CM Punk With Short Hair

[Kinsey144]

Mods note: this has nothing to do with any recent punk promo, or cena storyline, so please dont merge this

I stopped watching wrestling week in week out a while ago, and like many, i was drawn back in when i heard the rock returned. Since then i have been hooked on wrestling.

Now the point i want to make with this is, that when i used to watch wrestling, the IWC was mad for punk... but i just couldn't buy into this guy... something didnt quite click for me.

Then, when i restarted watching wrestling consistantly, circa WM27, Punk now sported shorter hair (due to his match with Rey). As soon as i began watching punk with short hair, i began to buy into his character and that he was a legit main event standard competitor; and his in ring ability began to click with me. He seemed to come across more intense and passionate, with a fire in his eyes that i had never seen before....

As silly as it may sound on the surface, did Punk's haircut change anyone elses view on him? Did it change your views, or increase your belief in CM Punk?

Also, on an unrelated sidenote, did anyone think Punk was going for the Pepsi Plunge last night, when he did the hurricanrana?

 

[Matth3w]

I was never a fan of Punk, short haircut or not. He always looked like.....Angelina Love. Just greasy and sticky if you touched either of them. They both look like they need to shower :/. The beard on Punk didn't help much either I guess, nor does the tattoo on his chest.

I think the schlicked back hair makes him look more ridiculous IMO. What annoys me about the short hair is how stupidly it's cut around the left (or right) side of his ear, to expose the tattoo he has there. Not that I can even make out what it says anyway, cos I cant.

So no, his haircut doesn't change my view on him. The infamous promo 3 weeks ago on the other hand....

 

[Nate DaMac]

I still prefer the long hair. Hated it when he had to cut it because he was rocking that "Haven't Bathed in Days" look to perfection.

I've grown used to the short hair though. Obviously he's trying to grow it back out now which is why it's in a bit of an ugly stage. Anyone who has had long hair knows you go through that.

Seriously though, judging a performer based on their hair is one of the silliest things I have ever heard.

 

[Kinsey144]

Seriously though, judging a performer based on their hair is one of the silliest things I have ever heard.

I completely agree with you... on the surface, it seems truly ridiculous

But for me it helped give him the look and the intensity required to make me believe in him

 

[OutsidersEdge4]

I buy what you're saying. The long hair made him just look like another random ECW, hardcore, tatooed, not give a sh!t kind of guy. The haircut separated him and made him a little more unique.

 

[Kinsey144]

I buy what you're saying. The long hair made him just look like another random ECW, hardcore, tatooed, not give a sh!t kind of guy. The haircut separated him and made him a little more unique.

Yes! This is exactly my point. It made me recognize punk. He was now not just another guy with long hair and loads of tatoos... he had a unique look now and it made him stand out to me

 

[rAjaXXo1911]

Only thing that changed my view was his beard , it was quite annoying at times . The short hair however does go well with the new persona and short beard. He looked good at the ppv

 

[ahoyhoy]

LOL. I loved Punk with the massive hair and beard. Everyone these days has short back and sides and maybe a nice little trim beard. It goes back to what people are saying about everyone being the same. Try and find something to make a guy stand out. Look at Tyler Reks, if he is even on the roster anymore and blimey, you are immediately intrigued about someone different, even before you get to promos or wrestling. And yet I still don't think I could pick Alex Riley out of a line-up, regardless of push.

The WWE should recognise that they guy who made them the most money in history had a bleedin' COMBOVER for his run. Two of the five biggest names in the past five years were A MIDGET IN A MASK (Rey) and A DOOFUS WITH A RIDICULOUS HAIR AND MUTTON CHOPS (Trips).

But then I'm a jaded wrestling fan who pipes up when he even gets the rare opportunity to see anyone who isn't a white dude in the WWE. Ooops, I know we aren't allowed to talk about that. (Ever notice how ECW had the most diverse roster and got the most out of it? Again, not bringing up race, LOL)

Punk looks like a heel! He looks like someone who'll give someone shit! And if that is something to get behind, fans will!

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

Are you all insane? Judging a wrestler by his looks is the stupidest thing i have ever seen. It doesn't matter if a wrestler has tatoos and long hair/beard if he is good in the ring. Punk is good in the ring, long hair/beard or not it doesn't matter to me.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

Yeah Short hair or Long hair it didn't change anything for me really the thing that changed was his Gimmick from the SES to the Savior, New nexus whatever he's doing now which I think involves putting the wwe championship in his fridge

 

[ratedrdestiny]

Are you all insane? Judging a wrestler by his looks is the stupidest thing i have ever seen. It doesn't matter if a wrestler has tatoos and long hair/beard if he is good in the ring. Punk is good in the ring, long hair/beard or not it doesn't matter to me.

