CM Punk, the current Nexus leader. Former SES leader, color commentator, tag team champion, intercontinental champion, ECW champion, and World heavyweight champion. Punk got multiple championships on his own. What has he done with Nexus? Nothing noteworthy. So is CM Punk better as a solo wrestler or a group leader? Which do you like better?
CM Punk- Better Solo or leader
- Thread starter ctln4rko
- Start date
Mustang Sally
Sells seashells by the seashore
Definitely like him better as a leader. Not everyone can fit in that role; can you imagine someone like Justin Gabriel or Joe Hennig having the stage presence to lead Nexus or Corre? Punk has that smarmy personality going for him, enabling him to thrust his followers in front of him to take the brunt of the attack from their opponents, even as he's still able to handle matters on his own when he wants to.
Of course, he cut his teeth in the program with SES and proved how effective he could be. He even had a girl at his wide and treated her just as indifferently as any of the guys. (And it would be fantastic to see her back at his side now since she wouldn't have to live the straight-edge lifestyle when off-camera).
At this point, it would be a shame to waste Punk strictly as a singles wrestler, since not everyone can do what he does. If anyone in WWE was built to lead a faction, it's him.
Of course, he cut his teeth in the program with SES and proved how effective he could be. He even had a girl at his wide and treated her just as indifferently as any of the guys. (And it would be fantastic to see her back at his side now since she wouldn't have to live the straight-edge lifestyle when off-camera).
At this point, it would be a shame to waste Punk strictly as a singles wrestler, since not everyone can do what he does. If anyone in WWE was built to lead a faction, it's him.
Has he done anything noteworthy since being a leader? No. But he's gotten a hell of a better reaction out of the crowd. The guy was stale on his own. He's so much better when he'd leading. He's a natural leader. He says the most asinine shit sometimes (especially with SES), and it just makes you wonder "wow, he actually has people following him", which makes you "hate" him more. He's perfect for the role.
Trust me, he'll have better championships as a leader. His past 3 world title reigns were very mediocre. I did mark out when he won his first one though.
He's proven that he's the best on the mic in the WWE right now. He's a threat in the championship picture. He has a posse. And I bet he'll win the Royal Rumble next year. He was, after all, a favorite to win this past year. And he'll definitely be main eventing Mania next year. Hell, I wouldn't be shocked if he won MITB this year again.
So yes, he got those accomplishments on his own, but they weren't that entertaining. Probably because he was a "goody goody babyface".
Trust me, he'll have better championships as a leader. His past 3 world title reigns were very mediocre. I did mark out when he won his first one though.
He's proven that he's the best on the mic in the WWE right now. He's a threat in the championship picture. He has a posse. And I bet he'll win the Royal Rumble next year. He was, after all, a favorite to win this past year. And he'll definitely be main eventing Mania next year. Hell, I wouldn't be shocked if he won MITB this year again.
So yes, he got those accomplishments on his own, but they weren't that entertaining. Probably because he was a "goody goody babyface".
blackmetalbuick
Pre-Show Stalwart
He hasn't done anything all that great as a leader but I agree with what was said above, how many people can pull it off? That's probably why they keep going to him for these roles. He's got enough charisma for 5 people. Not too many people can do that. It's been a while since we've seen him on his own and I would like to see him go back to that soon, but I can understand why he keeps getting lumped into groups. He provides a bit more life for guys who would probably just be "future endeavored" otherwise. But he's still young and he should be given more of an opportunity to excel in his singles career before they use him to benefit other people so often. He should have more world title reigns than he has so far.
TheOrtonRevolution
Occasional Pre-Show
Solo. I hate him as a leader. It seems like he's using the Nexus as more of his bodyguards and pawns instead of actually a team. He just doesn't fix with the Nexus. Make him go back to his Straightedge gimmick. And I think I've had enough of his short hair. It looked good for a while, but come on.
It kinda depends how you define great. He might not have won titles but the stuff he's doing every week is on a much higher standard than it was when he was by himself. I didn't dislike Punk as a face, I thought he was a good wrestler but just a bit of a bland personality. Now he's heel and working with a faction he's taken the ball and proven his ability.
