CM Punk - Top Merchandise Seller?

[Rising Savior]

As reported on the first page of wz it appears that Cm Punk has surpassed John Cena as the new top superstar in merchandise sells. Obviously from reading the story it's huge news seeming at how Cena has been the top merchandise in the last five years. It even appears as if from what I've noticed recently that even a lot of kids are wearing Cm Punk shirts. What do you think this is big news or no big deal as Cena will dethrone Punk as the top merchandise guy soon?

 

[ellax]

Big news for Punk fans like me definitely..

my only concern is whether or not the company will continue their push towards Punk now FINALLY knowing the fact that Punk is THE top guy.. or simply still blindly putting their faith on Cena..

 

[klipz.nbd]

I don't see this changing the fact that Cena is the top guy on TV and will continue to be booked as the top guy (at least until WM28). If Punk is still out-selling him by then, hopefully Vince will wake up and realize what the people want and we will see Punk as the top face and get a Cena heel turn!!

 

[steedyo]

I'm glad to see that CM Punk is top for a while. It's good to have someone different at the top and it proves the push of Punk is working, however if you take into account that Cena's latest shirt has been out for much longer than CM Punk's new shirt which everyone loves then the sales are bound to be much lower for the old shirt than the newer one. If Cena re-launches a new shirt/hat/wristband combo as they do once a year or so then he'll go top. unless they do the same with punk and keep changing his merc as well

 

[Brahma Bull]

This could be good news for a number of reasons. First, as someone already pointed out, they are still going to book cena as the top guy till wrestlemania since he has the epic showdown with the rock. But after that, they will not need to do so. This would allow cena to turn heel if they finally wanted too. I know people have been asking for awhile, and its gotten old, but one of the biggest arguments against it is the amount of merchandise he sells. If cm punk can outsell him, maybe they will allow punk to run as the top face for awhile, and test cena out as a top heel.

Secondly, this could finally have vince start pushing people who dont fit the mold of top star. Vince never really wanted to push punk so strongly till his back was against the wall. Now he may take chances with other guys that he may have not in the past.

Third, the edgy punk is beating out cena. I know the wwe wont go back to the attitude era for awhile, but we may get to see more edgy things on tv.

This is of course if its not just a one week deal. We have to wait and see if punk can continue to outsell cena in the long run.

 

[MrSmokeydogg7]

love how everyones saying their hold punk back and shit like that

he has been the center of attention since money in the bank along with being in every main event since money in the bank

im confused about the whole they dont believe in him bullshit clearly their giving him a chance and clearly the fans are enjoying it since his shirts and shit are #1

do you all really think vince will hold him back if he is making vince money lmao you do realize cena and punk can both be top guys and both make money for vince

cena makes vince money which is why he is where he is now no other reason money talks bullshit walks

 

[mikde_]

I agree with the guy above.

Why do people still seem to think Punk is held back? Heck he wasn't even held back before his infamous "shoot" promo. He is the antagonist in the main storyline and has been a main eventer for well over 2 years.

Im also sick of this argument that Vince does not like guys who are punks size? what! Ever since his retirement from a illustrious career they have been promoting the heck out of HBK and saying he is the greatest of all time and what not. Was he a bodybuilder? Stone Cold was pretty much average size. Rock although tall was never a huge muscular guy, Just a guy in great physical shape. Oh and how about the god of the IWC chris jericho? or everybody's favourite hardcore icon mick foley? there was also a guy called Bret Hart and another called Edge. I wouldnt say any of them have the bodybuilder physique yet they all had runs at the top and a great career in WWE all round.

It really does annoy me so much when people say that because the majority of the ones who do are the same people who say rey mysterio should never have been WHC because he is not a Heavyweight. Technically Jericho, Christian, Punk ect are not heavyweights, are you gonna say they should have not got the chance either. Total Hypocrites Argh!!!!

Wait...Didnt Zack Ryder top WWE's merch sales a month or two ago? I maybe wrong but im sure i heard him mention that his t-shirt was outselling everyone elses including John Cena.

 

[KoC417]

Umm... on a completely different note here, I was just curious about who all ACTUALLY are in the top 10 merch sellers for WWE. Does anybody know about this? Thoughts?

