TNA Should Sell it's House, Car, and Soul For CM Punk

[Anti-IWC-Marks]

Before you roll your eyes about this buzzword of a topic, let me set one major parameter;

I'm not a CM Punk mark. In case you haven't run into these folk, (and i'm not sure how you couldn't have), they seem to attempt to live vicariously through the man, talking about how great of a deal it is for Phil Brooks to be getting paid away from wrestling.

But that's where the joke them, and why it classifies them as "marks". They are fans of wrestling, and moreover fans of CM Punk. And now, CM Punk isn't able to viewed anymore, so while they attempt to spin the situation and align themselves with Mr. Brooks, they are sadly arguing against their best interest, which is seeing CM Punk wrestle.

Okay, enough of CM Punk's stereotypical fan base, and on with the reason why I'm making such a buzzy thread.

TNA has made a few new changes, made noticeable splashes up north in the wrestling world, and has wind in their sails. The time to strike with something monumental would seem to be at hand. How could you make a bigger splash at this moment in wrestling history than have CM Punk make a return to the TNA Roster? Wait, why would Punk even do that?

1. Obviously, there was some heat between CM Punk and WWE, whether it be his character, his place on the roster, the work schedule, or fan reactions.. I think all caused Punk to leave. Fan reactions? I truly believe that Daniel Bryan's "Yes" movement caught so much fire that it upstaged Punk, who couldn't stand being the #2 indy wrestling guy with a cult following. The man has an ego, nobody has ever denied that.

2. Over the years, I've heard Punk has done well with money, and is decently set. Such financial stableness can allow someone to do things more out of desire, and no strictly out of necessity. It opens doors to act not only for the best financial reasons.

3. The schedule cannot be overlooked enough. TNA's schedule is much lighter than the WWE's brutal traveling and performing schedule. Because of this, TNA has been able to not only snag talent that the WWE would have liked to have kept, such as Kurt Angle, but bring guys back to wrestling, such as Sting and Rob Van Dam. TNA's lighter schedule is a very attractive commodity to those who are frustrated by the WWE work rate. While Punk might be happy to have time off, the itch will return, and he might not want to go back full time. He also may not want to deal with the WWE, even if they were to offer him a part time schedule.

4. TNA would certainly be a rebellious move for Punk, and the man has characterized himself as someone who is indeed rebellious.. sometimes. Is he that way in real life? Nobody really knows, but if he's anything like the character Punk marks awkwardly worship, the thought would certainly cross his mind.

As for TNA's perspective in all of this, CM Punk's name is worth millions on name recognition alone. Granted, they'd probably have to rename Punk, but the ratings for TNA might double or triple overnight if Punk were to act. As far as money goes, he'd have to be offered the max, and whatever that came out to, it'd be worth it.

TNA could actually SERIOUSLY be a "contender" to WWE.

Now, what are the chances of this? Probably very slim. Am I hoping for this? I'd like to see it only for bringing competition back to the wrestling world, and establishing a wrestling universe that isn't 99% WWE. I'm not a big Punk mark, but I'd instantly be just as captivated as i was when he dropped the infamous "pipe bomb" promo sitting on the entrance ramp... and I think most of the wrestling world would suddenly take notice of TNA as legitimate.

If I were TNA, I'd send out feelers to Punk any way I could..

 

[Slash-LN]

Punk would not make TNA a competitor. One person alone can't do that. Look at some of the names that went to TNA like Jeff Hardy fresh off a main event push in WWE, Kurt Angle, Sting, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair.

Those guys had very little result in helping TNA get better numbers. A lot of people still don't even know about TNA because it's promoted terribly and because not everyone with cable gets Spike. When wrestlers leave WWE there's a good portion of casuals who just think they're done wrestling.

Plus given Punk's past with TNA he probably wouldn't even want to go back. There's nothing in it for him.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Yeah yeah yeah, I've heard it all before. Christian was going to be the guy who was going to put TNA over the top, in direct competition with WWE. So was Booker T. And RVD. And Kurt Angle. And Jeff Hardy.

Let's not forget Sting. Hulk Hogan. Ric Flair. Mick Foley.

Or non wrestlers. Taz. Bischoff. The list goes on and on.

At the end of the day, did any of these names put TNA over the top? Did any of them pose any true competition for WWE. Were any of them true difference makers. No, and the fact of the matter is, CM Punk would not be a difference maker either.