It won't be long until Punk gets some kind of title reign again I'd imagine.
It won't be long until Punk gets some kind of title reign again I'd imagine.
I think WWE dropped the ball with SES. That stable had potential, but they were always fed to the Big Show. Show managed to destroy an entire stable, and it just made the SES look incredibly weak. Punk has been doing a good job as the leader of the New Nexus so far. Although, I do think a longer feud with Cena would've had more potential. The feud with Cena seemed like it had more promise. Orton is picking off members of the Nexus in a brutal way. He's putting them on the shelf, and WWE seems to be going down the "Orton takes out Nexus by himself" route with this current storyline.
I do think Punk is an outstanding leader. He's gold on the mic, and Punk always does an excellent job of portraying this holier-than-thou leader who can brainwash anyone. Punk can be an awesome leader, but he's already had one stable that's been destroyed by one guy, and WWE seems to be doing the same thing with Orton, so I do think the way Punk's stables have been booked are the problem. Both of his stables have had so much promise, but one was destroyed by the Big Show, and Orton seems to be on his way to doing the same thing.
Punk can do fine by himself, but I prefer to see him as a leader. I just wish WWE could give him a real chance to run with a stable, and then maybe he could make a real impact.
I do think Punk is an outstanding leader. He's gold on the mic, and Punk always does an excellent job of portraying this holier-than-thou leader who can brainwash anyone. Punk can be an awesome leader, but he's already had one stable that's been destroyed by one guy, and WWE seems to be doing the same thing with Orton, so I do think the way Punk's stables have been booked are the problem. Both of his stables have had so much promise, but one was destroyed by the Big Show, and Orton seems to be on his way to doing the same thing.
Punk can do fine by himself, but I prefer to see him as a leader. I just wish WWE could give him a real chance to run with a stable, and then maybe he could make a real impact.
I think he's a fantastic leader, he's just got that kind of prescence that can really help to elevate other superstars who aren't quite as over yet as well. I've never really been a fan of the whole "cowardly-heel-behind-a-stable" role though. I really think Punk has the chance to be a dominant kind of heel, and I think having a stable completely stops him from doing that.
In terms of reaction though, he's been getting a million times more than over the past 2 years since he started the S.E.S. but I think the feud with Hardy helped to start that (as a solo wrestler) rather than the S.E.S. themselves.
To be honest, I reckon that with or without a stable behind him, Punk is one of the most talented superstars that WWE has, and that he'll use that to make sure he's one of the most hated superstars at any time, in any situation. The one observation I would have though, is that he's had two stables in a reasonably short space of time, and I personally am just itching for him to get away from that kind of role for a while, and just do it on his own. No manager. No nothing. He's got all the skills to do it by himself, and I think it'd be quite fresh in comparison to what he's doing at the minute.
In terms of reaction though, he's been getting a million times more than over the past 2 years since he started the S.E.S. but I think the feud with Hardy helped to start that (as a solo wrestler) rather than the S.E.S. themselves.
To be honest, I reckon that with or without a stable behind him, Punk is one of the most talented superstars that WWE has, and that he'll use that to make sure he's one of the most hated superstars at any time, in any situation. The one observation I would have though, is that he's had two stables in a reasonably short space of time, and I personally am just itching for him to get away from that kind of role for a while, and just do it on his own. No manager. No nothing. He's got all the skills to do it by himself, and I think it'd be quite fresh in comparison to what he's doing at the minute.