Do yourself a favor and edit your comment with at least an answer so you dont get in trouble...

This is HUGE news no doubt. I mean Ryder has penetrated the top 10 and he finally is getting some decent TV time. What this means is maybe a spot opens up short term for a different superstar to take over. Cena will no doubt rise to the top again it's just right now we've got more older generation fans rising up against these little kids and using our spending power. CM Punk is the hot ticket right now, but like every hot ticket it eventually cools off. I just hope WWE continues to ride the CM Punk train for a while. I think as long as Punk= Dollars whether ratings are up or not he will stay in the main event spotlight.

 

[Ellye]

To be fair, the kids and other Cena fans probably have bought everything Cena-related they could already.
So now that a second top face arrived, they found something new to purchase. I'm happy for Punk, this is probably great for his career.

 

[The Champ]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here and say that CM Punk is the top guy because he topped the merch list. There's a whole lot more that goes into it than that. With that being said, would I be more comfortable turning Cena heel after hearing this? Absolutely. Doesn't mean it's the right thing to do, and doesn't mean that it will happen anytime soon. What it does mean is that WWE should not be letting up on Punk's push, and should make every effort to make him Cena's equal.

Also, is it only based on one week of sales? Because if so, this can be easily explained because the Ice Cream Bar shirt officially came out this week. Cena's going to have a new shirt by Survivor Series and he'll probably take over again by then.

 

[Theo Mays]

This is great to hear for Punk fans. The guy is hot right now so obviously that is going to sway his merchandise sales. Don't get me wrong I love Punk, but I don't see this as big of news as others. Plus this is over a short period of time and not the course of a year or so (I'd assume). Like the report said Rock took the top spot when he returned for a short time, but eventually Cena took the spot back over. I'd expect that to be the case again. Cena is bound for some new merchandise soon and I think at Survivor Series he very well could be debuting a new shirt and he stands a great chance to take back his spot. Honestly I wouldn't look too much into this. Punk is still a hot commodity and is one of the big 3 on Raw and easily in the top 5 of overall importance to the company at the moment.

 

[kurtryan]

Thank God for CM Punk. We are seeing the end of the PG Era. I think we are about to witness the rise of another Era. The rise of CM Punk as the top seller in merchandise help cemented his place among the top face in the company. I think it only shows that the market is changing right now. I just hope we see more merchandise from the top stars of the new Era like Ryder, Miz and R-truth. Let's try to bring back those statement shirts from the Attitude Era.

 

[frostbite2819]

I still dont think Cena will turn heel. The guy genuinely loves the kids and knows there is a very large audience of children out there that worships the ground he walks on.I think at this point in his career he pretty much has control over such aspects of his character so you wont see a heel turn unless HE really wants it. Which I dont see happening. He just loves the kids so much (I know, my niece met him) the only way it will ever happen is if the ENTIRE audience turns on him, say if the kids get a little older and follow the boo-birds cause its the 'cool' thing to do. Maybe then, but who knows?
As for Punk, I guess it's time for the 'IWC" to turn on him full force now. Can't be liking a guy who is so popular and mainstream right? I dont think his run atop t-shirt sales will last too long, though he will likely be in the top 5 for the remainder of his career. What this means for him is a Mania title match, hopefully against Miz.

 

[SD619]

This is a good news for the business. Punk selling more merchandise than Cena (or at-least equal to) ultimately will result in more sales for the WWE.

Punk has been in the spotlight more than Cena most of the time since MiTB. It will surely be interesting to see for how long this trend continues.

 

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

Has anyone actually headed over to WWEShop.com to look at what is selling right now? It isn't that hard you know. A lot of people are quick to throw out that they don't have someone to 'sell to the me.' Bull fucking shit. Cena sells to them too.


Good for Punk. That's show Vince he needs to push someone just because one demographic (whom is never satisfied) says so.

 

[BigPoppaPunk]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here and say that CM Punk is the top guy because he topped the merch list. There's a whole lot more that goes into it than that. With that being said, would I be more comfortable turning Cena heel after hearing this? Absolutely. Doesn't mean it's the right thing to do, and doesn't mean that it will happen anytime soon. What it does mean is that WWE should not be letting up on Punk's push, and should make every effort to make him Cena's equal.

