Will Vince Ever Consider CM Punk To Be The Face Of The Company?

[Frozen Fire]

It was just reported on WZ that CM Punk has taken the number 1 spot from John Cena as far as the merchandise sales go.... you can read the following article.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/242982-exclusive-cena-no-longer-the-1-wwe-merch-seller-new-1

It also states that Punk is way above Cena as far as the sales go. Even in arenas Punk usually gets a positive reaction whereas Cena's is a mixed reaction from the crowd.

However, Vince Mcmahon still does not understand Punk's appeal and still does not believe that Punk could carry on being the face of the company....

http://www.wrestlezone.com/news/242978-vinces-backstage-reaction-to-mizr-truth-hiac-seats-open

so my question is that will Punk, even after selling the highest merchandise and making the last three PPVs before HIAC interesting, ever be the Face of the Company with Vince being in charge?

 

[Robbo89]

Its highly doubtful, why change whats working? Cena is the main draw, mostly for the younger audience, and has been for some time now. Just because Punk has had good merchandise sales for a few months wont change a thing with vince, he looks for money, and he knows that wherever the company goes for years to come, Cena merch will sell. Punk is selling well at the moment because of whats been happening with him since the "shoot" back in July. Who's to say Punk will still be as over as he is now in 3 months time.

 

[2BIGSHOWSIN1BED]

Its highly doubtful, why change whats working? Cena is the main draw, mostly for the younger audience, and has been for some time now. Just because Punk has had good merchandise sales for a few months wont change a thing with vince, he looks for money, and he knows that wherever the company goes for years to come, Cena merch will sell. Punk is selling well at the moment because of whats been happening with him since the "shoot" back in July. Who's to say Punk will still be as over as he is now in 3 months time.

it's been 3 months since the shoot and he's more over then ever.. and wwe arn't confident sticking with the pg rating anymore and well cena isn't really tv 14, and cena isn't the top dog anymore each day passing punk is dethroning him cena needs to be on smackdown to help that show out and move orton to raw to let him be the #2 guy while cena need's to be put back to #3 and punk needs to be #1

 

[Robbo89]

it's been 3 months since the shoot and he's more over then ever.. and wwe arn't confident sticking with the pg rating anymore and well cena isn't really tv 14, and cena isn't the top dog anymore each day passing punk is dethroning him cena needs to be on smackdown to help that show out and move orton to raw to let him be the #2 guy while cena need's to be put back to #3 and punk needs to be #1

It's a fair point, but i cant help but feel that the E aren't moving from the "PG era" as people are calling it, but are making it more appealing to other viewers. Just because a few people are saying Ass now doesnt automatically make the company a TV-14 again.
The storylines from the "attitude era" were TV-14, there was blood more or less every week, DX were at their height giving people hell and telling us to "suck it", Godfather and his "Hoe's", the very seductive side to the divas. these things help make a product TV-14 not a single word thats thrown about every so often.

Yeah it was 3 months since Punks "shoot" but all im saying is, lets give it another 3 months and see if he's still as over as he in now then lets discuss this again. Cena has been the top draw for 5 years now, i dont think that Vince will think somebody else deserves to be top draw just because of 3 months of good reactions, now if he's still as over come Wrestlemania or this time next year i can see the power shifting within the top draws.

 

[WunNightStan619]

i really see this whole cm punk thing as a phase. As good as he has been, as big as he may get, at much as he may sell, the first name and the first face people think of when they hear WWE, is John Cena. He's been at the top for years now and really is showing no signs of stepping down. At very most, punk will make it to being the number 2 guy, but as long as John Cena's around, thats as far as he or anywun else will get imo

 

[InsomGTS]

Vince is out of touch, of course he doesn't understand Punk. He still thinks the Hulk Hogan mold is the ideal top guy. It'll take eyepopping merch sales to prove him wrong. Miz and Truth won't be dethroning Cena merch sales like Punk did.

