Can CM Punk be the next Rock

[slayerofpanda]

Ok so before everybody jumps on this crazy accusation hear me out. When the Rock started out his character that of a jock that was better than everybody else and told you straight up that he was with is great mic skills and he drew serious heel heat at first.

so, flash forward and they started Punk out as face and it worked, but just not great. Then he goes heel and is now picking up wins and talking up a storm in very convincing and imo must watch tv promos and matches.

So my question is if he keeps this going do you think the crowd will turn with him much like they did with the rock? (and just for clarification I'm talking a long way down the line, year or multiple)

 

[Coco]

Probably not. Very few wrestlers ever reach the crazy level that Rocky did in the short time he was around. I do feel, however, that Punk will be VERY over as a face when he turns again. Nature of the beast, I'm afraid. Bland new babyface gets a smattering of cheeers. Major heel that turns face has a lot more invested in him than random debuting babyface and gets more cheers. There are exceptions, but seeing Punk flounder as a face when he turns down the road isn't as likely as it was before this current heel run.

 

[Blade]

Like Coco said, in some cases when a wrestler is getting huge amounts of heel heat, that means they'll be super over when they turn face. It happened with The Rock, HBK, Austin etc.
Punk is an awesome heel and has possibly even surpassed Orton right now. So it'll be intriguing to watch when he does eventually turn face.
Whether he's over when he's a heel-turned-face as the Rock was is arguable. The Rock's popularity came from his phenominal mic skills. Punk has excellent mic skills, but he's not as good as the Rock. Although, it is hard to compare them. The Rock was a fact talker, witty, and he did 'bits'. Punk is slower, calculated and vicious in his promos. The problem is, Rock's promo style worked well in either face or heel mode. We haven't seen Punk do much mic work as a face but it's hard to imagine his face promos will be as good as his heel promos.

But there are definite similarities in The Rock's career path and Punk's. The fans got sick of both men as faces. They became hugely over as heels. Both men's first few world title reigns were poor. Both men were in the shadow of bigger stars while they were heels.

It's looking quite likely that Punk will be super over when he has a face turn. But I don't think he'll be on the same level as the Rock. He won't be too far off, though...

 

[johnnyblaze3:16]

absolutly NOT! punk is a great wrestler with a lame gimmick (my opinion) and i dont think that he has the charisma nor the size to pull it off for christ sake he looks like a cruiser wieght not a main eventer like the rock.

 

[Killer Tofu]

Why are people always so caught up on proclaiming a wrestler to be the next (insert name here)? Allow them the chance to find their way. WWE needs new stars with fresh gimmicks. We seriously need to move on from the 90's and hope that a wrestler can break through today.

 

[La Mascara]

Killer Tufo:

I do agree with you. Wrestler should not be compared. But I don't think that is the case here. The question was not if Punk is the next Rock, but if the people will cheer punk when he turns face, much like the fans did when the rock turned faced.

I do think the people will love punk as face. Now they are emotionally invested in him. If creative comes up with something that will makes face turn great, then it will work.

 

[Andres_cena]

Killer Tufo:

The question was not if Punk is the next Rock, but if the people will cheer punk when he turns face, much like the fans did when the rock turned faced.
.

Wrong, the question clearly stated "Can CM Punk be the next Rock?" on the title lol

BOT: Killer Tufo, Amen. Im sick of all these "attitude era lovers" comparing attitude era vs this one, its like if we would've had a lot of "Can the rock be the next hulk hogan?" "Can big show be the next andre the giant?" "Can you smell what the rock is cooking?" topics back on the attitude era.

 

[blood and thunder]

he can use the heel turn to become a better face, but no, the rock was insanely popular, a fact which is overlooked by a lot of people on the internet - in the eyes of the average, non obsessive/over analysing fan, the rock's name sits alongside hogan and austin.

 

[slayerofpanda]

Wrong, the question clearly stated "Can CM Punk be the next Rock?" on the title lol

BOT: Killer Tufo, Amen. Im sick of all these "attitude era lovers" comparing attitude era vs this one, its like if we would've had a lot of "Can the rock be the next hulk hogan?" "Can big show be the next andre the giant?" "Can you smell what the rock is cooking?" topics back on the attitude era.

Well at the TC i must say I am guilty of creating a headline that I thought would grab, really the heart of the topic is can Punk follow a similar path to the Rocks in that when he comes back to the face side he will be bigger than ever.

sorry for selling out to a catchy headline lol, kinda worked though

 

[LCShazardous]

even though punk is my favorite wrestler there is no way the rock can be recreated a wrestler like the rock is a one time thing IMO. although the future looks bright for puk he's best as a heel if he were to turn face sure he'd be big but he would'nt be rock big

 

[TLC]

To put it simply NO, i dont think that no one will ever be like the rock and i hope their never is.