This pretty much conclusively proves that Punk is on Cena's level. Even if his spot on the merchandise sales is temporary, he's still accomplished something no other new star has. I love too that you still justify keeping Cena face despite this being the proof you wanted in the Cena turning heel thread. If Punk can be at the top of the merchandise sales and be considered the hottest star now, then he can take Cena's spot as top face in WWE. Which really to me eliminates any rationalization of not turning Cena. At this point, it's apparent WWE really doesn't have anything to lose by turning Cena already. Half the fans wanna see it, so with this recent revelation, it pretty much cements the fact fans want a new face of WWE. Cena has done an awesome job as the face of the company, but now IMO is Punk's time to shine. What better way to emphasize his advocating for change than being at the top of the food chain?

To me, Punk should get a good run as WWE Champion and remain the top face in WWE. Fans are solidly behind him, and him being the top merch seller means he's earned his spot(and fought hard in a short time to get there). I'll bet too if Cena turned, his merchandise sales would go up, cause his turn has been anticipated for so long. Seems like a win win situation for me, but WWE clearly uses there own logic when deciding Cena's fate. If this isn't a wake up call for them, then Cena will probably remain face until he retires. Contrary to any common sense this situation would imply.

Also, is it only based on one week of sales? Because if so, this can be easily explained because the Ice Cream Bar shirt officially came out this week. Cena's going to have a new shirt by Survivor Series and he'll probably take over again by then.

We have no real way of knowing for sure that Punk will remain the top merchandise seller. All we can do is guess based on patterns, and so far it has been this is Punk's breakout year. Whether he remains there at the top is irrelevant to me, b/c he's still accomplished something no one else has been able to do in 5 years. That kind of accomplishment tends to speak for itself. But, in my humble opinion, Cena turning now doesn't have any real downsides, since Punk has been able to reach Cena's level. There should be a balance on RAW now b/c Punk is the top face. Del Rio IMO isn't ready to carry RAW as the top heel, so Cena turning makes sense for several reasons. He can remain relevant in the main events, while refreshing his character and probably boosting his merchadise sales even more. Again, a win win situation from my perspective...

 

[Jeritron5000]

I'm confused by some people here downplaying the significance of this. I think you're choosing to ignore the part about this being the first time it's happened in 5 years. Who cares if Cena's shirt has been out longer? Top seller at WWEshop AND Live events.

"No one has dethroned Cena in over 5 years, and Punk's numbers are way above anything or anyone else."

It's a big deal.

 

[The Champ]

This pretty much conclusively proves that Punk is on Cena's level. Even if his spot on the merchandise sales is temporary, he's still accomplished something no other new star has. I love too that you still justify keeping Cena face despite this being the proof you wanted in the Cena turning heel thread. If Punk can be at the top of the merchandise sales and be considered the hottest star now, then he can take Cena's spot as top face in WWE. Which really to me eliminates any rationalization of not turning Cena. At this point, it's apparent WWE really doesn't have anything to lose by turning Cena already. Half the fans wanna see it, so with this recent revelation, it pretty much cements the fact fans want a new face of WWE. Cena has done an awesome job as the face of the company, but now IMO is Punk's time to shine. What better way to emphasize his advocating for change than being at the top of the food chain?

No, that's not what I wanted. Being higher in the merch sales for a week means nowhere near what you think it does. The Ice Cream Bar shirt JUST came out, and Cena's has been out since Mania. If Punk still has higher sales than Cena six months from now, come back and talk to me then. Until then, this isn't enough evidence to justify turning Cena heel. More evidence than we had before, but not enough.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

it is a big deal, but the news needs to be taken with a grain of salt - the first time the Punk shirt came out, it was at his "last" PPV, in his hometown Chicago, and the shirt looks like the flag of Chicago anyways.

My point is that if Punk sustains for at least two consecutive periods, then its huge fucking news. As it stands, its an eye-opener and nothing more - the main reason is that parents spend more on kids (Cena shirts) than people with disposable income spend on themselves (Punk shirts).

