Booking The Fallout From Money In The Bank '11 - How It Should've Been

[oneleggedman]

Many compared the promo Punk cut on June 27th to the one which propelled Steve Austins career following his King of the Ring victory over Jake the Snake Roberts. I remember the wrestling websites and forums really digging it and inticipating something BIG.

While this was delivered at Money in the Bank, resulting in Punks victory and abdication from the WWE with its crown jewel, the powers that be kinda screwed things up upon his return. Since then his storylines have slowly lost pace and while truly elevated to main event status, I cant help but feel like it could have been, hell should have been much much more.

As transparent as the comparison may be (not forgetting Punk was wearing an Austin shirt when he cut the promo) one has to wonder whether a Punk fued with McMahon would have been more beneficial.

Without going into too much detail Punk couldve used social media and news outlets to document his activity away from the WWE. Turning up at other wrestling companies, similar to the comic con incident. While this sounds outlandish you have to think that after his promo and MITB, this kinda made perfect sense. It was suggested countless times on wrestling forums and it was clear that the WWE was changing, it was entertaining again in the sense that you kinda didnt know what to expect. Have the WWE ignore these appearances on their website and only mentioned briefly by commentators or aluded to by McMahon in promos.

Then his return a month later at Summerslam after the new 'WWE' Champ was decided would be unexpected. His return to WWE couldve been followed with a fued on the people he shot on in his promo; Vince, Stephanie, HHH, John Laurinitis. Have Cena become Vinces plaything. He can retain his Super Cena persona for the kiddies but come off doubly obnoxious for the adult audience who see through his bullshit, or atleast his inability to see how Vince is using him. If built correctly I would find it hard to argue that this scenario beats the living shit out of the direction his storylines have followed since.

I enjoyed the matches, dont get me wrong, and Punks work on the mic is as stellar as ever. But there was no sizzle with the steak. No story we could sink our teeth into. HHH, to Nash, back to HHH, to Del Rio, to Cena, to Ziggler and now Y2J; he has been around the WWE locker room more than Kelly Kelly as of late.

Dont misinterpret this; I am a fan of Punk and the WWE generally. I just think that his promo could have been the first shot fired in what couldve resulted in a civil war.

 

[Swarles Barkley]

Many compared the promo Punk cut on June 27th to the one which propelled Steve Austins career following his King of the Ring victory over Jake the Snake Roberts. I remember the wrestling websites and forums really digging it and inticipating something BIG.

Here's the thing, Austin cut that promo in June 1996; it wasn't until November of that year, a full five months later, that he was in a high-profile feud (the one with Bret Hart). Austin beat Marc Mero at International Incident in July, was on the Free For All preshow against Yokozuna at Summerslam, wasn't on the Mind Games PPV in September and wrestled Hunter at Buried Alive in October. It's not like Austin went from winning the King of the Ring to main eventing the next week. I bring this up because Punk did more following his promo than Austin did, at least immediately. I think people forget how long it took Austin to ascend to the throne following King of the Ring. It wasn't overnight. The fact that Punk hasn't gone from superstar to Austin-like megastar is not surprising. It takes time. It did with Austin and it will with Punk.

The only problem I had with the aftermath of Money in the Bank is that Punk should have been gone longer. The storyline explanation as to why he was back so soon was fine, and the real reason (Summerslam needed a main event) is justifiable, so I really didn't have a problem with it. It just would have been nicer had Punk stayed away longer to really sell that he was gone. It would have been different. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Also, following Summerslam, some conclusion to the Nash-Punk feud would have been nice. They went back and forth for weeks and then... nothing. There needed to be some kind of resolution there. Those are my only problems.

 

[cm ben]

Definitely agree that the whole angle should have been sloooooweeeeed down. I would have loved to have had the whole tournament for the vacant WWE title stretched the month between MitB and SS, culminating with Cena returning, and, as he did, reclaiming the title. I get that they wanted a compelling main event for Summerslam--but honestly, would Cena vs Mysterio not have been good enough? That's a money match up. Their match on RAW was incredible. Would probably have been even better given a longer, PPV-length time limit. And how epic would it have been with Punk returning at the end of Summerslam instead of RAW?

I don't think they BLEW the storyline, but while it could have been a world-altering angle, it kind of turned into another thing for Cena to do/HHH to poke his nose in.