TNA will never be true competition for WWE, nor do they need to be. Their future success and viability will stem from being an alternative to, but not competition for, WWE. They have done so with limited degrees of success in the past, and could do it again in the future, if they fix their product and modify their approach. Because at the end of the day, there is no single performer who could singlehandedly come in and be the difference maker. No one is going to come on board and be the savior of the company. Not Punk. Not Cena. No one. And as long as this thought process is perpetuated, TNA will continue to spin it's wheels.

TNA is likely destined to remain in the 1.0 or so range in regards to ratings. And that's perfectly fine. There's no shame in being a strong second place, a healthy alternative. Far better than looking for that elusive savior who simply doesn't exist.

 

[wwesux]

TNA needs to start spending BIG BUCKS wake up and realize the ratings are not strong enough! Snag talent quickly Bring in guys like GOLDBERG, CM PUNK, JERICHO etc not just one talent signing at a time but more like WCW did and it was capitalized hugely and destroyed wwe that's what TNA needs now. Bring Waltman and AJ Styles in

 

[sTyLnK]

TNA needs to start spending BIG BUCKS wake up and realize the ratings are not strong enough! Snag talent quickly Bring in guys like GOLDBERG, CM PUNK, JERICHO etc not just one talent signing at a time but more like WCW did and it was capitalized hugely and destroyed wwe that's what TNA needs now. Bring Waltman and AJ Styles in

And that would be nice, except that they don't have the money. The money comes from mommy and daddy Carter and they control it. Yes, I get that everyone knows that already, but my point is that you can't say something like that and expect a serious response. Especially when you know it is never going to happen again.

 

[OmniSavant]

You've wasted your time by writing this post. It's completely asinine, and I'm trying to be nice by using that word. TNA does not need CM Punk. And if CM Punk quit on WWE, he will never join something like TNA. If anything, WWE should do as much as they can to bring Punk back.

 

[mlp420]

Without even bothering to read through this thread, I'll say this: Nobody can really speak on how plausible Punk to TNA is because none of us know anything about Punk or TNA internally. Anyone who tries to do so is really just guessing and/or projecting their feelings about Punk and/or TNA.

Now if Punk was willing to come to TNA, I think TNA should definitely be willing to spend the money it took to get him on board. Him signing would give TNA something similar to what Hogan did when he first came. People forget Hogan's debut segment peaked at nearly 3 million viewers. Problem is those people never came back after that Monday night show. Punk would give them a similar or greater boost considering he would be an in ring competitor, but TNA would have to hope that the current product would be good enough to hold peoples' interest. That's really what it comes down too.

EDIT: Thinking about this further, I wonder if Spike TV could make something like this happen. He seems to be fond of doing things outside of wrestling, maybe offer him some non-TNA projects on Spike TV on top of a light wrestling schedule with TNA and see what happens.

 

[Ziirox]

One guy isn't going to turn that ship around. TNA's problems are with the people in charge. The captain isn't running that ship good enough. Dixie Carter and her family don't have the wrestling mindset that guys like Jim Ross or even Paul Heyman had. Hell, Bischoff, the guy would made WCW the top promotion in TV ratings 80+ weeks in a row was in TNA and he didn't have the power to turn that place around. TNA doesn't need a new high price talent. They need executives who are looking at the product with a fresh perspective and enough balls to tell the people running the show that they are doing an awful job. Not even Hulk Hogan could turn TNA around and he's is the biggest name sport entertainment has ever had.

 

[Messiah]

Punk is irrelevant right now. He doesn't have a contract and he hasn't been seen on WWE television since January... TNA won't be a contender to WWE just because they have Punk. Look at the names that have gone threw TNA. Stars much bigger than CM Punk, names like Hulk Hogan, Sting, Kurt Angle... How would CM Punk move the needle for TNA? He wouldn't do shit to help that company.

 

[MrJay]

Yeah,TNA bring in CM Punk only to watch him start bitching and quit when you don't give him the belt 30 seconds into his first appearance. Seriously, the hell with that guy.

 

[I_Like_All_Wrestling]

I feel like this is the post of an overly enthusiastic TNA fan. And there's nothing wrong with being enthusiastic, but you have to be realistic.

To address the original points posed here:

1. If the main problem were ego, I can't see why Punk would go from WWE, where someone like Bad News Barrett is higher in the wrestling world than the top guy in TNA, at least in the eyes of fans. Even TNA fans would think TNA stars are better than WWE guys would have to admit that even if they are better, that's not the perception. You don't get a big ego and then go to the second level guys, even if you're the top guy.

2. I don't really understand what the second point is. Sure, he doesn't have to do things for money. I suppose if the argument is that he wants to wrestle and doesn't need the money, that could fit here.

