every smart fan wants to reference in their work. And whilst the chants can get tiresome, if WWE wants to eliminate the practice, they have to book smartly to satisfy the increasingly demanding fan base. CM Punk’s ghost haunts them and will only be exorcised if they present the sort of hard hitting, modernised product that he had been clamouring for. Punk might not be in the back, badgering creative and demanding change anymore but he doesn’t have to be; he has thousands of people in the crowd doing it for him. In his 2011 promos, he promised the audience he would usher in change. Punk’s words felt genuine and the crowd bought in for real. The expectations of a generation have been shaped and even if he isn’t on hand to take credit for it, Punk may well be responsible for much if what is the New Era.

Source - Wikipedia.org

So Punk’s past will live on. But what of his future? If the MMA is out of his system, might he wrestle again? He has certainly softened on this notion. Never has become never say never which is all certain rumour mills need to get ridiculously excited. For my money, I wouldn’t expect him to ever wrestle for WWE again; at best, in 20 years he may return to accept a place in the Hall of Fame, becoming the next Bruno or Warrior, a man older, calmer and ready to embrace his past successes. Then again his legacy could be becoming the headline guy who doesn’t resolve his differences and return to the fold. Until the law suit between Punk and WWE is settled, it will be hard to judge the finality of their divorce. But the wrestling world is bigger than the WWE universe and other opportunities may wait. He has spoken in interviews of his original career plan; to wrestle in Japan and return to the States a man without fame. Whilst it’s too late for the latter, he could still do the former. Maybe he’ll show up and compete in BOLA one year or possibly even return to ROH for special events. The latter is particularly interesting: if he could ignite a smaller company, using his fame to grow the business and increase the level of competition in the industry, his legacy really would be one of change, just as he promised it would be all those years ago.

Whatever happens, I hope Punk finds peace with wrestling and appreciates his place in its history. That was his first love (MMA is clearly a rebound fling; she even looks like wrestling!) and maybe he can love it again. Whether he wrestles, puts on a HOF ring or even just watches an episode of NXT, I want Punk to once more realise what he knew all those years ago. Wrestling is to be enjoyed. 

Words - Sean Taylor-Richardson

Images - James Marston

Editor - James Marston

Opinion: Who Will Conquer the Conqueror?

Well, what a difference a week makes. When I originally planned this article, Brock Lesnar had just defeated Mark Hunt at UFC 200 and was at the centre of a genuine feel good sporting story. Returning to the octagon following a 5 year hiatus, Lesnar crossed over from staged combat to the real deal and in doing so proved to the world, and to himself, that free of diverticulitis, he could not only compete with but defeat a dangerous opponent. It seemed as though we would enter a new world in which WWE and UFC might share their major stars with one another, cross promoting their brands enthusiastically. Exciting times indeed. Now however, there have been allegations of doping: the USADA have notified Lesnar that two drugs tests have revealed a banned substance. Until the investigation is complete, Lesnar must be considered innocent; however, there is enough uncertainty around the man’s MMA future that any discussion around upcoming fights and the possibilities of Vince McMahon and Dana White working together seem redundant at this time. Fortunately, there is still much to discuss regarding Brock’s role in the world of professional wrestling. For while his recent MMA foray might well be a one and done deal, WWE still has some big decisions to make regarding their business relationship with The Beast.

When Brock Lesnar returned to the WWE on the post-Wrestlemania Raw in 2012, he was quickly rushed into a dream match with John Cena at Extreme Rules. From there, he was reunited with Paul Heyman and worked a trilogy with Triple H and then fought CM Punk in a Summerslam classic. Throughout this time, his matches and angles were undeniably exciting- he combined the best of work and shoot styles and, when allowed to speak, had some memorable promo lines. However, whilst he was making a slight difference to PPV draws and ratings, business certainly wasn’t being transformed by Lesnar. WWE paid serious money to lure Brock back in the fold and they were understandably keen to secure a long term gain for this investment. If he wasn’t going to move the needle substantially, then he could give a welcome leg up to the next big thing. So in 2014, WWE devised a plan.

At Elimination Chamber 2014, The Wyatt Family battled The Shield. With a seemingly heel Ambrose missing in action and Rollins incapacitated, Roman Reigns stood alone against all three Wyatts. The air was thick with searing babyface heat as Reigns battled bravely before taking the loss to Bray. Looks, size and skill: Reigns had it all. He was surely the big babyface that would replace John Cena. Now all he needed was the perfect foil. At the next PPV, Wrestlemania 30, the unthinkable happened; Brock ended the streak. At Raw, the next night, Lesnar and Heyman were jeered as they gloated and rubbed salt into the open wound. A major heel was born and the main event of Wrestlemania 31 was in motion.