 

[DeathClutch]

Simply have kept Punk off the show until Summer Slam and had him return at the start of the program and announce he's back and instead of say Miz/Cena the Mania rematch I'd of had HHH come out and announce it's the 2nd biggest PPV of the year so it's Cena/Punk II for the Undisputed WWE Championship and Trips will referee the bout.

More so for shock value, this is why WWE needs a pre ppv show, that would of been one helluva segment for the show and could of garnered some buyrates.

The problem WWE had with that storyline the RAW tournament ended up going into OT so the finals happened the following week, the fact Rey jobbed to Cena was harsh, they could have kept the belt off of John until the week before Summer Slam and Punk return on the last RAW for shock value, 2011 WWE sacrafied both Wrestle Mania and Summer Slam for John Cena feuds, Summer Slam and Cena/Punk II it felt like a one match PPV which WWE isn't, if they want to go down that route then change these gimmicked PPV's and have WWE "Orton Vs Christian 5" - The Final Conflict or WWE "Cena Vs Punk II" - Undisputed. Don't waste good PPV's on one bout.

 

[thebarber]

people are clearly forgetting the entire reason Punk never went where the angle was supposed to go was because Kevin Nash could not get a clearance to compete in-ring, and was then off shooting a movie. HHH was rushed back into the storyline to take over the in-ring part, thus changing the dynamics of the feud completely and part-buryiong Punk in the process. That CM Punk has rebounded, gotten through and is WWE Champion, we will get many more classic Punk moments. Vince trusts him to do the right thing, problem is Punk will not want to do anything to topple him from the top money spot, any move from here is down the card. He was fighting to get through the glass ceiling in June last year, thus why the promo was so great.

 

[PlayTheGameHHH]

I tend to think of the good things. Punk is now where he belongs, in the main event, his promos are still fucking amazing and he's a long reigning champion (by today's standards anyway). I totally agree with you though, they could have done so much more and I expected much more too. It started to go wrong when he returned 2 weeks after the PPV (I think) it was far too soon and really what the hell was the point in Nash returning? Looking back on it, it was totally unnecessary. I would love to see more matches between Cena and Punk, and hopefully we'll see that if Punk's still champ when Cena's back in the title picture, and maybe we'll get a better payoff.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's easy to play Monday Morning Quarterback once something has happened more than half a year back.

I can see the point of having waited longer to bring Punk back to Raw. On the surface, it sounds as though holding off and generally having a bigger build up could have lead to an overall grander payoff when it was all said and done. Maybe that idea had been thrown around and the WWE intented to go that way but didn't because of circumstances we might not be aware of. Contrary to what the dirtsheets would have you believe, they don't know everything that goes on or is said behind the scenes. Sometimes, their sources aren't going to be able to give them everything because they're just not privy to everything.

On the other hand, I can also see why WWE brought Punk back so soon instead of prolonging his absence and extending the overall storyline. It's a sad fact that many modern wrestling fans are extrarordinarily frivolous with attention spans that are only slightly more developed than that of your average goldfish. Trying to draw something out longer than a month in this day and age can definitely result in a huge number of fans simply losing interest no matter how well crafted the storyline is or who is involved. Then you have the fans that are only into immediate gratification who tend to want resolution to something almost before it even happens. Then you have the armchair bookers who view themselves as wrestling visionaries who believe that only they're capable of coming up with interesting ideas & concepts while shitting on anything and everything that doesn't mesh with the visions that they have.

When it's all said and done however, I can't say I really care at this point in time. The objectives were to elevate Punk to the status of a long term main eventer, establish interest in him as WWE Champion, create opportunities for him to deliver excellent matches & promos and portray him as one of the top guys as well as a meaningful champion. Punk is where he belongs so mission accomplished as far as I'm concerned.

 

[VinnieSunshine]

It's easy to play Monday Morning Quarterback once something has happened more than half a year back.

I LOVE this statement. It always makes me laugh when I see the "How would you have booked (insert angle/PPV)" threads. What's done is done and we can sit here all day and come up with 20 different ways WE would love to have seen something play out.

I can see the point of having waited longer to bring Punk back to Raw. On the surface, it sounds as though holding off and generally having a bigger build up could have lead to an overall grander payoff when it was all said and done. Maybe that idea had been thrown around and the WWE intented to go that way but didn't because of circumstances we might not be aware of. Contrary to what the dirtsheets would have you believe, they don't know everything that goes on or is said behind the scenes. Sometimes, their sources aren't going to be able to give them everything because they're just not privy to everything.