 

[ian_d]

I think this idea of one solitary face of a company is possibly something that should be outdated. So in my opinion, Cena doesn't require dropping down from the "Face of the company" title that he's earned, he just needs to share the title with others. I feel this is where Punk steps in and where we thought Orton might step in at one point.

I suppose to answer your question about Punk being considered the top dog, If the money talks, Vince will listen. So if people keep buying the shirts and cheering the name then Vince will do what he feels is best for the company and will let Punk be the face. But i'd rather get rid of the one face of the company ideology.

 

[Corpse_Machine]

In my opinion Punk will be "the face of the company" any time soon but instead he can be "a face of the company", Punk is maybe moving more merch at this moment in time but Cena has been consistantly moving a shit load of merchandise for years. Only time will tell on the merch side of things, but is the face of the company by default the guy who sells the most t shirts? Now that is a real question right there.

 

[xxxdaniel_ariesxxx]

If he does, it will take A LOT to convince him. Much more than it took Cena. Think about it... 2005, WrestleMania 21, Cena won the WWE Championship and Batista won the World Heavyweight Championship. Batista won the Royal Rumble, Cena came in second. Cena was on Smackdown, which has always been seen as the B show in Vince's eyes, and Batista was on the "Flagship Show" RAW. Cena beat JBL in the under card main event, while Batista beat Triple H to close the show out... Who do you think was being groomed as "THE Face of the company" at that point? yet just three months later Cena was moved to RAW and Batista was moved to Smackdown, and Cena has been the unquestioned "Face of the Company" since... just three months to change Vince's mind. Why? Because Cena fit what Vince sees at a "top" guy. The big, jacked up, steroid look, so it was easy for Vince to see him as a top guy, plus he was starting to blow everyone away with his merchandise sales, which put him over the top...

Punk on the other hand Vince just doesn't understand. He's not big and jacked up. He's not an over the top character. He's a grown man who doesn't even have a beer every once in a while... and in Vince's mind, since Vince doesn't understand Punk, no one else will either. sadly it will take a lot more than a few months of good merch sales to change Vince's mind about Punk

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

i really see this whole cm punk thing as a phase. As good as he has been, as big as he may get, at much as he may sell, the first name and the first face people think of when they hear WWE, is John Cena. He's been at the top for years now and really is showing no signs of stepping down. At very most, punk will make it to being the number 2 guy, but as long as John Cena's around, thats as far as he or anywun else will get imo

That's fine and it makes sense for the most part. I mean Triple H has worked as the #2 and #3 guy during the Attitude era and it has worled wonders for him.

The only thing I fear now is that if the WWE and Vince McMahon does what they can to stop the momentum with CM Punk. I don't know about you but ever since Summerslam the WWE has been slacking off with how to handle CM Punk. And, you would think, in how hot he got in June the WWE could have capitalized on this more.

 

[Azane]

Money talks. Vince is a business man.

Punk will be the top dog if his sales sustain how they are now, it's a simple fact of drawing power that Vince will follow the money.

Keep in mind, that Punk may of just spiked above Cena during a lull (It's terrible booking when being world champion is a lull in sales, but hey, our throats are sore from taking Cena orally for 5 years)

 

[Xpyred013]

^ punk doesn't have beer at all

and whyy! punk has the same build as y2j there both 225 pounds and y2j became huge why cant punk?

I think it's because of what Punk said. He was hand picked by Paul Heyman. The last guy handpicked by Heyman left the company (Brock Lesnar) and is doing far better for himself now. I've been around on these boards since it was called "backstagewrestling.com" and i was a huge ECW mark from 1998 until it closed. I had the Rise and Fall dvd and in it McMahon himself says he doesn't see the appeal to the product.

In the end it's his old school way of thinking, versus what the fans like. What he assumes we like versus what we actually do.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

In the end it's his old school way of thinking, versus what the fans like. What he assumes we like versus what we actually do.