3. TNA's schedule isn't as light as it used to be. I'm sure it would be much better than WWE though. And TNA didn't steal Angle, he was released from WWE for MAJOR problems. Sting is likely headed to WWE, and RVD is back in WWE...so is Christian, Booker T, Kevin Nash (kind of), Flair, Hogan and almost every other person, even Angle, who has already been talking about wanting to go back to WWE. But, wrestling on TV, for a decent paycheck and a lighter schedule, yeah, that probably works as a point.

4. This is employment, not school. Punk going to another company isn't rebellious, it's just a decision. As already stated, he has money and fame, so he's not even risking anything to be rebellious.

As for the statement that Punk's name is "worth millions"...is it? Punk alone isn't going to change TNA. No ONE wrestler is going to turn around a company. Hogan didn't turn WCW by himself. Stone Cold didn't turn WWF/E by himself. You need more than one guy. And, as far as I know, Punk owns the name CM Punk, so TNA wouldn't need to rename him, and it would be stupid of them if they did.

That all said, if TNA did sign Punk, it might eclipse them signing Angle (who, even as damaged good, was huge). And it's not all because of Punk's wrestling skills. We've seen Angle, Hogan, Flair, Hardy all come to TNA and not move the dial at all, and Jeff Hardy was maybe the hottest talent in wrestling when he last came to TNA. The reason Punk is so valuable is because of his mainstream and media appearances. I'd bet that while Cena is the WWE face, Punk is probably more popular. Punk is on Talking Dead, WTF? the show and podcast, @midnight, Nerdist, in music videos. He's out there. People seem to know and like him more than whatever WWE pushes. THAT exposure would help TNA, if they knew how to use it.

 

[Anti-IWC-Marks]

I have to agree with a few people who commented.

1. I agree that TNA doesn't NEED to be direct competition to WWE, but an alternative. One way the WWE completely screwed up their ECW project was in trying to make it a large-arena show. Part of the beauty of the original ECW was that while there weren't 10,000 fans, they packed the house and were blowing up the smaller building regardless. I think TNA could benefit from the same atmosphere.

2. I also agree that CM Punk wouldn't be some sort of "savior" by himself. However, after watching TNA for the last few years, I've noticed the past few weeks have the winds of positive change going for them. Am I an enthusiastic TNA fan? Not much of the time, only when they do some things right. The return of the six sided ring, invading New York in the Manhattan Center, some decent, non-botched story lines for a change.. things (at the moment) are looking up for TNA... They should be sending out feelers to Punk, and I don't think Punk is too good for TNA, especially if his issues were with the WWE itself.

3. I don't really consider this a realistic notion, just a theoretical idea. I guess if I were TNA, I'd reference Punk on TV indirectly here and there without using his name.. and have guys like Angle, Aries, etc. give him a call and just get in touch. It never hurts. If one big name were to go, it wouldn't be outside of the realm of possibility for a Dolph Ziggler to follow, and an AJ Styles to return.. who knows. Are those likely? No. Are they possible? Sure..

 

[BenChillin]

True. Hottest free agent. But i'm sure it'll fizz away after a few weeks with TNA writing and other things NOT involving Punk. I would love to see Joe vs Punk 4 tho.

 

[whoopin' ass]

Yes and no. See there is a catch to all of this - one of the reasons Punk left was due to burnout but you want to throw him back into the ring right away. What happens in 6 months when he is burnt out again? So say you wait a while instead, does his arrival still have the same result in 6 months as it does today?

Personally I think Punk would have an impact no matter when he shows up. I would like to think having him there shows that TNA is an alternative to wwe for the wrestlers but with all the recent cuts, I don't see that as the message people will get. If Punk went, I am sure that some fans would follow but not a ton - that's just the business today. If a few of the recently released wwe guys joined Punk and they arrived all at once, maybe but are they going to hire 6-12 people all at once? I am a Punk fan but I see Punk as a starting point to build TNA over the next few years, not an overnight ticket like they would want him to be.

 

[RawIsJericho]

If it was that easy he'd probably be there already.

Punk isn't on TV wrestling because he doesn't want to be, simple as that.

 

[daddyJ_t]

Thing is and yes i love wwe and dont really watch tna, is this. if it were going to make any impact at all, it would have to happen now and i mean right now. yes the chants are still there for him, but they are waning and starting to die down. make the splash before his star fades out completely. there is a time frame for phil brooks in tna. he could take another year off in wwe and come back just as hot as when he left. but for it to matter in tna, it must be now to make a differance

 

[The Big C]

CM Punk would sign back with Ring of Honor before he would sign a contract with TNA. TNA is dying. I have watched the product for over ten years and while yes, the last month has been relatively decent, it's still painful to see such a drastic decline. TNA is not going to compete for Punk, because they can't. The money is not there, nor is the imagination.