I believe, and I said it at the time it happened, that when Punk did come back 2 weeks later, they should've waited. Let Cena come out and blab that he is the champ and whatnot, then play "Cult of Personality". Aside from indy followers of Punk's no one would've known it was for him. The crowd was dead until they saw him come out. The next week tease it again a few times until he finally comes out. He should've stayed off 3 weeks TOPS. Him crashing events and doing his own thing was working because it FELT real.

On the other hand, I can also see why WWE brought Punk back so soon instead of prolonging his absence and extending the overall storyline. It's a sad fact that many modern wrestling fans are extrarordinarily frivolous with attention spans that are only slightly more developed than that of your average goldfish. Trying to draw something out longer than a month in this day and age can definitely result in a huge number of fans simply losing interest no matter how well crafted the storyline is or who is involved. Then you have the fans that are only into immediate gratification who tend to want resolution to something almost before it even happens. Then you have the armchair bookers who view themselves as wrestling visionaries who believe that only they're capable of coming up with interesting ideas & concepts while shitting on anything and everything that doesn't mesh with the visions that they have.

Agreed. Like I said, I said the same thing too when it happened. I grew up in an era of wrestling where stoylines were played out over the course of months...NOT weeks. Today's generation in general has such a sort attention span that this country is turning into a "gimme now" country, and don't want to wait things out.

I was guilty of armchair booking...hell I STILL am, but only for things that haven't happened yet. Like Undertaker's return/retiring. Armchair booking can be fun if done right. But don't try to counteract what others have already done. Trying to re-book a wrestling angle is like saying "if you had control, how would you have handled WW2?".

When it's all said and done however, I can't say I really care at this point in time. The objectives were to elevate Punk to the status of a long term main eventer, establish interest in him as WWE Champion, create opportunities for him to deliver excellent matches & promos and portray him as one of the top guys as well as a meaningful champion. Punk is where he belongs so mission accomplished as far as I'm concerned.

Jack once again I agree with everything you stated...it's like we're connected. Punk fought and clawed his way to the top. He is one of the last few to go through the system old school. He wrestled all over, with guys like Mysterio and Eddie when he was younger. He had Shawn Michaels pushing for him in the back. He took his backstage political beatings and overcame it all. Did he hold Vince and WWE hostage and kinda back them into a corner with contract negotiations? Yes...but who hasn't. Austin walked out because he didn't like the way a match was being booked. Punk hit bigtime and the "summer of Punk" angle is what put him there.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I like this idea. I’m not going to go into too much detail as to what I would have changed, but I do have a few history changing points I’d like to make.

• CM Punk should have returned no earlier than Survivor Series and not later than the Royal Rumble. He should have stayed away longer, making appearances at TNA and ROH. I’d even go as far as having CM Punk face off against the TNA and ROH Champion at least one time each at their respective PPVs. The publicity gained can’t hurt either company.
• Rey Mysterio should have held the Title for a bit longer. I would have rather seen Mysterio vs. Cena at SummerSlam. This is also the place I would have still had Alberto Del Rio cash in on the winner of the match.
• Triple H did not have to have a non-Title match at Night Of Champions. He should have just been involved with Kevin Nash in a segment or even have Kliq involved in the WWE Title match itself.
• Cena vs. Del Rio would have been fine for the Hell In A Cell Main Event.
• Awesome Truth should have faced the Kliq at Vengeance, setting up the HHH vs. Nash match a lot better than the confusing cell phone text $#!+ they pulled.
• Punk could have returned at this point, at the Survivor Series, and resume history as it happened, or Alberto Del Rio could have defended the Title against John Morrison instead. Dolph Ziggler should have only wrestled one match, but that’s another topic.
• Assuming we went with Plan B, Del Rio could have defended the Title against The Miz one on one, or keep it as a Triple Threat match and include the most important WWE SuperStar today, who happened to not be on the card that day for whatever bu!!$#!+ reason, John Cena.
• Now we are at the Royal Rumble. Regardless of who the WWE Champion is at this time, now would have been a great time for CM Punk to come back, with his WWE Championship Title Belt in hand, claiming to still be the Best In The World, with victories over (and loses, but Cole would never mention them, just revision) Adam Pearce, Davey Richards, and Kurt Angle. I’d even go as far as trading wins with Sting, just to really make it something special. “WWE Champion, John Cena vs. WWE Champion CM Punk for the Undisputed WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble” would have been a step above their match at SummerSlam, cause of the anticipation of the “Winter Of Punk”, making it the “Hottest Winter” ever (coincidentally, it is in some parts of the World). Of course, Dolph’s push would have had to wait a month.