CM Punk is awesome on his own solo, but he's a great leader thus as long as he's involved you cant lose
I prefer him leading because it's just that much more you get from him. Its more memorable moments he can create
take the New Nexus initiation or how he acted with SES getting on them for their temptations and just the kind of leader he is I like identify with and the way his followers act with him, it's all very lovely
But then he had a great solo thing going in ECW, I always was high on him from the very beginning when he arrived in WWE there and had one of if not the best feud of the BRAND ECW and of course who can forget Punk vs Hardy
CM Punk is just pure awesomeness but having him bounce and play that off others and boost them with his awesomeness is even better
Him as a leader is golden and he's a natural leader of factions
I would kill to see a Punk faction vs HHH faction feud
or solo to see Punk vs Roddy Pipper in a war of words
I prefer him leading because it's just that much more you get from him. Its more memorable moments he can create
take the New Nexus initiation or how he acted with SES getting on them for their temptations and just the kind of leader he is I like identify with and the way his followers act with him, it's all very lovely
But then he had a great solo thing going in ECW, I always was high on him from the very beginning when he arrived in WWE there and had one of if not the best feud of the BRAND ECW and of course who can forget Punk vs Hardy
CM Punk is just pure awesomeness but having him bounce and play that off others and boost them with his awesomeness is even better
Him as a leader is golden and he's a natural leader of factions
I would kill to see a Punk faction vs HHH faction feud
or solo to see Punk vs Roddy Pipper in a war of words
yellowdog22
Dark Match Winner
I think CM Punk is a great leader but Nexus wasn't necessarily an idea he could get behind. When you look at the different people in Nexus, the lot of them look like they don't understand what he's talking about (esp. David Otunga.) I am not sure if this was by design or not. I believe that we'll end up seeing Otunga punted and have CM Punk only left with Mason Ryan at the end.
Personally I think the problem with the Nexus is that it wasn't his idea like the S.E.S. He needs to be involved in more of a flock-like stable where misfits abound. (Author's Note: I did not say a rehash of Misfits In Action) My belief is that if you allow CM Punk to either have a stable or a program like Jake Robert's with The Ultimate Warrior (before it was disbanded) and just having CM Punk make people question themselves and build them up better. And this might be ironic but more of a D.R.U.G.S (Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows Up) type of an approach.
Personally I think the problem with the Nexus is that it wasn't his idea like the S.E.S. He needs to be involved in more of a flock-like stable where misfits abound. (Author's Note: I did not say a rehash of Misfits In Action) My belief is that if you allow CM Punk to either have a stable or a program like Jake Robert's with The Ultimate Warrior (before it was disbanded) and just having CM Punk make people question themselves and build them up better. And this might be ironic but more of a D.R.U.G.S (Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows Up) type of an approach.
jholcomb22
Pre-Show Stalwart
CM Punk can handle the mic work of a leader. He has the followers like a leader has. He stands out like a leader.
But CM Punk is a shitty leader. By any way you want to judge it.
Has Punk won a belt in either of his groups? No. How do you have 2 seperate factions and stay out of the title scene more than Punk. At least when Barrett was running the Nexus, he was getting title shots. Punk hasn't had a one on one shot at the title while in S.E.S. or the New Nexus.
Has any member of Punk's groups looked strong by defending him? No. Gallows: Released, Mercury: Released, Serena: Released, Gabriel and Slater: shipped over to Smackdown to win the tag titles for another group, Husky Harris: Sent back to the minor leagues, and so far, the current Nexus is getting lost in the background of this Orton/Punk feud. At least under Barrett's leadership, the Nexus/Corre has won the tag titles. Even when Orton had Legacy, he was vaulting Rhodes and Dibiase into the upper midcard feuding with DX and winning the tag belts.
Punk's groups have never held a title. Remember when groups would become so powerful, they would own them all? DX would have HHH as the world champion, the new age outlaws as tag champs, X-Pac as IC champ, Steph as women's champ, that alone drew so much heat, nowadays, we lose interest if you aren'e competing for something interesting.
The Nexus was huge when they started because they came onto the playground, picked the biggest bully and beat him down. Who the hell wants to see that same group, change leaders, lose their entire purpose and then just be drones to fight that man's battles that have nothing to do with that group.
WWE really drops the ball with Punk. S.E.S. could have been good, but after you win nothing for 8 months and your followers aren't have less in ring talent than Mickey Rourke, we don't care anymore. Now with the Nexus thing, You only have one original member left from this group that had a higher purpose for destroying the roster. Now their higher purpose is looking like shit while Orton plays the Batman to Cena's Superman, ridding the WWE of the evil garbage infecting it.
But CM Punk is a shitty leader. By any way you want to judge it.