And to think people actually consider Mr. McMahon a good business man

Cuz if having strong merchandise sales + red hot crowd reaction + being praised by the one of the biggest stars in the industry (Austin) is being overlooked it's really hard to defend saying Vince McMahon knows whats best for business.

 

[Xpyred013]

the problem with that was that back then it was Jim Ross who was in charge of talent scouting and all. Even Mark Henry said it in his promo when he beat up Lawler.

Jim Ross was the one who decided who was good or bad. Laurinaitis seems to only pick these jacked up monsters. I don't know. I am trying to limit my replies to what i recall. I stopped watching Wrestling after the Benoit thing and im only now getting back into it on a regular basis. But my opinion is that a lot of people give McMahon credit when it's not just him.

 

[kurtryan]

CM Punk maybe on the way there but it's too early to tell if he can carry the WWE in the next 5 years as the New Face of the Company. It will take 4-5 PPV matches to prove his worth. It really takes time convince Vince McMahon. Let's face he's been running the business even before the year we're born and to convince him you really need to be able to:

1. Increase the ratings
2. Sell Merchandise
3. Entertain the crowd
4. Give 5-star matches
5. Carry a match
6. Convince the fans that you're the big thing right now. (Similar to what Austin/ The Rock did during the Attitude Era)

Let's all face it, CM Punk is hot right now and we have yet to tell how long will he be able to stay on top. It depends on how Creatives book him. Let's just hope that they book him right and not bury him like what they used to do to some past superstars.

 

[IrishMcNaughton613]

Punk is the next Austin. Ok that may be to much but I really don't think it's that far off. Austin was in the business a long time and held down a long time before he got to be the big star. He could have been bigger faster but he had to show them who he was and develop naturally. This is the same as Punk. He has been in the business a long time and has been given nothing. He had to prove himself to win over the fans insted of him being pushed on us. Punk is going to be a big start to alot of people because he is relatable. He's got origional moves, origional looks and the giv'em hell aditude people loved about Austin. Punk won us over the same way Austin did and he will be going far.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Punk is the next Austin. Ok that may be to much but I really don't think it's that far off. Austin was in the business a long time and held down a long time before he got to be the big star. He could have been bigger faster but he had to show them who he was and develop naturally. This is the same as Punk. He has been in the business a long time and has been given nothing. He had to prove himself to win over the fans insted of him being pushed on us. Punk is going to be a big start to alot of people because he is relatable. He's got origional moves, origional looks and the giv'em hell aditude people loved about Austin. Punk won us over the same way Austin did and he will be going far.

*yawn* Bullshit *yawn*

Let's take a look through Punk's career shall we. 13 months after his ECW debut he won the ECW Title. Pretty good, isn't it? Enter 2008 where young Phil won the Money In The Bank ladder match and fans started to take more notice. In the span of seven months, he won the WHC, IC, and Tag Team titles becoming the fastest Triple Crown champion in history.

2009 was also a good year for Phil. He won MITB again and won two world titles in the process. 2010 wasn't a great year for Brooks but 2011 his promo supposedly made him God in some of your eyes. He beat Cena twice on PPV something that even HHH or HBK haven't done. And people of your ilk that claims that he has buried, might I remind you that he got a decent rub from HHH and was in the main event of last night's PPV.

What you got?

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

It's futile to declare someone as the next Austin since he came from a diffrent era and a complete class of his own. CM Punk is not going to become the next Austin and neither did the last two guys the WWE tried to make as the "new Austin" namley Randy Orton and John Cena.

However looking at the industry this is probably not a bad thing ... I often wondered how someone like Austin would succeed in today's Wrestling landscape. Something tells me Austin would have been regulated to upper mid card heel, why do you ask? Simple Austin's metortic rise was almost accidental and was more of an attempt to counter the competition of Nitro and the WWE's lossing business. And Austin was originally supposed to be a heel.