Isn't this what Vince based superstars on for years? Their look? Now As far as punks hair cut it didn't really increase or decrease his appeal to me because I always thought he was pretty good. I do think however that the wet greasy hair look was played out and a change was needed.

 

[Doctor Awesome]

As trivial as it may sound, one's appearance has alot to do with how they are percieved by others. Not that it is always (or often) valid, just how the world works.

You look at a timeline of when he debuted in WWE and had longer hair, a weak attempt at a beard and was just starting in ECW, he fit the bill perfectly; young, edgy and stood out as an individual.

When the SES was really cooking and there were blatant comparisons to him thinking he was God. The hair was the longest it had been and the beard was thick, just like JC.

Then he gets it shaved off and that added a very fresh element to his look...his expressions were 100% visible and priceless. Remember when show ripped off his mask on the ladder? That was great, the looks on Punk's face!

Fast forward to present day where he slicks it back with some 1950's hair tonic. It is very original and with the absense of facial hair last night he gave us the look of a Champion that deserves to be there, not the wet behind the ears mark that he looked like during his first reign. He understands the importance of evolving his character and his look has had alot to do with making other people believers.

 

[silrock316]

The hair actually did bother me back in the day with Punk. Especially when he won his first world title, I couldnt take him seriously because of the way he looked. The second he lost his hair in that storyline I took to him. Call it coincidence or just a decent program I really started to like him.

 

[The Rich]

His short hair is awesome, jet black and combed back.

With the N armband and the moustache...he kind of looks like Hitler


Perfect for a heel.

 

[Iversen]

I kind of get what you're saying and I'm going to give my own theory to it because it's something I've noticed. Punk has possibly one of the most expressive faces in wrestling he's great at getting across his mood in matches through his facial expression. Last night was a perfect example of that I felt, go back and watch the match while focusing on his facial expressions and I think you'll understand, or I hope you will, what I mean. However his long hair would probably have covered that a lot. Made it harder to see which would take something away from his matches. Just a theory on my part. Personally I loved Punk with both long and short hair so it's all guess work.

 

[Daniel]

The difference you observed in relation to long-haired CM Punk and short-haired CM Punk has nothing to do with his hair at all. Instead, it has everything to do with Punk just mixing up his character. In 2011, he dropped the whole straight edge character in favour of a maniacal leader. The intense look you're seeing is a result of him playing a slightly different character - one bordering on psychotic. His eyes are wider, he looks more focussed because that's what the character calls for. It has nothing to do with his hair length.

 

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

I still prefer the long hair. Hated it when he had to cut it because he was rocking that "Haven't Bathed in Days" look to perfection.

I've grown used to the short hair though. Obviously he's trying to grow it back out now which is why it's in a bit of an ugly stage. Anyone who has had long hair knows you go through that.

Seriously though, judging a performer based on their hair is one of the silliest things I have ever heard.

Ok Nate, I pretty much agree with everything you've said here, especially that last part.

But let's examine this a bit more here. OP, I've got to say I can also see where you're coming from to some extent. While I wouldn't apply it to Punk, I'd say that hair is quite a significant part of a look, especially with wrestlers who have blander/more generic attire. I think it doesn't matter in CM's case. The various iterations of his character work because his look doesn't solely revolve around whether he's Blondie!Punk, Messiah!Punk, Buzzcut!Punk or Greaser!Punk. He has the tattoos, he has the eyes, he has the Chicago flag ring attire, that's the most important thing for Punk's look.

But, remember a few weeks back when they blanded up Ziggles? He bleached his hair back almost immediately, because all of a sudden he wasn't the "Bleach-Blonde Blowhard". His character didn't work as well because the robot heel thing just doesn't fit Dolph's "dorky name but still a total narcissist" character. He needed that cocky edge back. He needed the hair. While its length generally doesn't matter, and the "important" thing, if you can call it that, is that the ridiculous bleach is back. The weird semi-mullet thing I can take or leave, but it makes Dolph stand out even more. The first thing I thought when I saw him was, "Well this guy's clearly a dick." That and his leopard-print wrist tape (bring it back!)

Another example is Jericho. Jericho has done several different characters over the years, and his "Best in the World/Gelatinous Tapeworm" persona would probably not have worked as well with the rocker, "beautiful blonde locks" hair. Or the ugly-ass dwarf beard he used to rock. And plait. And do all kinds of weird stuff with. His heel character from 2008 onwards was all about order. The "Lawful Evil" type character. No emotion. Except anger and fury. The short hair/clean shaven Jericho fits this better, as does the trunks, the sense that he's matured, etc.

