Are WWE relying too much on CM Punk?

[Blade]

WWE hasn't really made it clear over the last few months as to whether CM Punk is an actual main eventer. Sometimes they make him look like a star, but other times he looks like a midcarder.

Recently, CM Punk has been feuding with R-Truth. Now, most of us thought that it was because people backstage were pissed off with Punk, so they made him work with Truth. But according to the article on WZ, Punk is paired up with R-Truth because Punk is a "star" who can help R-Truth become a main eventer. This confused me, Punk is barely even a main eventer himself, yet he's being used to make a midcarder a main event player?

And now, Punk is being paired up with Luke Gallows, who is Festus. Apparently, Punk is supposed to help Punk get back into the minds of the WWE Universe. Which means that they'll have to start pushing Punk if they want Gallows to matter. But anyway...

Are WWE expecting too much of Punk? They seem to think he's a big star who can help these guys get over, but is he really? Is he big enough a star to get R-Truth over as a potential main eventer and Gallows over as a big huge badass heel?

 

[Miko]

Well if I was WWE creative this is pretty much what I'd be doing with him, I dont think he's got what it takes to be a major player in the WWE, he just isnt that entertaining, but he does at least have credibility, and that credibility could be used to make people like R-Truth, whatever Festus is called now and god knows how many other people who maybe, just maybe do have what it takes to become stars.

I dont think they are expecting too much from him at all. If anything, all he's got to do is turn up and say "look at this guy, he's so awesome" or be somebody's bitch in the ring, he does his part, it's then up to the other guy to get over.

 

[spinningtorturerack]

Im glad he has a counter part, as it were, this gives both of them decent exposure with a more brains and brawn team, even though punk can hold his own.

What I am worried about is that this is going to go down a road we've seen before. RTC anyone?

Im worried its going to end up him making a stable or something and just repeating the cheap heat created by the RTC and eventually punk is going to get stale, hopefully it won't come to that.

 

[bucks8897]

I think WWE was forced to rely heavily on CM Punk espically after Edge went down with his injury.

Losing Edge meant that smackdown just lost its biggest heel in the main event scene. I believe that the WWE wanted to get Punk into the main even scene maybe even have a short title run to give him some crediabilty but ultimatly having Edge go down force WWE to heavily have to rely on CM Punk.

I think CM Punk has done a good job, and his fued with Jeff Hardy was my favorite fued this year. Their match at summerslam stole the show of what I thought was the best PPV of the year since Wrestlemania.

Now that he has dropped the belt to Undertaker and even had a few title shot matches with him I think it's time for someone new to fued with undertaker and CM Punk has proved that he can be the Heavyweight Champ and put on some good shows.

He seems as though he's in limbo with his story lines right now but after watching smackdown this friday and seeing he has a new "enforcer" to team up with I can see WWE starting a new storyline with him possible creating some sort of stable.

Overall I think the future is bright for CM Punk. Good in the ring, good on the mic, good move-set, versitile with anystyle of wrestler.

 

[RavensFlock1990]

Punk is the 5th best overall performer/entertainer in the company IMO. Behind Taker, Cena, Jericho and HBK. The guy has everything. He's great in the ring, great on the mic, has great facial expressions (better than Orton IMO) and he can get over with the crowd as a face and be a top heel that draws legit heat like he does right now.

If WWE doesn't see him as a cornerstone of the company for the next 10+ years alongside Cena and Orton then something is wrong.

 

["Cool Guy" Jensen]

I don't know... I never really looked at C.M. Punk as a permanent main eventer. When he won his first World Heavyweight Championship, I was happy to see it because we were finally able to see a new superstar as the champ. However, his title reign was nowhere near how a real main eventer's reign should be. Same could be said about his two other ones.

I think Punk has the skills and the ability to make it as a main eventer, however... not full time. WWE has not been doing a great job making him a good champion, which is why he is already a 3-time World Heavyweight Champion. Other than his fued with Jeff Hardy, his fueds haven't really had much meaning behind it. His fued with The Undertaker could have been longer, if he wasn't in the old proverbial "dog house". He'd be a much bigger star if WWE had better ways to make him look like a star. Despite already being a 3-time World Champion, a former Intercontinental Champion, a former World Tag Team Champion, a former ECW Champion, and a 2-time Mr. Money in the Bank, after only being in the WWE for 3 years... he isn't as big of a star as he could be.