Has Punk won a belt in either of his groups? No. How do you have 2 seperate factions and stay out of the title scene more than Punk. At least when Barrett was running the Nexus, he was getting title shots. Punk hasn't had a one on one shot at the title while in S.E.S. or the New Nexus.
Has any member of Punk's groups looked strong by defending him? No. Gallows: Released, Mercury: Released, Serena: Released, Gabriel and Slater: shipped over to Smackdown to win the tag titles for another group, Husky Harris: Sent back to the minor leagues, and so far, the current Nexus is getting lost in the background of this Orton/Punk feud. At least under Barrett's leadership, the Nexus/Corre has won the tag titles. Even when Orton had Legacy, he was vaulting Rhodes and Dibiase into the upper midcard feuding with DX and winning the tag belts.
Punk's groups have never held a title. Remember when groups would become so powerful, they would own them all? DX would have HHH as the world champion, the new age outlaws as tag champs, X-Pac as IC champ, Steph as women's champ, that alone drew so much heat, nowadays, we lose interest if you aren'e competing for something interesting.
The Nexus was huge when they started because they came onto the playground, picked the biggest bully and beat him down. Who the hell wants to see that same group, change leaders, lose their entire purpose and then just be drones to fight that man's battles that have nothing to do with that group.
WWE really drops the ball with Punk. S.E.S. could have been good, but after you win nothing for 8 months and your followers aren't have less in ring talent than Mickey Rourke, we don't care anymore. Now with the Nexus thing, You only have one original member left from this group that had a higher purpose for destroying the roster. Now their higher purpose is looking like shit while Orton plays the Batman to Cena's Superman, ridding the WWE of the evil garbage infecting it.
It made no sense to offer no explanation as to how Punk segwayed from one fraction into another. I remember when Punk was referred to as "Can't Manage Punk". This Charlie Manson image has worked wonders for him and it seemed to work much better with the SES. Of course the SES made no sense in it's begining and ending but it has character and the opportunity to go farther.
Nexus, like the SES, has lost steam and I have lost interest. But Punk is a better Manson than a loner.
Nexus, like the SES, has lost steam and I have lost interest. But Punk is a better Manson than a loner.
Ruthless-RKO
F*ck Friends, Rather die wiv ma AK!
IMO, Both... We have seen the work he does alone e.g. feud with Jeff Hardy from 2009 and that stuff was great, proved to us he could be the most hated wrestler, then he gets going with the SES and again, he was a leader, not many people fit that role, but because of who Punk is, he made it work soo good and turned out to be a great leader again who got major heat for his work as the stable leader... Now with Nexus, it just makes sense, They need someone who is hated, someone who can talk for the group and lead them and Punk is the only guy I can think about right now to do that, There's nothing better for him to do at the moment..
Shakin' Abe
Pre-Show Stalwart
With Nexus, CM Punk has become so boring and ruined what was once a great heel crew but I was never impressed with him solo either. I've never understood why he is even on tv. I'd like him to get into it with Barrett but they are on different shows. At least then you could have some rhyme or reason to the Nexus storyline.
Oro Suplex
New Member
It's not about how effective he's been as a leader. He preaches straight-edge, but when it comes down to it, he is a user of people. He uses people and situations and twists them around as he sees fit to achieve whatever goal he has in mind.
He did it with S.E.S. and he's doing it with Nexus.
He's much more interesting when he is manipulating, so as a leader he probably does his best work.
He did it with S.E.S. and he's doing it with Nexus.
He's much more interesting when he is manipulating, so as a leader he probably does his best work.
The problem here is we're not just comparing Solo vs Leader, we're comparing Face vs Heal. For almost his entire heal run, Punk has had followers of some sort, which is why people think he's better as a leader. They don't care about the groups, they care about him being a heal, cutting better promos, etc. I'd prefer heal Punk WAY more then face Punk, but Heal Punk Leader vs Heal Punk Solo is something we havn't really seen much of, therefor it's hard to choose one over the other.
wrestlingjunkie44
New Member
i love cm punk and always have. but i have never been a fan of him being a leader or being part of any group. see, the only reason for him being in these groups is to push the people in them. if you look at the S.E.S that didn't help at all ( Luke and serina both left and mercury is still on the shelf) so by punk being a leader of a couple of up-starters may help them in the short run, but as soon as they disband there screwed in the long run, finished, done, in caputs. by punk taking the leader role it makes everyone else in the group look weak. instead of cm punk taking control david otunga should have, causing a fued between corre and new nexus.