So, for any tl;dr'ers: Nate is right, judging a wrestler solely on hair is a very bad idea. But it is good to take it into account when considering a wrestler's "look" as we say, especially in relation to their gimmick/personality. As I already stated, Punk's hair is not the most important part of his look - for him, the most important thing is looking like the disheveled hobo he's always looked like.

And yes, I was hoping for a Pepsi Plunge too OP. Haha.

 

[crowbartotheface]

The idea is silly bro.... That having been said I agree with you 100%. After the haircut look what happened with him. Dropped the SES, became one of the best color commentators ever, picked up Nexus, had the top feud with Orton then switched to Cena and that brings us to this past month. Now before you say this is incoherent ramblings stop and think to yourself what does McMahon look for in top performers. It's the cookie cutter style that made him a millionaire. I'm not saying he's got the push for it but it helped. See: John Cena, Stone Cold, Rock, Kane, Show, etc etc.

 

[CaptainZaltan]

While it's certainly valid to say that you shouldn't judge a wrestler by their haircut, I think the truth of the matter is that a wrestlers look has a huge influence on their ability to get over with the crowd. A wrestler (and for that matter, any character) has to look the part that they are playing. As others have said, Punk looked just like a generic hardcore wrestler/dirt rocker prior to cutting his hair. Something about his haircut though, just worked. Personally I prefer the slicked back hair with pointy beard, but all of his looks recently (maybe the mustache most of all) have been unique and interesting. The short hair makes Punk look more disciplined and mature, if that makes any sense, which better suits his character. More importantly, because it's an unusual look (rather than a generic heavy-metal fan thing), it makes his character seem non-conformist. He looks like a guy who's not trying to blend in with any sort of generalization/cliche, (such as "metal-head"), which I think makes him more identifiable to more people. Punk doesn't blend in anymore; he stands out.

Another benefit is that without his hair blocking so much of his face, his facial expressions are more apparent, which helps him connect to the audience. And it makes him more recognizable. Human beings are innately programmed to remember and distinguish faces better than just about anything else. And I think in general, we just find it easier to distinguish between two faces vs two blobs of long hair.

Also, speaking as a guy who used to have long hair (and who loves heavy metal), the truth is that the look just isn't accepted or taken seriously by most people. Also, it's a freaking pain in the ass to deal with; I can't believe Punk would ever consider growing it back

 

[fredstephenson]

reckon this thread would be better if the theme was about a wrestlers appearance in general and how it effects there career and its not everything but without question it makes a huge difference every massively over superstar i can think of has had a unique look about them the rock,taker,hulk hogan,sting,stone cold just to name a few just look at the amount of threads and posts saying they want kane to put the mask back on kind of says it all i dont think half of the most well known wreslers in history would hav made it as far as they did without their own unique look

 

[Mercer the Ruthless]

I wouldn't say that Punk's hair style change changed my view of him, however it did make me like him more. Certain superstars need a certain look and when Punk went heel, I thought that he needed a new hair style to go with the shift in character. Now you can see him more, you can see his emotion and you were able to take him more seriously as a heel.

 

[Principino]

Punk's look during his Straight Edge Society days (the long hair and big beard) was brilliant, gave him a sense of power which went hand in hand with him "brainwashing" his fellow society members as well as the WWE universe. Punk is brilliant, what he looks like doesn't matter when your that good but it certainly helps.

 

[Starchild]

The change was due to Punk growing as a character, not because he got a haircut. That just so happened to be around the same time. When he really became interesting was the summer before WM27 when he first turned heel. His work with Hardy and Undertaker, and the beginnings of the SES were brilliant. He's just continued to get better as a character ever since which makes him now in to one of the most polarizing figures in wrestling.

As for his hair, I've said for a long time I prefer the short hair. Makes him look more legit to me. I don't really care as much for how he has it now though where he seems to be growing it back and going for a Godfather look in the process. My favorite look for him was how he had it around the time he joined Nexus. It was short, spiky, and had blonde tips with a beard that was trimmed and well kept

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I buy what you're saying. The long hair made him just look like another random ECW, hardcore, tatooed, not give a sh!t kind of guy. The haircut separated him and made him a little more unique.

I totally agree. When CM Punk had long hair, he just seemed too generic to me and too much of an underdog. The short-haired character is much more believable and intense. I was never a huge fan of Punk but now I am. People can say what they want but appearance plays a big role in people's perception of a wrestler and plays a part in getting them over or not.

I'm not saying the hair alone changed the actual character but I think it did somewhat change my perception of the CM Punk charcter.

 

[phenom-0]

eh not really sure but after he got his hair cut by rey i was definatly more into punk. for some reason but regardless. PUNKS THE CHAMP!!!!!!!! and im a happy wwe fan