He can help R-Truth reach main event level. He can help make Drew Gallows more relevant this time around. He has the ability to do so. It's just that WWE needs to find more creative ways to make it happen.

 

[CHAOS]

Personally, i think Punk is one of the top guys on the roster but i'm not sure he is over enough with the crowd to be classified as a main eventer.
I think if he was kept in the title picture for a few months longer, he could then start to elevate the mid-cards, however, at the moment instead of Punk bringing Truth up to main event status, Truth seems to be pulling Punk back down to mid-card status

 

[wrestler36]

I think CM Punk is brilliant and adding Gallows will establish him as an even better heel. I personally didn't think he'd get over as a heel and I was dead wrong. Now, I feel that because of his lack of size, people may not believe him as a credible champion. How many times can you screw Taker and other guys much bigger and badder. Gallows adds that sweet heel dimension where Punk can always cowardly run away and let Gallows take care of the dirty work. Let Punk do what he's doing right now, he's doing great.

 

[Super Crazy]

I don't feel they are relying on him too much. However, his career is still young and I wouldn't be necessarily using him to elevate the other talent. His job right now should be main eventing, and I believe that while the promos would have gotten slightly stale, Punk-Taker should have lasted a little longer as one on one feud with Punk potentially coming out as champion and then having someone else elevated to face him.

But anyway, no, I feel they aren't relying on him too much. Pairing him up with Luke Gallows, formerly known as Festus, is good, because Punk could always use that extra hand for beatdowns and to back up his talk since Punk is a smaller man. I'd like to see him possibly try to continue to elevate R-Truth though, and I mean if Punk gets more guys behind him, R Truth can always recruit Cryme Tyme and actually give them something to do.

Hopefully he can get Gallows over as not necessarily a monster heel, but just a guy whose tough and strong, and help to erase the image of Festus. If he can elevate Gallows and R Truth simultaneously , that'd be good.

 

[goodlay]

His straight edge promos are pretty good, but with him doing one every week, they kind of lose their effect. Though just regarding Punk in general, im pretty biased, personally I think he will eventually be the top heel in the company. He's a great wrestler, he's a natural on the mic, and he can work with basically anyone in-ring and still make a good match out of it. I loved his feud with Jeff Hardy and his TLC match at Summerslam was easily one of the best of the year. I just hope they don't overdo the gimmick like RTC and kill Punk's momentum. I would rather see Punk as a face as I think he could draw a lot of fans, but his heel persona is working out so well right now that a face turn would be useless. The fact that he's such a cocky bastard who will cheat to win any match, and his preachy "Im better than you" attitude just generates so much heat from the fans that you have to keep him as a heel.

 

[PEP3]

WWE is doing well with Punk, for the most part. It seems to be the common consensus that he would have gained more credibility -- despite being a three-time World Heavyweight Champion -- if any one of those reigns lasted longer. Since that hasn't happened, and since WWE has temporarily pulled him from the title chase altogether, they're taking a different route with him.

Right now Punk is still very early in his career. Like any performer who has recently been pushed into the main event picture, he's likely to flirt with that spot off-and-on over the next year or so. During that time, he'll probably slip in and out of the title hunt, wind up in matches with some big name stars, and slowly fluctuate at slightly above the mid-card level. During that time, there's nothing wrong with giving him added storylines to busy him while WWE finds the opportunity to return him full-time to the World Title picture.

That's where he is right now. I believe whole-heartedly that this thing with Festus/Gallows is only the beginning of the bigger picture for Punk. As I mentioned in another post, I'd very much like to see him begin leading a faction not unlike yet completely opposite of Raven's Flock. He can help pull people in WWE from their paths to self destruction and find their footing in his Straight Edge world. It would give him the kind of support and backing which, if he's later given the World Title again, could help keep the belt on him for a good long while.