 

[RicoLen]

Heheh, it's funny how so many of us see "CM Punk tops merchandise sales list" and think "Cena can turn heel now!" That kinda proves that Punk is not on Cena's level. However, Cena is ready to turn heel now, maybe not so much after Wrestlemania. He's gonna have to stay face for Wrestlemania IF they intend it to be a passing of the torch match. Personally, I think a passing of the torch match is too cliche and what pretty much everyone expects. Besides that it sounds like Austin wants to do a passing of the torch match with CM Punk, and they certainly don't need 2 on the same card. That's why I expect The Rock to win the match, if they turn him heel I could see Cena winning to put him over as a heel.

Any way you look at it, there isn't a person here that see CM Punk's accomplishment and doesn't think about John Cena in some way. It IS good to see that Punk has risen to the next level if he's ever going to match Cena's level.

 

[silrock316]

I absolutely LOVE this because when Punks push started after the amazing shoot promo, all the Cena marks could say was "Punk will never beable to sell like Cena so this push won't last" AWESOME. The fans are speaking, they want more Punk and less Cena, I don't care which way you cut it. You Cena marks will come up with everything you can to make yourself feel better but the WWE universe has been YEARNING for YEARS for some one different to take the ball and run and now they finally have it and they are showing it by making Punk the #1 sales man in the business right now.

I know I will get bad rep from the Cena worshippers but obviously this is NOT just me. We want Cena out of the picture A LITTLE BIT. Its not like we want him just gone. I appreciate how much he loves this shit but its just too damn much in my face all week. I hope WWE starts to see that other guys can be money machines, not just the goof ball "duh you duh want some? duh duh come duh get some duh"

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Merchandise Sales usually come down to 2 things:

1) Your placement in the company
2) Your popularity with the fans

That's why Cena and Orton usually do well when it comes to merchandise. Right now Punk is on the top of the totem pole in the WWE, even higher than Orton OR Cena. Take Night of Champions for example, Cena was in the title match but Punk was in the main event. CM Punk is getting a lot more exposure at the present time which is why he is getting the juicy merchandise sales. Of course because he's in the main event his popularity is rising but you could put almost any wrestler in his position and they would have merch sales close to Punks.

The same goes with Zach Ryder. His popularity was rising long before he was on TV but when he got on RAW, was given some exposure and was shown prominently on the show his merchandise sales went up. The last 2 weeks he was in a US title feud with Ziggler and surprise, surprise his merchandise sales went up.

On the internet Punk has been one of the most popular guys, but it wasn't until he was shown in the main event as much and actually BECAME a top guy that his merchandise sales skyrocketed.

I love Punk, he is my favorite wrestler but truthfully any wrestler in his position would be doing those sales. If Zach Ryder was feuding in the main event he would be in that top merch sales position as well. Of course you have to be popular as well but your placement in the company often dictates the merchandise sales.

 

[Daniel]

Are people really so stupid as to buy into the way WrestleZone is presenting it? This is one fucking week. It proves absolutely nothing. Yes, this is great for WWE and I'm really happy for the guy. But he still isn't on Cena's level and will probably never be. Punk is really hot right now and has been pushed to the stars, they also released a very pretty shirt to coincide with this. Was anyone expecting his merchandise sales to not be high? This isn't a sign of WWE fans getting tired of Cena. Not even close. Like I said, it is just one week. It's just a sign of people embracing another wrestler.

And by the way, I'm a huge Punk fan. I'm just not a stupid Punk fan.

 

[Heavens Vibe]

This is based on time though to be honest, hence why Zack Ryder is in the top 10...How reccent is this? last 6months? I wouldnt be suprised that CM Punk is at the top, but lets look at the last 5 years? I doubt Punk would be top, but none the less great accomplishment, lets hope he is rewarded for this along with any other new entrants like Ryder.

 

[CrossFaceChickenWing]

WWE wants you to know all of this info. Top merch seller, "the winner makes more money then the loser"- things like that. WWE wants to introduce $$$ into the scheme of things. What motivates athletes to win? MONEY and CHAMPIONSHIPS.

In the WWE both of those come hand in hand. They want us to know that people who hold the straps (World, IC, US, Tag, Diva) make more money then the rest. You will see more of this slowly shining through into the programing. JR is already talking about "main event matchs make more money" the "winners purse".

Listen and look for it.

Vicki would have more money and influence if Dolph/Swagger won the Tag Titles.

Things like that.