Right now, the Pipe Bombs would be fresh, if he just came back!!

 

[oneleggedman]

I appreciate the attention this discourse has recieved considering that it is old hat and welcome various opinions on said topic. But just a small criticism of some of the posters here who like to use the old adage of 'Ah armchair booking eh, when will they grow up...tut tut.'.

Well, erm, most posts on these forums contain the 'what if' aspect, regardless whether is has happened or is something that could happen in the world of professional wrestling. The very fact that some people discredit the validity of posts is in of itself a form of aknowledging that they too have varying opinions, and whether they are or are not 'grounded in reality', makes little difference.

It seems that the term 'armchair booker' is held in the same regard as 'mark' and 'smark'. These terms are usually implemented to discredit opinions without having to validate their own.

I for one believe it is easier to sit in your comfy chair and pick apart other peoples ideas than to come up with your own. This thread was never about why the fallout from MITB turned out as it did, and whether or not PUNK's character has benefited from it (undoubtedly it has; look where he is now compared to a year ago); it was started to discuss the possible routes which the storyline could have took, considering how the majority of fans (smarks, whatever) felt that there should have been more bang for their buck.

In my opinion, not that matters, me being a lifelong professional wrestling fan and 'armchair booker', this could have been something much more impactful for the WWE s a whole. Im not suggesting a massive change in demographic, as we all know that a pg12 is all we can hope for anytime soon, but a change in product. Maybe doing what the WWE hasnt done for a while, and that is have their storylines generate palpable passion (not dissimilar to the atmosphere as MITB). Watch a Raw from 1996-1998 and you will see what I mean (queue quotation...).

 

[cm ben]

It's a sad fact that many modern wrestling fans are extrarordinarily frivolous with attention spans that are only slightly more developed than that of your average goldfish.

Hmm, that's probably true-- however, two things here:

1) What % of viewers is this? A majority? Maybe, I'm not sure. But it's not like the WWE absolutely has to book for this portion of their audience.

2) This was a really unique storyline, in that the drawn-out part would actually have been the absence of the storyline. So unlike JBL holding the WHC for 8 months or the Nexus existing for a summer, this would have been... business as usual, except for the conspicuous absence of one superstar and the arguably "real" WWE Title. People wouldn't have had to think about Punk, and probably, the less they did, the more impact his return would have had, because it would have been that much more out-of-the-blue.

 

[Da Solo]

You wanna know how the MiTB fallout could have been booked better? Simple:

Keep HHH out of it.

You didn't have to completely eradicate him from the storyline, but the problem is it became centered around him and unfairly took the spotlight off of CM Punk, Laurinitis and Awesome Truth, the 4 men who the Conspiracy storyline were obviously supposed to be centered around. It wasn't a bomb like the way Nexus ended, but it could've went a lot better, but nooooo, Hunter had to bring that Kliq shit back and set himself and Nash up for the glory in the end.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

Build-Up to SummerSlam​

First of all, Vince McMahon should have never been fired. That was a dumb storyline and all it did was cut the Vince/Punk feud that lasted only two weeks. They should have started the first Raw with Vince saying he hates CM Punk and everything he stands for and says he is a chicken for leaving the WWE without signing a contract.

CM Punk would appear on the Tron from his house in Chicago saying that he is the Best in the World and until WWE accepts that fact, he is never defending the WWE Championship in a WWE ring again. He hints that he will defend it elsewhere which makes Vince outrageously upset. Vince makes his tournament for the WWE Championship in response.
Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, John Cena and Rey Mysterio make it to the semi-finals.

The next week on Raw, John Cena and Rey Mysterio beat Dolph and Miz and are announced as the main event of SummerSlam. Rey vs. Cena would have been a huge main event as they were both the biggest faces in WWE at the time, especially with little kids. Lots of video packages will play about how they don't want to go through each other, but they have to. At the end of the night, when they're both in the ring confronting each other, CM Punk appears on the screen and tells them that neither will be the real WWE Champion and they'll have to always live with that.