RatedRSuperstar1331
Dark Match Jobber
I definitely prefer Punk as a leader. It gives him a sense of power and an added element of danger to anyone facing him and his followers. Let's face it, Punk isn't the biggest guy in the WWE so he offsets his lack of height and bulk with his ability to control weaker superstars.
The Gribbler
Gribble me this, Gribble me that...
I think that CM Punk has been given great opportunities to get over and managed to very effectivley in both his singles runs and as the leader of groups. However every time it seems he has super heat, they don't want to push it any further. Like their holding him back from the one dominant title run that would solidify him.
You can be the best in the world, but if they wont let you take that final step you can only take yourself so far.
Just my opinion
You can be the best in the world, but if they wont let you take that final step you can only take yourself so far.
Just my opinion
Hollywood Naitch
The current reigning and defending
I think CM Punk is similar to Raven in that his character encourages cult-like beliefs from others, leading them to follow him and his words.
I think in an era other than PG, the Straight Edge Society would have been awesome, and much more successful than it actually was. Think Right To Censor in the Attitude Era, they got serious heat and were along the same lines as the SES, except Punk is 100x more talented that Steven Richards.
Punk is a great talker, and a great heel. That kind of man is always best when he has an team of goons to do his dirty work for him, especially when you are the size of Punk. The WWE Universe has yet to see the best of CM Punk as a heel, his promos in ROH without the PG restrictions are phenomenal, and would get some SERIOUS heat in WWE if he is ever given a free reign. The things he could use to get under the skin of his opponents would be much more intense and he would need a faction supporting him to avoid being killed by the other wrestler.
I like Punk solo, but I think his character works best as the leader of a cult-like faction, just like Raven.
I think in an era other than PG, the Straight Edge Society would have been awesome, and much more successful than it actually was. Think Right To Censor in the Attitude Era, they got serious heat and were along the same lines as the SES, except Punk is 100x more talented that Steven Richards.
Punk is a great talker, and a great heel. That kind of man is always best when he has an team of goons to do his dirty work for him, especially when you are the size of Punk. The WWE Universe has yet to see the best of CM Punk as a heel, his promos in ROH without the PG restrictions are phenomenal, and would get some SERIOUS heat in WWE if he is ever given a free reign. The things he could use to get under the skin of his opponents would be much more intense and he would need a faction supporting him to avoid being killed by the other wrestler.
I like Punk solo, but I think his character works best as the leader of a cult-like faction, just like Raven.
nwocongo
Getting Noticed By Management
I don't really have a preference he's alright in my book either way. But as long as he is heel he will probably have some kind of group behind him, remember WWE has to make us believe that it is impossible for just one man to beat Cena or Orton, it has to be a group beatdown. The new Nexus isn't really working out like I expected it to, I thought they would still be a focal point of the show but with Mania and all the superstar returns CM and Orton's feud is being overlooked a little. By the looks of it the Nexus may be done soon, since Orton has matches with the remaining members before WM, expect them to get punted out of action for a while.
triple_b2k
Pre-Show Stalwart
I prefer CM Punk as a solo wrestler. His work early on was pretty good. He was the underdog who won Money in the Bank and had a title run. Personally, I prefer him as the underdog face.
Being the leader of a weak/useless group that only revolves around getting Punk further stinks. Based on CM Punk's history, his character is capable of doing things by himself but these leadership roles make him look like a weakling willing to take the easy way out.
He'll eventually turn face again and do things by himself... but for now, I have to see this awful Nexus leader role.
R.I.P. Nexus... sooner than later.
Being the leader of a weak/useless group that only revolves around getting Punk further stinks. Based on CM Punk's history, his character is capable of doing things by himself but these leadership roles make him look like a weakling willing to take the easy way out.
He'll eventually turn face again and do things by himself... but for now, I have to see this awful Nexus leader role.
R.I.P. Nexus... sooner than later.