TNA has creative and ownership issues that ultimately will remove it from our television sets and it will go back to a weekly pay per view format, if it doesn't fold altogether. Any company that is still doing business with Vince Russo, is a company that doesn't know what in the hell it is doing at all.

The only way you are going to see CM PUNK in a TNA ring would be if he purchased the company and blew it up.

 

[PeterSellersSTL]

if I were TNA I'd push all my chips to the center of the table and move to monday nights. I can only speak for myself but if they showed those kind of guts, I'd leave my tv on their show to try and tip the scales.

 

[Rayne]

I am fucking *loving* this post. A poster by the name of "Anti-IWC-Marks" goes out of the way to tell us that he's not like the other marks on the internet, then proceeds to start talking about making TNA competitive by bringing in CM Punk.

Two free pieces of internet advice, and be grateful because I normally dispense these out one at a time:

1) There is no such thing as the IWC. The IWC is just a self-created conglomeration of the opinions you've read which you don't like, which merely serves as a convenient strawman for saying "well the IWC believes this, but I believe that."
2) The people who complain about 'marks' are the markiest of the bunch around here, because they repeatedly insist on telling the boards in every post about how their opinion is special, because they aren't a mark. How could someone possibly be a mark if they complain about marks, amiright?

It's professional wrestling. The people who are worried about people liking wrestling the right way are fourteen year-old douchemittens. Slow your roll, champ.

 

[capnwillie]

I don't think Punk would even entertain this idea with the current state of TNA. TNA wouldn't have the money to afford him at this point unless they laid off half of the roster. If he was frustrated with how WWE was booking, imagine how he would feel about TNA's creative and/or personnel decisions.

ROH has far more of a chance and I think Punk would rather give his name and star power to the promotion where he really built himself and his skills prior to WWE. Especially when you consider that he gave ROH a lot of visibility and kudos in his WWE documentary, yet never even touched on his time in TNA at all.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Yeah yeah yeah, I've heard it all before. Christian was going to be the guy who was going to put TNA over the top, in direct competition with WWE. So was Booker T. And RVD. And Kurt Angle. And Jeff Hardy.

Let's not forget Sting. Hulk Hogan. Ric Flair. Mick Foley.

Or non wrestlers. Taz. Bischoff. The list goes on and on.

At the end of the day, did any of these names put TNA over the top? Did any of them pose any true competition for WWE. Were any of them true difference makers. No, and the fact of the matter is, CM Punk would not be a difference maker either.

TNA will never be true competition for WWE, nor do they need to be. Their future success and viability will stem from being an alternative to, but not competition for, WWE. They have done so with limited degrees of success in the past, and could do it again in the future, if they fix their product and modify their approach. Because at the end of the day, there is no single performer who could singlehandedly come in and be the difference maker. No one is going to come on board and be the savior of the company. Not Punk. Not Cena. No one. And as long as this thought process is perpetuated, TNA will continue to spin it's wheels.

TNA is likely destined to remain in the 1.0 or so range in regards to ratings. And that's perfectly fine. There's no shame in being a strong second place, a healthy alternative. Far better than looking for that elusive savior who simply doesn't exist.

If my memory serves, RVD, Hardy and Hogan all actually did move the needle for TNA, albeit short-lived, or for one-offs, like in the case of the Hogan/Bischoff debuts. The key here isn't over what could or couldn't move the needle. Moving the needle is easy (well, sort of). It's keeping it where it moves that's the issue, and in that regard, CM Punk probably isn't going to fare any better (or worse) than any of the aforementioned names. Consistency is the name of the game.

I don't think TNA is destined to remain in the 1.0-or-so range, depending on what your definition of "or so" is, (I still think they can hit 1.4, 1.5's maybe), but at the end of the day, one man or woman isn't going to light the company on fire. That line of thinking is what lead to so many horrific decisions being made by this company in the first place in always searching for that next big thing instead of trying to build their product to be the next big thing.

Punk would bring tremendous value to the brand, undoubtedly. He's a global icon and has a cult following that would be well-met by TNA/IW fans, who've historically supported a lot of ROH-type talent like that, but the expectations that would be placed on his shoulders should be reserved a bit. He wouldn't be a savior, and if that was the purpose in bringing him in, then the company is better off without him. He'd have to be part of a bigger story of things, almost in the same vein that guys like Lashley or MVP were brought in, where you are still banking on the success of that guys' name, but they aren't being Hogan-ized or Mick Foley-ized to the point that they have to be run in every angle of the show.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

Right now the only thing Punk dislikes more than WWE wrestling is TNA wrestling. You would have to pay him more than the WWE and give him complete creative control. TNA can't afford to compete salary wise with the WWE and I don't see TNA giving him complete CC.