The next few weeks, Punk will be very present on the internet, appearing at Comic-Con, baseball games and indie wrestling shows. Eventually, Punk makes it known that he will defend his WWE Championship the night before SummerSlam at an indie show. On WWE.com, Triple H accepts Punk's challenge. Punk says that he won't defend it against a WWE cronie, but after pressuring from online fans, Punk says it's on.

The week before SummerSlam, Triple H appears on Raw and mentions everything that has gone down and says that he will face CM Punk for the WWE Championship to bring it back to the WWE. Vince would insult him because of acknowledging Punk and says that Punk isn't WWE Champion. Vince says the WWE Champion will be crowned at SummerSlam. Triple H tells him to not kid himself, the WWE Champion is CM Punk and until someone takes it off his hands, that won't change. Vince disagrees and reveals a new belt with a new design for the winner at SummerSlam! He makes a tag match that night, Triple H and Vince vs. Cena and Rey... During the main event, CM Punk runs to the ring and steals the WWE Championship at ringside! He leaves with both titles hanging around his waist.

At the indie show, Triple H confronts Punk and tells him he is a coward, is not WWE Champion and he will not face him. Triple H says his 15 minutes of fame are over. CM Punk and him brawl for a while until Triple H hits him with the newer WWE title and hits him with the Pedigree. Triple H leaves with the WWE title to bring it back to WWE!

At SummerSlam, Rey and Cena wrestle for the WWE Championship even though there is no physical belt at the venue. Cena wins the match and Triple H makes his way to the ring. He says that he has spoken to Vince and they have decided that John Cena is not WWE Champion. They say that instead John Cena has become #1 Contender to the real WWE Champion... Triple H! Triple H celebrates for the crowd while John Cena is in shock.

Build-Up to Night of Champions​

The next night on Raw, Triple H speaks about how he took the title from Punk and therefore is the logical WWE Champion. John Cena confronts him and says he did not win that and should not be champion. A WWE Championship match is booked between Triple H and Cena at Night of Champions. CM Punk keeps his presence on the internet with the older WWE title, but is not mentioned on Raw for a while. Vince declares himself Special Refere for the Cena/Triple H match.

At Night of Champions, CM Punk runs to the ring during the main event and takes out Vince so Vince can't screw Cena! Another referee takes over and the match goes on for another 10 minutes when Kevin Nash assaults Cena without anyone seeing and Triple H gets the win.

Build-Up to Hell in a Cell​

On the next Raw, Vince says that CM Punk has been invited for the following week to negotiate. The following week, Vince berates Punk for intervening in WWE matches and says that Punk is a disrespectful coward that fled the WWE because he knew he couldn't keep up his momentum. Punk says that he has been thinking about it and says that he wants to change the WWE himself so he says that he will come back and starts listing his demands. Vince makes believe he is going to listen, but then hits him with a low blow. He says that Punk will NEVER be signed to a contract after everything he's done. He says he isn't WWE Champion, he isn't Best in the World and he'll never be a WWE Superstar again. Punk goes after him, but security grabs him and takes him out of the arena.

Triple H says that he had no idea Kevin Nash would help him win the match and John Cena will call him a liar (sound familiar?). Vince McMahon will say it wasn't him either. Vince will blame CM Punk because Vince blames Punk for everything bad during this time. Vince will say that Punk took him out to ensure that Kevin Nash could interfere in the match. John Cena will mention that he doesn't think Punk is champion and that he doesn't deserve another shot in the WWE, but he's damn sure that Punk wouldn't hire Kevin Nash to do his bidding.

At Hell in a Cell, Triple H and Cena go at it and Kevin Nash tries to interfere, but Cena thwarts him off. X-Pac then tries and is thwarted off as well. Cena gets the upper-hand, and Shawn Michaels makes his way to the ring and superkicks Cena. Triple H gets the pin, and the Kliq is back! The four of them celebrate in the ring.

Build-Up to Vengeance​

On Raw, Shawn will mention that he told Nash to interfere, but it was to protect Triple H from Punk, not to screw Cena. Nash says that the prime goal is to ensure that the WWE Championship stays with Triple H. X-Pac agrees and HBK says he's down with that. Cena confronts them all, but The Kliq attack him and they all hit him with their finishers.