Out of the WWF's comfort zone Austin was able to rise to the top, in a WWE controlled industry I wouldn't be suprised if the WWE decided to remove Austin 3:!6 Signs in favor of "You're Going Down" signs for Ahmed Johnson (who was probably billed to become the next Warrior/Hogan).

 

[Mustang Sally]

Vince is out of touch, of course he doesn't understand Punk.

The problem in answering questions like these is whether we're talking real life or kayfabe. In the make-believe world of pro wrestling, Vince will never consider Punk more than a trouble-making rebel, the same as Steve Austin. Due to the corporate, button-down attitude taken by the CEO of the company, an anti-hero like Punk will never be seen as the face of the company.

In real life, Vince may be seeing Punk as the company's face already, at least until his initial popularity fades. Punk doesn't have the staying power of a John Cena, even if his merchandise is selling better now. These "voice of the voiceless" guys have gimmicks that last only so long and no longer.

Of course, the biggest problem is that we still don't know how much of Punk's "dissatisfaction" was real and how much was storyline. For a long time, it seemed as if Punk was truly leaving the company and had to be coaxed back with all sorts of incentives. But when his "vacation" was so short lived, I wondered whether the whole thing was a work. Obviously, the reason for bringing this up now is the question of how Vince McMahon sees the guy......and of course, if Punk really did hold the company hostage in real life, he's never going to be seen as the face of Vince's company, even though McMahon was a smart enough businessman to know a good thing when he's got it.

 

[BigPoppaPunk]

I personally do see Punk as the closest us fans will come to seeing another Stone Cold Steve Austin. While I don't think he should be streotyped as an Austin clone, the similarities are too striking to ignore. Both are/were taking wrestling by storm in their respective era's, and both sell alot of tickets and merchandise for WWE. 2011 is the breakout year for Punk, no doubt about it. Although I gotta disagree with those who claimed he was "buried" as he has been cosistently achieving new levels of success within WWE. It's normal for WWE to test guys before putting them in the trusted position of top guy. Fortunately for Punk, he's seemingly disproved all his critics and rose to the top. Heck, initially I wasn't a Punk fan, but he's won me over with his uniqueness and quality material during his WWE time. I honestly never expected great things from him, but I have no problem admitting I was wrong big time. He's gonna be the future face of WWE and rightfully so. He's earned everything he's gotten, and now he can add dethroning Cena as top merchandise seller in WWE.

So, to sum up answering the question, I definately do think he'll be the face of WWE. It's really only a matter of time and fans voicing their opinions. If Cena doesn't turn soon, I could easily see WWE making the change. Especially if Cena's popularity continues to decline during his upcoming fued with The Rock. A possible Austin/Punk match could more than achieve that and further open up WWE's eyes as to how valuable Punk is.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think that it could happen in time. Punk has always gotten good reactions from the crowd, especially as a heel, but it's only been over the course of this summer that he's really broken through to that next level. Even though many of us have long since believe Punk should be a consistent main eventer, it's only really come about as of late.

Punk is white hot right now and has been for a few months. Now, Punk has to show that he can keep that interest in him sustained over extended periods of time. Punk is making money right now and that's great, but will he be able to pull in the same amounts and generate the same interest 6 months to a year from now? That's a question Vince has about Punk and really is a question that has to be asked regarding any wrestler when it comes to talk about making him the "face" of WWE.

Vince might be someone who personally might not really see the appeal, but that might not necessarily matter as long as Punk is able to deliver when it comes down to the crunch. If Punk can keep going at the level he's at now on a consistent basis and show that he deserves to be at the same level as a John Cena or a Randy Orton, then I think a lot of those doubts Vince has will vanish.

 

[gamma2008]

You can't just put Cena on the backburner and have him feuding for the U.S. Title.