The plan for the year was set. New Champion Daniel Bryan would face Brock Lesnar at Summerslam. Lesnar would relieve him of the title, thus ending the streak and the Yes movement in the same year. He would take the WWE title hostage, removing himself and the championship from television, denying fans the WWE’s centrepiece attraction. The universe would be pissed and desperate to see him face his comeuppance. In the meantime, Reigns would break from the Shield, overcome obstacles like Randy Orton and the treacherous Seth Rollins before winning the Royal Rumble. At Wrestlemania 31, he would defeat “The One in twenty-one and one”, inheriting the glory of the streak’s end and
liberating the title, sending Brock packing on his last contracted night in the company. All sound, logical booking that made the investment of resources in Brock seem worthwhile.

But it didn’t quite pan out like that…

It all fell apart with two injuries and two debatable booking calls. The first injury was to Daniel Bryan. When he vacated the WWE title the Summerslam match was off and Lesnar lost the chance to send his heel heat into overdrive. The replacement feud was with John Cena, a man who was such a turn off to large swathes of the crowd, that the programme actually turned Lesnar, the hated streak conqueror, into a face. The nature of the match- a glorified squash- would have led to outcry had it been the beloved Bryan on the losing end but with Cena taking the beating, there was outright celebration; fans had waited years to see this happen and their hatred of Lesnar dissipated with each German suplex. So with Brock now a face, Roman’s only chance for Mania 31 was to be even more popular than the new champion. After a so-so start to post Shield life, Reigns was injured and missed three months. Stunting his growth as a performer and connection with the crowd, his return to face Big Show did nothing for nobody. Booed at the Rumble, Reigns was put out of his misery at Wrestlemania by the famed Seth Rollins cash in. The plan to pass the torch was put on hold.

Since ending the streak, Lesnar has failed to win only 5 of his matches: he has lost by DQ to Cena; been the odd man out in the aforementioned Mania main event and in a triple threat to Reigns and Ambrose; been eliminated in a Royal Rumble match and suffered a controversial loss to The Undertaker. He has yet to do a clean and convincing job: to do so now would represent a significant moment in the industry. He is still the man that ended the streak, the man that stood tall in the UFC (despite recent controversy, he legit reputation stands true) and a multi time Champion. Arguably, only Brock Lesnar and The Rock still have the aura and mainstream appeal that could truly elevate a talent to another level. So now the question is when should he lose and to whom?

Lesnar is under contract until Wrestlemania 34 in 2018. He could win consistently until this point, amassing considerable momentum, before doing the job in his final match. At this point, he could leave the company and return sporadically in the future for special attraction appearances, always winning to preserve the importance of his conqueror’s victory (in the same way the Undertaker has been booked strong to maintain Lesnar’s status as “The One”). Alternatively the WWE could pull the trigger earlier: have Brock lose before his contract is up- possibly at next year’s Mania- to allow for his subsequent appearance to be a rematch against his vanquisher or a fresh fight that enables him to go out on a win. Either way, for the remainder of his WWE run, it makes sense for him to lose on just one stage - Wrestlemania- and to only one man. But who?

Clearly, Reigns was plan A and he could still be considered as an option. A rematch makes sense (neither man has ever pinned the other) but this should feel like the modern equivalent of Hogan slamming Andre: the crowd have to buy into this fully. If Roman is deemed too risky a beneficiary of such a moment, then attention turns to one of three men.

Big Cass and Big E are super over as entertaining, catch phrase kings of the tag division but they will be notable singles stars sooner than later. Their size is impressive; their work is good (and in the case of Big Cass, ever improving). If their journeys to the top are handled better than Reign’s, WWE could capitalise on some great visuals here: Big Cass staring 
down Brock Lesnar (a Heyman-Enzo verbal joust in the build would be greatly appreciated) or Big E hitting his big ending on the massive beast. But for me the best option now is Bray Wyatt. Bray is the natural successor to the Undertaker on the roster but has been denied the opportunity to defeat the Dead Man on the biggest stages. The best way to get round this is to beat Lesnar; in doing so, Wyatt usurps the mythology of both of WWE’s hardest hitting legends and cements his status as the new monster character. The heel-face dynamic could work either way with Brock and Bray for WWE to reach their ultimate destination: a main event scene infused with a confident, dominant younger. The conqueror would be conquered and that historic moment would mean more to the business than anything else Brock Lesnar’s impressive career has yielded to date.

Words by Sean Taylor-Richardson. Images by James Marston.