WWE makes a 10-man battle royal for the #1 Contender shot at Survivor Series. X-Pac and Kevin Nash are both announced as participants. During Pac's entrance, CM Punk attacks him and lays him out. Punk makes his way to the ring and Triple H is upset at ringside, but he screams to ring the bell anyway. He wants to see Nash destroy Punk.

Punk gets rid of Nash before the end and eliminates the last participant (Miz?) to win the match. Punk holds his title high and says that he's going on to Vengeance! Triple H makes his way to the ring to take Punk down, but Punk nails him with a GTS! He flees through the crowd with the new WWE Championship just like at Money in the Bank while The Kliq tend to Triple H.

The next week on Raw, Punk says that he is the Champion and Triple H is the Contender, not the other way around. Cena tells Punk that if he thinks he's been WWE Champion all this time, then he deserves his rematch. Punk gives him his rematch that same night, but The Kliq interfere and beat them both up. The Board of Directors announce the next week that the main event of Vengeance will be John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Triple H for the WWE Championship! They also say that The Kliq is banned from ringside.

At Vengeance, Punk pins Cena and retains his WWE Championship! He screams to the crowd that he's back. Vince McMahon comes out with Alberto Del Rio and Del Rio cashes in winning the WWE Championship!

Build-Up to Survivor Series​

On Raw, McMahon says that Punk isn't even under contract and therefore won't get his rematch. He says that Triple H will get the rematch instead. Punk attacks Vince and lays him out. Punk pressures into getting his match at Survivor Series, and he gets it, facing Alberto Del Rio. John Cena continues feuding with The Kliq and enlists The Rock to help him fend them off.

At Survivor Series, Punk beats Del Rio via DQ when Vince hits Punk himself. Cena and Rock beat Triple H and Shawn (coming out of retirement as a heel, because he doesn't care about what the fans think) in the main event. The Kliq don't appear on TV in a long time.

Build-Up to Royal Rumble​

At TLC, Punk faces Del Rio in a Ladder match. Shawn Michaels randomly attacks Punk and push him off the Ladder. X-Pac and Kevin Nash attack Punk and Del Rio on the bottom. Vince comes out and announces to the audience that Triple H never got his rematch so he has been added to the match. Triple H climbs up the ladder and wins the WWE Championship and celebrates with The Kliq. The next night, Triple H bloodies CM Punk with his sledgehammer and Punk is taken out on a stretcher. Triple H beats Del Rio in a rematch on Raw.

At the Royal Rumble, Triple H defends his WWE title against a recently-turned-face Miz, and CM Punk wins the Royal Rumble!

Build-Up to WrestleMania​

The next night, John Cena vs. Triple H is made for Elimination Chamber in Cena's last chance to make his match with The Rock a WWE Championship match. CM Punk announces that he might join Rock and Cena's match. Steve Austin appears the next week and tells Punk to leave Rock and Cena's match alone. Punk says he'll do whatever he wants. Austin says he is disrespectful and undeserving and Punk GTS's him.

At Elimination Chamber, Punk beats Nash one-on-one and Triple H tries to walk away from Cena, but Punk runs in and throws Triple H back in the ring. Triple H however still wins with a roll-up crushing Cena's dreams.

The Rock comes out the next night and berates Cena for breaking his promise on their match being a WWE title match. Cena and Rock brawl to end the show. CM Punk declares he'll be facing Triple H at WrestleMania to settle their feud for good.

During their build-up, Punk calls out Triple H, Vince, Stephanie and Laurinitis on everything they've done and how the WWE has been destroyed by them. He says that he is the only one bringing change into WWE. He faces Nash, X-Pac, and HBK in singles matches leading up to his big match with Triple H. Vince tries to make himself Special Referee, but the Board of Directors denies it. Vince tries to make Laurinitis referee, but they don't let him do that either.

Vince then gets the genius idea of making Steve Austin referee. At WrestleMania, CM Punk beats Triple H to Vince's dismay and Steve Austin raises his hand. Austin then stuns him and the next night, Austin challenges him for the WWE Championship at WRESTLEMANIA 29!

That's how you make CM Punk a star.

 

[VinnieSunshine]

First off your post was too long for me to read...so I skimmed it. I was just going to leave it alone until I saw this at the very end.