Meanwhile, even if that's not in the cards, Gallows/Punk could make a great team to put in the tag title race. With the work JeriShow is doing to return those belts to some degree of prestige, giving Gallows/Punk a nice, healthy tag title run could also keep them busy without tarnishing Punk's Main Event status. (It hasn't diminished either Jericho or Big Show's stock, has it?)

Right now I think Punk is largely out of the World Title scene because 'Taker has the belt. They just don't match up very well in terms of in-ring believability. 'Taker generally needs to face a larger-than-life character like a Batista in order for fans to believe he can be beaten. Once the belt is off 'Taker and back on someone Punk could face off against more believably, then I'd almost guarantee he'll be back in the chase.

The list of accolades someone rattled off earlier for Punk, all of which he's accomplished in about three years with the company, is more than most wrestlers achieve in an entire career. It's a clear indication that the WWE sees tremendous potential in Punk, obviously considers him one of the more bankable stars for the future and is going to put even MORE stock in his abilities in a year than they do now.

Is the WWE putting too much on Punk's plate? Maybe they are, but so far, you have to give the guy credit. Every time they've heaped a new expectation on him, he's met it with flying colors.

 

[INDYjon22]

First off I would like to say that CM Punk really doesn't do much for me. His matches are not that exciting and I rarely get excited when I see him come out. That being said he is a great talent and I do believe that WWE and Smackdown have been relying on him way to much.

Punk has seemingly become one of the faces of the WWE, which is not a bad thing but I don't think it is a good thing either. His brand has much better wrestlers on it then him and they dont rely on them as much since WWE is riding this CM Punk craze for all its worth. I would love to see some of the weight on Punks shoulders be passed to John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler and lets not forget that Batista and Undertaker can carry the WWE as well. There are plenty of men arounf to help out so there really is no need for WWE to use Punk as much as they were, they have toned it down quiet a bit as of late. Hopefully they do turn over the reigns to some more people and not just Punk, he has done a comendable job but its time for some new blood.

 

[PEP3]

Forgot to mention that my only concern with all of this is pairing Punk up with R-Truth. With a performer who's teetering on the Main Event like Punk, the question always becomes does a program like this move the lesser-known performer closer to main event. . . or does it drag the once-hot main-eventer closer to mid-card?

From my perspective, this pairing is not the healthiest choice for Punk. It's not like R-Truth was in the upper-midcard, verging on main events. The guy has basically been on the lower card, verging on midcard contender. The perceived gap between where Punk is and where R-Truth has recently been is too great.

The best bet in a situation like this would be to allow R-Truth to work a program with someone like Dolph Ziggler, who is just coming off an extended run in the upper-midcard. This gives Killings a major step up, without completely killing Ziggler. Then once R-Truth has that momentum going for a few months, then throw him in with Punk.

As it stands, rather than looking outwardly like a huge promotion for R-Truth, it looks like a significant demotion for Punk. Yes, R-Truth is going to get some rub, but it's still not going to propel him into the main event. On the flip side, it visibly moves Punk much, much farther from the main event than WWE might like it to seem.

 

[Shanks18]

WWE is doing well with Punk, for the most part. It seems to be the common consensus that he would have gained more credibility -- despite being a three-time World Heavyweight Champion -- if any one of those reigns lasted longer. Since that hasn't happened, and since WWE has temporarily pulled him from the title chase altogether, they're taking a different route with him.

Right now Punk is still very early in his career. Like any performer who has recently been pushed into the main event picture, he's likely to flirt with that spot off-and-on over the next year or so. During that time, he'll probably slip in and out of the title hunt, wind up in matches with some big name stars, and slowly fluctuate at slightly above the mid-card level. During that time, there's nothing wrong with giving him added storylines to busy him while WWE finds the opportunity to return him full-time to the World Title picture.

I very much agree with this, and while they did drop the ball slightly, he's doing well. He's an absolute heat magnet, so putting him in a program with R-Truth isn't a bad idea really in theory, it gives him something to do and elevates him slightly.

They seem to have big ideas for Punk and idea of a Raven's Flock is great, they seem to be going with a messiah type complex for Punk right now and I like the idea, we saw with Taker that the whole addiction thing can get a bit tired. He needs the tag titles so he can go from brand to brand, as a savior of the WWE.