If Vince didn't have some faith in Punk, he wouldn't have been involved in a headlining match on the last FOUR PPVs. He won the title twice, granted with about 3 weeks worth of title reign alongside Cena, he faced Triple H in a match that sparked the big storyline for the year, and they put him in the Main Event picture yesterday. But they need an opportunity to put Cena in another feud if they want to give Punk a shot, first.

before we let last night's report carry us away, let us also remember that Wrestlezone reported earlier in the week that there were plans for Punk to enter a singles feud with Alberto Del Rio. This isn't about controversy or conspiracy, if this happens it will most likely be a championship feud where we will learn, from a business standpoint, if Punk is capable of being a main event face. So if you guys want this to work, and I do too, then you will watch RAW while they feud, buy PPVs where Punk is the headliner, and tell everybody you know that Punk is the man and they need to watch that guy in the ring.

 

[WunNightStan619]

That's fine and it makes sense for the most part. I mean Triple H has worked as the #2 and #3 guy during the Attitude era and it has worled wonders for him.

The only thing I fear now is that if the WWE and Vince McMahon does what they can to stop the momentum with CM Punk. I don't know about you but ever since Summerslam the WWE has been slacking off with how to handle CM Punk. And, you would think, in how hot he got in June the WWE could have capitalized on this more.

Well i dont think WWE is trying to stop his momentum. Thats counter-productive and bad for business and they know it. I think its more of a case of WWE running out of ideas on what to do with him. I mean the thing that has gotten him over is him speaking his mind and "exposing" this business. Now that the shock factor is fading, he's basically giving the same song and dance. He can only say the same thing but so many times before things get stale. I guarantee that the oh so consistant IWC is gonna turn on punk within the next few months, which goes back to what i said about this whole punk thing being a phase. I think the WWE did exactly what they needed to with him in June, and i think that Kevin Nash's presence played a HUGE role in it as well. They are doing a great job of keeping you interested in what will happen next. I think this is largely due to the possibility that the WWE doesnt even know whats going to happen next. The WWE needs something to keep his character rolling and keep the shock value intact. Otherwise this character will be short lived.

But like i said at very most, he'll be the number 2 guy. He doesnt have the media or maintstream exposure that it takes to be the number 1 guy. I think in todays day and time theres not enough room for John Cena and The Miz AND CM Punk to all be in the maintstream simply because pro wrestling isent as popular as it was back in the 80's and 90's.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

*yawn* Bullshit *yawn*

Let's take a look through Punk's career shall we. 13 months after his ECW debut he won the ECW Title. Pretty good, isn't it? Enter 2008 where young Phil won the Money In The Bank ladder match and fans started to take more notice. In the span of seven months, he won the WHC, IC, and Tag Team titles becoming the fastest Triple Crown champion in history.

2009 was also a good year for Phil. He won MITB again and won two world titles in the process. 2010 wasn't a great year for Brooks but 2011 his promo supposedly made him God in some of your eyes. He beat Cena twice on PPV something that even HHH or HBK haven't done. And people of your ilk that claims that he has buried, might I remind you that he got a decent rub from HHH and was in the main event of last night's PPV.

What you got?

Agreed on all counts, specifically the last one. Punk is not getting buried, its Attitude-era fans being butthurt over nothing.

List of the last few PPVs and the headline match:
Money In The Bank - Punk v. Cena (c)
Summerslam - Punk (c) v. Cena and Punk (c) v. Del Rio
Night of Champions - Punk f. HHH
Hell In A Cell - Punk v. Del Rio v. Cena (c)

that's 4 months of headlining with technically four title matches. plus with Survivor Series 6 weeks away (in NYC of all places), Royal Rumble two months after and WrestleMania two months after that, there is no way Punk is going anywhere.

Sidenote: I can't wait for the first Rock & Punk promo

 

[Dusty Roids]

That;s a nice list for sure. Punk just lost hiac, unfortunatley. I really hope he headlines another event because i can't stand another ppv headlining ADR and CENA. But I don;t see that happening though. The only reason they put Punk in the HIAC match is because to make the burial by HHH less visible. But since he lost it that it doens;t get him anywhere..