Vince then gets the genius idea of making Steve Austin referee. At WrestleMania, CM Punk beats Triple H to Vince's dismay and Steve Austin raises his hand. Austin then stuns him and the next night, Austin challenges him for the WWE Championship at WRESTLEMANIA 29!

NO!! We do NOT need another year long WrestleMania build-up like we are having with Rock/Cena. Im already getting bored with THAT storyline. That story was something that should've happened 2 years ago...not now, and NOT over a year.

I would LOVE to see Austin/Punk. However I am of the mindset that you build a current generation of stars, not rely on using the older ones. Punk is already established, so why throw in a legend to feud with him? What, because of the similarities between them? You mean the "I hate authority" attitude? Or is it the "Im the baddest man in the WWE"? Neither of these guys had that mentality. Austin just hated Vince and Punk fought for CHANGE. Aside from being "rebels" there is nothing that these guys have in common with their characters.

Use a wrestler that wants to make an impact and challenge Punk. Austin doesn't NEED the title again. He doesn't need to lose to Punk to prove anything.

 

[ultramattman]

Honestly? I think the dumbest move the WWE could have made would be to interrupt the WHITE HOT Cena/Punk feud and start a new Cena storyline while Punk sat at home. The Cena/Punk feud was getting mainstream attention. It was being talked about by people like Jim Rome and Bill Simmons, people with ENORMOUS fan bases square in the WWE demo. With the eyes of the entire nation FINALLY back on the WWE after how many years, people think the best move would be to just... not follow up for six months? To have Cena start feuding with Mysterio or Alberto Del Rio and keep Punk off tv altogether?? Exactly how long was that mainstream attention supposed to last?

Hell, that's probably the most damaging thing they could have done.

I think the WWE played Punk's return damn near perfectly. And the proof is in the pudding, because IT WORKED. Punk is a certified inner-circle main eventer. He' even got the #1 spot. John Cena's the one in a midcard feud with Kane and the U.S. champion, not Punk. Punk's feuding with legends and Hall of Famers.

 

[cm ben]

Exactly how long was that mainstream attention supposed to last?

Well, here's a question: how long did it last? About as long as Punk was out. When he left Chicago with the title, the media reported it. When he showed up at Comicon, the media reported it. When he showed up at that indie show, sure, ESPN didn't jump on the, but I heard about it through word-of-mouth, etc. When he came back and started picking on HHH, though, it became way too evident that this was just another mediocre storyline, and, yeah, absolutely no mainstream attention came to it.

The whole point and appeal of the storyline was that he was gone. And, if you remember, Cena was supposed to be gone, too--the stipulation was that he'd be fired if he lost. That Cena came back a week after being "fired" was another aspect that weakened the overall story--they probably could and should have prolonged that, too.

 

[ultramattman]

Well, here's a question: how long did it last? About as long as Punk was out. When he left Chicago with the title, the media reported it. When he showed up at Comicon, the media reported it. When he showed up at that indie show, sure, ESPN didn't jump on the, but I heard about it through word-of-mouth, etc. When he came back and started picking on HHH, though, it became way too evident that this was just another mediocre storyline, and, yeah, absolutely no mainstream attention came to it.

The whole point and appeal of the storyline was that he was gone. And, if you remember, Cena was supposed to be gone, too--the stipulation was that he'd be fired if he lost. That Cena came back a week after being "fired" was another aspect that weakened the overall story--they probably could and should have prolonged that, too.

The mainstream attention was definitely still there while Punk was gone. Would it have lasted four weeks? probably. Eight weeks? maybe. Six months? Forget it. No one would care anymore by the time he came back.

Four weeks probably would have been the ideal amount of time to do the 'viral Punk' thing. It was certainly working. But the WWE/Punk had not only to generate this buzz, they had to capitalize on it. What good is media attention if people turn on RAW and can't see the guy they're reading about? What good is the buzz of a legendary Cena/Punk match if they're selling their next PPV with 'Cena! Mysterio! And absolutely no C.M.Punk!'

Because they HAD to have Cena/Punk II for Summerslam. Make no mistake about this. People insisting a Cena/Mysterio main event would have been 'just as good' are insane. Cena/Punk II was the hottest match in all of wrestling and they were already in the middle of the feud. How on earth could you book anything else?

You can argue that Summer Slam's timing forced them to bring Punk back slightly earlier than was necessary. But those who argue for some months-long absence are way, way overestimating the length of time this story would hold the public's attention. A long Punk absence would be awesome in a pure wrestling storyline sense, but in real-world terms it just doesn't work.