To put it as frank as possible the rock was a once in a life time thing, a great look, great in ring skills, superb mic skills and amazing charisma, nobody could surpass that or even reach that level so thats why i believe CM Punk will not be the next rock.

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

I don't want to say this is silly, but in theory, it's silly to ever think anyone can be like The Rock, and that's both good & bad. Like someone stated, The Rock is one of those once in a lifetime persons who has it all. IT ALL. I too don't want to see another Rock because it won't feel right nor will it look right. That's like saying will there be another Undertaker, Hogan, Flair or Shawn Michaels.

 

[Miko]

Firstly, there will only ever be one Rock, No one will ever match that, ever.

Secondly no, I still dont understand all this CM Punk love, he's a decent enough heel who's pretty good at thinking he's better than everyone, which he probably does think. He's okay at promo's, for the most part though he sounds fake and forced.

Fact is CM Punk isnt and never will be in the same stratusphere as The Rock, which is not an insult to Punk, but The Rock is up there with the very elite of wrestling stars, he's up there with the Stone Colds, Sting's and Hulk Hogans of the business. Punk, like most other wrestler's couldnt hope to touch that.

 

[The Walls]

This is not spam, administrators....it's just the bottom line, flat out answer to the OP's question.

No

 

[mister_b1LL]

I don't think CM Punk should worry about being the next Rock. CM Punk should focus on becoming the first CM Punk. By that I mean he should be focusing on becoming a more original superstar in the WWE. He certainly is doing that currently with both his wonderful mic work and his in ring skills. Being compared to somebody else is not something you want to have happen to you. You want to be the one people compare others to.

 

[Razor]

To be the next Rock, you need charisma like Dwayne Johnson had. You need the ability to tell a story in the ring like Dwayne Johnson had. You need his cross-over appeal. You basically need to be Johnson, except not Johnson. Hence the "next Rock" part, huh?

I'm not even entirely convinced John Cena could pull off such a moniker, let alone Punk. Seeing as though Cena beats Punk in mic skills, ring skills, and merch sales, Cena would be far and away the best bet for the next Rock. However, of course, you can't count the dude out all together. I doubt he'll be on par with the Rock ever, but I've been wrong before.

One more thing, what's with everyone comparing some wrestler who is suddenly getting better to the Rock? We're not going to have a new Attitude Era, we're not going to have a new wrestler who is feuding with a old redneck and yelling about Jabronis. Give the Rock a break, and look ahead. It'll be better for everyone involved.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

The ONLY way Punk could be the next Rock is by being a big match guy. The Rock was many things in his run in the WWE. He was charismatic, electrifying, athletic, personable, and entertaining. He was also an excellent worker. At his peak, no one could touch the Rock on sheer athleticism and in ring work. Punk COULD potentially be the big match guy The Rock was, but other than that, no.

Punk is his own unique show on the mic, just like The Rock. But he has a different style. The Rock was sarcastic and funny. Punk is serious and mildly funny. But to say CM Punk could be the next Rock is a real stretch. I don't think ANYONE in the biz right now could claim that. Not even Ce-Note himself. See what I did there?

 

[The Incredible Mr. C]

Let's be honest here... Punk is a top heel, performs well, has great mic skills, and will definitely be a massive babyface when it comes time to turn him, which I hope isn't for a good long while.

But...

Nobody in the wrestling business has ever had the appeal of The Rock. Nobody. His promos were always different... you never knew if he would have a "Rock Concert," a long "This is your life," segment, or just an old school verbal joust. He was always original, and the charisma he oozed forced him to be turned face.

Hogan was on top for a long time. But until he turned heel with the NWO, his promos were all the same. Never felt like a can't miss moment when he said, "Lemme tell you something, brother... hanging, banging, vitamins, pythons, whatcha gonna do." That was it. He got interesting for a while with the NWO, but ran that speech into the ground too. Then he eventually went back to WWE, The Rock helped turn him face, and he was back to the same old, "Brother.." promos. Don't even get me started on the cookie cutter matches.

Austin is right up there on my list of all time favorites. And I can't discredit the guy at all. But as far as variety, he didn't have it like The Rock.

That's the only two that can really be compared to Rocky as far as charisma. The guy has that "it factor" that will never be touched. There's a reason he makes $20 million dollars per movie. Hogan never did that. Austin never did that.

Granted, I wish Mr. Johnson would choose better scripts, and I know a movie career is not how you judge a wrestler's talent. But when you try to compare someone to The Rock, it's gonna happen.

People see his movies because he has that star quality. Nobody saw "The Condemned," apparently. And I saw Hogan's "No Holds Barred" in the theater. But I was 12. Cut me a break.