If Punk does anything wrestling related I see him going back and working ROH for a while. He would give them a break salary wise and he has a very good working relationship with them.

 

[Anti-IWC-Marks]

I am fucking *loving* this post. A poster by the name of "Anti-IWC-Marks" goes out of the way to tell us that he's not like the other marks on the internet, then proceeds to start talking about making TNA competitive by bringing in CM Punk.

Exactly how does talking about a possibility within wrestling free agency "markish"? Wouldn't that make you a "mark" for me, since you're writing back to my post? Yea, it would.

Just for the record, I don't think you're a mark for me, so the alternative is you need to get some new logic.

1) There is no such thing as the IWC. The IWC is just a self-created conglomeration of the opinions you've read which you don't like, which merely serves as a convenient strawman for saying "well the IWC believes this, but I believe that."

Actually, I would consider the "IWC" to be anywhere wrestling is discussed, such as this website. It has nothing to do with what sort of opinion is being presented.

2) The people who complain about 'marks' are the markiest of the bunch around here, because they repeatedly insist on telling the boards in every post about how their opinion is special, because they aren't a mark. How could someone possibly be a mark if they complain about marks, amiright?

First, just for starters, you just called yourself a mark, because you complained about someone who you think is a mark...

But anyways, I suppose it depends on what you think a "mark" is, because it's pretty clear what one is overall. I'd call a wrestling mark someone who takes their involvement beyond an observational involvement, and injects emotion and insults into debate, or assigns conjured, phantom characteristics to wrestlers they idolize.

You seem to perhaps have misunderstood my name. Just because one is in the IWC doesn't make one an "IWC mark". And just because you're a "mark" doesn't mean you visit the IWC. But anyways...

You can feel free to point out where you suspect I'm a "mark", but my approach to wrestling is consistantly observational. I don't hope for one guy to make it over another, I just point out what they have going for them, or what might be hurting them. For example, I'm not Pro-Cena, I'm not Anti-Cena.. I talk about where I think John Cena is effective, what I like about him personally in opinion form, not in a declarative, and how he mixes amongst other factors in whatever storyline is being discussed.

It's professional wrestling. The people who are worried about people liking wrestling the right way are fourteen year-old douchemittens. Slow your roll, champ.

I get it, you've heard people make claims before.

The difference is, I'm not making claims, I just made a name. Your logic here dictates that there is no right answer, and everyone's version of following wrestling is equal.

Well, I'd have to say that those who make informative, non-emotional write ups are indeed following wrestling the right way compared to the numerous folks who cry "OMG UR A CENA LIKER U NOOB CENA SUX"

So before you fly off the handle on someone with laughably ironic logic.. I think a better question to ask is, why does someone who might possibly claim to not visit emotional, rebellious, hard-stance mark-land get you so riled up? Would someone being above such ridiculousness perhaps also be above your level as well? Is it where your reside?

 

[rge2010]

CM Punk would not embarrass himself by going to TNA. Punk is a smart man and he knows it would do absolutely nothing for his career.

A return to ROH is far more likely simply to 'give something back'. Then there is Global Froce Wrestling as well which is starting out so that would probably be of more interest than the Theme Park. Finally I bet a return to WWE is even more likely!!!

Absolutely no chance of Punk ending up in TNA.

 

[Dirk]

Allegedly, Punk started "fuck TNA" chants in RoH. Wrestlers aren't draws by themselves anymore. As it stands right now, TNA would have to recruit Trips, Cena, all the guys from the Shield, Rocky, Orton, Bryan, Punk AND Cyborg Steve Austin at ONCE if they were to draw a 3 rating.

It'd be much cheaper (and easier) to work with the talent they have and NOT sign over guys past their prime on bloated contracts. Money problems are what sent AJ Styles away.

Aside from ALL of that, we don't know if Punk still wants to wrestle, nor if the WWE-bridge is burnt ( and history suggests that it isn't).

I am fucking *loving* this post. A poster by the name of "Anti-IWC-Marks" goes out of the way to tell us that he's not like the other marks on the internet, then proceeds to start talking about making TNA competitive by bringing in CM Punk.

I'm glad you can appreciate it, because this guy just blinded me. Nevermind the thread title...