 

[The Idiot]

It's easy to play Monday Morning Quarterback once something has happened more than half a year back.

I can see the point of having waited longer to bring Punk back to Raw. On the surface, it sounds as though holding off and generally having a bigger build up could have lead to an overall grander payoff when it was all said and done. Maybe that idea had been thrown around and the WWE intented to go that way but didn't because of circumstances we might not be aware of. Contrary to what the dirtsheets would have you believe, they don't know everything that goes on or is said behind the scenes. Sometimes, their sources aren't going to be able to give them everything because they're just not privy to everything.

On the other hand, I can also see why WWE brought Punk back so soon instead of prolonging his absence and extending the overall storyline. It's a sad fact that many modern wrestling fans are extrarordinarily frivolous with attention spans that are only slightly more developed than that of your average goldfish. Trying to draw something out longer than a month in this day and age can definitely result in a huge number of fans simply losing interest no matter how well crafted the storyline is or who is involved. Then you have the fans that are only into immediate gratification who tend to want resolution to something almost before it even happens. Then you have the armchair bookers who view themselves as wrestling visionaries who believe that only they're capable of coming up with interesting ideas & concepts while shitting on anything and everything that doesn't mesh with the visions that they have.

When it's all said and done however, I can't say I really care at this point in time. The objectives were to elevate Punk to the status of a long term main eventer, establish interest in him as WWE Champion, create opportunities for him to deliver excellent matches & promos and portray him as one of the top guys as well as a meaningful champion. Punk is where he belongs so mission accomplished as far as I'm concerned.

It's easy playing Monday Morning Quarterback? Nah....for this particular storyline it would have been easy be the booker and not screw things up as badly as they were.

Look at all the posts....everyone said to "slow down everything." The rushed storylines the WWE does for the ADD just ruins any potential for an angle. I remember reading posts back when Punk came back to confront Cena in the middle of the ring and raise his championship belt....everyone was saying he was brought back too early...and he was.

I think Punk should have returned @ Summerslam after John Cena retains his "title." They could have put him against Miz or ADR...doesn't matter. Cena retains the title and then Punk walks out with his new music to confront Cena just like he did on Raw by raising the belt.

I would not have put Cena/Punk in a feud though. This is something I would have saved. Cena/ADR and winner gets to feud with Punk for the title. ADR would win which would free up Cena to tag with the Rock against Miz/Truth at Survivor Series.

I like the Punk/Cena match at MITB....but I think they should have really saved this for post-Wrestlemania....or possible next Wrestlemania.

The most important part is Punk never loses the title. Sorry Alberto, but it's not your time yet. I don't give a shit if the WWE is touring Mexico or not. CM Punk is the future of this company and he is in the same position as Austin was in 1998. He needs a long title run to cement his status.

Keeping Punk off TV for that long and having him return at Summerslam in a suprising fashion would have made him a bigger star than he has become.

And why the hell am I even talking about this? I came here to discuss Old School Wrestling LOL

 

[NegativeFeedback]

First off your post was too long for me to read...so I skimmed it. I was just going to leave it alone until I saw this at the very end.



NO!! We do NOT need another year long WrestleMania build-up like we are having with Rock/Cena. Im already getting bored with THAT storyline. That story was something that should've happened 2 years ago...not now, and NOT over a year.

I would LOVE to see Austin/Punk. However I am of the mindset that you build a current generation of stars, not rely on using the older ones. Punk is already established, so why throw in a legend to feud with him? What, because of the similarities between them? You mean the "I hate authority" attitude? Or is it the "Im the baddest man in the WWE"? Neither of these guys had that mentality. Austin just hated Vince and Punk fought for CHANGE. Aside from being "rebels" there is nothing that these guys have in common with their characters.

Use a wrestler that wants to make an impact and challenge Punk. Austin doesn't NEED the title again. He doesn't need to lose to Punk to prove anything.

Technically the way I would have booked Punk would be much more like Austin's character, but the truth is, they have one huge fundamental difference: CM Punk is Straight-Edge and Austin is a beer-drinking SOB. People loved Austin and his Steve-weisers, but people like CM Punk's Straight Edge code as well. It will be a clash of ideals where neither is truly right or wrong. Seems like a perfect storyline to me.