So, yes, C.M. Punk will be cheered when he turns face (which will probably be a decision made, not a decision forced like with Rocky, and Austin for that matter), but nobody, and Mr. C means NOBODY will ever be the next Rock.

Plus he inspired me to refer to myself in the third person right there.

 

[byrnside]

You're comparing apples and oranges here for sure. The Rock didn't get heel heat, orginally, because of his mic skills. He got heel heat because that was when the WWF was in transition from the "New Generation" to the Attitude Era, and Vince shoved Rocky down our throats. People got sick of him and just started booing him and chanting "Rocky Sucks!" until finally someone told him to just go with it. That's when the Rock became the Rock, or himself, and just let loose on everyone. Personally, I liked Rocky Maivia for some reason, I'll never forget his first IC title reign. C.M. Punk was over as a face, but his character just got a little stale, that and the WWE just needed a new heel, and when Punk was ready, they let him go.. If I'm not mistaken he worked in the indys as a pretty good heel too. I love his new change of heart. His mic work is incredible, and I always liked his in-ring skill. As far as "the new Rock?" Well, I doubt it.. Because not many people could pull that off.

 

[Tastycles]

In a word, no. Punk is certainly proving the turn him heelers right, but he is by no means as good as the Rock on the mic. People hang on Punk's promos, they hung on The Rock's every word. There have been very few people who have had the mic skills and charisma of the Rock, and I don't think Punk is one of them. What I would say is that Punk has the potential to be the biggest star of the 2010s decade, but in order to do so, he has to be a bit more crowd interactive in the ring, something that every single one of the best stars ever have done.

 

[tLight]

I think CM Punk will be the first and only CM Punk. There's no one to compare him to, or no need to compare him to anyone from the past. He's making his own way using his lifestyle as him gimmick.

Why compare him to someone who's gone and will never return to the industry?

 

[Southwind]

Um no Orton is much closer to the Rock then Punk and he's not even that close. He's good but his promos as a heel are very limited after a month of "straight edge" talk where can it go the Undertaker is not Jeff Hardy there's no controversy. The beauty of his gimmick is that if one wrestler like Hardy is not straight edge then Punk can get a crowd split down the middle it's awesome. But without that his heel gimmick is dangerous boring and repetitive.

So to answer the question Absolutely Not.

 

[D-Man]

I believe the major concensus in this thread is that Punk will NOT become the next "Rock." I couldn't agree more. The Rock was a unique talent that may never be duplicated by anyone. But then again, how can someone duplicate something so unique? It's almost as if you're asking if the same snowflake will fall from the sky in the winter... it's just an impossibility. And I'm not speaking in the literal sense.

The Rock just had a way about him that combined his good looks, youth, intensity, mic skills, in-ring skill, big match effectiveness, legacy, acting skills, and many other qualities to create a near perfect quintessential professional wrestler. As far as I'm concerned, the only flaw that the Rock EVER had was his lack of longevity and dedication to the sport. Besides that, he was as perfect as a professional wrestler can get in terms of entertainment, likablility, drawing power, and financial succession.

I think that 10 years from now we may all be asking ourselves, "Do you think [insert name here] will be the next CM Punk?" This is the biggest problem with wrestling fans. It's the reason why most of you can't enjoy the current product... you are completely unable to forget and move on from the past. It shouldn't be a matter of comparing CM Punk to a historical wrestling icon... we should just be praising his current persona and eagerly awaiting his future. Let's face it, the bar was raised so high with past superstars that we never reach that level of "wrestling euphoria" that we all crave ever again unless we simply just MOVE ON.

Forget the past... embrace the present... anticipate the future.

 

[jimufctna24]

I think CM Punk will be the first and only CM Punk. There's no one to compare him to, or no need to compare him to anyone from the past. He's making his own way using his lifestyle as him gimmick.

Why compare him to someone who's gone and will never return to the industry?

This is spot on

Two different wrestlers from different era who are totally different, there is no comparision

Only thing they have in common is they are both awesome

 

[jamesman22]

CM Punk Cannot in any way become The next "The Rock".
For one, The Rock was always charismatic and he had major talent. CM Punk seems to lack the Charisma that it would take to be that of the magnitude of The Rock. Its like if you were saying Will crap be the next chocolate. It just can't happen because it is impossible. THe Rock was also a Comic Genius. I don't believe that any of his segments were scripted. They always looked like they were impromptu and The Rock just said what he thought would be hilarious and it pretty much never failed. With CM Punk, he is just way too serious. If any one is closer to being The Rock It would be John Morrison because of his bit with Dolph Ziggler on last weeks smackdown when He said, "The fans will now call you "Mr. Ziggles"". He has Tons more charisma than the straight edge CM Punk. If anything, its like CM Punk Would be the next Edge. That is what the WWE was pushing and thats why he was feuding with Edge before his Achilles injury.